Sixth Form students discover French influence in London

On Monday 11th November, a group of Y12 and 13 French students visited London for a day immersed in French culture.

The day began with a two-hour guided tour of South Kensington, where we explored the influence of French culture and history in the area. Christian, our tour guide, conducted the entire tour in French, sharing insights about France’s relationship with the UK during the 19th and 20th centuries.

The tour started at the French embassy, where we learnt about the Entente Cordiale, a series of agreements signed to improve the Anglo-French relations in 1904. We then progressed through Hyde Park, where Christian was keen to share more about the French influence in South Kensington. We saw the Prince Albert Memorial and the Royal Albert Hall, and also learned about the tragic story surrounding the Coco Chanel lamp post. Other French monuments seen during the tour included La Maison Michelin, the Lycée Charles de Gaulle, and the Institut Français. This was a real eye-opener to the huge French influence in London.

For lunch, we visited a French crêperie called “Suzette”, where students ordered crêpes entirely in French, giving them a chance to practice their speaking and listening skills. They were thrilled to communicate with French and French-Canadian individuals in real-life scenarios. And one student commented that the crêpes were the best thing they’d ever eaten!

After eating our crêpes, students visited a French grocery shop, where all kinds of French sweets, chocolates and biscuits were purchased.

In the afternoon, we visited a French bookshop called ‘Librairie la Page’, where students browsed a rich selection of French books from various genres and received personalised recommendations from the staff – all in French!

The students had an amazing day, and expressed their excitement about returning to these places with friends or family in the future. They learned a lot, both culturally and historically, and gained real insight into the French influence in South Kensington and London as a whole. It was also a fantastic opportunity for our students to immerse themselves in the language, with lots of listening and speaking practice.