Schooling

[lou7603]

We're looking to move over to France at the end of the year (possibly Pau) What is the Bearn International School like? Is it maybe better to put children into a  French school.  Our boys will be 4 and 2 and a half by then.Any advice gratefully received

[Val_2]

From experience I can't recommend a local school highly enough for integration and language skills plus the social side where you will meet other local parents and go to social events. If you are known locally not to frequent the local school it may show the local community you do not wish to integrate and with all the current feelings here regarding incomers and non-integration locally you may well be ignored.

[Russethouse]

Thats a little extreme isn't it ? It might only be a temporary visit or the children may already be at an international school here. Also Pau is someway from Brittany isn't it ?( Where in any case the recent demo was blown out of all proportion)

Thats not to say the that you don't make valid points about children going to local school, but I think its rather a large leap to get to 'being ignored'

[Val_2]

I speak from seeing a local woman in this village take her kids away from the village school because she didn't agree with the teacher over a stupid comment. Since then no one speaks to her because she has lowered the number of school pupils here and she gets no help with transport to get her kids to the next village school.

[Ormx]

Hi Lou,

Afraid I know nothing about the school you mentioned but I'm not too far from Pau (in the Gers) and also have children 4 and 2 (and 5 months) and moved here last year. We opted for the local school and so far it has been wonderful. The children are still very quiet as regards speaking French around us, but as soon as they see their friends they blabber away in a distinctly southern accent. I find the maternelle really good and the teachers are excellent. They were very welcoming and found it completely normal to take in a young Irish/French family, no questions asked. Our primaire and college are all in the same street as the maternelle and I see the bigger kids who look happy with their lot.

Good luck with the move,Pau is so beautiful especially now with the snow capped mountains all around.

[Richardbk]

I think it for everybody to make their own choices. Our kids have enjoyed state/anglophone section international school whilst in Paris area and now here in the SW they go to the local schools as there is not one easily available. They were all born here and never had a language problem, but the international school was selected as a) it was available b) my work pays the fees and c) we wanted them to be taught english by properly qualified teachers. When we return north in a couple of years they will go back to the international school.

The bit about not integrating is in our experience a total nonsense and depends entirely whether or not the kids and you are involved in other aspects of local life.

 

regs

 

Richard

[Russethouse]

>>>I speak from seeing a local woman in this village take her kids away from the village school because she didn't agree with the teacher over a stupid comment. Since then no one speaks to her because she has lowered the number of school pupils here and she gets no help with transport to get her kids to the next village school.<<<<

You have just reminded me why I don't live in a village, nor would want to - ( France or UK )if your face fits - great, if not you get exactly the sort of small mined bigoted treatment you describe.

I hope those people didn't move to find a sense of 'community'!!!

[lou7603]

Hi,

there seems to be loads of mixed opinions on this! We want to integrate ourselves fully into the French way of life,but I suppose like most Brits, its the language barrier thats worrying us the most with our children.

[anne123anne123]

hi,

welcome to France!

I can tell you from experience that a french local school will do wonders for your social contacts and your children will most probably speak french within a few weeks.

I highly recommend the village schools, especially given the age of your children.

enjoy your stay!

[Russethouse]

Anne, I think having experience of a similar system has probably been an advantage, your expectations are probably broadly similar. There seems though to be a different emphasis in the Uk system.

I think there is an awful lot to be said for sending children to local schools but I sincerely hope that any parent who decided that there was a different/better option for their child would feel free to move them with out fearing being a social outcast, because of it. Surely everyone, of whatever nationality, can understand wanting to do the best for your children ?

[cary]

Our children age 10, 7 and 3 and a half have been in the local village school for  2 months now. The teachers speak a bit of english, one speaks very good english as he lived in the UK for quite a while.  It was difficult at first as the other parents looked at us like we were rather strange, but now they are very polite and all say hello, some of the dads still give us odd looks but are quite harmful.  Wouldn't say they were speaking the language within a couple of weeks,  our 2 elder boys are understanding more now and picking up words etc, our youngest i think is learning more than she lets on and although she knows what to say and when to say it if asked what it means in english she can't seem to put the 2 languages together which is apparently quite normal in the younger children.  They all love school and we never had any real problems even when they started, our 10 year old had to get on a bus on his own and travel to a nearby village school, which was very brave on his part.  They all have lots of french friends.  Our 10 year old will not be going to college this year because of the language, but we expected him to be kept back a year which is fine with us.  Our 7 and 3 year olds come home for lunch, the teacher thinks it best for them til they can understand more french, but half of the french children also go home for lunch so they aren't outcasted by being the only children to go home.  Our 3 year old even goes to sleep in the afternoon which i thought we would have trouble with as she hasn't slept during the day since the age on 1, but she loves it.  Anyway i've rambled on enough now.  Good luck with whatever you decide, i had lots of tears and hard decisions, its always hard deciding what is best for our children  

[brent & lisa]

Hi Anne,

           We have lived in creuse for 5 months now in a small rural hamlet with our 3 children.  After months of me worrying myself sick about our kids going to a french local school it was in the end all for nothing as from day one they loved it.  The school has been great as our kids are the only english there and no one speaks english. The school has organised french lessons for my to older children 8 & 10 and are learning fast and my youngest son of 5 yrs is learning through play.  Unlike England our kids cant wait to go to school in the mornings. What a wait of my mind they love the school bus, the school the dinners and most of all the people as they have been so helpful and friendly. There is so much i could say and could right for ever about our experiance in france so if anyone has any questions please ask.

Lisa 

[Punch]

I think there is an awful lot to be said for sending children to local schools but I sincerely hope that any parent who decided that there was a different/better option for their child would feel free to move them with out fearing being a social outcast, because of it. Surely everyone, of whatever nationality, can understand wanting to do the best for your children ?

EXACTLY!, My children were very young when we arrived in France and went to a local school. they have been from maternal right through to CM2 and now the eldest is due to start college this year. Over the years the local school has done wonders for meeting the locals, and with us being members of the APEL, with integration and such like. On the downside it has been very "clicky" in some of the local school politics and has been resistance to any kind of change or new ideas.

Now the eldest is due to start college, we did our research and have decided to send her to a college joined to a lycée out of the local area. The college has a more European nature and offers two languages in sixième. This means my already bi-lingual daughter can do Spanish straight away, and not have to wait for the third language. Facilities and such like are also far better than the presently underfunded local college. It has caused a bit of raised eyebrows as we have not followed the mould and local tradition of sending her to the adjoining college of her school. Have we made the right choice - who knows? Time will tell.