On Thursday 19th May, a group of 19 Aldenham pupils from Year 10 left school for La Rochelle. This is an annual trip to various destinations in France to complement the studies of pupils working towards their GCSEs in French.

The calm coastal resort, renowned for yachting, was the ideal setting to practise some conversational French, as pupils browsed in shops and the local market. Pupils learnt about the history of La Rochelle thanks to the services of a local guide and visits to the two monuments of the Tour de la Chaîne and the Tour St. Nicholas which form an imposing entry to the old port of La Rochelle. They then went on a boat trip to learn something of the Napoleonic past of the region, visiting the impressive Fort Boyard, more recently used as a back-drop for the famous game show of the same name. Other trips were made to the Futuroscope theme park at the impressive La Rochelle Acquarium. In spite of the mixed weather, pupils greatly enjoyed the trip, and our thanks go to Mr Stait for all the work involved in its organisation.