The Château is all about French language immersion. Everything that is done at the Chateau involves using practical spoken French to convey meaning, and the children are encouraged to speak French to get what they want. A friendly, French environment supports this philosophy.
At the end of our one week programme of French language immersion, pupils leave having had a great time in a fun but educational environment. You will see a dramatic improvement in their ability, confidence and willingness to speak French, as they come to see for themselves the practical benefits and applications of learning a new language. We believe this experience translates into pupils who are both more able and more motivated back in the classroom.
As one of our teachers said; "The classroom situation is always artificial to some degree. Here my pupils know its for real. If they know that when they want something, they have to ask for it in French, they will do it!".
Château de la Baudonnière & La Grand'Ferme are owned by Class Tours Ltd, a group of travel companies that includes Voyager School Travel and Pegasus Coaches amongst others.
Voyager School Travel has proudly built a reputation for providing teachers with educational school trips where their students can learn, thrive and achieve their potential outside the classroom. We believe that every school trip should offer exciting confidence-building experiences for students, engaging activities that promote learning and genuine exposure to different cultures, which all combine to achieve real educational outcomes and lasting memories.
Construction of the château began in 1850 after being commissioned by Mr Boudant, a wealthy landowner from Avranches, as a family home. In 1870, the lake was added as Mr Boudant's own petit paradis, with a farm on the adjacent land following in 1894—which he named "La Baudonnière".
Château de la Baudonnière passed hands between numerous families and individuals in the 1900s, including a stint as a command office after being occupied by the German military in WWII.
The château's new life as a French language immersion centre began in 1991 after being purchased by the head teacher at Riverston School, Michael Lewis. British school students began arriving the following year and they've been coming ever since! The centre was then acquired by Nick Goddard in 1997, who continued to develop the property and its grounds with the addition of dormitories, kitchens, dining rooms and areas for the activities which now form the core part of the programme.
