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 French-English bilingual education in their local community. They started with a 6ème class of 4 students at Collège Pasteur in La Celle Saint-Cloud, then gradually expanded the programme, adding 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-centered 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
We have been known as Section Internationale La Celle-Saint-Cloud – Noisy-le-Roi for the last several years, and as APESEB (Association des Parents d’Eleves de la Section Britannique) before that.
In September 2024, we announced a new name and logo in order to consolidate our identity across a growing number of partner schools, strengthen our reputation as a leading British International Section in the western Paris region, increase our visibility both locally and internationally, and better support our future evolution.
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.
Our new logo is modern, distinctive and full of meaning. In addition to the oak leaf reflecting our region, the four colours represent our four founding families and our values of academic excellence, student-centered teaching, community, and affordability. The star symbolises academic distinction and the quill – a symbol of knowledge – combined with the leaf embody the dual nature of bilingualism.
