Hillbilly4

Hi thinking of a fresh start in pas de calais.. Need to stay in that region to get back to London quickly.
Any tips on move esp. Hunting schools for 3 teenagers gratefully received!

dmu

Hi, and welcome to the forum!
I won't be the only one to say that, unless your three teenagers speak French and have studied French history/literature, etc..., they are going to find it very difficult to cope with French secondary school education and passing the Bac.
Take a look at the Schooling thread in the Read-Me: Moving to France FAQs above for info as to what they can expect. There are also many threads on the subject - make a Forum Search (top right button). The general consensus is that children under about 9-10 should cope, but older ones not.
If there isn't an International School following thed British Curriculum in the Pas de Calais, it may be worth considering moving after the youngest has finished schooling in the UK....
Other factors to take into account are your source of income and the (compulsory) healthcare cover for you and your family. Do you yourself speak French? Would you be renting or buying?
In your other thread you mentioned horses and dogs, so presumably you'll be buying. How many animals in all? I believe that there's a limit of 5 "specimens" that you can bring over.
Sorry to sound pessimistic concerning your children's education, but I'm being realistic.
Good luck with your decision!

Hillbilly4

Thank You!! I was thinking of an international school and animals are covered.. I can't seem to find any list of bilingual schools in the area. If someone could point me in the right direction I would be really grateful...

petitefrancaise

You're really going to be looking at a British or American school. Private ones. I doubt very much that there are any in Pas de calais. But try google.

There does appear to be a french lycee international but that won't help you much since at best all but 2 of the classes will be in french anyway. I would not put a non-french speaking child into french school over the age of 11. They can't/won't accomodate language deficiencies in the classroom. Not to mention the completely different teaching culture.

dmu

+1
A French Collège/Lycée with Section Internationale/Bilingue isn't an Ecole Internationale which follows another country's Curriculum (not necessarily British). Most of the subjects of the Bac (and remember that pupils take ALL subjects, not just a chosen few), will be in French. On the other hand, the French Brevet (O-Levels), taken at the end of 4th year Collège, only covers French, Maths, and (French) History/Geography/Civic Education. An Option in English might at best boost up the average, but any Lycée can refuse admission if the pupil hasn't got a solid dossier.
The nearest Ecoles Internationales to the Pas de Calais are in the Paris Region and Lille. According to
https://www.justlanded.com/francais/...vees-en-France
the admission conditions are strict, due to the high demand. Children of friends near St German-en-Laye all managed to get in, and they were totally bilingual (English mother, French father). The fees were horrific....
Independently of getting them to and from (any) school, with 3 lots of homework to supervise (if not help with), not to mention organise 3 different social lives (taxiing them all to their new-found distant friends), you're going to have your plate full! We live in a rural area where the Collèges/Lycées have a catchment radius of 20 km, and only had 2 to cope with, but I can assure you that homework, Wednesday afternoons and weekends were often difficult to organise...
The OP is considering the Pas-de-Calais "to get back to London quickly". If this is for professional reasons, she should also look into the questions of her employment status/healthcare coverage/tax residence...

Hillbilly4

Thank you all so much. I'm looking at the pas de calais for family reasons not work fortunately. I have private income and I've had 17 years of nightmare school runs.. Up to 6 hours a day even currently.
We have a lot of friends near calvados so I may start to look further into that region and accept the longer drive back to the UK.
Yes I do (did) *speak French not much call for it where we live atm. But my kids would definitely need an English or us school just to make transition easier to another country easier. .kids are sporty and so would mix hopefully in their sporting fields (our friends in calvados) as I'd like them to integrate as we quickly as possible.
Someone mentioned a school that has branches in boulogne and Paris? It's called open sky.. Has anyone ever heard of this school my kids are all in private in the UK so fees and entry procedures we are unfortunately well used to!

dmu

Can't advise on the Open Sky front, but be aware that it's in Boulogne-Billancourt in the Paris suburbs, not Boulogne sur Mer....
As you have a private income, you'll be considered by the French Social Security to be "inactive" and must take out private healthcare insurance for you and your children before you can apply for the PUMA System after 3 months( proven residence. On the Tax front, you must declare all world-wide income in your annual French Tax Declaration.
Apologies if you know this already, but many potential expats are unaware of the many differences between France and the UK (to name but three, including Education....)

Hillbilly4

thank you.. I'll take on board any info offered.. I did wonder about the school as it seemed an odd place for it to open.
Health insurance is covered as well.. My real stumbling block is the education as they don't want to stay in UK.... If anyone has any ideas I'd be grateful!!!

dmu

It might be an idea to start another thread, entitled something like Education in France for UK teenagers (what are their respective ages, btw?), as members who are more in the know, but not knowledgeable about the Pas-de-Calais, might not be reading this thread...

EuroTrash

From Calvados (not sure what "near Calvados" means! Calvados is Dept 14, neighbouring depts are 61, 50 and 35 ,but I assume if you'd meant those you would have said Orne Manche or Ille et Vilaine so I'll take it you mean "in Calvados"!) you can get the ferry from Caen Ouistreham, short drive but longer crossing, or alternatively Le Havre or Dieppe. There is no point driving all the way to Calais.

EuroTrash

PS I live in that neck of the woods and AFAIK there are no international schools round here. I believe there could be one in Rouen in Haute Normandie (half way to Calais).

petitefrancaise

A quick look on COIS shows me this:
https://www.cois.org/page.cfm?p=1884

these are schools taught in English and are private with hefty fees.

I knew of a couple of kids that arrived in France with no prior knowledge of french - they went to the Lycee Internationale in Toulouse. They studied for their french Bac with Option Britannique. The ones that did OK had at least one parent who was french. It was really hard going for them even with all the help from home. The schools that do the option internationale are all selective with entrance exams and limited places.

Novocastrian

I don't think you've explained why?

petitefrancaise

yes, they have
"I'm looking at the pas de calais for family reasons not work fortunately.
We have a lot of friends near calvados so I may start to look further into that region and accept the longer drive back to the UK."

Novocastrian

Well yes. I suppose "for family reasons" is a reason, but it's not very specific is it?. Unlikely to do his immediate family (three teenagers) much good though.