Becket School tour, June 2025
The Becket School’s tour focussed on a partnership with College Jean Castel in Argences. Thank you to Emily John, MFL Teacher from Becket School for compiling this review:
“We travelled to Normandy with French Friendships at the end of June 2025. We took 67 students and 7 staff.
Of particular interest to us was building a link with a French school, and our morning in school with dedicated “Exchange” lessons was hopefully the beginning of many French friendships amongst our students and their French peers.
Chris was helpful throughout, always on the end of the phone if and when we needed support.
Our group of students were Year 8s. We took them to Festyland for the afternoon, and they (and we) found it to be just the right size for the large group to have some safe fun with secure remote supervision. The rides were appropriate for this age group, with rides for those seeking more adrenaline, as well as calmer (but no less fun) rides for the more unsure.
Our visit to the fromagerie allowed our students to experience some of the cheese- based specialities of the region. This was a real culture experience for many, opening their eyes to the variety of different cheeses available in France.
Arromanches itself, as well as the museum and 360 cinema are not to be missed. This provided a rich cultural experience for our students to learn about D-day, the Mulberry harbours, and to really see for themselves the experiences of those wartime soldiers. This linked very nicely with the History curriculum that many of them were studying.
The Basilica of Saint Therese was a magnificent edifice which we loved visiting. Our guide was informative and clear. She answered a wide range of questions with in-depth knowledge and thoughtful consideration. The climb to the top of the Tower was not for the fainthearted but the views from the top were superlative. I would recommend.
We stayed at the Foyer de Louis et Zelie Martin, run by nuns. The accommodation was clean and comfortable. There were common rooms on each floor, which the young people enjoyed meeting up in the evenings in, as well as a function room where we held a pizza night- much to everyone’s delight! There was a large grassed area at the back of the Foyer, where our young people enjoyed playing boules, cricket and impromptu games of football. The breakfast was cornflakes, plain yoghurt, breads, butter and jams, served with a glass of juice, hot chocolate, coffee, or warm milk. Evening meals consisted of a pizza night with takeaway pizzas; spaghetti Bolognese, a meal at a local restaurant where everyone had burgers (rare steak haché was a challenge for some students admittedly), and a nuggets and rice night at the Foyer. We would have liked croissants at breakfast but everything else was great and they catered for our dietary requirements well.
Communication both before and during the trip was a real strength and we really appreciated the promptness of replies to our queries.
Review of the driver: Parvindra was our driver throughout our trip to Normandy. He was courteous and helpful at all times, drove us smoothly throughout Normandy and clearly knew his was round this area. On the long journey there and back, he took us to appropriate Service Stations which were ideally suited to our young people as we could both buy items, but also eat picnics.
The coach was always kept clean and comfortable, and he was always willing to modify the heating to suit individuals’ needs.
He was willing to be flexible with plans, when we needed to make last minute changes to the itineraries. He drove us comfortably and confidently through the countryside, including some challenging villages, and we always felt safe and secure.
He was a great favourite with the young people for being a genuinely kind and interested person.
We would recommend him to anyone.”
