Our Section is an ideal fit for families with children who are bilingual in English and French, and who are looking for high-quality yet affordable bilingual schooling option. Our community is made up of mixed French/Anglo families living in the area, French families returning from expatriation where children have been schooled in English, and new English-speaking international families settling in France who wish to add French to their language mix.

As we operate within the French public school system,  students should ideally live in the catchment area of the desired school. Otherwise, special permission (called a dérogation) must be granted by the towns involved prior to enrolment.

The path for non-French speakers

Fluency in both English and French is mandatory for admission into the Section, at all levels. In the case of children who do not yet speak French, a minimum level of French must be achieved before joining the Section programme.

In Primary, children have the option of enrolling in any local school for full French immersion and joining our 3-hour Wednesday Programme to keep up their level of English. Once their French is ready, children can transition into our 6-hour Integrated or Externé Programmes, provided space is available.

From 6ème onwards, Collège Pasteur offers a French  immersion program (UPE2A) for novice French speakers. Children can join UPE2A for up to a year, and then transition to the Section programme. If the student speaks some French but needs to strengthen her/his academic French, she/he can enroll in Section classes while receiving additional support from the UPE2A teacher.