Based within the grounds of our own magical Château, students spend the week enjoying a varied set of on-site activities led in French by a native French-speaking animateur.
This unique programme fully immerses students in French language, encouraging students to listen and practise their French from the moment they arrive to the moment they leave. Whether it’s working together to build a raft, brave the obstacle course, or Bake Off in bread making—everything is delivered in the French language by our native French animateur team.
Our charming Château, nestled in the Normandy countryside, has been welcoming students for over 30 years. Its extensive grounds provide the perfect safe environment for learners to improve their language skills and confidence through a range of on-site activities.
To ensure each learner receives individual attention & support, all activities are taught in groups of twelve or less and each student is given a language workbook to help reinforce vocabulary & grammar. Off-site excursions are designed to give students valuable exposure to the culturally-rich region and range from visits to local goats cheese farms to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Mont Saint-Michel. This trip allows teachers to take a back seat as the animateur team expertly lead their students through un séjour français, from petit déjeuner right through to evening entertainment—entirely in French!
Also available - French school exchange programme allows students to meet French school groups at the Château.
As one of our most established programmes, your trip shouldn't differ too much from this sample itinerary.
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Château de la Baudonnière
Situated an hour and a half south of Cherbourg, our Château nestles in 100 acres of its own grounds which incorporate a lake, mini farm, assault course, climbing wall and activity facilities. You can read more about our Normandy Château school centre here. |
These ready-made trip resources are designed to reduce your admin and help speed up the process of planning, promoting and getting approval for your trip:
Climbing sessions take place at the centre's own climbing wall which is suitable for students of any age. After issuing equipment and explaining the safety procedures, the students will climb various paths on the wall. They will use commands in French to each other and will learn French words for movements and parts of the body.
On location in the beautiful grounds, tasks are set for each group to encourage the students to work together. These team-building and problem-solving activities are challenging, fun and require good communication skills and a lot of team spirit.
This popular session is held on our purpose-built obstacle course in the Château grounds. Explanations are done in French and pupils repeat action statements before being allowed to do each obstacle. Ideal for practising popular verbs and the use of prepositions. Usually rather wet and muddy, the students enjoy finishing off the session with a run against the clock and a dip in the river!
Kayaking sessions are conducted on the beautiful on-site lake. Simple instructions are given in French and the students will master various skills in a very safe and fun environment. Students should be confident in water, but do not need to be excellent swimmers for this activity.
Students get the chance to be a Robin Hood. After the obligatory safety talk and explanation of the equipment, the students shoot the arrows onto targets, an excellent opportunity to practise numbers and directions in the target language.
This activity is designed to enhance the students’ knowledge of French while capturing an image from their activity, be it a leaf or a flower or their very own design. Using our dark room we can develop the image onto paper for the students to take away with them.
Aeroball is a fun, totally unique sport! The trampoline-basketball-volleyball game is suitable for all ages and is played by two teams of 2. Simple instructions are given in French and the students will have the chance to learn/practise the vocabulary for the body parts. It’s also a great opportunity to practise the numbers (scoring and counting down the end of the match). Aeroball is quickly becoming a favourite activity for students and teachers alike!
Your students will be split into teams to play volleyball on the centre's own court. The game is a great way to practise numbers, instructions and directions in the target language.
Suitable for all ages bread making is not just a case of making bread, it’s also a golden opportunity to practise your singing talents, as we sing French songs. Students will be guided from the very beginning with simple French instructions. From the measuring of the flour to the kneading of the bread, this activity will keep their enthusiasm going throughout. They will even get to taste the fruits of their hard work as their bread will be baked in time for the evening meal.
Enables pupils to discover the art of circus on an artistic as well as technical level. Students are introduced to juggling, diabolo and other circus equipment in a fun and educational manner. The French spoken during this activity is very varied and is based on using the names of the equipment (stick, balls, diabolo...), action verbs (to walk, to move...), directions (left, right, up, down...), colours (orange, red, green...), numbers (one, two, three...).
Fencing takes place on-site and is an excellent opportunity for students of all ages to learn French in a safe and fun environment, as well as learning about the safety and the equipment. This activity also encourages the students to practise new phrases in French as well as enjoying the fencing itself.
The students will be taught map reading in French using orienteering games and courses in the centre grounds. As well as using French language for features, directions and map symbols the team orienteering challenges will involve other French language quizzes along with finding the control markers.
© Barry Skeates
Arromanches is at the heart of the D-Day Landings. There are museums with vivid and emotive displays, including the famous 360° cinema with unreleased footage from war correspondents, filmed on D-Day. There is also the Musée du Débarquement in Arromanches Les Bains, built on the site of the Mulberry Harbour, with working models and film to explain this incredible technical feat.
This island and its surrounding bay are a UNESCO World Heritage site. Scale the cobblestoned streets to reach the churches and the famous gothic-style abbey. Groups with an Animateur will experience a guided barefoot walk across the bay, which is a highlight for students.
Saint-Malo is a historic walled city with a surrounding beach. Central to the cobblestoned old town is the Roman Catholic Saint-Malo Cathedral. Popular visits also include the town museum and the Great Aquarium, home to 11,000 marine animals.
Famous as the home of the 70 metre-long Bayeux Tapestry, the medieval town is also home to the largest British military cemetery in France, making it a key destination for groups studying the history of conflict.
© David Joyce
Just 15 minutes from Château de la Baudonnière, groups can visit the town's Bell Foundry, Copper Workshop and Pewter Museum. It is rich in history and has a bustling morning market every Tuesday.
Visiting Dinan is like taking your students back in time. This medieval walled town is full of charm thanks to its 13th-century castle, river, narrow streets and magnificently preserved timber clad buildings.
The seaside resort of Granville is a historic fishing port with views towards Jersey and Guernsey. Students of fashion and design will be particularly interested in visiting Musée Christian Dior to tour the exhibition housed in the fashion designer's childhood home.
The port city of Caen features a castle built by William the Conquerer but is of most interest to our groups for the Caen Memorial Museum, which is an essential stop for students studying WWII and the Battle for Caen. There is also a section on the Cold War.
A chance for students to be immersed in local culture and produce and to pick up some souvenirs, a visit to the market is a great opportunity for learners to interact in French with the welcoming stall owners.
Our French language immersion programme includes:
Extras to budget for:
There is a waiting list of schools who want to stay at the Château in the peak season from June–July, with first priority given to re-bookers, so we strongly recommend that first-time bookers take a trip to the Château outside of these months.
The spring term is the most affordable time to experience our market-leading programme and offers a greater choice of student activities.
Travel in the autumn term if you are looking to kick start your students’ French learning after the long summer break or to get your new Year 7 students working well together as a group. Alternatively, KS4 and KS5 students visiting in the middle of the school year will benefit from invaluable practise before their French oral exams.
Book an inspection visit
Join us on a subsidised visit to see the Château programme in action.
Enquire nowMeet our animateurs!
Our French-native team of professional animateurs will accompany you throughout the school trip.
The best time to visit France
Key points to consider when planning your school trip dates
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I have been on 27 outbound trips and this one was by far the best. The Château has a unique way of developing the children and should be really proud of this.Lynne, French Teacher at Kew College
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