Choice of school/learning French

[Debra]

We've just been to France to sort out the contracts for the property we are buying and had a discussion with the estate agent about the local schools.

The estate agent is Englishh (recently relocated to France) and his partner/manager (or whatever) is French.  They told us that the school in the town they are in (20k from the village we are buying in) has English and French teachers and a lot of English and Irish children go there.  There is a lot of experience at this school with integrating non-French speaking children and support for teaching them French. 

They seem to think the local village school near the house we are buying doesn't have any support for integrating non French speaking children and we won't be able to send our children there.

I wouldn't have thought that the local school would actually refuse to accept children if they can't yet speak French - has anyone any experience of this?

I've read posts from people who suggest that a large English presence in a school isn't necessarily a good thing because the children may stick together and learn less quickly because there is less of a drive to communicate.  There is also the thought that it may help because other English speaking children may help newcomers to integrate by providing a little translation and explanation.

Practically, it would be handier if my children went to the local school (a certain age group in the village and another age group in the next village, with a bus provided by the mairie) as it means we don't have to drive them 20k there and back and it would be practical for them to spend their long lunch break at home, friends made would be local etc - but it seems we may not have the choice and I'm also a little worried about what the right choice would be!

If we have to, I suppose we could always drive them to the town for the first year and then move them to the local school once they are happy with the language.  Is there any reason we couldn't do this?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Debra

Still trying to make my mind up about whether to even send them in the first place, but really worried they won't learn the language if I don't...........

 

[opas]

We moved here 2 years ago, our eldest had some french lessons in the Uk with our tuotor, be it very basic, she knew how to buy bread ,ask names giver her address...like I said , basic stuff.

I never even gave a thought to enquire if she would be accepted in our village school, just enroled her ,( the secretary at the Maire showed me how to fill in the forms) and the youngest in the equivalent of infant school in the next small village.

I don`t think that either school had had english children befor and one teacher said it was going to be hard work for her and my child.....she had spanish children in the class too.

Ours are still the only english ones in the village schools, the eldest is off to college after the holls and she has been informed by the older kids in our village that there are lots of English kids there...when pushed for a ball park figure, there are about 20 to about 300 french.

Ours have done extremely well(in our opinion....)and both got good notes in school.

I also try to keep them reading and writing English...not so easy with the 7 year old as she tends to pronounce everything in the French way .

Mrs O

[Val_2]

Small communes welcome new children of whatever background with open arms usually unless they are "problem" pupils that no one else wants and this does not include handiapped children, more like those who are unmanageable and naughty. You should be aware that if you send your children to a school outside your commune boundary off your own back you will receive NO assistance with travel. Collège is a different matter as usually they serve several communes and are sited centrally thus being covered by school buses for which you pay a special charge every three or six months. I don't think your kids could do any better than go locally,get thrown straight in the deep end and I speak from experience. My son even said yesterday that he does not remember much about it now but he was very happy that he had the experience which made both of them learn french so much quicker without any english being spoken at all.

[Debra]

Thanks.  This is how I'd figured it up until the Estate agents looked at me as if I was crazy!  They said I would have no assistance and would have to do the 20k drive every day, and since this is around small country lanes I could see one of my sons arriving at school car-sick every day!

I think I'll concentrate on teaching them as much French as I can learn myself, and get over as much as possible on holiday so they get practice,  before we come out permanently.  I've found the more we come over (6 times this year) the more confident they are to try to communicate, even with the little they know now. 

The first couple of times we came over they wouldn't try speaking French until we were on the ferry back to England!  This week they were all saying hello and goodbye to everyone they met, telling them their names and asking people's names and saying thank you every opportunity they got.  When people spoke back to them very quickly, they just grinned and said 'he suis anglaise' . People are very friendly with kids we've found, and a few even practiced their small amount of English on them and asked how they sounded.

My eldest son found it hilarious that he spoke to a boy in the play park and when he explained that he was English, the boy said he was English too!  He keeps telling everyone about it now we're back.

All very worrying but its lovely to hear that children around their age have managed very well and settled in.  Thanks.

Debra

[cary]

Debra - where are you buying a house??  Our 4 and 7 year old go to our village school and our eldest (10) goes by bus to the next village school, same principle as what you mentioned.  The 2 youngest have no english children in the school but our eldest has 3.  He has a good english friend and a good french friend.  On 1st starting school he found it a little hard to integrate as the english children were reluctant to translate as they got fed up with doing so all the time, so quite often they wouldn't play with him as he couldn't understand anyone, now 6 months later he speaks french better (at the moment) than our younger 2 and quite often has sleep overs at his french friends house.   The teacher in the younger 2's school is very very good but speaks fluent english and although he speaks mainly french to them if they don't understand he will speak in english which i think is slowing down the language ability in french.  If no-one can speak english the children tend to have to learn the french quicker to understand and get by.  I had the same reservations as you with regards to "am i doing the right thing for my children", and at the moment, yes its the right thing but we still have college and lycee to get through which we know will be hard but fingers crossed will be ok.  Good luck if you want to chat send me a p.m.   Cary

[Debra]

Hi Cary,

In the Charente.  Montbron is the town the estate agents think we should send our children to.  Sent you a pm.

Debra