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.
With beautiful Mont Saint-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.
Our dedicated team in Normandy will tailor your itinerary to your unique requirements, see the Seasonal Highlights tab for local events and festivals.
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.
© Anibas
Explore the quaint traditional town in Normandy also known as City of Manuscripts, which faces the bay of Mont Saint Michel, visit the botanical garden and interact with the locals
© EmilyStAubert
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.
Experience the 360° cinema in Arromanches displaying brilliantly captured and informative footage from the war across multiple screens.
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.
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.
This part of Lower Normandy offers a great choice of historical and cultural excursions. But if you'd like to spend some time at the centre, we can arrange a half- or full-day of French language activities with your animateur. Click on the activities below to see what is available at La Grand' Ferme.
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...).
Take advantage of the centre's heated outdoor swimming pool with leisurely swimming or organised pool games. Teachers are responsible for supervising children in the pool as we cannot provide a lifeguard.
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.
Good old fun (and SUPER competitive!), the French game of pétanque takes place on our traditional boule pitch where players are challenged to throw the boule as close to the jack as possible to win.
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 a second language. All this followed by a balloon shooting competition!
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 group wiill set off from La Grand' Ferme on a guided bike ride exploring the scenic countryside of this undiscovered coastal region of Normandy. We have bikes and safety equipment for chiildren of all ages. Children will need some cycling proficiency to take part and should be prepared for the old hill! But the vistas of Mont St Michel are well worth the effort.
Our French language immersion programme includes:
Extras to budget for:
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 French trip:
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