Dear Parents and Carers

Food and Nutrition Trip to Lille, France, 21-22 July 2026

We are delighted to inform you that the school is organising a visit to Lille, leaving on Tuesday 21 July and returning on 22 July 2026. The visit is available to pupils in Years 7-10.

The aim of the visit is to introduce pupils to the food and culture of Northern France and to learn about the production of specialities of the region.

Lille is a beautiful city that combines a rich historical heritage with a vibrant modern culture. The city's architecture reflects a mix of Flemish and French influences, and it has a strong tradition in the arts. The city's culinary scene offers a mix of traditional French cuisine and international flavours.

Details of the Visit

Departure: 6:00am on 21 July 2026

Return: approx. 9pm on 22 July 2026

Travel arrangements: Coach, outbound Ferry from Dover to Calais, return via Eurotunnel

Accommodation: One night at the Lille Youth Hostel, in 6-person en-suite rooms. Half board (including 1 evening meal and 1 buffet breakfast).

 

Draft Itinerary

Day 1 - 21st July

06:00 Coach departs school

09:00 Arrive Dover

11:00 Ferry crossing

13:30 Arrive Calais, drive to Lille

En-route to Lille, visit a traditional bakery

Arrive at accommodation and check in

Free time for group to explore the Lille

Evening meal in accommodation or in a local restaurant

 

Day 2 - 22nd July

Breakfast and check out of accommodation

Morning visit to a Cheese Factory and the Nougat Factory

Time to buy lunch

14:00 Depart Lille

15:30 Arrive Calais

17:30 Eurotunnel crossing

18:00 Arrive Dover

21:00 Approximate arrival back at school

Trip price: £270[Transport, 1 night accommodation, entry to attractions, 1 evening meal, 1 breakfast, travel insurance]

Suggested spending money: 40 Euros (lunch on days 1 and 2, small amount for souvenirs)

Pupils will need a valid passport with at least 6 months before it expires.

 

We have chosen to book our trip through Halsbury Travel, a specialist school tour operator with over 35 years’ experience.

As ABTA members, Halsbury Travel are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA’s Code of Conduct. They can also offer you ABTA’s scheme for the resolution of disputes which is approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.

Halsbury Travel’s ABTOT membership provides financial protection under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 for non-flight packages. For further information, on ABTOT please visit their website: https://www.abtot.com/ (Please note that bookings made outside the UK are only protected by ABTOT when purchased directly with Halsbury Travel.)

Halsbury Travel are also Assured Members of the School Travel Forum, which means that they prioritise the health and safety of groups travelling with them.

They have also been awarded the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge, which shows that they are committed to offering activities that are safe and beneficial to learning. For more information on Halsbury Travel, please visit www.halsbury.com

Payment schedule

Deposit to secure place: £50 to be received no later than 9 November (this cannot be returned if your child is unable to travel)

2nd deposit: £100 to be received no later than 3 February 2026

Balance: £120 to be received no later than 14 April 2026

PLEASE NOTE: Cancellations are likely to incur charges due to the provider’s booking terms and conditions.

What to do next:

Please be aware that there are only a limited number of places available on the trip and places are being allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Booking will open after half term. If you would like your child to participate, please register your child's place on Arbor when it when it opens.

A final information meeting for parents will be arranged in the Summer Term once the itinerary has been finalised.

Yours sincerely,

Mr A Page

 

The photos for the second session are now live, and parents can order from https://ordering.cardwellandsimons.co.uk/login . If you have lost your access code we have now been sent a list of all the codes from both sessions so please do give us a call. The deadline date for free delivery to school is 26th October, after this date you will have to pay postage to have it sent to your home.

 

Year 10 & 11 students: Registrations are now open for Sparsholt College’s next open event on Saturday 8 November 2025. To attend, you will need to register for the event, and book tours of the subject areas that you wish to see as soon as possible by visiting: https://www.sparsholt.ac.uk/opendays/?mc_cid=19fd404718&mc_eid=96e1f69468

Timings for the event depend on the tour(s) that you book. 

Also, applications are now open for Sparsholt College. To apply, click here: https://www.sparsholt.ac.uk/information/apply/

There will be more Open Events in February, March, April and June.

We will be holding an extra Open Morning on Thursday 2nd October at 10am, this will include a tour of the school and an opportunity to ask questions. To book a place please email office@danebury.hispmat.org.

Calling all Year 10s and 11s! Peter Symonds College have their Open Evenings next week, Wednesday 1^st October and Thursday 2^nd October. This is a great opportunity for prospective students to look around the facilities, meet staff and current students, and discover more about the courses and activities on offer. Book a place here: https://www.psc.ac.uk/open Booking is essential. Applications for September 2026 are now open and the closing deadline for applications is 8^th December 2025. You can start your application here: https://apply.psc.ac.uk