FOREIGN exchange trips for pupils used to mean stays with hospitable foreign families and a bit of sightseeing.

Now a Winchester school is turning them into something a bit more challenging.

German students staying with pupils from Kings' School are working for a week during their stay in Hamp-shire.

Three - Dominik Wiesner, Daniela Schaub and Pawel Maslanka, aged 15 and 16 - are working at the Sainsbury superstore in Badger Farm.

Other German children, from Winchester's twin town of Giessen, are working at Oxfam Fairtrade and Cancer Research charity shops, Marwell Resort Hotel, Keble Primary School in Hursley, Oliver's Battery primary school, Raynesway Construc-tion in Basingstoke and Documentation Software in Bar End.

Geoff Scutt, head of German at Kings', said: "They are being thrown in at the deep end. They literally go along and have to get on with it. Kings' pupils had to do the same when they stayed in Giessen in March. It was daunting but they came back feeling very pleased with themselves."

Mr Scutt said this year was the third that the scheme had been running at the school. "It has been very successful. It builds up kids' confidence and helps their language skills in an adult environment.''

Mr Scutt said he believed other Hampshire schools such as Crestwood at Eastleigh and Priestlands in Lymington were doing similar things.

But he added: "I think we are the only local school. We feel quite proud that we are fairly unique."

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