Year 12 and 13 French, Art and Photography trip to Paris

The week before Christmas, we took 32 Year 12 and Year 13 French, Art, and Photography students (and Claude the croissant) to Paris for a linguistically and culturally enriching visit.

Our French students gained exclusive insight into the workings of the Assemblée Nationale, watching a live debate in the hémicycle, while our Art and Photography students enjoyed plein air sketching in the beautiful sculpture gardens of the Musée Rodin. The French group were welcomed to the prestigious École Normale Supérieure, one of France’s top universities, while the Art and Photography students explored the Louvre — returning with no new pieces of jewellery, as far as we’re aware.

Both groups took in dizzying views of the capital from the Montparnasse Tower, explored the vast collections at the Musée d’Orsay, enjoyed a boat trip along the Seine, and visited the grand Sacré-Cœur. There were, of course, numerous Christmas market stops for last-minute gifting and Nutella crêpe consumption, as well as obligatory Eiffel Tower posing. Not to mention the Flams. If you know, you know.

Colossal thanks go to our incredible students, who made the trip such a joy for everyone — despite one lift debacle, an iconic sprint for a forgotten phone, and many dinner-time hysterics (all to be expected). Thank you also to Artur, our driver, whose perpetual frustration with Parisian traffic kept us endlessly entertained, and to the staff — Ms Cox, Mr Cartwright, and Miss Lebari — for giving up the start of their Christmas holidays to make the trip possible. Oh, and the coach jokes. Let’s not forget those.

A truly magical time in the City of Love. For photos, and more details of our adventures, please visit the blog we updated throughout the trip here.

Ms Lebari

[Photos coming soon!]