French language school trip to Le Moulin aux Draps, Northern France

Flexible options for school groups to learn French in the Opal Coast

Just a short hop across the Channel from Dover, the Opal Coast features historic towns, vast sandy beaches, chocolate factories, goat’s cheese farms and everything in between making it very popular with French learners and first-time visitors to France. Our experienced French-native animateurs will guide your school tour and provide a full evening programme to create an immersive French experience. They'll build your students' confidence and encourage them to speak French at every opportunity. But perhaps above all else, they are here to make sure it's fun!

A brilliant optional extra to our programme is the opportunity to spend a morning or day at a local French school. Using our local knowledge, we will pair you with a French partner school that matches the age and level of your children, giving your group the unparalleled opportunity to practise their language skills with their French peers. 

For a more personal and in-depth language experience, check out our winter camp programme. Available between November and February, the Moulin's winter camp offers more on-site activities and games such as breadmaking and science experiments, all led by our brilliant lead-animateur, Justine.

New since your last visit! The Moulin aux Draps centre is under new management, with a team from our centre of excellence, Château de la Baudonnière, taking the helm. Bring your students in 2023 to interact with French school students at the centre, practise conversational language and experience a real cultural exchange that’s certain to inspire a love for learning French. We’re also introducing new on-site activities including beach volleyball and pétanque, all set against the centre’s 22 acres of wildlife. Read more about what's new at the Moulin aux Draps centre.

See how our language programmes link to the MFL curriculum →

4-day sample itinerary

All activities, excursions and evening entertainment is conducted in French by our experienced animateurs.

Located less than an hour from Calais and within very easy reach of the stunning Opal Coastline, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Le Touquet, Arras and the WWI battlefields, our Moulin aux Draps centre is the perfect destination for schools looking for an affordable/short French language immersion school trip. The language centre is exclusively for the use of school groups meaning there are few distractions for students.

Our local French staff have considerable experience in looking after British school trips and catering for the needs of British teachers and pupils. The centre is contained within 22 acres of car-free French countryside, giving students plenty of space to run around and let off steam. Supervision is easy as the grounds are within view of the main building and teachers can relax in the evenings as the Voyager team will deliver a programme of evening entertainment for your students.

Click here for more information about this residential centre owned by Voyager School Travel.

Our Opal Parle French language immersion programme includes:

• A fun programme of student activities led in French by our own highly trained team of French-native animateurs
• All centre-based French language games, activities, lessons and evening entertainment
• A French-language activity workbook per student
• Full board and lodging including snacks
• Free teacher to student ratio approx 1:8 (coach trips) / approx 1:10 (air groups)
• Private teachers’ lounge area
• 24-hour emergency support
• Teacher evening wind-down activities such as cheese and wine tasting evening
• Your choice of return travel; coach travel, with ferry crossing, applicable tolls and taxes included, or return flights and overseas transfers
• Coach to take your group off-site for visits
• Comprehensive travel insurance
• Subsidised centre inspection visit for you and a colleague
• The opportunity to carbon offset your trip. 

Extras to budget for

• Off-site excursions
• Meals on journeys
• School to airport transfers (if required)
• Visa charges, collective passports
• Supplements for small parties, single rooms and additional adults

Ready-made resources to get your trip off the ground

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:

• Opal Coast trip letter to send to parents
• Opal Coast poster to promote the trip to students
• Opal Coast school trip presentation for parents' evening
• Opal Coast school trip teacher testimonial
• What's new at the Moulin aux Draps centre?
• Guide to restarting school trips for you to share with SLT