relocating to Southern France - schooling?

[leurMaman]

We are looking at relocating closer to my French husband's family in Provence next June. One possible town is Vinon Sur Verdon, but we are looking elsewhere as well.

My children speak fluent French/English. They are 6, 4, and 2. My oldest doesn't write or read French as well as English and is in public school first grade here. I am worried about the transition to French school in a small town. I feel I put him in school too young (He is an August bday - and hasn't socially matured as much as some older kids in his class) and worry about where he would fit in over there. Are the schools tougher? What about the llearning curve for a new language environment for him?

We are looking to move next summer (and I hope to be pregnant with my 4th and possibly deliver over there - yikes). Any tips in preparing for such a move? I'm looking into homeschooling as well to allow us to travel between family in Texas and France with more flexibility. Just trying to get in touch with like-minded Mamas while we make the move.

[IsaFrench]

try this website
http://provence.angloinfo.com/
you should be able to post a little ad looking for other expats in the Vinon area

schooling experience very much depends on the school & which teacher there is that year & what the other kids are on that year (which you can't know until you experience it) , usually it only takes expat kids 2-3 months to aclimate/learn the language. Occasionally you hear about difficulties for such or such expat kids but on the whole, many expats have gone through the same experience, there are so many english speaking expats in Provence ...

are you aware that there's a strong expat community around Manosque too (with the Iter project) ?

[Needle in the Hay]

Originally Posted by leurMaman

I'm looking into homeschooling as well to allow us to travel between family in Texas and France with more flexibility. Just trying to get in touch with like-minded Mamas while we make the move.

You can check out lesenfantsdabord.org for homeschooling info.

[Eclipsepearl]

I don't know the South of France very well but I do know some homeschoolers. I've lived in France since 1996.

It is legal here but there is an inspector who comes to the house and tests the children each year. I did know an American homeschooler who didn't run into problems but they weren't here for long and neither parent was French. Not sure if there were an exception. 

Yes, the schools are "tougher" and it's a different learning philosophy, less positive reinforcement and a lot of rote learning. The level is higher too. My oldest is doing math at age 11 I didn't face until high school. Are there "international sections" or "European sections" in a school in that location? That way, they'd get more English. Sometimes they misname it an "International School" which would be an English language private school, which they also have in some locations in France. That would be completely outside the French system and extremely expensive. 

Also, you said you had an August child. The cut-off is different-Dec. 31st. It's by the year of their birth. 

The first three years, from 3-6 "maternelle" are public and free but not obligatory. Only "CP", which is like 1st grade, is. So my 2004 just started it and that's when they learn to read (which I think they do in kindergarten in the U.S.) That's when, if you opt out, you have to alert the "Inspection Academique" in your area that you have opted out and will homeschool. 

Meanwhile, get all the kids their French nationalities and passports before you go. I'm not sure if you can get the ID cards ahead of time or if you have to wait until you're in France. 

Why do you say "yikes" to having a baby in France?? I had a MUCH better experience with my three born here than my friends back home in the States for many reasons. I had mine in a private "clinique" which helped. You are allowed to homebirth but finding a midwife who does them can be tricky. 

Southern France is pretty and much warmer than elsewhere but it can be hard to meet locals. It's so deluged by foreigners, especially English so you might want to keep an eye on this when you move. 

Good luck with it all!

[IsaFrench]

just a note about the cut-off date for school => there was a circulaire from Education Nationale stealthily passed early June 2010

(every body thinking about the forthcoming holidays, barely anybody noticed / could protest)

that is changing all that = a child now needs to be 3 by September 1st to be accepted in Maternelle first year

+ it's having a ripple effect in years above, in forthcoming years, children will need to be 6 by September 1st to be accepted in first grade

...it's been a muddle this beginning of school year because the Mairies had already started taking applications from parents at the end of May, a good 2 -3 weeks before the circulaire came out so some parents had already severed contracts with day care or assistantes maternelles and were not happy to see their child being refused a place at school .... (= another year to pay for care instead of benefiting from school for free ...)

