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Re: 4 Year French Exchange 2018: From Maud Cottrell: MFL Department

Maud Cottrell invites 4th year students to participate in a French exchange program between Abingdon School and a school in Aix-en-Provence. The exchange will take place March 9-16, 2018 in the UK and March 30-April 6, 2018 in France. Students will stay with host families and experience full immersion in French culture and language. There are 20 spots available on a first come, first served basis for £390. Parents must complete a DBS criminal background check to host a student and pay a non-refundable £200 deposit.

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29 views

Re: 4 Year French Exchange 2018: From Maud Cottrell: MFL Department

Maud Cottrell invites 4th year students to participate in a French exchange program between Abingdon School and a school in Aix-en-Provence. The exchange will take place March 9-16, 2018 in the UK and March 30-April 6, 2018 in France. Students will stay with host families and experience full immersion in French culture and language. There are 20 spots available on a first come, first served basis for £390. Parents must complete a DBS criminal background check to host a student and pay a non-refundable £200 deposit.

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kmrfrom
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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From Maud Cottrell: MFL Department

26 May 2017
Dear Parents/Guardians,

Re: 4th Year French Exchange 2018

I am writing to invite your son to participate in the French exchange for the coming
academic year.

The value of such an exchange cannot be overstated, particularly at this point in the
boys’ French career. This is a fantastic opportunity for the boys to improve their
command of the language and to experience family life in Provence, an invaluable
asset for both IGCSE and 6th form study. The partnership has been running very
successfully for thirteen years between Abingdon School and the lycée de La
Nativité, an independent, co-educational school in Aix-en-Provence. (http://www.la-
nativite.fr/lycee-2/) Girls from St Helen and St Katharine’s will also take part in this
exchange.

Aix-en-Provence is a vibrant, attractive city in the deep South of France about 20


miles away from the Mediterranean coast. This year, as well as enjoying wonderful
hospitality from the boys and girls at La Nativité, we got to know Aix well, and visited
les Baux de Provence, Nîmes and the surrounding area, including the spectacular
Pont du Gard.

The first leg of the exchange, during which the French party comes to stay with us
will be during term time. The provisional date is between Friday 9 March and Friday
16 March 2018. This will not disrupt your son’s timetable, as the French party will be
going on visits during the day or staying at school with us to attend lessons. Your
involvement during this part of the exchange will be to look after a French pupil in the
evenings and at the weekend. Please note that if boys have to play a game or
take part in a competition for the School during the weekend of 10 and 11
March, their attendance will be compulsory.

The second leg of the exchange, during which our party goes to France will take
place between Friday 30 March and Friday 6 April 2018. These are also provisional
dates but will only vary by a day or two depending on travel arrangements. Your son
will be more or less in total French immersion during the week and a great deal of
learning will take place. Please note that this is during the first week of the Easter
holiday and that Sunday 1 April is Easter Sunday. This is also the week of the
CCF camp, so boys participating in this camp will not be able to go to France.
They can host an exchange partner if they wish to, however they will be placed
on a reserve list as priority will be given to boys who can fully participate in the
exchange.

The exchange is open to all boys studying French in the Fourth year next academic
year. There are 20 places available therefore we shall operate a first come first
served policy and a reserve list will be opened if the trip is oversubscribed. The
provisional cost of the trip is £390 based on last year’s experience but the price may
vary slightly depending on transport, the final itinerary and the numbers of pupils
signing up. The final cost will include all transport, transfers, visits and insurance
cover.

If your son would like to participate in the exchange, please fill out the electronic
form, which can be accessed with this link:

https://form.jotformeu.com/71383869167369

and upload a copy of his passport and his European Health Insurance Card ensuring
both documents are valid until end of May 2018. If this is not the case, please
apply for a new one as soon as possible. A non-refundable deposit of £200 also
needs to be paid and will be charged to your July school bill. The remaining
£190 will be added to your school bill at the end of the Michaelmas term. Please
note that by filling out the form (providing the trip proceeds) you are
committing to the total cost of this trip. The non refundable deposit secures your
son’s place, but thereafter the School will proceed to make bookings and
reservations to procure the best possible deals. The balance of payment being
applied to your School bill is a means of spreading the cost rather than a reflection of
when liabilities are incurred.

Due to government’s update on Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE)


statutory guidance, the School is obliged to obtain a criminal records check with the
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for all supervising adults (in most cases the
parents or guardians) who are resident in the accommodation where the exchange
student is to stay as part of a school organised trip. The School will bear the cost of
this DBS check and we will do all we can to facilitate the administration of the DBS
checks.

In order to complete a DBS check, all supervising adults will need to make a 15-20
minute appointment to come into school to see the HR team between Wednesday 6
September and Saturday 14 October (just before October half term break). The
normal working hours of the HR team are 8.30am - 5.30pm Monday-Friday. This is to
allow enough time for the check to be completed, as the completed DBS check
must be received before the arrival of the French party (Friday 9 March 2018)
for you to be allowed to host.

If you have any further questions about the DBS checks, please do not hesitate to
contact either Mark Hindley ([email protected]) or the HR Department
([email protected]) whereas questions about the exchange should be
addressed to me at [email protected].

Yours sincerely

Maud Cottrell – French Teacher, MFL Department


[email protected]

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