French MNers - how would you go about approaching this with a Lycée?

[MsFogi]

DD is at a (state) school in the UK where lots of international students spend anywhere between a week to a year at her school - they follow lessons of their year group (but aren't expected to do any homework, exams etc). It seems to work really well for the students (because they learn lots of English and make friends who they keep in touch with when they return home) and for the home students because these students attend the relevant language classes (eg French students would go to the French classes - which they seem to enjoy and it really enriches those classes for the British students) and they get to expand their horizons by making friends with international students. I suspect that the school gets some money from it as there doesn't seem to be any reciprocal agreement to sent their students abroad (not sure that would work with the British system anyway).

Either way, DD is doing French A level and having seen the students come to her school she really, really wants to spend 2-3 weeks in a French school once her lower sixth exams are over (so May or June). We have friends in Vendee, Brittany and Nice who she could stay with so I am wondering how I would go about asking schools nearby if they would be willing to take DD for a few weeks and what I could say that may persuade them to do so. Do any MNers in France have any ideas - would you just email them? Any input into what info I should include/what could be persuasive would be great. Clearly I can offer to pay/make a donation for the relevant weeks.

Very much guessing as I haven't heard of anyone doing this, but I suspect that a private international school would be more likely to be open to a visiting exchange student.

It would be easier for her to join the year below her own (seconde) as her own year group will be taking their French bac at that point.

[waves to lummox]

We welcomed a German teen into our home in France and DS's state lycée accepted the German boy as a temporary student for a few weeks.

It may have been easier because there is an exchange programme (Brigitte Sauzet) between German and French high schools however our exchange was not it within the programme as too short.

In the end the head of the school got the final say.

So your friends should ask the school their children attend.

Agree with Lummox that Seconde would be best and also May rather than June because the seconde finish formal classes quite early in June.

My son's lycee do this with many countries - they have had groups of Americans, some Swedes, Czech and Romanians this year alone. The students come in seconde (so I guess the year after GCSE?) and families who welcome them get some money I believe. They have mentioned working with this company https://www.terredeslangues.com/pages/index.php

Friends in Ireland have also used companies to place their children in French lycées in transition year, around Brittany/Nantes seems to be very popular, where you go for a term and stay in a local family. Some lycées also have boarding facilities (very normal when serving a rural area). If you google transition year french exchange a lot of Irish companies also come up which might give you some ideas, even if they are for Irish students.

I would contact the private schools first as I think they have probably more flexibility (private in France generally just means Catholic and they are nowhere near as costly as UK private schools).

Due to the B word, there are very few opportunities for French students to link with native English speakers (there is a limited number of Irish and Maltese to g around :) ) and certainly in our lycee they are promoting the Swedish/Czech students as giving an opportunity to speak English so I am sure you would find a school delighted to have a native English speaker to participate in classes.

We have some foreign exchange students in our Lycée, but June would not be the best time. Even secondes finish mid June and premiers (equivalent to lower 6th) will be doing exams.

Unless the school has already an exchange program, I can't see a school wanting to accept a student with all the paperwork involved and teachers might be reluctant too to increase their workload. There is quite a bit of social dissatisfaction right now in France.
Not doing the homework is almost a crime in French schools so this is something that would be expected. There are a lot of "évaluations" all year round but a lot more towards the end of the year, so June is the worst moment.
Does any of your friends have friends in any school?

Even if your school doesn't have a reciprocal agreement, you can ask which school the French students came from and try to see if by luck , one of them is where you have Friends.

Of the three suggestions, Nice would be the nicest place to go especially at the end of Spring, beginning of Summer (I am from Monaco, so biased for the Côte d'Azur ) . I know Nice has a few international schools , and they might be more willing to accept a student for two weeks.