QEGS Languages Faculty Trip to Paris – October 2025
In October 2025, pupils from QEGS enjoyed an unforgettable four-day visit to Paris, organised by the Languages Faculty. Departing in the early hours of Friday 17th October, the group travelled by coach and ferry, arriving in France later that day. Staff leading the trip included Mrs Halliwell (Trip Leader), Mrs Broom (Head of Languages), Mrs Melia (Head of Latin & Classics), and Mr Gould (Head of Year 8).
The group stayed at the Château de Grande Romaine in Lésigny, a comfortable and well-equipped base for the weekend. Pupils settled into shared rooms and enjoyed buffet-style meals and evening activities throughout the trip, including a film night, crepe making and a campfire.
Saturday was dedicated to exploring the heart of Paris. After breakfast, the group headed into the city to visit the Eiffel Tower, ascending to the second floor for spectacular views across the capital. This was followed by a relaxing boat cruise along the River Seine, offering a unique perspective on Paris’s famous landmarks. The afternoon was spent sightseeing and souvenir shopping before returning to the château for dinner and downtime.
Sunday brought the excitement of Disneyland Paris. Pupils spent the day enjoying the attractions and atmosphere of the world-famous theme park, with a packed lunch provided. A particular highlight was Avengers Assemble: Flight Force, the fastest rollercoaster in the park, which launches riders from 0 to 92 km/h in under three seconds. Some students were so impressed they rode it five times — while one member of staff found themselves on it by accident!
On Monday 20th October, after breakfast and checking out, the group made a brief stop at a local supermarket before heading back to Calais for the return ferry. They arrived back at QEGS late that evening, tired but full of fantastic memories.
The trip was a great success, offering pupils a rich blend of cultural experiences, language immersion, and fun. It highlighted the Languages Faculty’s commitment to providing meaningful learning opportunities beyond the classroom.

A couple of our pupils explain what the trip meant to them:

Haroon Ahmed, Year 8:

The Paris trip was absolutely fantastic. Everything from the hotel, the food and the rooms, and my personal favourite disney land paris. It was a BANGER!!!!! The food in the hotel was really scrumptious, I just knew when I laid my foot in Paris, I knew this trip was going to be epic and it was.

The PGL staff were incredibly nice and welcoming, touring us to our clean room, definitely worth the money. Such a wonderful experience, the last time I went to Paris was when I was 4 and I can’t remember a thing, thank you for this trip.

To conclude this letter: me, my mum, my dad, my brothers, my sister and my cat want to give a big thank you to all the staff who travelled with us. Mr Gould, Mrs Melia, Mrs Broom, and you Mrs Halliwell (the person who spent all her time to make this trip possible) I couldn’t possibly thank you enough.

Mohyuddeen Shakoor, Year 9:

French Life is completely different to our usual life. The way that the public was so welcoming and friendly really made this a lot easier as it can be worrying at first but the way that the people there, tolerate you and even tried their best to understand our fragmented French and some also knew English which made communication easier when we didn’t know how to say certain things in French, but it did give us an amazing opportunity to practice my French. This experience really boosted my confidence with the language.

Our Experiences of having a Tour around the city and how I was Impressed with its breath-taking architecture from Notre Dame to the Eiffel Tower, gave us a chance to appreciate French Architecture and embrace the beauty of the city.

Our time of trying different French food from Macarons to Pain au Chocolat, allowed us to taste and understand French Cuisine for ourselves. Disneyland Paris was really enjoyable, as we got to try out many rides and enjoy ourselves while we were there.

The Paris Trip was an extraordinary opportunity for me overall. My experiences of French culture, cuisine and life were amazing and something I will never forget for a very long time. I thank all the members of staff and Mrs. Halliwell for organizing and allowing this trip to happen and it has formed memories I will never forget.

Thank you to Jasper Clarke, year 9, for the photos.