FAQ's
We hope it is of help to you but if there are any aspects of the trip to us that you would like further clarification of then we would be happy to answer your questions either directly or through your trip leader.
Food
MCF take the safe provision of food very seriously and we are very experienced in dealing with even the most extreme of food allergies. As long as we have clear indications of any allergies in advance of a visit we are able to adapt our menus and our food preparation to take into account special dietary needs.
We often host vegetarian visitors and we are able to offer a full range of nutritional vegetarian meals for those registered as requiring this option.
We are happy to take into account any dietary constraints your child may have on the grounds of faith. Halal meat is difficult to source in rural France, but we are able to provide a vegetarian option instead. We are also very happy to cater for non pork eaters when required.
We make sure that meals are nutritional at all times and we view the enjoyment of food during a stay with us as a part of the fully immersed French experience. We ensure that meals are attractive and appealing to all so that the high energy levels required to fully enjoy the week are sustained by our meals. Following a continental breakfast where access to bread, juices and cereals are unlimited, two three course meals are served each day. There will always be a level of difference in the variety and taste of the food that we serve which is part of the experience of visiting a foreign country but at the heart of our catering is a desire to see all our visitors eat well and enjoy meal times.
Coach company
The coach company is fully insured and is fully regulated in the UK under the stringent regulations that apply to coach operators. They are reputable and reliable and experts in their field. You can view more about them by following this link. www.motts.co.uk
Safety is our primary focus for all travel linked to a stay at MCF. Coaches are modern and come complete with seat belts and all other up to date safety features. Passengers are reminded constantly to wear their belts and accompanying teachers are specifically responsible for ensuring this aspect of safety is adhered to.
All coaches making the journey to us are equipped with a sound system and a DVD. Naturally with the growth of personal entertainment devices children most often entertain themselves individually.
The drivers employed by Motts are rigorously checked for skill and reliability. Undergoing all DVLA screening and testing they are also checked by us for their suitability to perform our trips.
Activities
The mainstay of our approach to the activities that we provide is safety without compromise. This is why all physical activities such as the Kayaking and the Tree Adventure are organised, led and run by experts in their field that we have fully checked for safety and are fully insured and licensed by the authorities in France to operate their activities. This means all aspects of safety are monitored by fully qualified staff of the organisations we use.
On excursions of a more gentle cultural nature our staff act as guides and local experts. We have naturally visited the destinations on many occasions and have planned and structured the trips to be as safe as possible. Members of your child’s school staff will be present on all off site trips and we support them in their role of having overall responsibility for the safety of your child.
We make sure that all safety instructions are given in both French and English. This ensures both our aims of Safety and French immersion are met. If at any time a child has a question we ensure that it is answered to their complete understanding no matter what language is required to achieve this.
If canöe-kayaking is on your son or daughter’s itinerary, please ensure they pack an extra set of clothing, ready to get wet. They will also need an extra pair of shoes that will not come of their feet, ideally old trainers or wet shoes (not flip flops or crocs).
For the summer trips, please remember to pack sun protection since the vast majority of the week is spent enjoying the beautiful outdoors of rural Burgundy and sun protection is essential.
For full details of what your son or daughter will need please refer to our suggested packing list.
This is fine and we will always have enough adults between our staff and the visiting team of teachers to ensure we can look after anyone unable to take part in a planned activity or trip. Naturally we will try and help your child get the most from their week at all times and try to enable and encourage participation if at all possible but nothing we do is mandatory.
Excursions
All excursions are supervised well beyond the national guidelines of pupil to adult ratios for such activities. The teachers from your school have ultimate responsibility for safety and the children’s behaviour but we always have our experienced and bi-lingual staff accompanying the group on excursions at all times.
Health & Safety
There will always be at least one member of MCF on site or with the group who is first aid trained in addition to your own school staff and the coach driver.
We have links to local doctors who know who we are and are very close by in the unlikely event that the need arises. Any child visiting a doctor will be accompanied by a member of your school’s staff and also one of our bilingual staff to ensure there is no question of language difficulties preventing appropriate and speedy assistance for your child.
Given our rural location we are incredibly well served for A&E facilities and should the need arise we are only 5 minutes away from the fully equipped hospital in Avallon from our Meluzien site and twenty minutes away from there at our Lac Sauvin site. Any child visiting the hospital will be accompanied by a member of your school’s staff and also one of our bilingual staff to ensure there is no question of language difficulties preventing appropriate and speedy assistance for your child?
There are dentists and orthodontists locally that we are able to use should the need arise for help with dental problems. Any child visiting a dentist will be accompanied by a member of your school’s staff and also one of our bilingual staff to ensure there is no question of language difficulties preventing appropriate and speedy assistance for your child.
MCF is insured in both England and the UK. We are insured as a tour operator in the UK which covers all aspects of the coach travel for a trip. In France we hold insurances on the buildings and staff that we use and also all the public liabilities that you would expect of a reputable company to cover the activities we undertake with the children. In addition, our coach company is naturally fully insured as a carrier for your child’s group in both the UK and in France.
Safety is the main reasons that we at MCF use external suppliers for specialist activities. All suppliers have to use trained, qualified staff and be fully insured and regulated by the French authorities to undertake the activities that we organise for your child.
Our Staff
Alex, one of our directors, is a qualified teacher with over 20 years experience in UK schools, most recently as Deputy Head of Streatham and Clapham High School, GDST and Governor of Fosse Bank School in Kent. She oversees the teaching team who all have FLE (Français Langue Étrangère), PGCE or equivalent French teaching qualifications and experience.
The accompanying staff from your school are ‘loco parentis’ during your child’s stay with us. However, MCF staff are always on hand to advise and assist and it is important to us that we work as a team to run the trip as safely and efficiently as possible.
We run a very intensive and active week for our visitors and free time is an important element to allow them to absorb what they have learnt and also of course to interact and bond with fellow pupils. A general daily timetable gives you an idea of how this is fitted into the day, although this may alter slightly dependent on the scheduled activities or excursions.
Free Time
At both centres we have plenty of outside space and equipment to allow for any number of different active games to be played. At the Méluzien site we also have swings, table tennis tables and table football as well as a volleyball and badminton area all of which can be used with equipment provided.
Passports and any money that needs to be kept secure can be placed in the on-site safe that the lead teacher of your child’s trip will have sole access to. Of course taking responsibility for keeping pocket money safe is a further part of taking an independence building trip such as the one your child will be making to us.
