CNED, Cours Sainte Anne or any other alternatives - please come and tell me more

[ohmygosh123]

I am looking for a way to keep my DD's french up when we return to the UK, and to demonstrate her competence for if/when we return to France ina few years time. I was recommended CNED, but another thread mentioned Cours Sainte Anne.

Has anyone used these online forms of learning - and if so how did your children take to them, and how effective were they?

Hi Ohmy, there are both very effective from what I heard, but be careful the CNED specify that it is too time consuming to be done on parallel with another education. Most of the on line french education are full time educations for home schooler.
I think from the cours st anne you can get a special packet only to keep up with french. (It might have been another school though recommended by someone I know, I have written it somewhere I will come back to you)

They are all very strict on the birthday dates though and wouldn't let DD1 do her CP a year early (technically 18 days early ).

You probably have to call them if your DD will be in the british system and at a different age of her french peers.

Oh great - well DD has been put up a year in France (July birthday) ....... and my intention was to make sure we ticked the boxes so that if we come back, she will be able to go back into the school year with her current friends. So whichever I do I suppose I will have to contact them and give them the transcripts from the end of this year proving she has finished the relevant year and been cleared to carry on.

I found on the CNED site that for primary school you pay separately for maths and french, so I was figuring I could just buy the maths one. And as it is possible to do it in 3 months, it can't be a hideous amount to do in a year.

I think if she is already in the french system a year up they will let her stay (of course you might need the proper paper work).
My advice may be a bit outdated I look in june 2 years a ago. I could only find the whole packet for the entire CP.
Isn't the english system ahead in primary in math? Just asking and comparing what DD1 (y2) does with DN who is in CP (same age group).

What about "tout mon CE1" or books like that, others exist.

French system doesn't mesh well with the english system as the dates of birth operate differently - France runs from 1st Jan, whereas UK runs from 1 September. So a September - December 2005 born child would be in Year 1 in the UK, and CP in France. Whereas the Jan-July 2006 child would still be in Year 1 in the UK, but only in grande section (equivalent to reception) in France.

Luckily for us DD got put up a year - and I am told by teaching friends that what she will have completed by the end of the year (plus what she does off her own bat) will mean she is very secure academically to return to the UK. But she misses out on the cooperative work, and creative stuff that goes on in the UK, so it will take a bit of adjusting to.

So you mean your DD is going to get back to the UK in Y2 while she has already done CP? (she is going to get stiff bored)
I know it is confusing between the 2 systems (DN is january as is DD1 so easy to compare).
I know a lot of people here as expat have chosen cours St Anne over CNED, I can ask them why If you are interested (I would guess it is because of flexibility).

Yup - but she doesn't do creative writing / independent writing as we know it over here so that will be a challenge ....... Phonics / spelling will also be hilarious, given the differences in the pronunciation of the alphabet. I pity the teacher!

I think she will go into Year 2 at a level halfway through the standard of the year for maths etc. But given they differentiate in the UK, all that will happen is that she will go on to the top tables so it is better than her keeping within her age group here, and being bored stupid (which is what was happening). She still finds it (CP) too easy now ..... and the teacher gives her extra sheets to shut her up. In this area, quite alot of January children get moved up a year - apparently is quite common, as they can't wait to get started and are bored in GS.

Would love to know more about Cours St Anne. I just think if she has something to systematically work her way through, it would be good. I am planning on keeping her doing 15 mins a day just as a habit, plus extra french only time at the weekend. Plus her new school has a native french teacher which will help as she is going to take her out on her own instead of her sitting through french lessons :)

Have you seen this? I guess you did option GB is probably what would be the best for you and your DD. It is design for people like you going to the UK for a few years and coming back to france.

So cours St Anne: they like it because the CNED wasn't flexible a few years ago (they are now though! you can choose just a subject or even SEN teaching), but also a lot of french expat are very religious and St Anne offers RE which you don't find in the CNED, they are also designed to be taught by someone with no teaching qualifications (you need to be very strict though and your children to cooperate with you).

Your DD won't have a problem to learn the different pronunciations. DD1 is learning to read in 2 different languages at the same time there is no mix up. (I might start just french on top in sept with the CNED or cours st anne )

Sounds like you have a good school in the UK!
Good luck

PS: Do you know if such a thing exist in the UK? Not sure if we will be back on time in the UK for september (or where we will be ). Basically I am looking for the CNED equivalent for the UK system or any english speaking school system?

No, but as you clearly speak english, you have a head start on me with french phonics. If you tell me what she is doing / where she is at at the moment, I can tell you what I have done with DD, because I was / still am teaching her to read and write in english, maths in english etc whilst abroad. Judging by the home ed forum, there isn't an equivalent.

That site is a different CNED one to the one I found - thanks, as on it I have also found a load of PDF worksheet files!

I meant, for someone who lacks a french accent, following the teacher's instructions to assist with phonics wasn't much better than downright hilarious. I had to bond with the phonic guides in the dictionary. As were the "coaching' sessions she gave me on triple vowel combinations outside school - I'm sure the other parents enjoyed the comedy moments . She stopped when I asked her if she could say 'the' in english!

The problem is that if she asks you to help her say something, you have to clarify which alphabet we are in as i and e are effectively interchangeable - if you don't watch, you can get some funny spellings.

In my naivete I was hoping in the worst case scenario I would have The english CNED so I can keep DD1 in the english system. She would be Y3. She makes fun of my accent though and I have no doubt about her un willingness to cooperate with me

What I have found good are the Bond books - then you know if they are doing okay in those, then they are on track. I reckon though that an able child needs to be working 6 -12 months ahead of schedule in those books to be on the top tables when they get back in the system. I basically consolidated maths in english as she did it in french, plus english - and it doesn't take long to get through those books.

I also have something called Haydn Junior English which DD loves. All nice short exercises, so nothing to get bogged down with and does reading comprehension, grammar, vocab - but all in a fun way. I orginally used them (set of 4) to crash coach a child for 11/12+ for boarding school - Chinese and educated in Chinese and DD wanted to try the easiest. Anyway her parents said she loved doing them. Also Bond verbal reasoning, and lots of reading. I have developed a love of the Bookpeople and load up when I am at home in the UK, as no libraries with english books out here.

Plus audio books which will keep her accent going.

Don't worry, my DD is positively patronising - although still asks for help when she can't work out what the pictures in the text book are meant to be!