Tourangelle

Just to add to that, the 1st and 2nd arrondissements are the city centre.  Lots of families live in the 4th, which is pretty, (the top of the hill, definitely not the slopes).  There are lots of new buildings in the 8th, and the 6th is very nice because the park is nearby.  The park is amazing, it has a fantastic zoo, lions, tigers, zebras, bears, monkeys, you name it, loads of play areas, gorgeous gardens, a beautiful lake, perfect for kids.

I live in Lyon.  Your best bet is to look in paruvendu and top affaires, the free ads papers that also have internet sites.  If you live in Lyon there is a primary school every 500m, I'd say, it's a very densly populated area.  If you don't know Lyon, you want to look at 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and part of the 8th arrondissements, (but not the boulevard des Etats unis)  Villeurbanne is ok, but the area within the ring road only.  Avoid Venisseux and Vaulx en Velin.  The areas to the west, outside the city, are ok, but expensive, Francheville, Ecully and so on.  Caluire et Cuire are residential suburbs to the north.  The South is very industrial, avoid it.

Tours (but TGV), Senlis (but it's expensive) Amiens.

Reputation is a funny thing, and people's perception of a school may be far from the reality. This is not really something you need to worry about until he gets to CM2, aged 10. If he is happy in his primary school, I wouldn't bother changing it.  However, I understand your concern and there are a number of things that you can do try and get your son into another school.  Firstly, as of this September, the rules are being relaxed slightly over the issue of the carte scolaire, the catchment areas.  This means that schools are able to take children from outside the area.  They select them.  That said, they don't have to, and if the school is full of children from the area, as may very well happen if the school has a good reputation, then it may be hard to get in that way.  Your best solution will probably be language options.  If you chose not to have your son study English (and frankly, as an English teacher myself in a collège, I wouldn't recommend that you do, he can always pick it up in lycée and avoid four years of boredom) in 6ème then this may be a way around it. If your local school does not offer another option, then this would be an excellent reason for sending him elsewhere, so he can avoid studying English altogether. Also, applying for a more specialised language classes could be a solution.  For example, a "classe européenne", where they do extra hours, but in a language other than English, like German or Spanish, could be a way out.  Also, by getting him in this sort of class, you get him to go in with the cleverer kids.  If all this fails, you could consider a private school, in reality, a Catholic school.  Make sure you go for one which is sous contrat, otherwise it will cost you a fortune.  A "sous contrat" school guarentees that your son will have the same teaching and the teachers are qualified in the same way as in the public sector.

Difficult one.  I don't know that much about primary schools, as I work in a secondary school, but, you aren't supposed to touch the kids.  The one thing I do know about primary schools is that the headteacher is just a regular teacher who has a coordinating role. He or she is not the other teachers' "boss", nor do they have any particular power. So headteacher or not doesn't really make a great deal of difference. If you want to complain about this teacher, your should write to the Inspection Académique, but, first you must speak to the teacher yourself, (and if you do complain you must put that you have spoken to her in the letter) otherwise they will just tell you to speak to her to try and resolve it at that level.  That said, if your child is leaving the school, then is it worth the hassle?

I can't believe you guys think books are expensive here in France.  You aren't just talking about books in English are you?  Because paperbacks in French are really cheap, and we have an enormous collection of books and so do my friends, shelves and shelves of them.

Ok first what you have to understand about the French school system is that history and geography are really important subjects here, in fact they are the only subjects, along with sport that a child will do for the who of a general school career through to the general bac.  (yes, with some general bacs they stop maths and French but history and geography go on). This is why the teacher is concerned, as you must see 6 is an abysmal mark, even if you can see the reasons why, (his French) it is a cause for concern, because it means that the brevet des colleges is probably out of reach for him.  At least that is probably what the teachers fear right now.  I suspect what you have signed up for is for him to, from 4ème, start thinking about a career.  In 4ème he will almost certainly still follow the same curriculum as his peers, but he will probably be part of a group that will be made to think about their future work.  You have to understand that in France the lycée is something that parents aspire to for their children.  When a child clearly doesn't have the capacity to go on to the lycée, (I'm not saying your son isn't bright, but if he can't write good French then he can't go) it can be very hard for the teachers to persuade the parents of this.  There almost has to be a period of grief, sort of letting go of this idea of the child who goes to the lycée. I know it sounds weird but that's the way it can be with French parents.  I suspect that the teacher was concerned about how you would react.  That's probably why you feel a lot of fuss was made. Anyway, in 4ème, he will probably have the opportunity to do work experience, and to go to things like career fairs and meet with people in business, to try and find out what he would like to do.  As they suggest that he changes schools for the 3ème I suspect that they see him doing a "non standard" 3ème, there are lots of different possibilities, a DP6 for example, where he would have six hours of Decouverte Professionnelle, or a 3ème dérogatoire, it just means more or less work experience, careers advice and so on.  That's a while off, but if they are suggesting he leave the school for another then that would be why, these things are not offered everywhere.  It is not for troublesome pupils but for those who are perhaps not academic and who are quite motivated for work. Often, they don't continue with a second language, to have time to do the professional side.  He may not take the general brevet, something else, (there are a couple of possiblities but I don't really know anything about them) will be suggested. They can be given priority for entry in a CAP, a professional diploma which can be done as an apprentice or in an lycée professionnel.  Hope this helps.

