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Thanks, thats another small concern off my mind.  SORRY about all the posts, not sure what happened there! 

I am moving to Brittany in 2 weeks time. I have 3 children age 10,7 and 3 and a half.  Glad to hear your youngsters are coping well i hope mine do too.  I imagine they will eventually as children are fairly adaptable little people.  I do hear that in maternelle the children have to sleep in the afternoon?  My youngest is not going to like that she hasn't slept during the day for 2 years!! Anyway upwards and onwards, at least there are already english children in the school mine will attend.  Out of curiosity where abouts are you in France ClareS and Mel?  Be interesting to know if you are anywhere near where we are. Cary  

I have 2 weeks now until i test out the french education system.  I'm in 2 minds what to think.  Our children are 10, 7 and 3 and a half.  I was shocked to hear that up to the age of 5 children are made to have an afternoon nap!  My youngest hasn't slept during the day for 2 years and i can't see her doing it now.  This is just the start at learning how differently things are obviousley done in France.  The first of many no doubt.  But hey chin up, we plod on and still hope for the best  

Thanks everyone i will certainly pass this info on!  Don't think traps will be of much use as he has so much land around his fishing lakes.  He has 2 large dogs but can't let them roam incase they go after the farmers cows as i have been told the farmer can shoot his dogs if they attack his live stock.

Can anyone please tell me the laws in france on owing a shotgun?? My brother lives in Normandy and has had alot of fishing equipment stolen from his land and now he thinks someone is trying to poach his rather large and expensive carp he stocked his lakes with?? Just wondered if a shotgun can be used as a deterent if he catches someone on his land?? Thanks

Do you not think bullying in the UK is just less publicised?? You don't read articles on bullying in the UK like you do in France.  I can name but 9 or 10 bullies just in my 10 year olds class here in the UK and probably just as many in my 7 year olds class.  Suppose i am lucky in the sense that they both take no notice of the bullies and hopefully will carry on with that motive in France.  When we move from the UK alot of us do actually do as much research as possible especially where our children are concerned but these problems do occur here and i am quite horrified at the young age it actually starts!!  Anyway we plod on with all your negative thoughts and hope we aren't all as unhappy as most of you seem to be,  with our eyes wide open.  I'll let you all know soon how we find the french education system.

Its nice to hear you are all pleased with your french life styles and i hope ours will be just as pleasant.  We are leaving the UK just before christmas with our 3 children, dog and horse!  Many reasons the same as already given really,  get away from all the over-crowding, takes hours to get anywhere, we don't even venture out on a bank holiday anymore as it takes all day to get to where we want to go.  We have a property in France we could not have bought here, with land for our horse and space for the children.  We have sold up here in the South east and are soon to begin a new venture in France. I've been learning the language so i can just about get by but hopefully i'll learn more living in the country. Anyway anyone in 22 area watch out there may be an english person in need of some friends!

Saligobay thanks for a bit of positive advice.  I'm sure they will be ok but having read the posts about how AWFUL the french system is it does put doubts in your mind, after all we all want the best for our children, don't we? I'm going to keep my fingers, toes, and everything else crossed from now on.

JONGLEUR Well that has made me feel a bit better.  My eldest was 10 in September so in the French system i suppose would be starting college next year in France although here he would be in his last year at primary school so hopefully he will be kept back a year.  Are your children doing ok now?  Where abouts in france do you live?  I have heard that as the children get older there are problems between the english and french, do you find this?  I am a bit worried now actually, my move isn't going to be as exciting now until the children are settled in school, i was looking forward to it!  Never mind i shall just have to keep my fingers crossed.  I know there are a few english children where we are moving so there will be a few in school with them.  Anymore reasonably happy stories to put my mind at ease a little would be greatly appreciated. Cary  

Oh my god!  What alot of horror stories!  Any useful tips for 10, 7 and 3 year olds?  My 10 year old has one year left here in the UK come next September as he is one of the eldest in his year due to the english system, his birthday falls in September.  I was hoping, although i know we'll have upset, that being the ages they are they will (fingers crossed) all cope reasonably well through their education.  Now i've read all these posts i'm a bit worried.  Is there alot of problems between the french and english children.  Its too late for us to change our minds as weve sold here, already had a house in Brittany, and are almost packed and ready to move, now a rush of panick has come over me.  I do hope i'm doing right by our children,  any HAPPY success stories on english children in France?  Aaaaah

We are moving over to brittany before christmas with our children age 10, 7 and 3.  I was hoping we wouldn't have any major problems although i do realise it will be very hard for the children for the first 6 months maybe even a year but you have all made me worry a bit now!  I do often think is this move the best thing and decided eventually that it will be a much better life for our children with more freedom and space etc.  I better keep my fingers crossed i don't encounter the unfortunate problems alot of you have had with your children! Cary

Ronni Thanks for the vote of confidence.  Where are you moving to and when? B nice to know how you get on. Cary  

we will be spending our first chiristmas in france too.  We are moving into our little french retreat around the 20th of december with our 3 young children.  Wot a time to move on top of christmas so were going to bring all our pressies for the kids with us already wrapped.  I also intend on cokking a HUGH english traditional dinner with all the trimmings as maybe next year when weve made some friends i also won't be cooking on the 25th. We need to keep it as normal for our children this year as its going to be a big change for them in a new french school etc.  But hey maybe i'll be in the french way of thinking next year (i hope!) Glad we can get a christmas tree though i enjoy a real one even though they are messy.    

Thanks Val, you are full of info.  Got a feeling the TB jab is given in secondary school, if its the one you have to have the little skin prick test for first then it is. Mine have had all the other injections so we should be ok

What is the BCG vaccination.  Do our children have that here?  My vaccination summary from my doctor for our children show Diptheria, pert, tetanus, hib, polio, mmr, the above boosters and meningitus c.  Do any of these incorporate the BCG?  Will a vaccination summary from our doctor here be sufficient enough?