Hopelands Preparatory School embraces Entente Cordial

HOPELANDS Preparatory School spent Mercredi (Wednesday, May 18) embracing all things French, dressing up and having a fabulous time doing so.

The morning kicked off with an assembly presented by Madame Rachel Bolton – French teacher at The Crypt School in Gloucester - followed by a delicious French breakfast, served by the younger children to parents and invited guests.

Throughout the day the children took part in a variety of games and workshops including cooking, playing boules, making finger-paintings of Monet’s Garden at Giverny, constructing an Eiffel Tower from spaghetti and making a collage of the Mona Lisa (Italy sneaking in there).

For the younger children, Reception to Year 2, there was also a Treasure Hunt to test their French vocabulary.

As well as a large collection of berets and stripey jumpers Hopelands also had visits from ‘Coco Chanel’, ‘d’Artagnon and ‘the Phantom of the Opera’.

The children also had a chance to attend a special tasting session of cheeses, pastries and spicy French sausages as well as enjoying a delicious lunch of cassoulet, croquet monsieur and pear tarte tatin.

Mrs Lizzie O’Dell, Head of French at Hopelands, said “Today offered a chance for the children to use their language skills in a way that took them out of the classroom and in to the ‘real world’. When speaking another language becomes fun, it sticks”.

Hopelands also runs a lunchtime Spanish Club and will start a new German Club next term.

Says Mrs Bradburn, Headteacher “At Hopelands we teach French from Reception upwards as we firmly believe that introducing a child to another language early in life provides them with a lifelong skill and mental dexterity which can be applied to all areas of learning”.

Saba Heard, a key stage 2 pupil, summed up the day with “ French day was full of great fun a lovely tastes”