Nearly fifty of our pupils enjoyed a fantastic day trip to France this week, setting off early in the morning to catch the ferry across to Calais in glorious sunshine. On board, the children tucked into breakfast before heading out on deck to take in the sea air and watch the White Cliffs of Dover fade into the distance, then spotted seals resting near the port as the ferry came into Calais.

Once in France, the coach took the pupils to Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, where they made the most of the beautiful weather running up and down the sand dunes. From there it was on to a local pizza restaurant for lunch, eating outside in the sunshine, a great chance to practise their French and experience daily life in another country. The day continued with a visit to a French biscuit factory, where the children learned how sweet and savoury biscuits are made and enjoyed some free samples, before heading back to the ferry.

Many schools have stepped back from running trips like this because of the extra border checks and regulations now in place at the Port of Dover. Thanks to the hard work and careful planning of our staff, William Ford was able to go ahead and give pupils this fabulous experience once again. The trip ran smoothly throughout, apart from a little traffic on the journey home, and the children returned full of stories, having enjoyed dinner on board and watched the sun set over the White Cliffs as the ferry brought them back to the UK.