Who knows about the Frenh Lycee in London ?

[mozhe]

....we currently live in France, but will be moving back to London next summer. I have heard that it is really difficult to get into....my DCs will be 5,6 and 7.
And what do current parents think of it ?
Is there anyone who has,( or had ), DCs at the Lycee in New York ? As there is a chace we will have 6 months there,( from Jan'08-Jun'08 ), before coming back to London...
Any info gratefully received....
Should I be putting in applications now ?

Obviously I mean FRENCH lycee !!!

Well Madonnas children go there, so It cant' be that difficult to get in to.

Yes my other dilemma is that there are several 'branches' now,( I was there myself many moons ago...)...Was that the WIX branch Hatrick ?

We live in South Ken so it would be more convenient but I've heard that the petit lycee there is v.imposs to get into .....am keen for them to continue,( for the primary years anyway...), in the french system, they will be fluent but are nt actually french....does this matter ?

Hmm....good advice.I will ring them and start the ball rolling.
Do you know anything about the NY lycee then ?

I rang them...they were quite helpful and said DCs would be a priority because they have started their education in french system already....I will put in applications for all 3,( they were a bit at 3 !! wanting places...so I didn't mention the 3 coming up behind them...)..The lycee in NY were very sniffy...saying they are booked up years ahead by millions of french families all wanting to beak down their doors apparently...anyone know about other options for NY ? French speaking...

My best friend is currently in NY - she is Korean naturalised American naturalised French with 100% French partner - their preference was for French school since DCs will be coming back to Paris in a year or so - but they have completely abandoned the idea, so difficult...

Sorry, that's not the answer that you want. Just a data point.

mozhe - another, much more useful, data point - another friend, half French, half Greek, took her two children out of French school for a year and put them in school on a Greek island. They did CNED classes (distance learning) to keep up with French system and returned to French school with absolutely no problems after a year - and speaking/reading/writing fluent Greek into the bargain.

So, if you go to NY, you could put your children in American school (which isn't super onerous, like Greek school) and get a French au pair to do CNED with them in the afternoon.

My brother's kids are at FL in S. Ken. They both like it but one is leaving shortly because she's had to repeat the year because she's struggling and now they want to her to repeat again, so she's moving to an English school, and the other one is struggling along the bottom of his class but is coping, and will probably leave next year when he is 16. I'm sure it's great but there is apparently lots of pressure. Also, their friends seem to live all over the place so B and SIL spend entire weekends driving all over London to drop them off and pick them up, although they themselves live 10 minute walk away.

They are tiny...DTs are only one and DC6 still in utero...

Yes Tristan it is.....I am 26 weeks +....am in hospital as of today....fluid leaking...hope it is just a trickle...more in am when we'll see what's what...

Whereabouytrs are you in france mozhe?

Pau

I'm sure it will be.....we doctors are terrible patients so don't plan on hanging around here any longer than I have to.....anyway have lovely homebirth planned....Tristan will just have to lean to wait

French friends have spoken of a school in Battersea. Maybe that could be an option if S Ken doesn't work out?

I know 3 children who went to the Lycee, a German-French family. They are some of the nicest & most accomplished children I've ever met. They have lovely parents too (in fact we named our DD after their mum) so that may have had sthg to do with their up-bringing.

Hope it all goes well Mohze.