College St Joseph

The partnership with the Collège St Joseph, a school for 11-14 year olds in the Loire Atlantique region of France began when the headteacher of the collège visited Ingleton with the twinning group from La Chapelle des Marais, Ingleton's twin town.

Frère Berthe and Kate Butcher worked together to establish a penpal link initially, and soon after, in 1993, a full exchange. At IMS we believe an exchange to be the most valuable type of trip abroad as far as linguistic, social, personal and cultural development are concerned. More challenging than a trip to a seaside hotel with English school friends, its benefits are far greater, not forgetting the exciting and interesting experience of hosting a youngster from France.

Groups as large as 36 pupils have participated in the exchange which involves pupils from France spending a week in Ingleton and soon after, IMS pupils spending a week in Herbignac. Originally open to Year 8 pupils only, both Year 7 and Year 8 pupils can now take part. In 1994, Settle High School pupils were also given the possibility of exchanging with the older pupils (quatrième and troisième) and since then the two schools have hosted and travelled together, with staff working very closely together on the planning and review of the exchange process. IT is now possible for our pupils to travel to Herbignac inn Years 7, 8, 9 and 10.They have a great time too as you can see from some of the parent and pupil feedback below:-


We would recommend the French Exchange because it is not only
educational but it develops their social skills and it's a lot of fun.

The trip is great fun making memories that will last a lifetime.

It's tiring and hard work, but very enjoyable!

It is a very good opportunity for the children to experience French
culture and to visit some interesting places in France. They improve
their spoken French and going to France gives greater interest and
meaning to learning French and trying to speak it.

It is great opportunity and a great experience, which should not be missed.

The whole French Exchange - both visiting, hosting and the preparation 
beforehand has probably amounted to the single most valuable 
experience that our children have had during all their years at school.

The advantages of going on an exchange rather than to a hotel with school are immeasurable. Not only do you get a much greater exposure to the French language, but you also get first hand experience of the way the French live: their homes, family life and food. You will enjoy a wonderful school trip with the comforts of home. You may also make friends for life. Several people have been back year after year, even after leaving school!

The exchange starts as soon as you sign up. When the group has been finalised, you will be allocated an exchange partner. If your existing penpal is taking part then he or she will probably be your partner. If not, we look at characters and interests and try to partner you up with the most appropriate person. You then start to correspond by letter, working on a variety of themes directly related to the exchange. In lessons you will be given specific language that will be useful to you in France and in conversing with your partner. The exchange began in 1994 and we can help you to prepare and to get the most out of the experience.

The French group will come over here first. Your partner will stay with you and your family, coming into school with you each day. Your partner may have lessons or go on trips during the school day, sometimes with the group based at Settle High. Some evening activities are organised, but on other evenings you and your partner will want to do things with your family or a group of friends.

A few weeks later, we go to France. You will stay with your partner's family and will travel to the school at Herbignac with your partner each day. You will have some time in school, doing special lessons either with your partner or just with the Ingleton group, and the rest of the time will be spent exploring the area.

Some of your penpals will live at La Chapelle des Marais, Ingleton's twin town, and it is there that we do a village trail, including a visit to a bakery to see how bread, croissants, pain au chocolat etc. are made. The samples go down particularly well!

The area we are going to is in the Loire Atlantique, bordered on the South by the River Loire and on the west by the Atlantic Coast, including the Côte Sauvage. On our 'coast day', we visit some beautiful beaches as well as the salt marshes and an amazing aquarium. This day would not be complete without a visit to a crêperie, a pancake restaurant, in Piriac

The Brière is a large National Park, designated because of the fresh water marshes. A study of this area is part of the Year 7 geography curriculum and you will recognise many of the features as we explore in a chaland, a flat bottomed boat, as shown below.

You cannot go to France without seeing a market. Saturday morning is spent in the remarkable medieval walled town of Guérande. You will be given free time to explore the shops and colourful market stalls in its pedestrianised centre. Try not to spend all your money here!

One of the highlights of the trip is a day in Paris. Just a few of the wonderful sights and experiences you will have on that day include the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Champs Elysées, Arc de Triomphe and a trip on the River Seine. You also get the chance to travel to and from Paris by TGV , the famous French high speed train.

Much of your time will be spent with your group and teachers and you will have a contact number for staff should you need to speak to them on other occasions. As in England, some evening and weekend activities will be organised for the whole group and at other times you will be with your partner's family or enjoying yourselves in smaller groups.

Aidan Monks from Pain de Paris in Kendal talked to all Year 7 pupils about French bread and pastry making. He described his routine as a boulanger and the processes and ingredients involved.

Pupils had organised themselves into groups and decided who would bring different foods - jam, butter etc - to go with the bread, as well as more aesthetic items, such as tablecloths, flowers, serviettes and centre pieces. Some pupils decided to dress up in a stereotypical French manner - only the onions and bikes were missing!

Pupils enjoyed their fill of French bread, croissants, pains aux raisin and pains au chocolat, washed down with steaming cups or bowls of hot chocolate.

Halifax based theatre company, Théâtre Sans Frontières, performed the Contes Mauriciens - 'L'arbre Aux Gâteaux' and 'L'homme Au Banjo' to the whole school in November 2004.

Pupils learned short songs and vocabulary connected to the performance beforehand enabling them to understand the plots of the stories.
The stories were set in French speaking Mauritius and were performed brilliantly and with a great deal of humour - much appreciated by the pupils.