French boarding schools.

[Shelly]

Hi, i'm enquiring on behalf of a friend in Toulouse. Her daughter is 15, 16 in March. The school hasn't worked out and she's now at home with no school. The mother is looking for a boarding school in the region as she's been told that is her only option. The daughter speaks fluent french although her written work is maybe not up to scratch. I know it is illegal for her to be without a school, is that until she turns 16 or until the end of the school year. If anyone can help with their own experiences or recommendations for schools I will pass them on. I'm just trying to help. Thanks.

Shelly

[Kitty]

Don't know about Toulouse as mine (two out of my four children) are boarding in Bordeaux area.  I was given a list of boarding schools by the Department of Aquitaine when I enquired.

Round here, all the boarding places were weekly only i.e. coming home every weekend.

 

[Kitty]

Something else - I tried to get one of my children into boarding school at the start of a new spring term.  I was told that I couldn't do it because they had signed a contract with the government for a certain number of places.  They said that pupils could only get into their school at the beginning of the school year.

On a different occasion, I also wanted to transfer schools for one of my children (with the consent of the school she was leaving ) and again was thwarted for the same reason.

I don't know if this applies everywhere.  It may be worth checking out.

 

[TWINKLE]

Here's the official directory of private colleges for the Haute Garonne - I'm not sure if it will be easy for her to get a place half way through the school year though.

http://www.enseignement-prive.info/recherche/colleges_prives/31/index.html

[superjake]

There are alternatives. You could switch schools within your district

or you could place your teen in a program in your area to build

self-esteem. Many public high schools run programs designed to help

troubled teens get some direction and stability in their lives. The International Bilingual School Of Provence may be a good option for you. You can visit our site to learn more. Good luck!

[Cat]

Nice try superjake, but the child in question would be 18 by now, as the thread dates back to 2007.

[idun]

Superjake, is that really true, make me very happy and tell me it is!

Troubled, well, the trouble is what exactly, shouldn't all teachers have some formation to deal with all children, and not just those that 'fit'. Still if someone is doing something somewhere, I'll be happy, it's a start.

Incidentally we were in exactly the same situation as the OP. Son 16 in the June, nervous breakdown in the February. So a sick note for several weeks and then what. Go back to the ignorant monsters, impossible that was. I contacted everyone/anyone, phone bills of over a 1000FF that month, didn't care who I bothered. And time after time was told that there was nothing, then someone took pity on me, even though they could do nothing and gave me the personal phone number of the Chef Medicine Scolaire in Paris who worked with the Ministre, but I didn't call. Went to see the very head person for child medical school things for our region, they seemed a little surprised there was nothing anyone could do, or would do. How could they not have known? beggars belief really! And their posh office in the Rectorat!

So we went to stay with my brother and he went to an english secondary school until the end of term. And that was interesting. I realised then that my son had become morbidly afraid of teachers. And they were great with him and he would smile and be pleasant, as he has been brought up properly, but I could see him backing away, body language was way out for the circimstances.

My highly intelligent son is still afraid of teachers and learning, what a life, it is not a life!

 

EDIT, my son went to a french boarding school the following year, but didn't manage the whole year either.