Grandchildren in a French school?

[Grandpère]

My daughter is separated from her husband (and now on benefits) and our two grandchildren are aged three and five. My wife and I are pensioners and have lived in France for three or four years.

My daughter has asked whether there is any possibility of spending extended periods with us with the two boys, so that they could attend the local French nursery/primary schools. But she would prefer to try just a couple of terms at the French schools first, without committing herself to moving here permanently (supposing she could). Her main reason is so that the children could enjoy the quality of life we have here and learn to speak French at an age when it should be relatively easy.

Her French is pretty well non-existent, ours is considerably better than basic but not yet fluent. We'd just about be able to support her and the children, adequately if not comfortably: and as she gets very little financial support from her ex, her immediate financial position in France wouldn't be that different from in the UK.

I'd be most grateful for comments and suggestions. I imagine we're not the only grandparents in a similar situation.

[KathyF]

My first concern would be her health-care and that of the children. As pensioners, you and your wife are covered by an S1 form, but you would need to ascertain how your daughter and grandchildren would be covered. If they can't be classed as your dependents and your daughter doesn't have an E106, they would need full private health insurance which would be expensive and perhaps not something that could easily fall within your budget.

 

[Val_2]

There is also the question of being allowed to attend school when the classes may be full or local children are waiting to start because education budgets have been slashed and stillcontinue to - the maire is not going to allow foreign nationals to take their place for a tempory visit which will tie up resources. If the family were to move full time then that is another matter altogether as long as they can support themselves and not be a burden on the state.

[andyh4]

To be brutally honest, with the amount of French you have between you, I am not sure how you can help the children through French school.  When they come home with homework and you cannot understand the question, I am not sure how you can help with the answer.

 

I know many manage to do it, but I question whether this is best for the children.

[Grandpère]

Thanks - I had begun to think about healthcare and I'll try to find out more. I imagine the combination of EHICs and children at French state schools might not work very well.

The schools here are undersubscribed. It's a rural area that is gradually depopulating. We're on good terms with the maire, but perhaps we'd do better to present it as a planned permanent move and then privately review options after a couple of terms.

I wonder how the French education system works (if at all) for the children of "gens de voyage"?

[idun]

And my offering starts seriously.

 

Firstly, your daughter cannot ‘just take her kids to France’. She needs the full permission of the children’s father. Or go to court and get authorisation;  otherwise it is kidnapping and international arrest warrents are issued. It is a minefield. edit, (I realise that you said supposing she could)

 

So to school, if she can move to France.

 

Which year were your grandchildren born ?

 

Formal schooling starts in France in September for ALL children born in 2005, so they will be 6 this year.

 

CP is is heavy duty formal schooling. Sat at desks most of the long day, in rows, learning their reading, conjugasions and writing in  a curly joined up writing as my grandmother 'nee 1882) used to do, and not me. Along with all other subjects, arithmatic etc.

 

Maternelle, is more like infants school, some formal learning, but lots of learning by play, and IMO is the best of french schooling.

 

If your grandchild was born in 2005, you could probably ask for a derogation, for them to attend Maternelle from this September.

 

 

 

[Grandpère]

[quote user="andyh4"]

To be brutally honest, with the amount of French you have between you, I am not sure how you can help the children through French school.  When they come home with homework and you cannot understand the question, I am not sure how you can help with the answer.

 

I know many manage to do it, but I question whether this is best for the children.

[/quote]

Andy, I don't know whether 3 and 5 year olds get much homework, but if they do I am confident we will be able to understand the questions, and help with the answers.

We weren't initially planning to make this a permanent arrangement: just for a couple of years.

[NormanH]

"I imagine the combination of EHICs and children at French state schools might not work very well."

The EHIC is only for brief stays, such as holidays, and doesn't cover people resident in another country.

I imagine children in a French school might look rather as if your daughter was a resident ....

[Frenchie]

If your grandchildren are 3 and 5, they would go to the " maternelle ", which is good. You shouldn't worry about that .

But I can't say anything about  health care , sorry.

I just know that my ex partner ( English) , got the RSA when he lost his job in France.

In which region of France do you live ?

If I can be of any help, PM me .

Good luck to you all .

 

[idun]

Frenchie, if the 5 year old is 6 say in September then they should be in CP, and need to sort out why they are not. I have never known parents just to be able to 'put' their kids in which school they want them in without a derogation.

[Grandpère]

Thanks, Frenchie and Idun. I may take up Frenchie's very kind offer of further advice later. For what it's worth we're in the Auvergne, and what little we've seen of the local primary schools suggests that they are a little less formal than the norm. But it is only a little that we've seen.

The five-year-old was born in 2006, and the 3-year old in 2008, so as I understand it now the two boys would both be at the maternelle together for a bit.

As for the kidnapping issue (!), the separated husband suggested this arrangement and so has no objections. Of course he could change his mind.

I now wonder - from having explored some of the healthcare threads - whether I should suggest that our daughter defers getting divorced. This is unlikely to be a popular suggestion, for reasons I will leave to your imagination, but right now the son-in-law is working and paying tax/NI in the UK. I think I picked up a suggestion that if a husband works in the UK and the dependent wife/children live in France, they can get French medical cover with an S1/E106. But maybe being separated stops that from happening.

Would it be sensible to start a separate thread in the Healthcare section?

[Val_2]

NO. Its a 109 form if they are being supported via the UK and there is a limit to two years maximum before they must settle properly in one place or another. The 106 is not for this case if the father is paying UK/NI

[Grandpère]

Thanks Val.

Is there some easy-to-find guide to the forms and entitlements? After doing some searches I found a DWP application form which cleverly didn't say which form (S1/E106/E109 etc) it was an application for. Something a bit more user-friendly would be a real help.