We are delighted to welcome our short stay immersion pupils, Alice and Coco, who arrived from China last week for stays of two and three weeks. This is a wonderful opportunity for the girls to experience life in a UK boarding prep school and to fully immerse themselves in the Packwood community.
Both Alice and Coco have settled in exceptionally well and have embraced life at Packwood with enthusiasm and confidence. Travelling such a long way from home is a significant step, and for many of our short stay pupils this is their first experience of being away from family and familiar surroundings. Their positive start has been a joy for us all to see; not least how quickly their English has progressed and friendships blossomed.
It hasn’t gone unnoticed that a key part of the success of our immersion stays is due to the kindness and welcome from Packwoodians. They adapt naturally to new faces in school, ensuring that visitors quickly feel included, supported, and part of the community from the very start.
Alice has already made her mark by joining the U13 Netball team for a match against Terra Nova last week. This week, Coco joined her Form 4 classmates to play in an Under 9 match against Adcote, demonstrating great team spirit and willingness to get involved.
During their time at Packwood, our immersion pupils enjoy a true taste of boarding life. This weekend, Alice and Coco will join a boarding trip to watch Women’s Super League football, with Manchester City taking on Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium.
Our immersion pupils are supported throughout their time at Packwood by our dedicated Houseparents and boarding team, alongside a Designated Pastoral Boarding Co-ordinator and our EAL team, who support both learning and language development.
As time whizzes by and Coco’s departure approaches, her classmates are already talking about how much they will miss her bubbly and happy character. Alice, in Form 7, will be with us for another week, and we look forward to continuing to enjoy her wonderful evening piano recitals in the boarding house.
We are pleased to offer experiences like this and to welcome pupils from across the world into our Packwood family. We are looking forward to arrivals from France, Spain and China in the coming weeks.
