Implementing exchange schemes of pupils with a foreign school provides educational possibilities which should be valued highly positively. This doubtlessly means work and effort for the teaching staff involved in them. The school’s life is enriched by the group of foreign students, who are given the same subjects and disciplines and have the same teaching hours as our own pupils for as long as their visit lasts, and the same thing occurs when our groups go to schools abroad.

Opening up our school to other countries is instructive not only for pupils taking part in this but for all the others as well and also for the teaching staff. We all learn from each other, and realise all we have in common and what makes us different from people in other countries. We learn to value the good things we have and respect others’ lifestyle.

So after years of experience with exchange visits with Sweden, Belgium, Italy and so on, our school’s attendance has already become traditional at all the European forums where this kind of exchange visits can be arranged.

Up to now the experience has always been conceived for “sixth form” or “high school diploma” secondary students. The vehicle language of the exchange visits, whatever the nationality involved is, is always English or French.

Our most recent experiences in this field have been with the following schools:

• Lyceum “O.–L.-Vr.–ter-Nieuwe-Plant” in the city of Ieper in Belgium. http://users.pandora.be/lyceum/
  

• Fria Gymnasieskolan I Häninge in the city of Stockholm in Sweden. http://www.friagymnasieskolan.se/
  

• Instituto Magistrale Statale Giovanni Pascoli in the city of Florence in Italy. http://digilander.libero.it/giovannipascoli/giovannipascoli.htm