The French exchange trip 2010

For the seventh year running, in March, St Chad’s students went on an exchange trip to Rostrenen, in Brittany.

This year we had the biggest group ever with 18 students from year 9 to year 13. The age gap was not an issue and I would like to commend all the pupils who took part in the trip this year for their team spirit, camaraderie and joie de vivre.

The students lived in their French partner’s family for a week. During the day they went to the French school where they shadowed their partners and played sports with them.
They went bowling and go-carting one afternoon and also visited the only wolf sanctuary in the whole of France.
They went on day trips to Le Mont St Michel, Saint Malo and Vannes and were also taken to the coast by their French families.
In the evenings the French students organised various outings for their British partners to the local crêperie or pizzeria.   

The first couple of days some students were naturally homesick and a bit tearful but by the end of the week nobody wanted to go back to the U.K so soon.

It is always a delight for me as a teacher to see the positive impact that such an experience has on our pupils. It is a real awakening for them. It makes them eager to experience new things; it turns them into more confident, tolerant and outgoing young people.

Year after year I am always amazed at how adventurous students are. Many actually ask their host families to cook them snails or other weird French dishes.

The testimony that this trip is a success is the fact that students go back year after year.
This year we had 5 students who had already been on the trip 2 or 3 times before.
Many students make friendships, which become long term friendships and some even get invited back in the summer holidays.

There are many academic benefits also. Students’ attainment in French improves and they see the purpose of learning French.

We welcomed our French partners back in Runcorn at the end of April. Their stay coincided with the European Comenius project and we prepared an exciting programme for them.