News

Award-winning Dutch English teacher and students visit Cambridge for cultural trip

1 August 2011

King's College Chapel, The Corpus Clock and the medieval gate of Trinity College were just some of the stops on a tour of Cambridge for a class of high-level English students from Holland.

The 27 secondary school students from OSG West-Friesland – a school near Amsterdam – were brought to Cambridge at the end of July by their award-winning English teacher Andrew Niemeijer. Many of the 17 year old students, who are preparing for higher education, have already passed the high level English qualification Cambridge English: Advanced which is developed by the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL).

Andrew Niemeijer, who was voted teacher of the year in the Netherlands in 2009 by the Dutch Ministry of Education, explained the reason for the visit:

“Every year we plan a cultural visit to the UK as it's an excellent opportunity for my students to improve their English. It shows them why they are learning English and gives them the confidence they need to communicate with native speakers. The historic city of Cambridge provided an excellent backdrop for this cultural trip and was great for their personal development.”

Some of the students have also recently taken Cambridge English: Proficiency – Cambridge ESOL’s highest level qualification. After leaving Cambridge the class visited Stratford upon Avon for a performance by the RSC and then on to the Globe Theatre in London, before returning home.