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French adventure for Oak Tree pupils

Posted onPosted on 20th May
French adventure for Oak Tree pupils

Pupils at Oak Tree Primary School, Mansfield, experienced a trip of a lifetime to France.

Mrs Janet Warner, the school’s language co-ordinator, led a week-long stay in Solaize, a village on the outskirts of Lyon, for 10 children and three staff members.

“For the vast majority of the children, this was their first trip abroad,” she said.

“Having worked with children from Solaize over the previous year via Skype to look at our local environments, the children on both sides of the Channel were eager to meet each other.

“Our French hosts extended an extremely warm welcome into their lives and homes.”

Close links with the Children’s Council of Solaize made the visit possible through financial and logistical support, which meant the visit was offered to children who might otherwise not have had the opportunity to travel abroad.

Oak Tree staff are making plans to welcome their French hosts on a return visit next summer and would welcome offers of support from local businesses to offer similar opportunities to other children in the future, regardless of their family income.

Head Mark Thrower said: “We are extremely proud of the children and grateful we have been able to give them this unforgettable experience.

“This was a first for Oak Tree School and one we would be keen to repeat.”

Pupils had a cookery lesson with an award-winning chef in France, an introduction to beekeeping and explored the area on trams, underground trains and a river boat.

They visited Total’s research headquarters to learn about how vehicles affect the environment and went to Lyon.