Primary School
OVERVIEWChildren between the ages of 6 and 11 attend Primaire in the French educational system. Our host Primary school, l’Ecole Internationale Léonard de Vinci, is a French state school with two international sections: an Anglophone Section and a Germanophone Section. It is on the same campus as the Collège International and the Lycée François 1e but has its own entrance on Avenue Verdun.
The Head of the Primary School (La Directrice) is Mme Lobna Cherruau.
The school has approximately 280 students divided into 11 classes. Approximately half the students are in the Anglophone Section.
The Anglophone Section has three dedicated classrooms, each with a well-stocked library of English books from a variety of authors.
In addition to the French National education programme, every child in the Anglophone Section spends six hours per week, as part of their normal schedule, in an English class with a fully qualified, English native teacher. These six hours are organised into four one-and-a- half hour lessons, spread throughout the week. Each year group is broken up into two to three classes which means classes have 12/15 pupils on average. Groups may be joined together for certain activities.
The rest of the time, students are in class with a French native teacher. The French class size is 25 pupils on average.
There is no school on a Wednesday except for CM2 Anglophone Section students.
French as a foreign language
All Primary students with little or no knowledge of French will (with the possible exception of CP students) follow a special programme of French as a Foreign Language (UPA2E/FLE/Français spécial) designed to help them learn the language as quickly as possible. This normally amounts to one hour per day with a specialised teacher, who works closely with the French class teacher (maître / maîtresse).
Class / Grade Equivalents
The school year in France begins in September and ends early July. Students are admitted according to their birth date in a civil year and the class they completed. The Anglophone Section teaches children from CP to Terminale. There is no Ecole Maternelle (Kindergarten).
The classes/grades corresponding to French classes are as follows:
