advice on west of paris schools.....

[dilbertina]

ahhhhh, didn't realise this would be so difficult! DD is nearly 5 and currently in reception in UK. We are likely to relocate to Paris area for 2 (max.3 years) and then return to UK. We will move this summer and are trying to sort out school first so we know where to look to rent.......

It's not easy though! Because she is Jan 04 born she would go into Grand Maternelle in a French school, would this be a step back since she will have already done a year of school?

Ideally we would live out of Paris to West. Have spoken to Lycee international in Saint Germain en Laye but they were pessimistic they would have a space, but possibly she could be an externee and do couple of hours a week in English, but basically be thrown in deep end in French State Primary (which I would be happy with if we were over there long term).

I'm concerned that since we will only be in France for 2 years, learning French (whilst important) is less important than just making sure she has a good educational foundation generally for the future. So now I'm looking at the British school in Croissy or Bougival who follow British curriculum etc and where she would be in year one as in UK and taught in English, albeit with French lessons daily. Hideously expensive but DH company do pay school fees so hopefully I can ignore that aspect!

Does anyone have an opinion? Or experience of the British School?

Many thanks for any advice!

There are quite a few options west side of Paris. At the Lycee international all children only do 2 half days in their first language (in your case English) and the rest is standard french education. If they are intern they do their french schooling also at the Lycee so you are only dealing with one school. If externe then they are given permission to leave their french school twice a week to go to the Lycee. Good points is they mix more with french children so good for your DD french but downside is child usually expected to catch up missed work and you will be running around two schools.

There is also the Notre Dame school in St Germain which is bilingual. All classes happen in French but they have enlish classes in the lunch times. The level of english is not so intense as the Lycee and more geared to children staying in france. This is also a private fee paying school.

There is also he Malherbe in Le Vesinet which is all in english with french taught as a foreign language. I have heard this is almost the same academic level as a uk school but many children are moved up a year. Also prettty expensive.

There is another school up the road in Maisons Laffitte whose name escapes me right now but I am sure someone else will be along in a mo with more info.

Heard mixed reports from British school. mainly very small classes which is great for lessons but not so good for your child mixing and making friends in france.

Most kids who arrive here who do not speak the language do a special year of extra french classes. This would be organised by the french school and in an area like St Germain region most schools are pretty used to it as it is an international area.

Good luck with the move and househunting. And remember you should also think long term - we came out here for 2 to 3 years - but never left!

Forgot to say kids here do not start learning to read/write til CP (the first year of primary) so technically your DD will take a step back but gain so much more when she reads and writes in two languages.

Also there are lots bilingual/international options in Paris itself. I do not know much but I am sure Anna888 could update you.

Just quickly: in Paris you're mostly looking at the International school (16th), EaB(8th?) and EABJM (15th but practically the 7th). The International school is anglophone, the other two are bilingual. There are others but I don't know much about them.

The school in Maisons Lafitte is L'Ermitage. I have friends whose kids are there who seem happy with it but there was another thread on Mumsnet saying it was awful, so don't really know...
Both Malerbe in Le Vesinet and Forest International in Mareil Marly are Montessori schools. Both are expensive (but ok if your DH company pays) and again, friends whose kids are there seem very happy. I think Forest International is particularly nice as it's an old house which backs onto the forest and the kids go out for walks and stuff. If I could afford it and wanted an English school, that's where I'd put mine...(but we're staying so they go to local maternelle!). However, as farfaraway says, they don't learn to read and write until CP so you could throw her in at the deep end with more French in grande section and then have her learn to read French in CP, but that might be less useful if you're going to move on in two years.
The British school is OK, but very international. Chances are she wouldn't mix with French kids at all, but then she would be in a very international environment, following UK curriculum, and they have lots of social stuff going on for parents as well as for kids so that might be useful for you if you're only here for a short time. There is an international school in Sèvres as well which I know of because it does a Weds English programme, but I don't know much about the school itself. You could probably google it as I know they have a website (can't remember where you said your DH was working, but I seem to recall it was SW of Paris...i.e. closer to Sèvres than St Germain).
The French classes that Farfaraway mentions...I only know schools that run "immersion" classes for older kids (secondary age) but there might be some for younger ones as well.

