Janine Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Hi,I am considering a permanent move from the UK to the Midi-Pyrenees (Saint-Gaudens area) this summer with a 10 and 13 year old. I will be working in Toulouse for the same company I work for here in the UK but want to feel that the children will be happy with the move in the long term.My 13 year old will be just 13 this summer and is my main concern; she likes school but is not particularly academic. She is very keen on the idea of moving and has shown lots of interest in learning French for the fist time in her life. I am worried that she would not pass any entry exams for schools and that this could cause her distress and us difficulty in finding her a school.My 10 year old will also be just 10 and he is very academic so hopefully will not have problems, his main concern is finding a football club that he can join. Does anyone know if they play much football in the area or generally in schools? Please any advice on local schools, international schools in the area would be greatly appreciated. We are going to visit the area in early March and would like to feel confident about the schooling arrangements by the time we return so we get our house here in the UK on the market in anticipation of buying a property in France.Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groslard Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 As for sport it is a very rugby dominated area.I would be a bit concerned about an unacademic child in the French system:the 'programme' is not really designed for those having problems.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Hello Janine. Welcome to the Forum.Actually, non academic children are catered for in the French system far, far better than the UK system. The French have not closed their technical colleges like the British did and so you can study for a technical qualification from the age of 14. Some places offer half work experience and half college, for example. I have two non-academic children in a lycee professionnel. I have recently written a long post on this subject on the thread below. What I didn't mention in the thread is that there is a course called "3eme PVP" (3rd year preparing for a professional, or as we would say it technical, life) and they are worth looking out for in local schools. So read through:http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1131206/ShowPost.aspxAlso there has been a recent debate about children who are reluctant to come to France on:http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1101592/ShowPost.aspxGood luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 A search has thrown up a number of lycees professionnel in the Toulouse area. See the link below:http://fr.local.yahoo.com/France/Midi-Pyr%C3%A9n%C3%A9es/Lyc%C3%A9es_d'enseignement_professionnel_et_technique_(publics_et_priv%C3%A9s)/fr100006487-s-7153323.htmlYour 13 year old will be too young for such schools at the moment but they are worth looking at for the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groslard Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 [quote user="Cathy"]Your 13 year old will be too young for such schools at the moment but they are worth looking at for the future. [/quote]A 13 year old arriving in France who doesn't speak much French and who has not already been through the system will have a hell of a time to pass the 'brevet' in French in the 4ème..Not to mention coping with Maths in French, or writing anything that will get a reasonable 'note' in other subjects.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 There is an international school at Colomiers, Toulouse. Look it up on Google. Are you likely to be staying in France permanently? If so maybe it's better to send your children to french schools. If for just a few years, perhaps the international school would be better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 [quote user="groslard"][quote user="Cathy"] [/quote]Not to mention coping with Maths in French[/quote]All my children find that maths is one of the easiest subjects to do in a foreign language.They tell me that the hardest subjects are French (of course), Economics and Histoire/Geo.For Le Brevet (taken in the 3eme) , they are marked in PE, Art, Techno and Vie Scolaire, all of which can be above average without your French being that great. Their very high scores for English and Spanish (once you have done one language, you find others easier to understand) more than compensate. So I don't think that it's all doom and gloom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groslard Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 [quote user="Cathy"][quote user="groslard"][quote user="Cathy"] [/quote]Not to mention coping with Maths in French[/quote]All my children find that maths is one of the easiest subjects to do in a foreign language.[/quote]But I presume they have been here a while?Imagine a girl who is not too strong in Maths being confronted with explanations in a foreign language..Here is a link towards the 'programme' (in French)MathsIn our Académie the French partof the Brevet is taken a year earlier than the rest..in the 4ème, as I said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janine Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 Thanks everyone for the advice and your opinions, it has given me plenty to consider.I am going to start us all off with some intensive French lessons now and see how we get on over the next three months. I know its not long but it will at least it will hopefully reassure me if we start making some good progress or highlight any significant language problems if we don’t progress very well. After this point I will have to consider putting our house here in the uk on the market. We have until the autumn term before the children will need to start a new school so hopefully they should know the basics of the language before then. We are looking for a permanent move, hopefully for a better quality of life!I'm sure that I will be making many posts on this forum over the coming months and all advice is greatly received.Does anyone know the timescales/process involved with registering with a local school? We are coming out to France early March, do we need to register then or do we have to wait until we are actually living in France? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panda Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 HiOne other point to note, I seem to recall some one posting that the area Midi-Pyrenees is one of the worst for not having provision for older kids who do not speak the language and have at times refused entry on the grounds that they could not cope with a non-French speaker (this would apply to rural areas though I would guess, Toulouse should be Ok). In your shoes I would definitely consider an international school, it will mean they can continue their education in the English language, they have a strong French programme too of course. The costs are not generally too bad, around 8-10k per year euros so a great deal cheaper than a private education in the UK.In fact even though I'm not in your shoes (I've lived here for nearly 5 years and my son is fluent in French) I am still considering an international school for his secondary education as I've heard some not great things said of state secondary education here and I also want my sons English to be as good as his French and for him to recognise a PC when he sees one (sadly a rare commodity in in rural France [:)]). Good luck in what ever you decide, keep us informed!Panda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groslard Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 [quote user="Panda "]to recognise a PC when he sees one (sadly a rare commodity in in rural France [:)]). [/quote]Not that rarehttp://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=w3gAwIcBZ7Q Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tresco Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 [quote user="Panda "]...One other point to note, I seem to recall some one posting that the area Midi-Pyrenees is one of the worst for not having provision for older kids who do not speak the language and have at times refused entry on the grounds that they could not cope with a non-French speaker... [/quote]I recall Jura saying quite emphatically that if the childs French (both written and spoken) is not up to standard, they will not be accepted for post 16 education, but that was dept. 66.Of course the same thing my apply to Midi P too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panda Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Yes Jura's opinion does stick in my mind on that point but there was another one too.. can't remember who or when Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howards Carpentry Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Hi Janine, there is a private school in Saint Gaudens called Saint Therese which caters for ages from primaire to secondary and there are english children there. You would have to go there to register your children. This maybe of help. I don't really know about the state schools in Saint Gaudens.Zoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mackyfrance Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 My children are at school in the MP and there is NO help at all in either of their schools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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