scam

Hi,

it is looking very likely that my family will be moving out to the Gex/Ferney-Voltaire area in time for the next school term. We have 2 children coming with us aged 11 and 16 and we are hoping to enrol both onto the English National Programme at the Ferney-Voltaire International School. We are not so concerned about our 11-year old as we have read many positive reviews on integrating an English-speaking child into a bilingual school. However we are concerned that for our older child who is hoping to go to university in 2 years' time, this could be detrimental to her OIB/A-Level results. She has just done her GCSE French exam here, but to be honest , knows very little basic French.
Saying all this, we are all up for the challenge and the school has been very encouraging and keen to provide support.
International schooling would not be paid for by the prospective employer so this would be a very good option for us.
Would anyone be kind enough to let me know if they have had success with enrolling their child into a bilingual system as older teenagers? Any feedback would be very welcome, thank you.

petitefrancaise

the OIB programme is for bi-lingual students, primarily set-up for french kids with very good english.
My daughter was doing this in toulouse where there were many kids who were british and had at least v good french. They do English and history/geography in english but the rest is in french and the french teachers don't take it slowly. There may be extra help for your daughter to get her french up to the required level but she is going to struggle.

I would think twice before doing this if I were you. Lycee is 3 years in france as well , so unless she skips the first year of lycee (not a good idea) then she will also be looking at an extra year of school.

Sorry to be pessimistic. Have you applied to the OIB section of the school? They may not accept everyone.

scam

Thank you for your reply.
I had read about the OIB but I thought she might be Ok with some intensive French lessons and some 1:1 tutoring. However I wasn't aware of the 3 years, so yes she would essentially be skipping a year.
We are still waiting for a reply from the school and I am now better prepared with a few more questions for them. Everything else about the job and the move ticks all the boxes and more, it would be a shame not to find a solution for the schooling issue.

Thank you again for your reply

dmu

+1
First year Lycée ("2nde") is the year when you choose which Bac you will be taking (usually a choice between Science, Literature and Economy and all subjects are taken, with different coefficients), and it's not advisable to plunge into "1ère" without this year of preparation. The French-language exam is taken by everyone at the end of 1ère (and as far as I remember they start studying the set books in 2nde already, and those doing the Bac Lit take their Maths, Physics and Biology exams at the end of 1ère, too. The "non-initiated" also need as much time as possible to get into Philosophy mode for that exam. (for everyone) taken at the end of "Terminale".
Just to give you food for thought!

petitefrancaise

This is the admissions page for the school you'd like your daughter to go to:
Secondary admissions
She will be tested in french and maths (in french) before offered a place at the school. The school already did the testing for next academic years intake in April so there may not be spaces available as they usually allocate spaces based on those tests. Whilst the lycee itself is legally obliged to give a place to any child in it's catchment area, the OIB section is not - entry is based on test performance in french and english.
The OIB is also a LOT more work for the student than a normal bac - in Toulouse they have an extra 4 hours of lessons per week with the extra homework that entails. Could you imagine a french student going to one of the best secondary schools in the UK and studying for 4/5 "a" levels? Not impossible but not easy either. Just a thought but I think your daughter will need a lot of homework support , will the company pay for that since that may add up to a fair bit?

Isn't there an IB school she can go to if the company are paying? 2 years of study and in english. Good programme which with good grades will get her into a uni almost anywhere.

dennerlymum

Hi

I have to agree with Petite francaise - my daughter is doing the OIB in Toulouse and there is no way she could have coped if she hadnt arrived in France 7 years ago! Even at that she got a bare pass for the french section of her BAC this week (taken at 17yrs - 1 year after your arrival in France...)

to be clear it is a french BAC (all in french) with the addition of an English section (like 2 extra A levels)

I know the Toulouse OIB section has entrance exams and refuses to take children into the college OIB (at12years) if they have only just arrived in France..

I really tthink you either need to think UK boarding school for your eldest or international school - paid for by your company...as a special request as it is necessary ..Good luck

scam

Thank you again for all your replies. You have definitely given us a lot more to think about.
Because the company are not paying, we will have to do the maths again, and perhaps it would be worth some sacrificing for the sake of 2 years' worth of school fees. So far this is the only stumbling block we have come across and really hope to make it work somehow.
I will still enrol both the girls at the school but we will be looking at the British School of Geneva for A- Levels.

You both made good points about the volume of work...and in a different language, we really couldn't ask that of her!
Again, thanks for your input, much appreciated!

dennerlymum

you're welcome