Category: Our School Life

Our French Life, Our School Life

Our Brexit Babies

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Master Normandy back in October 2019

Okay maybe not so much our babies anymore – actually nearly fully grown adults but as many a parent will tell you, they will always be our babies. What I want to talk about is the impact on our young Britons living in France post Brexit. Given that my own children have been here a wet week, by some stalwart standards, many have lived here a very long time and plenty of which were born here. Or certainly moved at a young age. In any event, they are all treated the same – British Nationals living in France.

Continue reading “Our Brexit Babies” →
Our French Life, Our School Life

Lycée – It’s All A Bit Weird!

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It really is. In fact everything that surrounds lycée is a bit panto-ish. The school bus, the enabling a lifelong generation of smokers and a kind of bizarre university approach but it’s not university in any way, shape or form. It doesn’t really know what it is and I’ll be darned if I know what it’s all about that’s for sure!

Sorry but for an outsider, from a very different schooling system, I still think lycée is a bit strange. Now, I’ve written about the structure of lycée here so if you don’t know how it’s structured, then please do take a look.

Continue reading “Lycée – It’s All A Bit Weird!” →
Our French Life, Our School Life

The One Where We Are In Lock Down!

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war of the worlds pic

No one would have believed (in my best Richard Burton voice)…that when we moved here nearly 3 years ago, that we would face a situation which is, quite frankly, like no other. I certainly have not seen anything like this in my lifetime.

Unless you really do live in an absolute bubble, then it cannot have escaped your notice that the world is currently at war. Not with each other but with a virus. Coronavirus or Covid19 as the French always refer to it. Continue reading “The One Where We Are In Lock Down!” →

Our French Life, Our School Life

How To Avail Of Intensive French Lessons

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greta 3.png

Firstly you’re welcome! When I first arrived on Normandy soil I found that some English speakers could be a little, how shall we say, secretive about various aspects of living in France. I suppose people would think that if they had to experience hardship, then others should suffer the same fate. We never expected anyone to do anything for us and we did work out stuff for ourselves. My French is okay – this is because I was launched into phoning various organisations rather than ask someone else to do it. Clearly if it was very technical or out of my depth I would pay someone. You always need to weigh up time, effort and money. I also had friends who helped me out in some sticky situations. Continue reading “How To Avail Of Intensive French Lessons” →

Our French Life, Our School Life

Boarding At Lycee – Brexit Style!

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five go to brexit

So Master Normandy has started his Lycée journey. Ekk! The rentrée is well and truly underway. We are now into our 4th week (yes really!) of the kids being back at school. It was all change in the family dynamics front as Master Normandy had graduated to Lycée.

For those that don’t know how the school system works here in France – I wrote this blog post a while back. In a nutshell, our adolescents or (ados) as the French say move up to lycée at age 15 (or 17 if you have redoubled twice like Master Normandy’s friend!) for three years.

Continue reading “Boarding At Lycee – Brexit Style!” →

Our French Life, Our School Life

What’s The Deal With The Brevet?

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brevet

 

In keeping with my What’s The Deal With Lycee and using 1980s American Teen speak, I thought this might be a handy heads up (stop with the 80s Teen talk!) for any of those  trying to make sense of the French schooling system. Continue reading “What’s The Deal With The Brevet?” →

Our French Life, Our School Life

What’s The Deal With Lycee?

scooters

This may not be high on your list of priories if you move to France with children. I am in the minority in that we moved, when our children were that much older, 13, 11 and 7. I know lots of people who either gave birth to their children here or moved when they were a lot smaller. Either in a UK primary or pre-school. So no one, if truth be told is, thinking about lycée when they come to France.  Hell, they’re just thinking about the first year, maybe two. If we like it we’ll stay. If we don’t we’ll worry about it later. You’re too busy wondering if you’re making the biggest mistake of your life. Or if you’re going to ruin your kids lives and will the world implode at the same time. Gawd, no one is thinking about what happens when your child is 15 and needs to move on in the education system. Continue reading “What’s The Deal With Lycee?” →

Our French Life, Our School Life

What Is The Rentrée?

rentree

You might ask? It can’t escape your notice when you move to France and it’s not just the literal translation or the meaning of the word. What is it really all about?

If you were to google this it will tell you “the start of the school year” or some translations have it down as “see you in September”. I always took it to be “the return”. Dah dah dah… I’ve never said that out loud and with good reason.  I can actually see my French teacher with a painful smile, saying “But that would be the verb ‘revenir’ Natasha” desperately trying to contain a face similar to that of Jack Nicholson in the film “One Flew Over The Cuckoo Nest”. With or without fist in mouth whilst simultaneously screaming “How do you not know this?!” Continue reading “What Is The Rentrée?” →

Our French Life, Our School Life

College Life In France

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timetable

Okay so in the UK it goes like this with regard to schooling:-

Pre-school, Primary, Secondary, ‘A’ Level (which is more than likely at the same secondary school or a college) and then University or College (that specialises in some vocational training). So for us Brits, and I appreciate that some of my readers are not British, college to us is further education. It comes after your child has completed their main secondary educational exams – the G.C.S.E’s (General Certificate of Secondary Education). The students complete an exam in each subject – so you will have a G.C.S.E in Maths, English and so on. Continue reading “College Life In France” →

Our French Life, Our School Life

Master Normandy Gets Into Trouble

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When a school phones me about one of my troops, I don’t expect it to be anything other than child sickness. Well you don’t with my lot.  I don’t want to show boat or anything but they’re never been in much trouble at school. I’ve never sat in the Head’s office discussing my child’s behaviour. They’re well behaved at school (can’t say the same at home!) and if I ever got a phone call from the school – it was to say one of them had thrown up. Continue reading “Master Normandy Gets Into Trouble” →