OUR STORY

Absolutely! We welcome children with all levels of French, as we teach French by immersion. Our teaching team is very experienced in helping children with very little French settle in. In order to support your child, and if one of the parents is a native French speaker, they could speak French (and only French) at home, or there are other ways to increase your child's exposure to French (see below).

First of all, some good news: there is no "right" or "wrong" choice, only what works best for your child and for you as a family, depending on the language you would like to strenghten. It is worth bearing in mind that we live in an English-speaking country and children are therefore exposed to a lot of English "naturally" (through playgroups, TV, siblings, etc.). 

We are always happy to advise you on what may best suit your child, and moves from one class to the other are possible at the end of any school year, depending on availability.

Based on extensive research, as well as personal experience, we firmly believe in the "One Person One Language" (OPOL) approach. This means that we recommend that you speak your native language to your child. If you are concerned your child is not getting enough exposure to French, how about trying other approaches such as a French-speaking nanny or babysitter, watching French cartoons (Petit Ours Brun, Tchoupi or Tro-Tro are firm favourites at this age) or going to France on holiday if you can?

Yes. Depending on your income or on your child's needs, you may be eligible for a grant from the time your child turns 2. All children receive a grant from Wandsworth Council from the term after they turn 3. This grant is usually worth  around £3,000 per school year on a full-time basis.

We also offer 30 funded hours, in which case the funding doubles to £6,000 per year.

For more information visit. 

childcarechoices.gov.uk 

Absolutely, and we have considerable experience in ensuring children with Special Educational Needs receive the best possible care at l'Ecole du Parc. We  work closely with parents in order to achieve this.

Our children go on to a wide range of primary schools, reflecting the diversity of our families:

- State French: Lycée Francais, usually at Wix, or in Fulham. We are not currently an "école homologuée", which means there is no automatic entry. However, all children who apply to the French Lycée receive places. 

Places are allocated based on closeness of date of birth to a “pivot date” which changes year on year.

- Private French: L'Ecole des Petits, L'Ecole de Battersea...

- State British schools include Belleville, Honeywell, Holy Ghost, Shaftesbury Park, Macauley...

- Private British schools include Newton Prep, Eaton House,  Thomas', Parkgate... 

L'Ecole du Parc is fortunate to have an active Parents' Association which works closely with the  management team on a variety of topics, such as a Parents' Newsletter ("La Feuille"), fundraising activities,  parents' nights out, fairs, sports days. Parents are invited to become delegates at the beginning of each school year. Meetings are held approximately once a term. The agendas and minutes of each meeting are circulated to all parents of the school.