Year 6 in Normandy
Sleepy but excited, the Year 6 boys met at school at 4.50am on Monday 26 June ready for their residential trip to Normandy.
We arrived late afternoon at La Grand’Ferme. After a warm welcome from our host and a tour of the site, the boys unpacked and then enjoyed a delicious dinner followed by a treasure hunt in the garden. On Tuesday we spent the day doing many different activities on site: French games were played and delicious bread was made. The day was rounded off with a sports competition à la française. Wednesday took us further afield as we travelled to Villers-Bocage and spent the morning practising French by choosing food for our lunchtime picnic in the outdoor market. After we had enjoyed the food we had purchased for lunch, we enjoyed a documentary film in the nearby Arromanches Cinema and ate an ice-cream by the D-Day landing beaches. We then visited the Bayeux War Cemetery and enjoyed a peaceful, reflective time walking along and looking at the variety of engraved gravestones, learning from the information they offered. Thursday brought another action-packed day, with a morning in the adventure high-ropes park in Bayeux and a visit to a goat farm in the afternoon, where the boys had the opportunity to milk the goats and sample delicious fresh cheese. The day ended with a film night. All too quickly it was Friday and the end of our visit. Our final expedition was to the Bayeux Cathedral and the Tapestry museum. Then it was on to the ferry and the return journey to Oxford. It was a wonderful week and, as always, the boys were a credit to the school!