Val_2

If you are feeling guilty about those you didn't invite this time, why not have another evening with those folks, perhaps just after xmas. In my ideal world I would have a circular dining table to seat a lot of people and that would need a very large dining area,but at least no one gets left out on the ends. I suppose a remedial solution for the present for anyone doing a sit down meal would be to borrow a couple of those round plastic patio tables that seat 6/8 people and cover with some nice cloths and decorations and place fairly close together. As regards a buffet in France, I have to say that it just isn't their way of doing things, everyone wants their own table place,plate,cutlery and glass and be able to natter to their friends. Anyway I hope you enjoy your evening and don't end up with too much work.

No havn't heard anything. On council we have just set the new cantine tarifs for 2004 and nothing was mentioned then, but again we are only a small village primary with 80 children and yours maybe a larger town establishment. A lot of financial changes depends on the dept prefectures and what they decree. My children at Lyce get their meals via the bourse anyway as we are artisans and that is fairly normal due to all the extra cotisations we have to pay out.

Primary schools in France may have better behaved pupils, after all, most will have been going there via the maternelle since two years old and know everyone well, but collge and Lyce are a different kettle of fish with children converging from many villages and do have their fair share of badly behaved pupils. When my son was in quatrime, one pupil was already on the road to alcoholismn and actually got so drunk with vodka in a water bottle at school he threw his dinner over the teacher's table and threw up over the principal. My son has had a couple of boys all through collge taunt him with racist remarks about the english and now they are all at Lyce one of these boys has actually tried to make friends,but my son dosn't want to know because the other is continually in trouble and takes drugs.Another couple were caught having sex in the toilets and there have been a couple of pregnancies. I think some of the types of bad behaviour in France is not so serious as the UK where you see teachers actually getting abused or attacked, more pranks here really because it is the parents who answer here if a complaint is made to the gendarmerie and the parents have to pay for any damages and face the principal themselves. Teachers in France are also not above slapping a child if provoked enough, I know as I have seen it happen and fully supported the adult in question.

I don't think she would like the bigger classes in the UK. I presume they are still large as my son only did two years at primary school inthe UK before we left and there were 42 in his class which didn't help at all. Here, the local primary schools are so much friendlier with first name terms for the teachers, the wearing of slippers indoors and using slate and chalk where it isn't necessary to have to waste paper as you know, I can't imagine it somehow in UK primary schools.

Depends on where you live in a lot of cases. Normally the authorities want to see a regular monthly income and also you will need to provide proof that you have sufficient health cover especially with young children. I would strongly suggest you visit the main prefecture (bureau des etrangrs) and ask what exactly you will need to furnish in the way of documentation etc because eventually all through the children's education you will be continually asked for your Securit Sociale no and insurances. So many on this forum have had different experiences depending on their dept and also their circumstances which is why I would get it straight from the people who deal with this.

To be honest, who really cares? We, who live and work in France left all that behind and are really more interested in the problems here that concern the ordinary bloke in the street. I have actually got the point now, where I don't bother with english news on TV and radio anymore, it's nothing but slanging matches and corruption and we have enough of that here. It's a sad day when such alleged events have taken precedence over more important world events.