For what its worth............

[nola]

Have just done the school - rentre shop; for 5 children, and not counting the textbooks (tomorrow) and the second lists (which are given when the 2 oldest restart college), or clothes or shoes (don't ask!) it has come to a cool 400 odd euros. That is 3 at college, one at Primaire and a 4 year old whose complex little list entailed items such as "colle, marque cleopatre, pot avec pinceau, transparente" and detailed the width, make and number of felt tips and crayons. Have done 4 hypermarkets in search of Cleopatra, dragged the partner from his office to help in the search, and taken to imbibing large amounts of chilled Ros (the cheap stuff as can no longer afford the better bottles) to wind down at the end of another hectic afternoon steaming Gironde with the lists.

There has to be a killing to be made doing this for the parents; ah oui, Fabien is at St Cyprien, in the 6: we will deliver everything - labelled - for you tomorrow afternoon.....

Oh yes, also haircuts, 2 sports kits, a tablier and the school bus forms and cheque to squeeze in before Monday.

Incidentally, 4 are at private school, one at a state college; his preliminary list was as hefty as the private schools.

Morals:
marry/date/befriend Monsieur W H Smith or a shareholder in FNAC or Carrefour
send the kids to Toulouse international where all they need is a laptop; see that as a one-off or tax-deductable or an investment
Buy a Chateau so that one does not have to resort to the cheaper wines when one is broke and in need of refreshment
Go into the rentre business

PS. A Kway is one of those flimsy waterproof jackets that folds in on itself.

[Miki]

Hi,

But do you not still get the "Rentree" money each year ? When our kids were at primaire, then college (they are now into Lyce)we received something like 1500 Francs per child and with the amount of children you have, the CAF money is very nice indeed isn't it.

I get your point about the amount one has to spend though and wondered if the Rentree money had now stopped

MiKi

[Abrivado]

Should I have a list for going into CM2? Should I worry if I haven't?

[val2]

I have two at Lyce and it dosn't get any better or cheaper I can tell you and you still have to fork out every few weeks for specialist subject books that they don't provide us with on the bourse. Clothing is the worst as they all want to either look like well heeled tramps or designer label mules.

[LesLauriers]

Are you not in the CAF (family allowance) ????

I have just received over 250 for each of my two children entiltled 'La Rentree' which the government pay to help with the cost of such items!! This has more than covered my costs.

Susie - 24

[Butchx5]

Hi
Some advice to help ease our increasing stress!
Unfortunately our move to France has been delayed for hopefully no more than 2 or 3 weeks but basically our kids will be starting school late (school has been advised). We already have their lists of things they need to bring (provided when we registered them prior to the end of term).
My concern is that although I have bought as much as I can here in the UK and at very reasonable prices too there are some things I can't get here - specifically named makes of crayons for example and the slates/white boards which aren't used in UK schools - when we get there mid-end September will we still be able to buy them easily in France - what happens if we can't find them?
Should I fall back on some new friends we have near to our new home and ask if they can get them for us now?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Helen

[Julie_and_Dick]

Recent research in the UK (for what it's worth) finds that it costs 1200 a year to send a child to a state school, report at

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_815961.html?menu=

Cheaper to send them to Butlin's?

Dick