Thankyou so much everyone, sorry for delay responding - got caught up in RL! The British school have space so we're going to try and go out next month and have a look around there and perhaps some of the other possibilities before we decide. Once we get that sorted, must get on with giving birth to dc3 at end March and then concentrate on finding somewhere to live! Busy busy busy! Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

My DD is a 2004 baby. She is currently in Moyenne Section.

Why do you want to live out of Paris in the Western suburbs? If you live in Paris you can choose between EaB (where my DD goes to school) or EABJM, which are both excellent bilingual French-English schools that have as part of their core value proposition taking in children like yours and helping them adapt to the French system and then helping them to return to their home educational system.

In my DD's school there is a classe lecture in CP for children who already know how to read (one class out of five).

Hi Anna, but because she is a January birthday she wouldn't be CP at all.... We live very rurally at the moment, and to be honest I'm not especially keen on living a "city" lifestyle, although do of course hope to spend plenty of time visiting! We're just more of a "take the dog for a walk in the forest" type family rather than a "lets go shopping" type one!

Rural England and rural France are so very, very different though... And when you are leading an expat lifestyle, being rural in France can be challenging.

Go on - more detail please! I get the impression that there is a very strong expat presence to the West anyway if I feel in need...

Yes, there is a very strong expat presence in the Western suburbs - lots of British and Americans. But the Western suburbs are not "rural", they are suburbia. Personally I really hate them .

I am from a rural sort of family and lifestyle in the UK and had never lived in a big city before Paris. I would never ever want to live in the suburbs of either London or Paris, but in France I love living in Paris and wouldn't like rural life, whereas the reverse is true about England.

You should come and see what life is like in central Paris before dismissing it (and it's fab schools) and I will happily show you around where I live if that would help.

Had to add something again re the Paris/Surburbia/rural question. Being about to have DC3 puts you in very situation to BonsoirAnna with one DD. I know lots of french people do it but do not know many english who manange appartment living in Paris with 3 DC. The lifts can be small, negotiating metro with pushchair and toddler and older child a nightmare, easier to not drive so unless you have delivery can make shopping harder, you are always pretty obliged to go the park daily to run rather than kids running round garden while you may get on necessary jobs in house etc etc.

Sounds boring against the thrill of Paris but on a practical level with a working DH, 3 small kids, with no family support and newly arrived I would find Paris living difficult.

There are lots of positives to all options and I have lived in all three (Paris, surburbia and rural france) and found different things suit at different stages.

We have three children - DSS1 (13), DSS2 (11) and DD (4).

Ah well, I'd have loved to live in Paris but we'd worked out that we'd have been squashing the four of us into 45 m3 so it wasn't ever really an option!!

And while it was a culture shock coming here at first (more because it was suburbia than because it was French!) I love where I live now because within walking distance of my appartment I have school, train station, forest, playpark and a bakery

Just to second that where BriocheDoree lives is VERY nice indeed. I am going to come and borrow her forest...

whoops. Sorry BonsoirAnna I only remember you talking about wonderful times in Paris with DD. But I still stand by my arguement that 3 small children and Paris appartment would be harder for a newcomer than a someone familiar to all things french.

I think that the important thing to remember is that rural France is not like rural England (rural France is much less developed than rural England), and central Paris is not like central London. If suburbia is your thing, fair enough.

Obviously if you live in central Paris you walk everywhere, get your shopping delivered etc (very easy to do this btw). It's quite exhausting at times (but very healthy) and children are independent transport-wise quite early - both my DSSs take the bus all around Neuilly/17th with ease and take the metro into central Paris on their own. That is actually quite an advantage - no chauffeuring.

Hello everyone again! Many thanks for your thoughts! DC will be 5, 2 and 0 when we move, whilst I have accepted need to jettison chickens, we are planning on bringing the dog.... and I must admit living with "that lot" (affectionately meant of course!)in a smallish apartment in central Paris does somewhat fill me with dread rather than excitement!

Will try to squeeze in a trip to check out potential places before dc3 makes an appearance!