School says ‘bonjour’

St Francis Xavier’s College (SFX) has strengthened its european links by welcoming a group of exchange students from France.

50 students from Collège Villebois-Mareuil in Brittany visited the Woolton secondary school to exchange ideas and learn from each other’s cultures.

Prior to their arrival, each SFX student was assigned to a French pupil and wrote letters in the foreign language. They received letters back from their pen pals in France and strong friendships already started to form before meeting face-to-face.

The French students were immersed in British culture during the two day trip; they tried new foods, took part in a treasure hunt and honed their language skills.

Year 9 students also wrote questions to ask the French pupils, who themselves had filmed a short video to show off their school.

Food was a key theme for this year’s exchange. The French pupils brought cuisine such as cheeses, cakes and sausages for the SFX students to sample – with some being more adventurous than others!

The French pupils were keen to discover music from Liverpool and sing along to some Beatles songs! Talented students also showed off their musical skills by playing instruments.

SFX has been building links with the Collège Villebois-Mareuil for over three years and it has been going from strength to strength. The French link is an integral part of the ethos of the school and strong friendships have been formed.

Head of French Carole Thiery said: “Programmes like this play a huge part in defining what is important to SFX. The impact the visit has on both sets of students is fantastic to see. Their confidence increases enormously along with their language and social skills.

“Our students were all really excited to welcome the students from France and show off Liverpool.

“It was a really successful visit and we are already planning the next one!”