Grangemouth pupils visit Paris on school’s first ever overseas trip

It was a case of ‘au revoir’ to Falkirk district and ‘bonjour la France’ for a group of excited pupils who took part in their first-ever overseas school trip.
The Beancross Primary School children had a great time at Disneyland ParisThe Beancross Primary School children had a great time at Disneyland Paris
The Beancross Primary School children had a great time at Disneyland Paris

A total of 52 Primary 6 children from Beancross Primary School in Grangemouth paid a visit to Paris in March to put their language skills into practise and soak up some French culture.

The six-day adventure was hailed as “absolutely brilliant” by staff who accompanied the youngsters on what was, for almost all, their very first holiday to France.

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To kick things off in style, the group travelled by luxury coach to the Port of Dover before boarding a ferry and sailing to Calais.

After arriving at PGL Château de Grande Romaine, their home for the next few days, the pupils and teachers enjoyed a welcome tour and an evening meal.

The following morning saw the party head for the local village of Brie to work in teams in a treasure hunt that enabled the children to combine French learned in the classroom with real-life experiences.

Staff made sure pupils had time to shop at the village market and haggle for the best deals before taking part in an activity-packed afternoon involving climbing, abseiling, archery and problem solving.

Next up was an outing to Disneyland Paris, a surefire hit with all, where the group experienced the thrills of the Tower of Terror and Rock ’n’ Roller rollercoaster and took in the spectacle of the resort’s evening illuminations.

No trip to Paris is ever complete without a visit to the Eiffel Tower and so, the following day, the Beancross Primary School children were given the opportunity to see the extent of the city for themselves from the iconic tourist attraction’s viewing gallery.

Later in the afternoon, the group boarded a cruise boat along the famous River Seine to take in more of the sights.

While both the children and the accompanying adults could happily have stayed in Paris, they knew term time was looming and headed for home on March 15, stopping off for a McDonald’s on the way, of course!

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The pupils were joined on the trip by headteacher Andrew Watson, principal teachers Sarah Burns and Stephanie Macfarlane, class teacher Jennifer Girvan, clerical assistant Iona Laing and early years practitioner Louise Allan.

Mr Watson said: “The experience was absolutely brilliant and the children thoroughly enjoyed every activity planned.

“It was great for the children to have real opportunities to speak in French, making links with what they are taught in school.

“We are looking forward to taking our new Primary 6 children again in March 2020.”