Need some help with schools in Paris

[castlesintheair]

It looks like we could be moving there next year. So for September 2015 entry I will have :

DS going into 4eme
DD1 going into 6eme
DD2 going into CM1

By then they will have completed 2 academic years in entirely french schools. We want them to go to bilingual schools or with international sections. Ideally all on same site. Is that possible? I really want to stay intra muros.

I know I have to get my skates on and as soon as they open I shall be arranging to visit:

EABJM
EiB - which ones?
and possibly
Ecole Massillon
Institut de la Tour

Any others? I also need to know how to taylor the application form - for EABJM they want a letter of recommendation for example. Can anyone tell me what they are looking for? I know it has been done a lot but I am grateful for any advice. Thanks!

[castlesintheair]

Bump. Anyone around??

[MrsSchadenfreude]

You need Bonsoir, but she is probably on holiday!

[castlesintheair]

Thanks MrsS, yes I think that must be the case with everyone I Paris. I will bump again in a week.

[castlesintheair]

"in"

[Bonsoir]

Institut de la Tour is college-lycée only
EABJM is a complete lottery but prefers the uber-bright child or the uber-rich parent (who will make a substantial donation) or both
EIB is reasonably accessible for bilingual families but has terrible facilities and is very old-fashioned. Lovely families and high standards if you are in the better classes (EIB streams, which is most unusual in France)

[castlesintheair]

Thanks Bonsoir! Do you know which of the EIB schools is better?

Do you (or anyone else) know anything about Massillon or Ecole Alsacienne? I think there is someone on this board with DC at one of them but can't remember who. Are there any other bilingual schools I should consider?

[Bonsoir]

EIB Monceau is a better primary for anglophone DC than EIB Lamartine as the standard of English is higher. There is only one college (Margueritte) and one lycee.

Massillon has a much better reputation than EIB for secondary.

The standard of English at Ecole Alsacienne is not great for bilinguals.

[Bonsoir]

Honore de Balzac and Sevres Sections Internationales are secondary options.

[Laptopwieldingharpy]

Bonsoir, could you please tell me a bit about Marymount? (upper primary & middle school)
Academic?
TIA

[castlesintheair]

Ok that is great thanks Bonsoir. I think I have a good idea of what I am doing now.

If anyone has any information about Massillon please share as I can't find much out about admissions on their website.

[Bonsoir]

Marymount is not an academically challenging school for the very bright. There is streaming in every year group but even in the top set the pace is quite gentle. Marymount's strength lies in its ability to cater to a wide range of abilities rather than to high achievers.

[Laptopwieldingharpy]

Thank you!

[castlesintheair]

Bonsoir (and anyone else who can help), do you know if there are any bilingual schools in Paris or ones with an international/British section that incorporate the English bit into the weekly timetable and don't tack on another 6 hours to the week? Hope that makes sense. Have brain ache from research/la rentree.

Also for places like the Lycee/international section in St Germain en Laye, Sevres, Balzac etc , do you have to live locally to get in as they are state schools?

Thanks for any advice!

[Greythorne]

For Sevres, yes, it is a state school and you pay about €1-2k per year for the English tuition. There's no catchment for the international section: if you can pass the entrance exam and get yourself there every day, you're in.

We live too far away to go there daily, so my DC are enrolled only in the primary Wednesday programme, so I can't speak for the integrated programme, but the Wednesday programme is academically rigorous. My 7 year old had a reading list of 7 novels over the summer, including Flat Stanley and Mr. majeika (so proper novels rather than reading scheme books) and there's a couple of hours homework a week right from GS.

The school is exceptionally unlovely to look at but the staff is dedicated, strict and enthusiastic.

We like it and it offers exceptional,value for money. I think my DC could transfer into Uk school without any difficulty without them ever having spent more than a few days in the Uk.

[castlesintheair]

Thanks greythorne. iirc, I think Sevres is a shorter train journey, than St Germaine en Late, from the Centre of Paris so that does sound interesting.

[Bonsoir]

Balzac is a state school, the English is entirely managed within the curriculum and it is FREE. There isn't exactly a catchment (if you pass the entrance exam and can get yourself there that is the measure of your admissibility) though you might, if you live on the Left Bank, get allocated to Camille Sée instead where a few years ago a Section Internationale was opened to deal with the surplus at Balzac.

Balzac - very unusually for a French state school - has an annual open day on a Saturday in late winter/early spring (date posted on its website sometime in winter or you can call for info) which is highly recommended for those interested.

[castlesintheair]

Thanks Bonsoir I like the sound of that. I shall keep an eye out for the open day.

[FrancoAmericaine]

I realise this is a quite old thread, but in case anyone else runs a search for "schools in Paris", we had a positive experience in the state school system, British International Section at Camille Sée, and have friends with children in the international sections at Balzac, Maurice Ravel and Sèvres. My son did one year of lycée at the Ecole Jeanine Manuel bilingual school in Paris 15th before we moved to Scotland, so I could answer limited questions about that programme as well.

[Jackjaquard]

Dear Francoamericaine, i am extreemely interested in speaking with you. We are planning a move back to France, heading to Paris. I have visited sevres, ejm, eib (for primary only), massillon, honore de balzac and camille see. Very impressed by international section which seem to suit my 3 bilingual children (currently year7,5,1 in london). I am however sceptical about camille see reputation in Paris, so any insight would be fantastic. Could you contact me?

[neyfam]

Hello dear Francoamericaine or Jackjaquard, we are also considering a year in France and going back and forth between Jeanine Manuel and the English section at Camille See, but have read some distressing comments about Camille See. Would it be possible for you to contact us or share more of your experience on this thread? Thank you.

[Jackjaquard]

Hi,
We applied for both. Despite my deep research i did not find anyone unhappy with Camille See....so i am curious... Both are very hard to enter.
I know Francoamericaine had experience in both.

[Jackjaquard]

Do you already have a spot in Ejm? For which level?

[neyfam]

We're still waiting to hear from EJM. And you?

[neyfam]

No spot yet. We applied for both. 7th (5eme) and 9th (3eme). We hear great things about EJM. Our concern there is that most students will be English speakers. We want our children to make French friends and get the most out of their year in Paris.

[Jackjaquard]

Of course! If it is one year, i would place them in a good french school, even state school....i can see this when french family arrive to london. They only children learning a good english in the first years are those applying to local british schools. Those going to french lycee never learn english. But it may be a tough yeartoo.