[quote user="Mel "] And yes, her TV debate did not help her at all because it showed up her true character - nasty.[/quote] That's so naive! She did that on purpose, you don't get to be president of a region and candidate for a major party in a presidential election without having some political skill!

[quote user="Clair"]From what I have read over the last couple of days, Royal will only challenge for the leadership if her proposed reforms are positively received by the party. The current thinking is to hold the next conference after the local elections of 2008 and that's when Hollande's leadership would naturally come to an end, unless he chose to stand again. I was taken aback by the vicious tone of this article about the split: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?xml=/portal/2007/06/19/nosplit/ftroyal119.xml [/quote] It is vicious, that Telegraph article.  Poor little François, if nasty little Ségolène had been looking after him properly as she should, none of this would have happened. Shame on her for wanting to step out of his shadow.

I've tried that but it doesn't work, I suppose it mustn't be the same address.

I really don't agree with "nobody understands French grammar like a non native speaker".  The French really work and study at their grammar in a way the English don't.  Who knows what nominalization transformations are, or adverbal clauses?  And yet they are part of English grammar.  You use them, and yet you couldn't name them or explain them.  However French people are taught when the past participle agrees with the preceeding object and why.  There is a difference between understanding grammar and understanding the particular differences with any given language.  I can teach French people English because I have had the opposite problem.  When it comes to teaching other foreigners it is in no way so easy because I do not know their languages or what is transparent or evident for them.

I have had an email from somebody through the forum, and I'd rather reply by pm rather than by email.  How can I  do this?  The thing is, I've never seen this person post on the forum, and although I am absoulutely sure they are genuine, (not the sort of email you'd bother sending if you aren't), I'd just feel happier doing it through a pm.  I've done a seach, but it doesn't seem to take in usernames.  Can anybody help?  (mods if I send you the name, can you help?).  Or if you are the person, could you please say hi and I'd be happy to answer!!!!!!

I was 22 when I moved here, and I moved to Lyon, to be honest I'd have run a mile before moving to the country although now I'm 30 I'm starting to think it would be quite nice...

Sorry, no idea, I thought the commission decided together, but I suppose somebody has a casting vote and it must be the president.  I think you get the answer through the school.

So, Lollie, how did it go today?

oh dear poor you.  Just from a punter's point of view, having had a look at your website, it is not very clear what you actually do.  Do you do basic chambres d'hote, do you do the evening meal?  None of this information is leaping off the page at me.  When I look through websites for places to stay, I want the information quickly about the prices, what is available and so on.  If I can't get it fast enough then I am not going to read the rest.  I have scrolled down and read through, so I can see what you do, but it is not a clear enough website.  Frankly, I don't care to hear about your panoramic view whilst I'm trying to find out how many you cater for.  And to be honest, if I were French, I wouldn't touch you with a barge pole.  On your first French page, the part you initially read has no accents.  I wondered if I'd hit the wrong button when I saw bienvenue a rather than à.  I certainly wouldn't feel confident booking.  Somebody has translated your long text on the first page quite nicely, but of course there are the same problems with the text as in English.  Your French links go on to pages in English, the French is bad for these links, it would be better to put tarifs than coût, and "voyage", what's that supposed to mean?  Do you mean accès?  Actually, obviously you do now I've clicked on the link, but it is all in English again.  So, basically, I can see why people don't get past your website, it's extremly off putting.  Sorry about that.

No, well the headteacher is right in a sense to insist on the appeal if he/she is in any way a controversial figure (although I must have missed somthing, I guess I don't read enough newspapers!).  Ours will all go to appeal too (if they decide to appeal), it is just at the lower levels that the headteacher might accept to take the decision independently.  Schools seem to differ on this. Is 11.1 the moyenne for the year, or just for this term?  You are right in thinking that they will look at progress over the year.  However you'll be shooting yourselves in the foot if you mention your other son having similar results and doing his bac, I think, because we supposed to consider each case individually.  (although perhaps you are just saying it on here and it is not an argument you planned to use.) I have one this year who is convinced she is going to go to lycée and do a STG bac, because her sisters both did that and had similar results, but she is not going to get through, her results are too low, and her parents are going to contest it, and they will lose;  I'm not saying it is the same thing in your case, my pupil has more like 7 than 11...  It is going to hing on how low is French mark is, on how you explain his Spanish mark, because really, for a second language, in the first two years, it is just about learning by heart, so the panel will be wondering what the problem is.   Is his first language, (LV1) English or does he have another (German??).  Is it his first time in 3ème and is he in the right year group for his age?  This could make a difference.  Good luck anyway, this sort of thing is very nerve wracking at the best of times.

