French Lycee

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Hello everyone! I wanted to check views from parents that have kids in the French Lycee in secondary? My daughter will access it through l'Ecole de Battersea. I am a bit concern about the reputation of the students (smoking, not disciplined...I even heard of some light drugs)....does anyone have any views to support or someone in the inside that disagrees? All I have heard have not been from people with kids in the schools, so would be really great to hear from parents that know the school better. Thank you!!!!

It's a French school...of course they all smoke. Isn't it basically mandatory for French teens to smoke?

There will be "light drugs" in all schools. Probably sound shocking when your child is 10 and less so when they are 16.

I had friends there ten years ago - it was work hard (serious academic pressure at the end, not much earlier on), smoke hard and a lot of pressure to be skinny and fashionable.

They did well academically, not sure they would say they enjoyed it all but they did fine.

I know children at the lycee. Cuddly and creative it is not! And the French NC is under constant pressure from reforms which, as usual, drag standards down.

Like most schools, it's right for some and wrong for others. My kids went there for all of primary and a couple years of secondary. It gets a lot more serious at secondary level. It's very very different to Battersea, but a lot of kids move up from there and quickly adapt. Now there are more options, with CFBL that has a more relaxed ethos, and Jeannine Manuel if you are in that budget. My DD did enjoy her time at the lycee (by which I mean the Sth Ken site), but as soon as we moved her to the English system, she blossomed overnight, visibly much happier and really thriving through praise for hard work as well as good work (neither is forthcoming at the lycee, the focus is on criticism of poor work). She has also benefited from the greater diversity of the demographic in her current school, the lycee is largely wealthy Caucasian ex-pats. On the plus side, her French is totally fluent and she learnt a strong work ethic and discipline at the lycee.

As for your drugs concerns, there was plenty of smoking outside the school, although they keep it away from the rond-point where the younger kids congregate, so it's not really in or even that near to the school grounds. We didn't hear of any drugs, although as others have said, I think this is a universal teen issue not confined to the lycee! And we left after 5eme, so that would also be a factor. My impression of the students was good, they were generally confident and pleasant.

I currently live in France and my children will be joining the primary school at the Lycée in September. I have no idea if they will stay there until their Bac but I was intrigued by the thought of them changing to a British school at secondary level. How achievable is it?

LetLiveWin - which schools in your experience are open to taking children who haven't been in a British school before? Is it necessary to sit an exam?

If you apply for a state school at secondary level, they will have to offer you a place at one - so in practise, any state school will take an ex-lycee child. If you are talking about the private sector, that is going to involve a bit of work, as you will have to pass the entrance exam of the school - this can be tricky even for prep school kids, but much harder coming from the lycee.

English is taught as a first language at the lycee, so they won't be too far behind, it's just that their vocabulary, grammar, etc will need to be kept up to speed (lots of English books!) and you would almost certainly want to spend the 2 years prior to entry practising mock tests every week, probably with a private tutor. I used to tutor kids for these exams and lots of regular practise really goes a long way.

Bilingual children learn both languages separately when they are young (basically up until the end of primary) with surprisingly little exchange of concepts and knowledge between them. From about 11 there starts to be a lot more cross fertilisation of knowledge and ideas. The issue for secondary entrance to an English school is that 11+ time is likely to be at a point where a child at the lycee, even if educated bilingually, is greatly under the influence of his French education. At 13+ a clever child will be combining all his ideas and knowledge in both languages making it easier to change systems.

Thanks for your replies. That's very useful. I have no plans for how things may evolve but my daughter did ask if one day she might have to switch to a British school. I think she was referring to around 5e or 4e (which made me think of GCSEs). I've no idea whether it would be State or Private school but I'm assuming that switching to private at 12/13 years old may be tricky nevertheless.

The Lycée has a Section Britannique where students follow the English curriculum, and I know children who have successfully moved from there to top independent schools (Westminster and the like) for sixth form.

Honestly there is lots of movement. Transferring into the Lycee is tricky, and Yr 6 seems easier than yr7. However at Yr 7, London private schools are used to evaluating kids from a range of educational backgrounds and are more interested in potential. (State 11+ is different and is normally first past the post.) After that (Yrs 8-9 or 10) occasional places will come up and Lycee pupils seem to be in as good a position as any to gain them. At sixth form several will move to Westminster, Kings, SPS/SPGS, and Sevenoaks, as well as well-regarded state sixth forms.

DC encountered former Lycee kids through their school careers. No one ever complained about the education. However most seemed to enjoy the breadth of opportunity offered in London Independents. One dad, whose DDs switched to a London school normally considered less academic, claimed that their first day out of the Lycee was the first day they enjoyed school. They did very well. Enjoying education can help with engaging in it.

DD also knew a number of Lycee kids via out of school activities. Several were seriously rich, from international jet set type families, others, the children of very successful bankers. Generally nice kids but a different social milieu.

I teach in a London private secondary school and every year we get a few pupils from the Lycee in South Ken. Usually they have been asked to leave as they are not up to the standard required. By all accounts it is a very tough school with lessons scheduled until 5:30every day. We get a number of very damaged pupils and have to try to pick up the pieces.

I can’t comment on the style of education or practicalities of the Lycee now, but I was there, to 7eme as a child in the 1970s/80s.

The comprehensive “worldliness” of mixing with such a mix of international children was amazing, and very much reflected in my adult mindset. Combined with secondary education at a very large comp (Pimlico), I reckon I must have had one of the most socially and culturally diverse educations available. Not too shabby academically either.

Posted too soon.
I left at 7eme because I was not up to scratch.
I am English.

One of mine transferred to UK system during 3eme, another at end of 5eme and the 3rd after end of primary. Absolutely no problems at all. In fact they revelled in the shorter days and reduced academic rigour. Being in the French system gave them lots of advantages, not least fluency in other languages and exposure to a different world really but they are so much happier now.

totally agree with this

The rigour and discipline of the Lycee from 4-10 has served me well.

I thought the Lycee only started at 11 and that the OP already had DC studying in the French system at Primary level.

Observation only, but I suspect that socially CDG is a bit unique. DD knew one French boy at her Extra Curricular activity, son of, essentially, French Civil Servants, who found it a big culture shock after France. They got on well, despite his English being poor, as they had more in common that either had with some of the rich kids. (Chauffeurs and bodyguards were not unknown.)

I am happy for Bikerunski to correct me, but I assume the differences start to show, when kids become teenagers.

MIKA, the singer, is perhaps not an atypical example of a CDG pupil. Except he hated it and switched to Westminster.

The Lycée CDG starts in Petit Section (nursery). A lycée is senior school.

Thanks again for all your thoughts/experiences. Though I'm English my kids have only ever known French school (in France). Their current school, in terms of rigour and attainment, sounds much like the Lycée in London!

CDG is what it is. It is a massive school - described by its own head (when we were there a few years ago) as a factory and it embodies the French style of education as detailed by LetLoveWin of all stick and no carrot. You can either take it or leave it, my DH used to say the school motto should Fit in or F* off. If you are not French I would say you have already had the best the French system can offer in maternelle and primary which are superb (we were at Ealing). The Lycée is far more brutal. That said, my dd absolutely loved it, having known nothing else. Loved being in South Ken and was very proud to be a pupil. I doubt you'll find a secondary school in London where no pupils smoke - they are not allowed to smoke on the premises. The same goes for drugs. There are some very rich kids at the school, but again that could said for any private school in London.