Headteachers have been instructed to deal with protesting parents "au cas par cas", SO it very much depends on which school you attend if they are lenient or not for this school year 2010-2011 ... I suppose they are going to be more strict for school year 2011-2012 ...

[IsaFrench]

+ about French ID, the problem is rather

1 - how far are you from your nearest consulate? because some of it needs you to go in person 

+are your husband's French ID papers up to date ? is he also already registered with your local French consulate ?

2 - respecting the VERY strict guidelines for acceptable photographies of your children

(the French consulate in DC litterally told me off for 1,5 milimetre of hair that was not regulatory for my Carte d' Identité photo for exemple .... + a year later they just totally refused to issue a passport for my last child, because of the photo regulation problems, telling me that anyway my child HAD to cross the border out of the USA with her American passport, otherwise I would face a lot of trouble, and no need for a visa to get into France as long as I stuck her French Birth certificate inside her American passport when going through immigration arriving in France = was very upset and emotional about it at the time, but all went well and I started the paperwork for her French ID card very shortly after we arrived back in France)

=> if you don't want to have to get a visa for your children , make sure your that your local French consulate has registered the birth of your children if you had not it done at the time of their birth. Once the consulate has registered a French birth certificate on their registrar, they send the info to Nantes, in France, and then it's easier in the future because you can apply online for a FREE copy of whatever (they also register mariage certificates in Nantes etc ...) you need and they send it to you rather rapidly to wherever in the world you live at the time ... when you have to renew whatever papers ...

[Eclipsepearl]

Originally Posted by IsaFrench 

just a note about the cut-off date for school => there was a circulaire from Education Nationale stealthily passed early June 2010

(every body thinking about the forthcoming holidays, barely anybody noticed / could protest)

that is changing all that = a child now needs to be 3 by September 1st to be accepted in Maternelle first year

+ it's having a ripple effect in years above, in forthcoming years, children will need to be 6 by September 1st to be accepted in first grade

...it's been a muddle this beginning of school year because the Mairies had already started taking applications from parents at the end of May, a good 2 -3 weeks before the circulaire came out so some parents had already severed contracts with day care or assistantes maternelles and were not happy to see their child being refused a place at school .... (= another year to pay for care instead of benefiting from school for free ...)

Headteachers have been instructed to deal with protesting parents "au cas par cas", SO it very much depends on which school you attend if they are lenient or not for this school year 2010-2011 ... I suppose they are going to be more strict for school year 2011-2012 ...

Very interesting! No, I hadn't heard that but it doesn't apply to my children. 

I have a child who's birthday is Tuesday. So she's always the youngest. As luck would have it, she's off the (French) chart for height and was always very advanced in development. To be honest, I would have been really in a state over sending the other two children that young but they were born later in the year, thankfully! Sending a not-yet 3 year old, even a very advanced one, is daunting I will admit! 

I did get a place for my February baby but the directrice actually asked me not to take it since I don't work. She said parents take advantage of putting their children early into preschool to bypass the childcare costs. I was happy to oblige and keep her at the nice garderie down the street. Once you sever your contract with any sort of daycare (creche/garderie, etc.) you have lost that place for good! They can be hard to get so you're quickly replaced. I can see why a lot of parents are up in arms!

I just want to add, if YOU decide your child is not ready during preschool, you can keep them at home and they will NOT lose any time. Maternelle is three years and if you think they're not ready for the first year right away, you send that child the next year and s/he will join his/her class of her age. My son was not pottt-trained a month after turning three (he was, the contrast to his sister lol!) They were so cool about it. No problem. He showed up in November and they had his place sitting there, his coat tagged marked, etc. 
 

French school seems very strict but in some ways, they can be very flexible and accommodating. Partly it depends on where you live but I've found that even in a major city.