Une semaine formidable à Nantes !

Échange français, mai 2024

(A wonderful week in Nantes ! – French exchange, May 2024)

In the week before half term, a group of Year 9 students embarked on the return leg of their French exchange. Having hosted their exchange partners in Hertford earlier this year, they set off to enjoy a week in the city of Nantes, accompanied by Mrs Jordan and Mr Davies. They had a wonderful time, soaking up a huge range of cultural and linguistic experiences, and have richly benefited from the opportunity to explore life in a different country and to push themselves outside of their comfort zone. We were very proud of their enthusiasm and their willingness to throw themselves into life with their French partner families and put their French into use outside the classroom.

Mrs Tyldesley

Mon échange français By Henry (Y9)

Bonjour! The French exchange has just come and gone, and I am here to tell you all about it.

The idea of the French Exchange is that students can travel to another country and fully invest themselves into that country’s culture, dialect and language. Being on the French Exchange, we got to see many of the fantastic sights of Nantes and the beautiful areas around it, like Saint Nazaire and La Rochelle.

Kicking off the trip, was going into the school which we have partnered with for 12 years; Collège Gaston Serpette. We then went to Les Machines de l’Île and the sights were truly amazing, especially the massive elephant. The next day was Saint Nazaire and visiting the submarine L’Espadon, the beaches and the shopping centres. A weekend and bank holiday with the families and on Tuesday we went to La Rochelle, the fortified citadel, bordering the sea, with medieval roads and alleyways, and freaky gargoyles too! Wednesday was the day where the group visited Le Chateaux De Nantes, and after was the flight home.

Je pense que mon français est meilleur et j’ai apprécié les images et les sons de la belle ville de Nantes. C’était une très bonne expérience et la nourriture était fantastique, surtout les croissants et le poisson! Je peux dire en toute sécurité -”j’adore la France!”

( I think that my French is better and I appreciated the sights and sounds of he beautiful city of Nantes. It was a great experience and the food was fantastic, especially the croissants and the fish! I can safely say “I love France!” )