Izz.

To answer your question: That is probably because your children attend a catholic school, and teachers in religious schools usually don't follow any strike action. They have a different pay scale but have to follow the law and should feel concerned by it.

Dear CJD, this is a forum, open to views on the posted topic. The current topic is "Strike Warning"! Even if you are proposing a "preventative strike" on Outcast, this forum is not the place to express it! Surely, as a primary teacher, you have the skills to deal with awkward situations (i.e. an irrational aversion to a specific pupil), don't you? I can only suggest that you concentrate and don't allow yourself to get distracted from the subject. Respect, tolerance and a sense of humour, go a long way in the classroom (as in life too).

I wouldn't call you suspicious, paranoid perhaps, but I am my own entity! People are allowed to share opinions. The fact that they do not coincide with your own (or your alternate identities), does not make them any the less valid. As for my qualifications, show me yours and I'll show you mine Really, don't you think more attention should be paid to the content of contributions to the forum, than to niggling about little errors. Following your advice, I checked out some of the contributions you mentioned and found them relevant and humorous, what's the problem with that? C.J., not anything to do with Reggie Perrin by any chance?

cjb, I feel so sad reading your replies to outcast, I think you are in need of a councilor or psy. but your posts are not helpful and do not contribute intelligently to the forum. Why this is allowed by the editors, I wonder. Wether outcast is well educated or not is not the question but what you do with your intelligence does not convince me that... I am considerate as an educated grown up person, a qualified teacher with a P.G.C.E, TEFL, and triligal but agree with outcast.

I forgot to mention earlier on that teachers in question will have to register at the Rectorat in Nantes, and therefore "an enquete de civilite" will be conducted by them automaticly. They will also require an address for checks.

How about getting organised and trying to take childrens education seriously, instead of blaming this or that? it is possible you need to set up an association and find other parents wanting to be involved in their children's education. The next step would be to find enough teachers to teach the N.C. AND CHECK THAT THEY ARE QUALIFIED as they will need to register with exam boards. Last but not least consider the expenses and costs involved in doing so. Good luck .

I am sorry to say but i dont think you fully understand what is going to happen with the education in France if this government gets away with what Fillon and his mates have decided to do. Perhaps we dont read the same papers, try Le Monde and Liberation they will give you a fuller information. Deby, i agree with the content of your message for having lived it through with my 14 year old son a year and a half ago. The system is rigid, pompously dogmatic although every year statistics show that it is not working for a lot of children. Despite that, teachers seem to think that they know it all, probably because the system molded them. I fail to understand how important cursive writing is in principle apart from the fact that you can write faster when used to it. Every reading material that we buy is not printed in cursive letters, so that it can be read by all. In my opinion another pretention from the French culture deep rooted in its stupid and pedantic approach to things. I am a French national and dont dislike what is part of my culture but sometimes get very irritated and frustrated by it. Having spent twenty years in Britain, qualified as a German and French teacher i have never met people with such attitude as the French. You don't need to be ex-patr. to feel and see the problems. By the way, we have lived here now for two years and still feel like strangers. My daughter who is now in CP is doing well but i find myself fighting with her teacher who fails to understand the meaning of passive language that takes place well before children speak read and write although it seems obvious to me that spending her first five years in Britain makes a difference to her acquisition of language when you compare her to all other children in her class. Sometimes i feel so annoyed by it, i cant begin to tell you! Bon courage!

Dear Angela, You forgot to mention that Chavagne school was a selective school and only took students who passed the 11+ exam... Izz

Chere Chicfille, The school will be situated in the Pouzauge area for easy access from the Deux-Sevres and the Vendee. We will be opening from September 2005 for the new school year.

dear Teamedup, What you have said is very true and all i can say is: don't come to France with secondary school aged children if the only option is to enroll them at a college. my son Ben spent two years at a college in Pouzauges not learning much because of the language barrier. Teachers and headteachers make promises they don't keep and the whole thing is chaotic.Ben had been withdrawn from English lessons as found "disruptive" by his teacher who couldn't really speak English!Anyway we were promised that Ben would  use this time to study on his own on some naff program but spent most of his time looking for a teacher in order to access the program, and consequently did not use the time for studying. He was so disheartened that he decided to go back to the U.K were he is now preparing for "A Levels exams and living with his father.All these problems could have been avoided if the College had taken his education seriously but they did not care, and that is the difference between GB education and Fr.education.All this left me very depressed and we have felt that we had been let down.I know it is not the case everywhere but  many College don't take care of foreign students, even the language teachers don't want to understand the problem. this is why i will be starting a sec. school following the GB National curriculum to allow the necessary time to learn French and succeed in their studies.Izz

I don't think that the french educational system makes students specialise early. The Brevet des Ecoles is taken at 15 and students HAVE to take and succeed in all subjects, i wont list them but in my opinion all subjects need to be taught up to the BAC and that is not a luxury unless you don't think that general culture is important.If you decide that general education is not of prime importance you can always start a CAP or a BEP after the Brevet and become a skilled manual worker like plummer for instance. I am glad i was educated in France and when i measured my general knowledge with English friends i found the difference was noticeable.The French system of education is tough on students and very elitist but if you work hard you get results, that is obviously if you can understand the language and write it, if not, like my son it is a waste of time and energy.

