preston Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Hello, Can anyone help please. It has been a dream for 8 years to move to France and we are now going to do it. We are hoping to be in Gers by the Spring. The only worry I have is my 13 year old boy.He has come round to the idea but schooling is really bothering me. I really like the french way of life and the people, but as an adult I do not have the worry of fitting in at school. We have thought of sending him to an international school but then he will not make friends where we live. We are doing everything we can to help, private french lessons are obviously going to help. Is there anyone in Gers who has teenagers in school who are happy and where the school is sympathetic to the needs of English children.We like the whole region so location is not the issue. Thankyou. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opas Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Please do a further search through this section, Education in France, this has been an on going issue for years on this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polly Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 My family is moving to france this year and i am really worried aout school. i am 14 but i have had really good advice such as to take up french lessons before and when you are in france, i dont think that schooling in france is as bad as it seems! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preston Posted January 11, 2007 Author Share Posted January 11, 2007 Thankyou for replying Polly. It sounds as though you are a little apprehensive as well. I know this move is the right thing for our family and that when they have settled in they will love it but as a mum I do worry about their happiness. I dont know if finding a school over there with at least one other english child is the right thing or not as I have read so many conflicting things on this forum. I think we will just have to make a choice and hope it is the right one. Good luck with your move too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 We live in the Gers. We know 4 families who have children at school from age 5yrs to 19yrs. They attend schools in the Mirande area. At age ?15 yrs they tend to go to specialised schools. A few of them have had to repeat a year but I think this is normal in France. I haven't heard any really bad reports fromany of them, but they have all been here for a few years so started young. Pat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preston Posted January 11, 2007 Author Share Posted January 11, 2007 Thankyou Ronnie and Patf for taking the trouble to reply. I am actually Nicola, Prestons wife who is writing on the forum. My husband is quite certain that a French school is the way to go, it is me who has the doubts. However, after reading the forum for hours I think the answer for my son is a small local school. Knowing him as I do he would not cope in a very large school. He is quiet but hard working. We have been on a site that shows all the schools in Gers. It is now time to pick through them, contact them and see what kind of response we get. We are definitely going to be there by the summer and cant wait. Will let you know how we get on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robcarol Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 hi my name is carol and i moved to france with my husband and too children in august 2006. like you i was more than worried about my eldest son who is 11, he is also very quiet and i was hoping he would be put back a year to stay at maternelle school with my youngest who is 5. however this was not possible so he started at the college, a huge school, and i was really worried. well 5 months on and he is doing really well, im not saying he is fluent french yet by any means but he seems a completley different child, much more confident, chatty and very very happy. we all absolutley love life here and i hope everything works out for you as i am sure it will. when you are here everything will just slot into place and i know you will be happy. your son will make many friends and it is definatley a much better lifestyle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opas Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Mmmmmmmm , too children? 11 year old in maternelle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Opas - You're not the first one to notice that.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 Actually the line 'everything will slot into place' is the bit that grabbed me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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