This year we celebrated 35 years of our partnership with the Mallinckrodt-Gymnasium in Germany. To mark this, we organised celebrations in Scotland.

The Young Generation Orchestra from the Mallinckrodt joined Wellington musicians to perform in an anniversary concert. The two-hour concert included performances of music which had been practised in the home countries before the event. The programme also included works played by ensembles from both schools. As a finale, the audience was treated to Highland Cathedral, a fitting choice, written by two German composers and now an iconic piece of music in Scotland. Nothing can prepare the first-time listener for the entrance of the bagpipes as the music reaches its crescendo.

The musicians also performed in the Ayrshire Music Festival as the Wellington Exchange Orchestra. They won their class and were presented with the Ayrshire Co-operative Society Trophy.

In school, joint workshops were organised and pupils from both schools worked together in Robotics and Architecture workshops where they were given challenges to resolve.

The guests particularly enjoyed their introduction to ceilidh dancing where senior pupils, including Junior Ambassadors, helped to lead the guests through eight traditional dances.

Having heard about EPAS from Wellington School, we are delighted that our partner school is now registered in Germany and is working towards accreditation, too.