— 16 Jul 2013, 15:55 by Maison Claire Fontaine
In April, 12 sixth form pupils and 2 staff from Stamford Endowed Schools went to Maison Claire Fontaine, in the beautiful region of Burgundy, in order to soak up the French culture whilst improving their linguistic skills. We had the most fabulous time! Pupils had lessons in the mornings, during which they practiced grammatical aspects of the language and prepared for the various visits they were to embark upon. They also had the chance to interview locals, including the mayor. The visits were nothing short of superb! From the historic Hospices de Beaune, to the gastronomic experiences of wine and mustard tasting. We also visited a honey farm, where the farmer explained exactly how he farmed the honey, and then let us taste his beautiful pain d’épice and honey: delicious! All these excursions were undertaken in French, and although the pupils were daunted at the beginning of the week, by the end they were all taking it in their stride, and were noticeably more confident when asking questions. We also had an evening meal with local dignitaries, a morning buying ingredients for lunch at a local market, a trip to a chateau and a wonderful evening watching the local volleyball team training for their next match.
The staff at the centre are absolutely superb; nothing was too much trouble, everything was excellently prepared and their positive can-do attitudes were much appreciated. Their chef prepared some exquisite food, giving the pupils to try a variety of things previously unknown to them, and there was also a nice chill out area with bean bags, coffee facilities and local newspapers. A highlight of the trip was the opportunity to spend time with their pen-pals, which had been set up by MCF with the local school. This gave the pupils chance to mingle with pupils their own age, and the afternoon and evening we spend together was most pleasurable. We were very lucky with the weather too, with all of us returning to rainy England with a bit of a tan! All in all, a marvellous time was had by everyone, and we would highly recommend this trip to anyone who is looking for their 6th formers to gain confidence linguistically and develop a love of all things French! Thank you to everyone at MCF for making this trip happen!
