English vs French education system

[Tankard]

We have the option of sending our son to either an "outstanding" rated Catholic state school, or one of the French Lycee's primary school. We have to accept (or not) the place in the state primary next week.

In the long run we'd like him to do his secondary schooling in English. Does anyone have any thoughts about the advantages/ disadvantages of the English vs the French system, or any idea of how easy it would be to switch from one system to the other aged 11?

Which one is it? My dcs are in the French system because of dh's job (in England at mo but will go back to France). The French system is great in many ways, but you will have to accept it warts and all (the warts being that it is quite old-fashioned - lots of rote learning - and very rigid). My kids know no other system and so make no complaint - I sometimes feel a bit sorry for them having known the fun and play (sport and music) of the English system. That said they are completely and effortlessly bilingual and are positively thriving in it. I always think the French system is great if you are a round peg to fit in their very round hole - it will suit you best if your son is reasonably academic and well behaved. Basically they have to get their heads down and work from the off which isn't great for everyone. If you are both English then I don't see any problem moving to an English secondary - several of my dd's friends are doing that in September.

Hi LillianGish,
Thanks, that's very useful. My husband is half French, lived in Paris until the age of 8, and did the rest of his schooling in English private schools/ university. I speak French quite fluently but I'm not French, and I do worry slightly about homework... I've heard there's a lot of it in French primaries, requiring a lot of parental input.
We're not sure which school my son will get into, we're applying to Fulham from an ecole homologuee this week but if there are no places he could end up in Ealing, South Ken, etc. Unfortunately we won't know until after the deadline for accepting the place at the local state school, which is a pain as it would influence our decision if he got offered a place at a French primary miles away.
What sort of schools do your daughter's friends go to - state or private?

Why not accept the state place anyway? You can always say you've changed your mind later on once you know which private school your DC has got into. It doesn't lose you anything to do this.

Lillian's description of the French education system is excellent. While I am glad of how much I learned in the French education system, and how much it pushed me academically, overall I think that the bad outweighed the good: it pisses me off how much creativity and independent thought in children is totally stifled in that system. But I only think this as an adult: as a child in school I just accepted and got on with it.

You ask how easy it is to switch from one system to another. I did the switch in both directions, and it was difficult both times:

• going from French to UK, I felt that the level was pitched much lower than what I had just come from. While on the other hand, I was flabbergasted by the request that I actually think for myself

• going back the other way, I had gotten a bit too used to thinking for myself by that time, and was a round peg in their square hole from then on.

Re: accepting the place to possibly turn it down later - It has crossed my mind but I'm not sure it's the right thing to do.

Thanks for your replies... it's very useful to read about people's experiences, the French Lycee only seem to do one visit of the school per year, so we're not sure at all what it's like and whether we'd like it, let alone whether our son would.

my kids are in a French school in France and I agree about old-fashioned, rote learning etc, BUT they do plenty of sports and music and theatre and reading and art etc. I never understand this common misconception that French children don't have any creative learning.

I went through the French education from CP to terminale as a bilingual child. My sister's children are all doing the same now. My children have all been through the UK education system

These are my thoughts:

Discipline seems quite a lot better in the French system, meaning that more gets done.
As someone said upthread, a lot of learning in the French system is done by rote with little room for creativity and thinking for oneself
The creative arts are immeasurably better in the UK system
The French system was very, very boring and repetitive at times. I see my 14 yo nephew bored to tears most of the time and even though he's doing very well he never expects to enjoy school.
The French system does not "do^ pastoral support. If your child is struggling at school it will be their fault and their failing.
I learned tons in the French system and really believe you have to be in it for the long haul to the end, the bit where they do the philosophy and actually give you the incentive to think.
I do think that the French system encourages passivity which I'm not sure is a good thing.
I think that the English system does not expect quite enough passivity, which is also not a good thing.

As an expat child in France I got away with a lot, especially as I did really rather well in the system. I managed to get away with reading English novels under my desk through years 8-11, as I could answer any random question.

Having said all that I believe that Charles de Gaulle has a very good reputation and is quite one of the cheapest day schools in London for the quality of education.

My kids are in Ealing. It is a lovely little primary school. My daughter will go to South Ken in September - it is a factory (13 form entry - nearly 4,000 pupils in the school). Some of her friends are going to an excellent state school in Ealing (entry determined by whether or not you live in the catchment area). Interestingly one of those friends' parents ruled out transferring their daughter to a private school as they didn't think she would pass the exam (having not been prepared for it in any way). I should stress that my kids are in the French bit of the school - not a bilingual stream (they have one in Clapham, not sure about Fulham). There is no bilingual stream in Ealing though they do have four hours of English a week and excellent English teachers. There is quite a lot of homework, but parental input is not required (other than making sure they do it). I'm sure if your husband is half French and you speak French you will fit in fine - there are far more families like yours at Ealing and Fulham than in the primaire at the South Ken. I would say on balance it would be a great opportunity for your ds to become bilingual - with all the benefits that brings (I think it has helped my kids in maths and music and other ways that I didn't anticipate) and you can always opt out later. Just make sure you go into it with your eyes open. My dh says the school motto should be Fit in or F* Off (excuse my French!!) - I think if you can accept that you will be fine. I'm sure your son will love it - mine does - but they do work them very hard.

Love that motto Lilian!