On Sunday 10 March, Mrs Atwood, Miss Lycett, Miss Knight, Nurse Dunkley and Mr Pietropaoli embarked on a trip with our Year 8 students to the 39th residential to Normandy. We left the school at 6.15am and arrived in Dover on time for the ferry crossing after a smooth journey. The students enjoyed the trip and had the chance to do some shopping and go up on the deck.
We reached France at 3pm and stopped at a service station where our students bought local snacks before having dinner/lunch where most of our students had their first experience of ordering food in French. We arrived at our centre at 9.30pm, settled into our rooms, and had a good sleep before a busy first day in Normandy.
On Monday, we visited Juno Beach Centre, commemorating Canadian troops’ involvement in D-Day Landing. The students watched immersive films about D-Day, then we went to Arromanches to see the Mulberry harbours. That evening, students had time to relax after their activities.
On Tuesday, we visited Villedieu-les-Poeles market where our students practised French while buying lunch for a picnic. We later enjoyed the meal on our trip to Mont-Saint-Michel. In the afternoon, we explored Mont-Saint-Michel and its abbey before returning from another exciting day.
On Friday, we visited German and American war cemeteries and had a picnic in Bayeux before exploring the tapestries and cathedral. We then returned to the centre for a journal session to wrap up the day.
The next day, we tidied our rooms and headed to Le Havre. In the morning, we visited the modern art museum where we saw rare modern art pieces and impressionist paintings. Students then had time to buy lunch at a café or restaurant of their choice and do some shopping. We returned to the centre for our final journal session and room inspection.
For the last day of the trip, we left the centre at 10.am. We had our breakfast at the same French service station as on the first day of our trip, and then returned to the UK in the evening. The journey back was as enjoyable as the one to France, and we arrived at school at 11.15pm, where we were greeted by Dr Lee.
We would like to thank the students for their excellent behaviour throughout the trip, the teachers who stayed at school to cover our lessons, and of course the trip staff who gave their time to ensure the success of the 39th residential to Normandy.
