Posted on: May 18th 2018
Our four-day residential trip to France proved to be a huge success and a trip to remember. The school has always believed that residential trips provide great opportunities for children to grow their self-esteem. Attending a school trip with classmates provides pupils with a safe and supportive environment to try new things and grow both their confidence and independence. The trip offered a mixture of language, cultural, educational and fun activities.
At the national aquarium in Boulogne (Nausicaa) pupils saw the fascinating exhibitions depicting the diversity of the sea and some of the problems facing marine life today. It was great fun watching the seals on the Bay d’Authie. At the Bee and Honey Museum, our pupils had the chance to discover the different aspects of bee life and make their own wax candles. The visit to the British cemetery in Etaples was a moving experience. Pupils realised how many young people from different countries died in horrific circumstances.
The visit to a typical French market was a great opportunity to practise their French and see the variety of food available. At the snail farm pupils learned about the life of a snail followed by a tasting session and surprisingly, most of our pupils were very brave when it came to trying snails. It was fascinating to see the traditional procedure of making sweets and discover how sugar glass is used in films. The visit to the local supermarket was another opportunity for our pupils to use their language skills and buy some gifts for their families.
The visit to the French Primary School was an unforgettable experience. Our pupils had the opportunity to play, practise their language skills and have a snack together with their French pen pals. At the Second World War Museum at Ambleteuse, pupils saw many interesting displays and artefacts from the Second World War.
We were especially pleased with how well the pupils behaved. Special thanks to Mr Jowett for keeping the parents informed, Mr Ashton for keeping the children busy with games, Miss Daymer for dealing with the medication and to Mrs Osborne for taking some memorable photos.
Mrs Agathangelou
Read some pupil reports about the French trip, below:
Sand Dunes and Snail Farms
"Cuckoo!"As our guide, Claire hopped aboard the bus calling to us, we were all brimming with excitement for the week ahead.
Upon arrival at the hotel, we unpacked and rushed downstairs. We were then led to the back of the building and a small field at the foot of some enormous sand dunes! We began a game of cricket but were soon all racing about in the sand. I loved them because a few other boys and I would attempt to find the steepest area and then race down dodging bushes and shrubbery.
Another thing that I loved in France was the snail farm. We were greeted by Antoine who showed us a presentation about the life of a snail. Then, we were caked in slime as snails were allowed to roam around on our hands. Ironically, the minute we had departed from the snails and washed our hands we were given another one on a plate!
The thing I will never forget is when we arrived at the French school. We were greeted with huge flags waved by the children and by flossing! Not dental flossing, but dancing! We decided to follow suit and soon there were more than one hundred children doing the same dance in the playground. Then was the awkward task of finding our pen pals and in the end it was so difficult that Ms Agathangelou had to help me!
By Max G
French trip 2018
Our Year 5 and 6 trip was outstanding!
Day 1:
We visited the aquarium which was amazing! They had extraordinary animals such as African penguins. Then there was an area where you could touch animals and I touched a stingray! It was so silky and slimy. I loved it. After that, we travelled back to our hotel, Stella Maris and I found out that I was sharing a dorm with Evie, Amelie B and Holly. We dropped off our luggage and bags and ventured down to dinner. Sausages and rice were delicious! At 10pm it was lights off, however the girls in my dorm stayed up til midnight!
Day 2:
We travelled to the beach which was so cool. We saw common seals lying lazily on the far side of the beach, separated by shining water. Later on, we visited the bee farm with hives that were encompassed by swarms of bees. It was a great experience. At around 7.30pm we played hysterically on the sand dunes back at the hotel which were colossal. We had a gargantuan space to roam free on. It was a very tiring day!
Day 3:
We were on our way to the snail farm. We were shown a presentation on how snails live and what happens in their life. After that, we got to eat snail pate which I didn’t try. However, I tried the snails which were in a snail shaped shell biscuit with garlic and a piece of snail inside! It tasted very chewy, rubbery and slimy. To be honest, it wasn’t my favourite! We then got refreshed with some lemonade which was a relief!
Day 4:
We visited the war cemetery at Etaples and it was very sad and memorable. Beneath the inscriptions on the headstones were messages written by the soldiers’ family members that told us about things they had done which will always be remembered. One of them was ‘He died for a friend to survive.’
After that we visited our penpals and mine was a girl called Lilou. At first it was a little awkward but as time passed we began to play fun games together in the playground.
Overall I think the French trip was very memorable and I will always remember it.
By Georgina C
French Trip 2018
Forms 5 and 6 had the best time in France! We visited many historic places, beautiful places and exciting places.
Aquarium:
The first place we visited was the aquarium and we saw various sea creatures such as sea lions, penguins, alligators, jellyfish and lots more. As soon as we arrived, we watched the sea lion show and they did loads of tricks. They dived into the water, glided along then leaped back onto their rock. The sea lions glimmered in the sun like a mirror in a fairy tale. We also got to see African penguins, rays and sharks.
Sweet Shop:
We also got to visit a traditional French sweet shop on our trip. Apparently only three people in the whole of France still make sweets the traditional way! As soon as you enter the shop the lively, sweet smell of all the delights goes up your nose and warms your whole body! In the shop there were lollipops, candy floss, boiled sweets, toffees and a selection of chocolate.
By Imogen T