Ronnie

Hi, Try Simon at The International Removal Co on 0033 (0) 5 53 64 13 12 or 0044 (0) 1483 533 353. E-mail [email protected].  They are based in Duras (47) so local.  Hope that helps & good luck with the move!

Our local English shop in Duras sells both Heinz & Branston baked beans for 1.20€.  Cheaper than the French variety!

Hi, our daughter attends the College at Duras.  She was 11 when we moved & nearly 3 years later is doing well at school & is very happy.  The school is a small one & we are very happy with it. 11 is a difficult age to move & the teenage years are closing in!  Having said that if your child is willing to work they should do well.  Most English children do start in a class a year lower than their age.  It may be worth repeating the last year of primary school to allow your child to get a grounding in French.  There are English pupils at both Duras & Eymet and the temptation  may be to speak English instead of French.  The school offers extra French lessons for the first year which will help.  This is a lovely area of France & I am sure you will be very happy here.  Good luck with the move but pm me if you have any other questions.  

Hi Chris, We moved when our daughter was 11 & live in the Aquitaine.  I would advise trying to find a school with no English pupils!  Your children are quite old to make the move easily & could find talking in English easier than learning the language. Most schools, in my experience, will offer extra French lessons for your children for at least a year. We visited the area we live in for 12 years before moving.  There is more to consider about your location than the amount of English there.  Work being the major one!  Sorry if this is a bit blunt  Having said all the above our daughter is fluent & doing very well at school.  She is very happy & would not go back to the UK.  Good luck for the future.    

Hi Karen, As you are in the Gironde, try Le Magasin General in Duras (47).  They have  a range of flours & are extending their gluten free range.  [email protected] or 05 53 79 20 03.  Hope that helps.  

Hi Davey,   l have asked Duras College about your children attending a school in the area even if you are living in a mobile home.  They have confirmed that there would be no problem as long as you were in the relevant catchment area.  The deputy head said " even if you had a mobile home on a piece of land with no address, you would be classed as the first mobile home on the left"!.  I hope that helps.  I have a shop in Duras, so please pm me if you need any further help.  You have chosen a lovely area in which to live. Good luck with the move.

Hi Preston, I can only give you some advice from my own experience. Hope it helps! We moved with our 11 year old daughter after visiting the area for 10 years. At first she attended a private school & learnt French for a year. The school was good but her French did not come on as well as we had hoped because most of the pupils spoke English. However she then joined her year group & after one term was top of the class in most subjects. However due to the high fees & not making any friends locally we moved her to the local French state school. She stayed for 2 terms. Her French improved as she only mixed with French children. The problem was that the school was too large, something she was not use to, and she didn't try hard enough. The school did not keep us informed of any problems. She had fallen behind so we moved her again! This time to a smaller state school. She loves it there! She is doing well & improving in all her subjects. She has made lots of friends. The school has a number of English children but because she already spoke fluent French this has not caused any problems. The main thing is you know your own child. Only you can decide which is the best route. We made mistakes as you can see.  However we are very happy here & l hope should you make the move, you will be to. Good luck.

Hi Davey, I cannot help you with regard to a school for your children as our daughter is older than yours.  However, as she attends Duras College I will ask the school about your query of being able to attend a school whilst living in a mobile home.  I cannot comment on the local schools apart from to say our daughter is very happy at Duras.  I will get back to you with any information l can find.  Kind regards.