All our Sixth Form courses have a 100% French input, with the main focus being on oral work. We can even include mock oral exams, if you wish.
Our sixth form programme is a combination of Cultural Visits, Activities in French and Fun French Soirées! Your students will speak French with our team of 15 French animateurs throughout the day, whatever they’re doing. In the evenings we invite a local figure, from farmers to politicians, to speak at dinner.
Students are constantly confronted by political, social and religious issues, and are naturally stimulated to ask questions and exchange ideas, speaking and even thinking in French. Students can use tape recorders for interviews, which they can then study later in more detail.
It is a unique French language and cultural programme that can really improve exam performance. Oh, and the students have a great time too! Naturally, we offer party leaders the chance to visit us as our Chateau guests, meet our staff, sample what we have to offer, and plan your own programme with our management team.
To find our more please call us on 01273 202 999.
Cultural and historical excursions are an integral part of our Sixth Form programmes, and in Normandy we have a host of inspiring excursion opportunities – cultural, historical and civic. Popular visits include:
School Exchange – which can include taking part in lessons, being paired off with a French pupil for lunch, and debating in small groups on a prepared subject.
Tourism Office and Town Hall – with the opportunity to talk to many different people, and discover how the French system varies from the English.
Police and Fire Stations – experience a typical day at a police station, explore the difference between the Police Nationale and the Gendarmerie.
The Court – includes seeing real cases and hearing the verdict. The perfect opportunity to see how the French and English legal system differ.
Local Farms – discuss production problems and milk subsidies with a traditional Normandy milk farmer. Explore ethical and practical issues of mass production on your visits to the local pig and chicken farms.
You’ll find a long list of other visit options on our website including: post office, bakery, vet, bank, social security office, hotel, hypermarché and even a stud farm. We supply worksheets and any additional information needed. Some visits may require entry fees to be paid.
Options include Archery, Assault Course, Canoeing, Fencing, Climbing, Bread Making, Orienteering and Initiative Exercises.
We have many tried and tested options that work well, including a Cheese & Wine soirée on the first evening to meet and mix with our staff team; bowling and pizza evening; cinema and creperie; French fancy dress disco; and sports tournament with football, volleyball and basketball. Use the link below to download a selection of work sheets (Word Docs) that are used in conjunction with activities and day trips.
We welcome Sixth Form groups of all sizes and accommodate groups in one of our Sixth Form centres, which offer comfortable rooms for both students and staff, along with hearty French fare!
In the cases of very small groups, our prices are for travel to and from Portsmouth rather than from school. Use of a school minibus or minibuses to shuttle your group to and from Portsmouth is often the key to making these trips viable. Sixth Form weeks run from Sundays to Saturdays.
“For eight years now I have run various trips to the Château de la Baudonnière. Initially I would take up to 90 Year 7 students for a week in July and I remember fondly my first visit, and how impressed I was with all aspects of the Château and its fantastic staff team.
Every Easter I have continued to take Sixth Form students to the Château, and it remains an incredibly popular and integral part of the course. Students have undertaken visits to local lycées, les mairies, regional hospitals, the law courts, the university of Caen, radio stations and homeless centres. Whilst at these places they have had the opportunity to conduct questionnaires or ask specific questions applicable to their presentation work.
I have always set aside the last day of the trip for a full blown mock oral examination. With the help of the Château staff it is possible to devote anything up to an hour with individual candidates. Students would prepare for the exam just as they would for the oral proper, be examined for 15 minutes and then receive up to 45 minutes individual feedback.
When we return after each successive trip I am constantly surprised how every aspect of my students’ understanding has improved – their confidence in oral work, their projects, their exam results. It is this level of proficiency in extending students’ performance which brings me back year after year.”
Conn Anson-O’Connell, Head of MFL, King Henry VIII
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