PUPILS from the John Masefield High School were to visit Buchenwald concentration camp today (Friday) as part of a cultural exchange trip to Germany.
The visit to the Nazi death camp ties in with the school's annual Holocaust Day, in which survivors of the "Final Solution" share their experiences with Year 9 pupils.
Assistant headteacher Jim Davis said the visit to Buchenwald "would not be compulsory", in case some of the 14-year-olds found it too upsetting.
The school trip is ground-breaking in other ways, being to the former East Germany, near the Czech border, and not the more prosperous west.
The 11 pupils are guests of the Johann-Gottfried-Herder Gymnasium School, staying in the town of Suhl with local families. During their stay, they will discuss ways to collaborate on arts projects in advance of a visit by the German pupils to Ledbury this summer.
The party is being led by linguist teacher Nia Knott, and is due back on February 21.
n A group of 14 pupils will travel to Florence on February 20 for a four-day cultural visit.
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