OUR HISTORY
We are a British International Section offering bilingual education programmes from Grande Section to Terminale (5 to 18 years old) in the western Paris region of the Yvelines (78).
Our Section was founded in 2002 by four families with international backgrounds who wanted to offer their children a bilingual education in their local community. They started with a small 6ème class at Collège Pasteur in La Celle Saint-Cloud and gradually added levels up and down. Over 20 years later, we have successfully grown our programme across six partner schools in La Celle Saint-Cloud and Noisy-le-Roi. We now count 270 students in our Section Internationale programmes from Grande Section to Terminale, plus 80 children in our non-native language programme, Anglais Après la Classe (AALC).
We are a privately-run, parent-led association that is committed to academic excellence through a student-centeric approach, supported by our vibrant English-speaking community. Our affordable bilingual programmes are integrated into the French public school system and our status is approved by the French Ministry of Education. Our official English exams are moderated by Cambridge International Education and we hold a 100% success rate on the Baccalauréat Français International (BFI).
GrandChêne Section Internationale
Previously known as Section Internationale La Celle-Saint-Cloud – Noisy-le-Roi and as APESEB (Association des Parents d’Eleves de la Section Britannique) before that, we announced our new name and logo in September 2024.
The GrandChêne name aims to consolidate our identity across a growing number of partner schools, strengthening our reputation as a leading British International Section in the western Paris region. Our new name was chosen to unite our partner schools geographically within the woodlands of the Yvelines, where the oak tree or chêne is a common native species. While trees represent growth through roots and branches, and a forest implies a sense of community, the oak tree also symbolises wisdom, strength and transition.
