Le bateau au Château!
On a very early Sunday morning of the May Bank Holiday weekend, 42 excited and nervous Year 7 pupils boarded a coach to set off for Château de la Baudonnière, near Avranches in Normandy. Ahead, a long day of travel and, for some, the first time they had spent a week away from their families out of the country. We were off to spend six days in an immersive French language activity holiday!
The day consisted of a six-hour coach ride, a six-hour ferry crossing from Portsmouth to Caen, followed by another 90 minutes on the coach again to reach the Château at the very late hour of 12.30am. The highlight for many was the ferry crossing. We had a lovely late lunch, watched ‘The Lion King’ and everyone had their first real opportunity to shop. Going up on deck literally blew the cobwebs away! Fortunately, the sea was relatively calm and no one suffered too badly. Arriving at the Château, they were met by the animateurs, in French of course, and had a hot chocolate and madeleine for supper before keeling into bed for a good night’s sleep before the next day’s activities.
On Monday morning, the weather was pretty good, allowing for a good look around the Château and its grounds after a tasty breakfast of cereal, croissants and juice. Again, the animateurs gave all the information and regulations to the pupils in French, but using mime and cognates meant that communication was clear; even about the nocturnal and vegetarian crocodiles living in the lake! They met the rabbits on the lawn and the alpacas and the pigs in the mini-farm, delighting the animal lovers in the group. The Monday, Tuesday and Thursday were filled with a range of activities from canoeing to archery, fencing to orienteering. Bread making was fun, creating a range of different animal shapes. Tasting it at dinner was a highlight for everyone, despite Mr Mitchell’s elephant not being too recognisable. Mrs Naughton was thrilled that she had won the archery competition in her group, but popping the balloon meant double points and she was thoroughly deflated (pun intended) when she discovered that Siyona’s fantastic score of 400 beat her hands down.
Wednesday was excursion day and everyone boarded the coach again for the short journey to St-Hilaire du Harcouët to visit the market. Like with every activity, the pupils took their journal to fill in and discover new vocabulary to help them shop in French. Unfortunately, the weather had taken a turn for the worse, so it was a bit more challenging to keep the books dry. However, the rain failed to dampen anyone’s spirits and the girls were able to partake of the culinary delights of the local area. Miss Harris enjoyed a galette fromage-jambon and Tulsi was able to practise her favourite new word: frites. After the picnic lunch, shelter provided by the mairie, we were off to Mont St-Michel, the famous World Heritage Site. By now the weather had improved so the visit conditions were perfect. The girls were treated to the story of the Abbey and magnificent views over the English Channel from the ramparts. The animateurs brought the history of its construction to life, with detailed descriptions of the Bishop Aubert of Avranches’ dream where he was visited by an angel who instructed him to build the church you can visit there today. Once we reached the top, the girls were allowed some free time to visit the souvenir shops and the many ice cream parlours; some of those treats were enormous! The girls were very excited to show the staff the presents they had bought for their families; their euros were definitely burning a hole in their pockets!
Evenings were filled with quizzes, treasure hunts and games. The staff were thoroughly entertained by the creative way the girls had to respond to finding elephants, the French flag and snails in the Grand Trouvaille; the Bolton School Five Habits were clearly in evidence that evening. The French evening was so much fun! The pupils had gone to great lengths to come up with super outfits, from the usual stripey t-shirts and berets to bunches of grapes and baguettes and we even met Coco Chanel and Louis Vuitton. The girls were able to try a typical meal from the Normandy region with escalope de porc au cidre et gratin dauphinois, followed by tarte aux pommes. Délicieux! The starter? Escargots, of course! It was great to see so many of the girls try them.
So, after a fun-filled week of new French vocabulary, new activities and new experiences, it was time to get up at the crack of dawn on the Friday of half-term to do the journey home. Despite everyone being very tired, (Mrs Brace commented on the lack of stamina of the younger staff members) the journey went smoothly and soon the children were back in the arms of their parents, full of stories of the week they had spent at the Château.
All the staff - Mrs Naughton, Miss Putt, Mrs Brace, Miss Harris and Mr Mitchell - were so impressed by the way everyone had conducted themselves, trying new experiences, having a go with the French, embracing new learning opportunities, they made us all very proud to be their teachers. Even the border guards commented on their excellent behaviour when coming back into the country at Portsmouth harbour. When Mrs Naughton told them that we were from Bolton School, her response? ‘Enough said!’
