In October, Students of French in Years 9 to11 at Manor House School, spent a weekend near Boulogne, in the northern French region of Côte d’Opale.
Organised by Mrs Millar from the MFL Department, this popular trip combined social and cultural activities with a French immersion approach. Its aim was to boost the pupils’ confidence and giving them opportunities to hear and speak lots of French in real-life situations.
The confidence and boost to comprehension skills that such trips bring, are invaluable for those learning French for GCSE.
Manor House School, Bookham, an Independent School in Surrey, recognises the importance of learning another language. It is firmly believed that doing so encourages its pupils to become global citizens. The Modern Foreign Languages Department, offering French, Spanish and German, is very successful. It is hoped the study of languages at the School fosters a love of languages with pupils in the Prep School into the Senior School and encourages independence of learning and develops a better understanding of the wider world and their place in it.
Bella C of Year 10 has written a summary of the trip;
'In October, over 20 students from Years 9 to 11 visited the very pretty part of France called Desvres for an immersive French trip and everyone had a lovely time!
The trip started at 5.30 am to leave for Dover! Everyone was very tired but the views on the ferry were well worth it: skies were blue in both France and England and we went over to the very pretty town of Bologne sur-mer. We started in the older part of the town which is nearly 2000 years old, where we saw the cathedral and the old streets. Next, we all ventured into the more modern part of the town and explored the little shops and had a great time!
From there, we hopped back on the coach and went to a ceramic museum in Desvres where we learnt all about the history of tiles in Desvres and we all saw lots of very interesting pottery designs from toucans to men with moustaches made out of clay!
To end the very busy first day, we ate a very traditional French meal of “escargots” which is also known as snails - some people were pleasantly surprised!
Day two was also jam-packed and the day started off with heading to a market where we all had to do a market challenge which included everyone trying to buy fillings for a baguette for under €3! It was harder than it sounded but everyone managed to find a filling they liked and there was a competition for the best sandwich.
Next stop was to a World War I cemetery for mostly British soldiers. There were around 12000 graves with many different backgrounds, ages, from all over the world and all around the UK. There are only 20 women in the entire cemetery - they were nurses, army auxiliaries and army civilians who helped out in the war and aided all the sick and injured. They all played a key role in both World War I and World War II.
Our stop after the cemetery was a bee museum called “le Musée de l’abeille” where we learnt all about the anatomy, the queen, hives, how honey is made, their life span and the different roles all the bees play. We then got to taste some honey that was from different plants like rapeseed and limeflower. It was a great museum and had lots of interesting devices that they use with the bees.
Our final stop for day two was a lovely meal out in Boulogne where we had options of moules frites (mussels), burgers, pesto pasta and omelettes. Lots of people went for the moules frites and they were delicious. For dessert we had the option of crêpes or ice cream. All the food was amazing and was a great addition to the trip!
On our final day we went Nausicaa in Boulogne - the biggest aquarium in Europe and it didn’t disappoint! There were lots of different types of fish, sea lions, penguins, sting rays, sharks and crocodiles. It was definitely a highlight of the trip for many people and had so many different sea creatures which were very unique.
Our final stop before getting on the coach to Calais was the beach which was right behind the aquarium. It was an amazing day for it and we all ate our lunch in the sun for a bit before we went home. It was very pretty and a great spot for a final group photo.
It was a really lovely trip where many lovely memories were made. A big thank you to Miss Boxall, Mrs Miller and Mr Jones who all made it possible!'
At Manor House School, we recognise the importance of learning another language and firmly believe that doing so allows our girls to become global citizens. We also celebrate the exciting variety of languages many of our bilingual girls speak at home. Our Languages Department is very successful and we aim not only to provide enjoyment and to foster a love of languages, but also to encourage independence of learning and develop a better understanding of the wider world.
The Manor House School Languages Department offers French, German and Spanish. Pupils learn French in the Lower Prep School. Spanish and German is introduced in the Upper Prep School. From Year 7, in the Senior School, pupils generally study two modern foreign languages and can continue to do so through Key Stage 3. At GCSE, pupils may opt for one or two languages. Many pupils go on to study A level languages at their chosen sixth form destinations, with alumna being invited back in to present to Senior pupils about studying languages in higher education beyond Manor House School.