Based at our own dedicated school centre, La Grand' Ferme, this residential French language immersion programme offers a fun mix of cultural visits and excursions led, in French, by our qualified animateurs. Every trip includes a fun programme of evening entertainment for your students.
Voyager owned
Key stage 2 – 16+
Native French animateurs
Evening entertainment
Workbooks
Carbon offset
The perfect French-language centre in Normandy for school groups
With beautiful Mont St-Michel as its backdrop, our French immersion centre at La Grand’Ferme is well placed to offer the perfect mix of language, culture and history on your school trip. Our experienced animateurs will lead your group on local excursions designed to immerse your students in local French life, allowing them to practise their French and interact with native speakers in real situations. The highlight of this trip is a visit to Mont Saint-Michel, a UNESCO world heritage site perched atop a tidal island, followed by a guided walk across the bay including a memorable 'quick sand' experience. The rest of the programme is composed of fun on-site activities which are of course, all taught in French and reinforced with a bespoke student workbook.
Our animateurs will run all the activities, mealtimes and evening entertainment in French, encouraging your students to use the language at every opportunity and helping to improve their confidence and language skills.
During a typical 5-day trip, your students will have plenty more exposure to speaking and listening to French compared to a term of formal lessons back at school. Your students will have so much fun, they will hardly notice how much they are improving their French and growing in confidence, which translates to a classroom full of energised and able students upon your return to school.
Sample 5-day itinerary
Our dedicated team in Normandy will tailor your itinerary to your unique requirements, see the Seasonal Highlights tab for local events and festivals.
Day 1
Arrive
Centre orientation and meet your group's animateur
Treasure hunt
Day 2
Local French market mission
Goat's cheese farm tour in French
Swimming or French quiz (depending on the season)
Day 3
Morning exploring Mont Saint-Michel with your animateur
Guided bay walk including 'quick sand' experience in the afternoon
Learn circus skills in French
Day 4
Postcard writing
French bread making activity with your animateur
Avranches French town trail
Farewell party
Day 5
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
Lunch at Colleville-sur-Mer
Depart for Channel crossing
Arrive home
Our well-equipped centre is ideally located nearby local attractions
With a stunning view towards Le Mont Saint-Michel, La Grand’ Ferme is our gîte-style centre located just 2km from the coast. Consisting of a unique set of converted buildings within three acres of its own grounds, La Grand’ Ferme provides a safe and car-free environment which is ideally suited for school groups.
The dedicated school centre has plenty of on-site amenities including a large games room, conservatory, all-weather sports court, petting animals, heated outdoor swimming pool, football pitch, boule pitch and beach volley ball court.
Your group will stay in one of two self-contained accommodation blocks with comfortable en-suite student dorm rooms and separate dining area. The cosy centre is a great all-year-round choice with a large games rooms and conservatory available for onsite activities and evening entertainment (led by our experienced animateurs). Group leaders can relax in the evening in our separate teachers' lounge.
What’s more, your school will have the benefit of 24-hour care and supervision from our experienced managers who live on-site.
Click here for more information about this residential centre owned by Voyager School Travel.
Select the appropriate excursion to build a bespoke trip tailored to your students and learning objectives.
Mont Saint-Michel
French goat cheese farm
Avranches
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
Local French market
Saint-Malo
Dinan
Granville
Caen Memorial Museum
Local Beaches
Bayeux
Villedieu-Les-Poêles
Arromanches 360° Cinema
Arromanches
Mont Saint-Michel
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.
French goat cheese farm
Meet the goats and learn how goat cheese is made. Try some too!
Explore the quaint traditional town in Normandy and interact with the locals
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
Visit the memorial to the fallen soldiers of WWII to gain a greater understanding of the loss of life and the human effects of the war.
Local French market
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.
Saint-Malo
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.
Dinan
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.
Granville
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 visting Musée Christian Dior to tour the exhibition housed in the fashion designer's childhood home.
Caen Memorial Museum
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.
If you'd like to factor in some time for your group on the beach, your animateur will be happy to organise a picnic or beach games on one of Normandy's many sandy beaches. Your animateur can also lead a coastal walk where students learn about the local wildlife.
Bayeux
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.
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.
Arromanches 360° Cinema
Experience the 360° cinema in Arromanches displaying brilliantly captured and informative footage from the war across multiple screens.
Arromanches
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.
Bread making
Circus skills
Bread making
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.
Circus skills
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...).
Our French language immersion programme includes:
A fun programme of student activities led in French by our own highly trained French-native animateurs
On-site activities, French lessons, games and all evening entertainment
Local cultural excursions and off-site language activities such as guided Mont St Michel bay walk and market missions
French language activity workbook per student
Full board and lodging
Your choice of return travel
Coach for off-site visits and excursions
Private lounge area for teachers
Evening wind-down activities for teachers such as cheese and wine tasting
Free teacher to student ratio approx 1:10
24-hour emergency support
Subsidised centre inspection visit for two adults
The opportunity to carbon offset your trip. Click here to find out more.
Extras to budget for:
Travel insurance – ask us for more details
Meals on journeys
School to airport transfers (if required)
Supplements for small groups, single teacher rooms and additional adults
Off-site excursions
The seasonal festivals that only the locals know about
Our team at La Grand’ Ferme are part of the local community which means that we can tap into their inside knowledge to create a unique cultural experience for your group, recommending special seasonal activities, traditions and festivals which only the locals know about. Bring your school group in February, for example, to experience Normandy’s longest-running and most famous carnival in Granville. Plan your trip around one of these seasonal regional highlights:
September
Dieppe Kite Festival, this magical experience will enthral your students as thousands of kites take to the sky, a truly magnificent spectacle that draws visitors from all over the world
October
Fêtes Normandes – a wonderful opportunity to celebrate all things Norman! This festival is an opportunity for your students to taste all that the Normandy region has to offer from delicious cheeses to freshly caught scallops!
November
Visit one of the region’s seasonal food festivals, Normandy has a regional timetable of apple, cider, scallop and seafood festivals throughout the month
December
Normandy undergoes its annual transition into winter wonderland, from Chritsmas markets to the Rouen Christmas parade, you cannot fail to get wrapped up in the magic of the festive season in Normandy
January
See the towns and villages across Normandy illuminated and enjoy the stunning light show inside Bayeux’s magnificent cathedral
February
Granville Carnival, the highlight of the Normandy calendar, is a celebration of wonderful colours, vibrant costumes and confetti fights! An authentic insight into local culture
March
Normandy Architecture month – people across the region tackle every day issues from climate change to living space
April
The FENO festival, showcases the best of everything the region has to offer, including local crafts and gastronomical delights!
May
Fete du Fromage, the quaint little town of Pont l’Evêque transforms into a cheese-lovers dream! The perfect opportunity for your group to try out their French with the locals
Gallery
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