ALMOST 60 Downend GCSE languages students had a chance to put their French into practice on a trip to Monaco and Nice.
The Year 10 pupils had a week’s stay at the Centre Méditerranéen d’Etudes Françaises on the French Riviera, just around the corner from the principality.
They combined morning French lessons at the residential school with daily afternoon excursions to Monaco town, where they walked along the pits of the Grand Prix circuit and visited the Oceanographic museum, and Nice where they took in the famous Promenade des Anglais. They finished the week by collecting language certificates.
The annual trip in April came weeks after the school’s first ski holiday for more than a decade.
The school took 40 pupils from Year 8 to 10 to the Artesina-Mondole ski resort in Italy.
A mix of beginners and experienced skiers were on the trip, but all of them made it to the top of the chairlifts by the end of the week.
Science teacher and ski trip organiser Jenna Davies said: “Despite a few wipe-outs and a lot of sore muscles, it’s safe to say it was a fantastic trip for all staff and students.”