To wonder if UK lycees sometimes hinder the integration of French immigrant kids?

Yes, like most big international cities, Japan has a lot of short-term expats working in fields like financial services and tech. In Tokyo there is a British School, an American School, a German school, a Lycée, and lots of other international schools which were set up to cater to the expat community, but also now attract bi-cultural families or Japanese families who don't like the local school system, or who used to live overseas.

Some of the schools also teach a bit of Japanese, but mostly they follow the curriculum of their home countries, so that when the expat posting ends, the children can reintegrate quickly.

Few of the short-term expats speak much Japanese, and it is almost impossible for foreign children arriving after the first couple of years of primary school to catch up and integrate into the Japanese school system because of the difficulty of the writing system. Children with one foreign and one Japanese parent are more likely to be in the Japanese system, as they are usually permanent residents.

I spent 12 years in LFCDG. It's not just for transient diplomats' kids. In my time, 70 nationalities were represented. The banning of politics and religion in school is attractive to many non French parents. We had many kids fleeing persecution and discrimination (Bahai, Palestinian, Jewish but also the kids of African despots and Holocaust deniers like David Irving). It wasn't anti British, but there was racism, though snobbery a bigger issue. It's cheaper than many private schools. But not having a uniform means some kids go dripping in designer clothes, showing up those who don't.

I don’t think anyone’s questioning why Gen Z are on Mumsnet OP. The oldest of you are 29… well old enough to have children.

For those from colonies: not poorer French, but poorer English. (This applies for immigrants to the UK, not French school alumni in the UK)

Categorically, no.

Obviously, I can only speak for what I saw, and there are diverse experiences I am sure.

There was a lot of Anti-English sentiment, that was always obvious and apparent.

DD1 got an excellent education from the American School in Paris. We then came back to London, she went to ACS and did the IB. International schools are very transient places; not many kids go all the way through. Great for holidays though, as there’s usually a friend in every country!

Yes exactly this. There are cities all over the world with high levels of expats ie workers who are likely to be temporary. They may stay, but their kids need consistency if they don’t. It’s also v common in Singapore, Shanghai, Dubai etc etc. It’s not the same as people moving fully to a country to start a permanent life there.

Yes, many immigrants are temporary residents because it is very had to get permanent residency there. Takes over ten years.

My DH and his sister attended international school in Tokyo, and more recently I've known two families doing similarly in different parts of Japan. Mainly American kids there. The point is it's common for expats around the world to use international schools so they can slot back in at home when they return. Not sure why that should be different for French kids in the UK?

IMMIGRANT lychees.😀

I know many people who already do or plan to send their children to the Lycée in London - all are French families (or at least one parent is French). A few things that have come up here - the pupils attended LCDG are mainly French as the entry criteria became quite strict (though may get easier now the demand drops post Brexit/VAT on school fee): you usually have to attend one of the French or bilingual primaries dotted around London to get in. (so yes, the kids travel quite far in many cases to answer another query), and to attend those you need to meet specific criteria (top of the list being a parent being a French government employee seconded to England..). Famously Sarkozy wanted his child to attend and couldn’t get in as they didn’t meet the criteria!
But also, the French curriculum and approach to education is quite different. Just as many French people prefer French movies/holiday in France/drink French wine (!) they also want the French education system for their children, even if they happen to live in London, because they believe it’s the best system. The results from the school are certainly Impressive, though the very low levels of Oxbridge attendance causes consternation for some (usually non French native) families, but you could argue that that’s not an important marker in the French system perhaps…
so I don’t know if lack of integration is an issue, but I wanted to answer some of the pondered thoughts that had come up, as although my children don’t attend we had planned for them to do so until a change in circumstances made it impossible financially.

Yabu. From experience, there are many non-French children in French lycees, and many from mixed families. They also teach English.

French immigrants are very good at learning English. I work with the public, and often need to get translators. I have not once come across a French person who couldn't speak excellent English.

If French translation is needed it is always for someone from a French colony.