Here we are with the class of 2023 discovering Oxford: the city of dreaming spires.

Come on parents… let’s jump in:

It’s busy. It’s international. It’s inspirational and it’s ours for the day. More Than English co-director David Meddows used to be a lecturer at Oxford Brookes University, so he was our guide for the day.

We got off the coach by the Ashmolean Museum and from there walked past Trinity College and under the Bridge of Sighs, named after the Ponte dei Sospiri in… where else (?) Venice.

Venice? So what do Venice and Oxford have in common? Well, while Venice’s waterways are on an altogether bigger and more dramatic scale, Oxford nevertheless has its own proud tradition of leisurely travel by waterway. In Venice they have the gondola. In Oxford, we have the punt.

Winding our way through the ancient back streets, we walked half-way across the compact city centre ‘soaking in the atmosphere’ of the university colleges (that together make up the University of Oxford) and arrived at Magdalen Bridge for a punt on the river. This activity is in the tradition of Oxford University students who take picnics on punts and reflect on notions of philosophy, art and science.

**Warning: this video contains scenes of a duck attack on our students!**

Crossing the road we immediately entered the vast campus and lands of Christchurch College, you know, the one whose dining room features in the Harry Potter movies.

From there a leisurely walk brought us to the Covered Market where students enjoyed looking around the boutique shops. Our final destination was inevitably the Westgate Shopping Centre which provided students with a well-earned opportunity for retail therapy and a chance simply to relax and spend time together conversing in their linguafranca: English.

A fantastic day: congratulations to all our students.

Important: no ducks were harmed in the making of this video.