British section Lycée international - le Pecq

[tolstoi15]

Hello

We are moving from the UK to France in a couple of months. My son was admitted to the British Section of Lycée International at one of the partner schools - Felix Eboue le Pecq. It is a public French school with around one forth of the children from the British section. My son speaks perfectly French but has never been educated in France and I worry about how he is going to respond to the French pedagogical approach.

I would be interested in hearing more about your experience with this school.

Thank you so much!

Hello - and congratulations on the move, that sounds exciting. We have experience of the Lycee in Los Angeles, where it is also 1/4 English speaking 3/4 French. (Though LA advertises as 50/50). The English section is really 2nd class to the French I have to say. All the teachers are French and prefer to speak in French /teach the French way. So even if your child is in the English section, they will be subject to French pedagogy. I strongly recommend you put him in the French section if he speaks the language already and he will be very fluent very quickly and have more friends to choose from. My child had 11 kids in their class half of whom moved or went to different schools at the end of the year. I am aware that's more of a Los Angeles trait however.

Thanks JesusWeptLady for your encouragement and for sharing your LA experience.
I lived in France for a while before moving to the UK and I know the country quite well. That is why I worry 😃. French pedagogy is very rigid, and based on repetition. Kids are encouraged to fit the mainstream rather than to develop critical thinking.
I was wondering if this particularly school in 'Le Pecq 'made some effort to accommodate kids used to a different approach and if there are any mums whose kids went/are at this school.

I don’t know this school though I know a fair bit about OIB schools. I think it will depend if he’s being taught in the British Section by French teachers who speak English or by native Anglophones from the U.K. / Ireland/ US etc who work in the section. The latter will bring some of that more flexible, positive, imaginative teaching culture with them.

I recommend you join the ‘English speaking mums/moms in Paris’ Facebook group. With 5k members it is very active and there is a lot of schools experience (I’m a member but my kid is only 3 so can’t help).