hi there, There are places that teach foreign students (adults and younger) i cannot remember the name of the exam right now but if you telephone the G.R.E.T.A.in Niort, Bressuire, if you live in the 79 or call 12 and ask for G.... in your chosen town. The examination will look at your langauge abilities in four skills: listening, speaking reading and writing. Hope that will be of some help and i wish you success. Izz

Hi Gay, Sorry about the delay in replying, had some time out. Well, here goes... Although we aim to keep pupil numbers low, this does not mean that any corners will be cut in ensuring the quality of teaching within a safe learning environment . We will be working with qualified staff, experienced in delivering the NC in english schools. All staff will undergo the appropriate checks in the U.K. and in France. All rules and regulations are being adhered to in the formation of the school (Obviously, the education of children, demands that we approach this with a long-term commitment.). I hope that the above answers your queries. Izz.

Hi Gay, Sorry about the delay in replying, had some time out. Well, here goes... Although we aim to keep pupil numbers low, this does not mean that any corners will be cut in ensuring the quality of teaching within a safe learning environment . We will be working with qualified staff, experienced in delivering the NC in english schools. All staff will undergo the appropriate checks in the U.K. and in France. All rules and regulations are being adhered to in the formation of the school (Obviously, the education of children, demands that we approach this with a long-term commitment.). I hope that the above answers your queries. Izz.

I agree with you 2!

I have just been told that my reply to your message sounded unfriendly, it was not meant to be . I apologize in advance

A "bilan scolaire" is a full report on your son's academic progress. This is done automaticaly by the schools at the end of each term, and as you mentioned you had received one, I can't understand why the doctor would have said that.

Teamedup, thank you for the reply and yes i agree with your first an last sentences, as for the middle section I i would not worry too much for us as we know what we are doing.

Thank you Joqra, i was begining to wonder if people were interested .I must say it has been a while since someone has contibuted to this topic!...positively!

we are not living far from your house. You can email us if in need and it would be good to meet next time you are "dans le coin"

Hi Gay, Setting up a private school in France is possible once you get past the red-tape! Seriously though, yes it is possible! I can't go into all the details at the moment, for obvious reasons. Unlike the U.K. system, police checks are not mandatory. However, I have had a check done recently in conjunction with official translation work. Yes, it is to be a "real" secondary school. Finally, yes, I am a U.K. qualified teacher with management experience, and have taught the N.C. for all of my career.

It means that A levels students would have to study and take all the subjects under the sun, like they do in France.

Russethouse person what do you mean by "red tape" ? With the following definition of nouns expressing excessive bureaucracy, or adherence to formalities I am prepared to go through that as i feel so strong about the subject.

To reply to your message i can only agree that the difference between French and English qualifications are the ones quoted by you . So what difference does it make to the qualification? You seem to be lost within French bureaucracy ! If you are a qualified teacher in GB, you have been approved by the government to teach, full stop. Red tape is something you have to overcome and an English school is no threat to the French system .

I would like if I may, to talk about my experience of the french system. I am a French national and was educated until 18 in France. Although I was identified as a successful student for most of my education here, I found it was not geared for ALL children, as very elitist and rigid in the way subjects were taught... not making allowances for anything and basically no respect for human beings. I felt it was unjust. Anyway, I made it to my bac B, social economics+english+german+latin. In the summer following my exams I was in charge of taking 25 children and youth leaders to England for an international camp organised by the Woodcraft organisation. On my return to France I decided to go and live in GB for a while...stayed twenty years (but it would have been less had I not married there!). My now ex.husband had no wish to move to France...Two years ago we moved here with my partner and my two children aged 15 and 5. My son was enrolled at a private catholic school in the area, and despite many promises from the headteacher,  no help was given.The school decided to remove Ben from English lessons as he was found disruptive by his teacher ( no wonder, as he was learning what he had known for several years by then, and he said that he kept quiet but when asked his opinion on vocab. He sometimes contradicted the teacher who did not appreciate...)These lessons were to be replaced by "do it yourself French" and the program he had to access had to be authorized by staff but Ben could hardly find staff to help as they were too busy elsewhere and most of this precious time was wasted looking for a teacher to enable him to study on that program. We decided to contact another school, a state one this time as we had enough of the catholic school. The new school was much better in all ways but feeling  he was not getting anywhere Ben returned to England in April last year, where he lives with his father. I was so destroyed that my son had been failed by the French system but couldn't do anything to improve it. I was thinking about taking the CAPES (French equivalent of PGCE), but frankly do not want to be associated with the establishment and therefore will  not sit it, as I cannot condone a system that does not look at children, but league tables. That is why I am opening a school for English children, as there is no reason why children cant study the GB national curriculum here (with correct  legal status, and suitably qualified teachers of course!).