Client's Question: "My husband and I are planning on moving out to France as it’s always been a dream of ours. We have three children aged 3, 6 and 12 and would want to send them to local schools if possible – we’re just a little worried about how easy it will be for them to integrate into school life as none of them speak good French. It’s the only thing stopping us at the moment, so any advice would be great.”
Your two youngest children should have no difficulty in settling well. The three year old will be starting in the nursery section, and the 6 year old will start in 'Cours Préparatoire', which is the year pupils start to read and write, so the timing is good. You might like to enquire about any additional language support for your 6 year old, sometimes even small primary schools can offer some additional after school help.
That said, most children moving at this age don’t really need it, the teacher will be best able to advise. You will probably find that they are listening to what is going on around them for the first three or so months, and it is after this point that they start chatting away quite happily at around 6 months.
The local school is always a good choice where possible, as it facilitates the integration of the whole family into the community. The school and its social events are at the centre of village life, and there will be all sorts of opportunities for you to socialise and join in, from simply seeing other parents at the school gate, to serving at the school barbecue and volunteering your services to the Parents’ Association.
It is always a little more difficult moving older children. Your 12 year old would normally be in either her first or second year of 'collège' (11-15 yrs), depending on when in the year her birthday falls. School work is obviously more challenging at this stage, and she would probably be held back a year. There is no stigma attached to this, it is common practice in French schools to ensure that pupils reach the required standard before moving on to the next educational cycle. It would be a good idea to seek out some additional French tuition, if possible before you move, and then continue with that once you arrive.
However, with your older child you might like to consider other options than the local 'collège', depending on what is available to you in your area. International schools are either based on the American or English curriculum, and would offer the opportunity to continue studying in English as well as French, and therefore ease the transition. The student population of some international schools may be somewhat 'transient' though, as pupils sometimes attend for limited periods of time, say 2/3 years, so the social impact of that might be something to consider.
Blog submitted by: Sharon at Cle France.
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