On an incredibly rainy day in early February, we once again hosted a contingent of students and staff from the Royal Grammar School Guildford (RGSG) Dubai. Though the weather could not have been more opposite to what our guests are accustomed to in the Middle East, we had a variety of both indoor and outdoor activities planned to welcome them to Guildford.
In the morning, the students from RGSG Dubai were able to meet their First Form counterparts, who had been selected as “buddies” so that the two groups could work collaboratively throughout the day. The first order of business was a treasure trail activity around the centre of Guildford with the route taking in the High Street, North Street, the gardens surrounding Guildford Castle and a small area of the city on the opposite bank of the River Wey. The divided groups had to solve clues at each marked stop before moving on and despite the torrential rain, the students persevered in navigating a large proportion of the town before heading back to the warm environs of our school.
After a short break, our visitors were treated to a talk in Big School from the Headmaster about the five-hundred-year-old history of the RGS. The students especially enjoyed hearing about the various benefactors to the school and how they have been commemorated in the names of the various Houses. The question-and-answer portion was particularly energetic, with students vying to discover from Dr Cox what it may have been like for 16th century children to attend the school. No doubt, the highlight of this session was the trip to the Chained Library to see the original charter granted by King Edward VI and the school’s collection of rare books and manuscripts.
The afternoon saw the RGSG Dubai students moving through a carousel of three activities: a chemistry lesson, a history lesson and a Shakespearean drama workshop. The hour spent in a chemistry laboratory saw the students carry out a range of tests to help identify mystery metals while the history session aimed to reveal the medieval origins of Guildford and what life would have been like for inhabitants many centuries ago. The Shakespearean drama workshop was delivered by a facilitator from the West End in Schools theatre company. The play selected as a focus was Macbeth and the RGSG Dubai students and their RGS Guildford buddies visibly enjoyed re-enacting memorable scenes between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
