International Connections

The school prides itself on strong international connections which it has built up over the last 15 years.

Cherry Trees co-owns Le Moulin, a large, traditional mill house deep in the Normandy countryside. As we become evermore interlinked with our continental neighbours, language skills are becoming invaluable to young people. Annual visits to Le Moulin continue the school’s commitment to practical learning, and take lessons out of the classroom and into French life.
Although French lessons are included in the curriculum from the Nursery upwards, children from Year 1 can join the annual trips. They spend time in a local French school, making friends with their peers as well as buying groceries each morning, and exploring the French countryside and culture in the afternoons. Each child is given the option to spend a night in the home of one of the local families. Having visited the area for ten years, the school has made close links and firm friends with the people of Sourdeval, who welcome the children back every year. In turn, groups from the village school visit Cherry Trees, where our children act as hosts to their new friends. A bursary is offered annually to a year 5 pupil who would like to spend half a term in our twin school École St.Martin.

This year Mandarin is being added to the curriculum and plans are being put in place to host a small group of Chinese children in the summer to give them a taster of life in an English prep school. We are also hoping to host a small group from an Austrian Montessori school during the year.

Cherry Trees actively encourages our bilingual pupils to share their language and the customs with their peers.