On Tuesday 6th May the French department had the pleasure of taking 33 Year 10 students and 2 Year 12 students on a 4 day residential trip to Normandy.
We stayed in the beautiful setting of Le Château du Baffy in Colombiers-sur-Seulles. The chateau’s location, 15 minutes from D-Day landing beaches, made it a strategic point during World War 2. The Germans initially occupied the chateau as one of their headquarters. Following D Day, it was then used by various alliances, including French priests, soldiers of different nationalities, and refugees, as well as a site for the Maquis, the French Resistance movement.
During our visits, we enjoyed visits to the picturesque towns of Honfleur, Bayeux and Deauville. We were so impressed with all the students throughout the trip, especially when they conducted surveys with passersby in French on the beach in Deauville. They really made the most of being able to practise reading, listening and speaking in French and it was an absolute joy to see their confidence flourish and to spend time with them.
Other activities included a trip to the market, a very informative visit to the Bayeux tapestry, a “boulangerie task where many students sampled delicious French delicacies” and a campfire with hot chocolate, marshmallows and lots of singing!
This is the second year that the French department has run this trip. It was a great success and we are already busy planning next year’s itinerary.
Here’s what some of the students have written about the trip:
“I have had so much fun on the Normandy trip. It was such an exciting opportunity to become more confident in my speaking skills with the support of the teachers and my friends. Everyone was super encouraging and it also boosted my confidence when talking to people due to the speaking based tasks. Overall, it was the best trip I’ve been on at presdales!!”
Valentina
“• The Normandy French trip was an amazing experience and opportunity to look into French culture
• I loved the trip because it gave me a lot of opportunities to read and speak French every day
• Overall I think this trip was amazing and will be something I’ll always remember – thank you!”
Enzo
“I really loved the French trip. I thought that the food was wonderful and delicious. The Chateau was absolutely beautiful both inside and out and I thought that the rooms were very spacious, clean and comfortable. In my opinion I think that all the towns we visited were amazing because they were all different and gave a really good insight into the life of the French people who lived in them and the tourists that visited. I also loved how often we had opportunities not only speak French but also read and listen to the French that surrounded us during this trip . Overall I think this trip was truly wonderful.”
Inès
“I really enjoyed the Normandy French trip. I feel like it was a great experience to explore French culture and even speak to locals in Deauville. There were lots of nice activities that everyone was able to participate in such as campfire songs and questionnaires which were fun to complete. If I had to say some negatives of the trip I would struggle because everything was enjoyable. We even got to explore some history when we all went to visit the Bayeux tapestry. I would definitely go on this trip again.”
Mia
“I think the Normandy trip was really great and there was lots of free time to buy gifts and some snacks. I specifically enjoyed the fact that we got to visit multiple towns because I enjoyed seeing Honfleur, Bayeux and Deauville.
The speaking task in Deauville was definitely a bit intimidating at first, but it helped my confidence in speaking French as there were lots of nice people!”
Anna
“The French trip was the best school trip I have ever been on. It was full of things to do and the accommodation was beautiful. Whilst on the trip I expanded my ability to communicate in French and became more confident in it. We had a huge amount of free time and got the chance to experience delicious French cuisine.”
Honour
“It was a really good school trip, we had lots of free time and we had the opportunity to speak French. I think it’s the best school trip I’ve been on so far.”
Catherine
“I really enjoyed the trip, everywhere we went was very different to one another and there was a really wide range of things to do. We had a lot of free time but also got to do group activities to build our confidence, speaking, and listening skills. I got closer with a lot of people I wouldn’t usually talk to and made some really good friends during this trip!!”
Annilie
“The trip was really enjoyable, I loved being able to explore new areas of France that I haven’t seen before. I loved being able to spend time with friends and exploring more of what French life is like. We got to practice communicating in the language to improve our speaking skills.”
Jessica
“The trip was really fun. I loved how we got to go around the different towns and I really liked the market. Everyone was really nice and it made the trip really enjoyable. The French towns were really pretty and I loved looking at the buildings and the scenery. it’s a really nice experience to go to Normandy as everyone we spoke to in the task was really friendly and nice to us.”
Ciara
