Form 8 Study Trip to France

Date: Wednesday 5 November 2008

The beginning of a new school year can be filled with trepidation for many pupils. Not so for our new Form 8s – for immediately upon their return to school they were thrown into preparations for the first trip of the year, 4 days in France in mid-September. From the start, the pupils were aware that this was no ‘holiday’, but a blend of the practical and the academic with a sprinkling of fun too.

Despite meticulous planning, these trips never quite manage to follow the itinerary, and P&O ferries scuppered our first activity by changing the sailing time of our booked ferry. The pupils were not so much upset at missing their shopping-for-lunch in Boulogne market as at having got up 45 minutes earlier than necessary! A little diversion was made to purchase lunch in a supermarket, and everything went as planned from then on.

To keep the pupils’ brains active, they drew, observed and measured a variety of geographical tasks, interviewed passers-by in French, learned about the horrors of the First World War, and completed worksheets and daily diaries.

They had physical exercise with walks to the beach from the hostel, along the seafront in Le Treport and Le Hourdel, and many of them walked/ran down 700 steps at the Eiffel Tower.

They had the cultural experience of eating ‘French-style’, without bread plates and using the same knife and fork for starters and main course, and even indulged in the popular French meal of mussels and chips. They did us proud – I’ve never had a group demolish so many mussels before! And they got to see the ‘Mona Lisa’ in the Louvre too! Being children in the 21st century, they also managed to do a little shopping – but they had to ask for their ice-creams / crêpes / cakes in French, as well as bargain for a good price to get their portraits sketched in Montmartre.

One and all agreed that it was a wonderful trip.

All photographs: copyright Thomas Hooley 2008