At Kip McGrath Derby South, we’re proud to be part of an International Education business, helping children do better in school; not only in the UK, but in 15 English speaking countries around the world. We’ve had a pen-pal scheme running with the Kip McGrath Centre in Hawera, New Zealand for more than 2 years now. As part of practising many aspects of their English, our students love to have communication with their counterparts on the other side of the world. Kip McGrath Derby South students get just as much pleasure out of writing to their pen-pal as they do in receiving a reply.
After writing an initial letter, each student is matched up with a pen-pal by the Centre Owners, either in Derby or in Hawera. This is the starting point for shared experiences and descriptions of those things that make life in the UK/ New Zealand unique. All communications are via the Kip McGrath Centre Directors so no contact details are shared directly. Students typically write a couple of letters each term, keeping them in touch with what their newly acquired pen-pal is getting up to.
Our teacher Alison co-ordinates the scheme, recording when letters are sent and received, so we can identify who’s waiting for a reply and who needs to write to their pen-pal. Alison has created a wall display in the Centre to depict the scheme, including lots of facts about where Hawera is (we assume we know where Derby is?) and what goes on there.
We just love being part of a worldwide community!
This is just one aspect of the creativity and fun we apply to our students learning. We believe it helps to set Kip McGrath apart from other providers.
Click to read more about our Pen-Pal Scheme here.
Dave & Sue Priestley
