Primary Schools, enroling, which one, any preperation, info on Annecy area?

[redlancer]

Hi all

Some questions.

 

We're moving to France hopefully in April, i'll be still working in UK so initially we'll be renting.

We're looking in the Annecy and surrounding area so have an area in mind but obviously we can't look for schools until we know where we can find a place to rent.

What#s the timescales once we know where we'll be living to sort out a school for a 6 and 8 year old? i.e. does it need months or can it be sorted in a few days?

Ideally we'd want to find a village area hoping this would help us all integrate more quickly than say a city.

I gather that you get put into the nearest school language permitting.

Do schools or anywhere provide do like a summer school to help non French speaking children to learn?

Has anyone any experience off the schools or education available in this area.

 

Thanks in advance

[polly]

My family and i are moving to brittany soon as well. i have asked many people about what i will do about school. i am worried but i have heard that i will be kept back a year so you ca get a chance to pick up the language. I think that some schools provide extra time during and after schools for english children to help learn french hope this helps polly

[redlancer]

[quote user="polly"]My family and i are moving to brittany soon as well. i have asked many people about what i will do about school. i am worried but i have heard that i will be kept back a year so you ca get a chance to pick up the language. I think that some schools provide extra time during and after schools for english children to help learn french hope this helps polly[/quote]

From what i read / heard going back a year is the norm and in fact a lot of French children do the same.

I'm hoping like you said there are extra lesson's etc

My eldest daughter who's 8 is also worried but at the same time excited so your not the only one who's a little bit worried.

Just think you'll be the best at English

 

[Teamedup]

I think that it depends where you live and what level of education your are at as to whether there are extra lessons given. Money in the education nationale can be pretty tight.

 

Just think you'll be the best at English   That doesn't necessarily follow. French teachers speaking english do not necessarily think that 'english speakers' have got it right either with pronunciation or grammer etc. There have been threads about this in the past.

 

[redlancer]

[quote user="Teamedup"]

I think that it depends where you live and what level of education your are at as to whether there are extra lessons given. Money in the education nationale can be pretty tight.

 

Just think you'll be the best at English   That doesn't necessarily follow. French teachers speaking english do not necessarily think that 'english speakers' have got it right either with pronunciation or grammer etc. There have been threads about this in the past.

 

[/quote]

 

was just trying to show some positives re the English bit as she was worried.

As for level of education - primary school

 

 

 

[Mistral]

Redlancer, once you have an address, you can find out from the mairie which school your children should go to. If you are in a village area, there will probably only be one school to chose from anyway. (unless you go the private route)

If I've understood your comment about going into the nearest school "language permitting" I think you may have picked up comments made about secondary schools. Primary schools generally don't have a language option as reason for asking for a derogation.

Since you are talking about primary schooling, this is organised by the mairie. They can give you a list of paperwork necessary for inscription which you will probably need to take to the school. It can probably be done in a single visit if you have all the paperwork sorted.

The only schools I have heard of with summer schools to help pupils have been in big cities or in areas where there are a lot of deprived pupils. French as a foreign language lesons are available in some schools, but again they tend to be in places where there is a high percentage of non-french speaking pupils. I wouldn't count on the  education national to proide any lanagueg help if I were you.

This is the link to the ministry site with information on primary school inscription http://www.education.gouv.fr/pid34/ecole-elementaire.html

You will be in the Grenoble academie, here is their website http://www.ac-grenoble.fr/admin/spip-agora-14/

I can't find a site for the casnav (who deal with newly arrived pupils) for Grenoble