English immersion camp in Vazerac, south-west France

Ten hours of English per stay, taught in small groups formed by level, two hours each afternoon from Monday to Friday. The lessons are built around games and conversation, and the school names listening and speaking as the priority. A minimum CEFR level of A1 is required; complete beginners and pupils from international sections work at their own pace with native leaders. In the mornings a camper can take ten further hours of English instead of riding.

A stay runs from Sunday afternoon to Friday afternoon and is full board at the school in Vazerac. The week includes the English lessons, a native English-speaking activity leader for every four to six young people, accommodation and all meals, and the usual camp activities — swimming, water games, sport, treasure hunts and themed evenings. Riding lessons and extra English lessons are morning options; a transfer from Montauban station can be added.

Campers live on the site of the Anglais in France language school in Vazerac, where the meals are cooked, and walk about five minutes to the village sports ground for games. The school does not publish the room arrangement.

Full board, prepared on site. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all taken together with the English-speaking leaders and are part of the immersion: the school describes breakfast, lunch and dinner as conversation time in English. Special diets are taken into account when they are declared at registration.

Afternoons are spent in the water — two hours of swimming and water games at the Lafrançaise lake — and the programme also includes outings to the leisure base, a waterpark, treasure hunts and sport. Evenings are run by the activity leader: quiz nights, karaoke, film nights and board games. In bad weather the activities move indoors, with films in the original language. Riding is an option taught at the Molières equestrian centre by a qualified BPJEPS instructor, in English from galop 3 and in French for beginners.

The camp uses the language school premises in Vazerac for lessons, meals and accommodation, the village sports ground five minutes away for games, the Lafrançaise lake for swimming, and the Molières equestrian centre for the riding option.

This is a deliberately small camp: one native English-speaking leader for four to six young people, age groups kept close together, and lessons in small ability groups. The leaders are young British activity staff, and the whole day — lessons, sport, riding, evenings — is run in English, with the team ready to answer in French if a camper needs it. It is designed for French secondary-school pupils who understand English at school but have never had to speak it all day.