The end of term saw 22 students and 3 staff members depart for an exciting and enriching trip to Paris, with a busy itinerary including many iconic attractions and activities. Concord students from Form 3 up to 6.2 attended the 5-day long cultural trip, which included a guided tour of la Grande Arche de la Défense, a visit to le Musée de l'Orangerie to see Monet’s famous paintings, and guided tours of le Musée des Arts Forains and a French film organisation headquarters (la Cinémathèque Française). There was also a day-trip to le Château de Versailles, as well as a boat trip down the Seine – All of this with beautiful Spring weather in Paris. Concord’s Head of Modern Languages, Ms Jane Somerville said: “The trip was beneficial to all our students: English A level students were able to visit many of the sites mentioned in their 'Paris Anthology' set text, whilst French A level students learned about French cinema history and other French heritage sites which they cover during their A level course.” Students also enjoyed visiting many of the iconic Parisian sites and monuments, including the Eiffel Tower, la Pyramide du Louvre, le Centre Pompidou, le Sacré Cœur, la Place de la Concorde,  l’Arc de Triomphe, the Catacombs of Paris, and Notre Dame Cathedral. Concord’s Dr Phil Outram, who accompanied the group said: “With the terrible recent news coming out of Paris, we were clearly very lucky to have been amongst the last people to have seen inside the 800 year old Notre Dame prior to its near destruction. “For me, it was the highlight of the trip – I’d never been inside it before and the stained glass rose windows in particular were breath-taking. “The loss of heritage is immense and has made sorting and viewing photos from the trip a somewhat bittersweet experience.” Ms Somerville added: “We were privileged to be amongst the final people to walk in that special place in all its former glory.” To view the photo gallery from the trip, click here.