Yes I do.  If your child is refused "le passage", in a class where the conseil de classe decides (6° and 4° in collège), then you have the right to appeal.  However, first you MUST see the headteacher.  The headteacher can overturn the decision of the conseil de classe, but in general, won't.  You then have 3 days in which to decide to appeal.  The appeal will take place in another school, and takes place before a panel, made up of other teachers from other schools, and a headteacher also from elsewhere, parents representatives, basically lots of people! You must respect the time limits, because the dates are already set.  If you leave it too late, there is no comeback.  You go, with your child, and the school is represented by the professeur principal, the form teacher, who will have to speak, to explain why the conseil reached the decision.  It will probably be because of the marks, because otherwise they will be wasting everybody time.  The child or you may be asked questions.  The decision of the appeal panel is final, and there is no way around it, no other other school, either public or privé sous contrat will take your child for entry in the next year if the decision of the conseil de classe has been upheld.  About 40-50% of decision are reversed in appeal.  However, there is no point in appealing if you child does not have the moyenne.  Equally, however disappointed your child might be by an unfavourable decision by the conseil de classe, you must insist that they go to school and continue to make an effort at the end of the year. In the school where I work, last year, apparently a couple of the kids stopped coming and appealed the decision, and they are all doing their year again, it was VERY badly seen by the appeals panel.  Incidentally, looking at the links given above, dans quels cas peut-on réfuser le rédoublement, the short answer is, in 6° and 4°, you can't.  In 5° you can. 

absolutely, and it has always struck me that it is a waste of money having traffic wardens just before elections if they then go on to cancel everything.

I think it is a good thing too, and although I don't agree with Sarkozy on everything, he did great things for road safety, because he was the one who had them put in speed camaras, and the statistics speak for themselves.  The big surprise seems to be that there is not even an amnesty for parking offences, which are not considered to be criminal.  However I am not sure this is a bad thing either, because people park any old how here, sometimes when I am out with my friend who has a little baby, we have to walk round by the road because somebody has parked on the pavement and the pushchair wont go past.

[quote user="Spg"][quote user="Tourangelle"]I use vachement all the time, (NOT in front of my pupils, I hasten to add!) it is familiar and not brilliant French, but it is not particularly teenage, (I'm 30).  Je cause la France, quoi.[/quote] At 30 you are still young so can use vachement whenerever and whenever you like; my problem is that, unfortunately, I am quite a lot older than 30 and my friends were trying to be helpful - the words mutton and lamb spring to mind in my case! Sue [:)] [/quote] I talked to my mother in law about this one, she says it is her generation that would think it was too "young", (she is in her early 70s,) and my brother in law who is 44 thinks it started with his generation, the "bof" generation, everything was answered with "bof" (as opposed to the soixantehuitards who cared).  Bof is a great word, even if it means nothing.

[quote user="ebaynut"]Does anyone know if the 1% that is charged on the first death, if you register under the Universal community method, is on the full value of the property at time of death, or just half the value, as the survivor would surely already own the other half?   Also, if you adopt the Universal community method when you first purchase a house in France, do you still have to pay for this registration? As of course neither of these expenses are incurred in the U.K. it would be helpful to know. Thanks. [/quote] Your change in marriage contract has to be published, I believe, so that anybody who owes you money can object, if you were trying to get out of paying them that way!  This seems quite expensive, a couple of hundred euros, I think, although having changed our contract this month, I am waiting for the notaire to send me the breakdown of the bill!

Pickles, an interesting point about it not being the default marriage contract the French would apply to a UK marriage, you are absolutely right of course. In my case, although we got married in the UK, we lived in France after the wedding, and therefore it is considered to be a French marriage and therefore we were réduite aux acquis. However séparation des biens wouldn't have suited either.  As our marriage is considered a French one, anything I would inherit, even in Britain would be subject to this contract, and the notaire insisted on us signing a paper to the effect that he had informed us of this, which of course we did!  I did not enquire as to how much my husband being French came to bear on the situation!

[quote user="Pickles"]If you went for any "communaute" regime - there are various flavours but let's keep it as simple as possible - then yes, the surviving spouse would get the WHOLE of the property, essentially free of inheritance. However, IIRC, you would have to get your sons to agree to this, as they would in effect be disinherited in the first death. [/quote]Are you sure about this?  My wife and I adopted the same regime after we settled in France, and the question of consent from our children was never raised.[quote] [/quote] Careful!  The basic regime is called the commanauté réduite aux acquis, it is the basic default contract, and it DOES not mean the surviving spouse gets everything. Also, you only need consent from children if the children are not from the marriage.  Otherwise it makes no difference to children from the marriage, except they inherit later (on the death of the surviving spouse) and pay more taxes, because they inherit more all in one go.  I signed my communauté universelle on Wednesday, so my information is up to date!

[quote user="Liz"]Several people in this thread have mentioned that there are frequent electricity cuts in France. Is this true everywhere, or just in very rural areas? [/quote] NOOOOOOOOOOOO.  I've lived in the city for getting on for 9 years and we've only once had a power failure!