As part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, Lewis School of English in Southampton, UK, is republishing the diary of Quentin the Quality English Penguin.
This was first shared during an Instagram Takeover Week in March 2020, a light-hearted series of posts that captured the student experience in a wonderfully original way.
Quentin’s story began with a job advert, when Quality English announced, “We are looking for an adventurous and discerning penguin to be our mascot and representative.” He applied, and his life changed. No longer grounded by geography, he became a penguin who could fly (by plane, of course).
His first diary entry recounts his arrival in the UK as a VIP (a Very Important Penguin). After landing at London Heathrow Airport, Antarctic passport under his wing, he travelled to Southampton, where his host mother, Caroline, welcomed him with fish and chips – a dream dinner for a penguin! He also met Yuki, a fellow student from Japan, who read him a bedtime story as he went to sleep happily with dreams of friendship and life in a British home.
As the week unfolded, Quentin embraced every aspect of school life. He joined General English classes, visited IELTS and teacher training lessons, attended Conversation Club, and proudly learnt new expressions. He explored Southampton’s historic walls and maritime heritage, visited Stonehenge, Bath, Salisbury and London, and even met the Queen (sort of). Along the way, he formed friendships with students from across the world and won a Student of the Week award.
Quentin’s story reflects the commitment shared by Quality English schools to providing a truly personal student experience.
As Lewis marks fifty years of welcoming students from around the world, that spirit continues to guide the school: delivering high-quality education in an environment where students feel supported, stimulated and at home – even if they’ve come all the way from the South Pole!
To read Quentin’s Diary or learn more about Lewis School’s adult and junior programmes, visit this link.
