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T H E E N G L I S H N A T I O N A L P R O G R A M M E
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T H E E N G L I S H N A T I O N A L P R O G R A M M E
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This page is for pupils who are new to the secondary school. Parents of new pupils will find this page useful too. Your child's success in a new school (and what may be for you a new educational system) will partly depend on how much you know and understand.
We suggest that parents of younger pupils read through the relevant parts of this web-page with them.
The English National Programme is referred to below as ‘the Programme’ or as ‘ENP’, the abbreviation which is often used to refer to it.
The English National Programme
Joining the school and the Programme
Starting school: for pupils who do not speak French
Subjects studied and the time-table
Starting school: what to expect
Things to understand during your first days at school
Starting school: what to expect
'French special' and 'Maths special'
Some things you need to know about the school year
The English National Programme is not a separate school: it is an ‘international section’ which forms part of a large French school. This contains two parts: a Collège and a Lycée. The Collège International is a lower secondary school, taking pupils between the ages of 11 and 15 (from 6ème - the youngest class- to 3ème). The Lycée International is a senior school taking pupils between the ages of 15 and 19 (2nde - the youngest class- to 'terminale') There are four years in the Collège and three in the Lycée. Normally secondary education lasts for seven years in France.
Because this is a French school, almost all subjects are taught in French, by specialist teachers who teach only in French. The exception to this is the subjects taught in ENP. There are three subjects taught by the English National Programme teachers. These are English, Mathematics and History-geography. You can find out more about these on this page below. There are other pages for these subjects on this website. Students in the Programme take English and one of the other subjects. For more information on choosing these subjects, go to the ‘Choosing Options’ page on this site.
This French state school
welcomes international students from all over the world,
some of whom speak no French when they arrive. It also educates local French
pupils, and pupils who may not be French but who come from local primary
schools, and who thus speak French well. The range of subjects taught, and
the style of teaching and of examinations are exactly the same as in other
French state schools.
The school is international in several ways:
For part of the school week (six hours in the Collège; up to eight, depending on options, in the Lycée), the Programme teaches its pupils in English, just in an English-speaking school. Courses in English National are based on the English National Curriculum (or on an adapted version of the French curriculum for History-geography), on a British style of teaching, and on British assessment practice and exams. The Programme has its own organisation, with a Head of Programme (Mr. Woodburn), and Heads of Department (responsible for subjects), its own teachers (appointed and paid by the parents’ association), a Programme Secretary, its own parents' association, ALA-ELP, and classrooms (in L block in the Collège), as well as a library and computer room. All classrooms used for teaching are made available to the Programme by the French school.
All pupils in the Programme study English and English literature for four hours each week when other pupils in the Lycée/ College (who are not in the Programme) are learning English as a foreign language. The Programme's pupils also study a second subject in English for a further two hours each week. For the second subject, there is a choice between Mathematics and History-geography. Please see the ‘Options Choice’ page on this website to help you choose between these subjects when the time comes. Options choices are first made on entry to the secondary section. The table on the ‘Options Choice’ page (available from the Home page) makes clear when you can choose and when choice is carried forward. The choice you make for 6ème, for example, will be carried forward until the end of 5ème.
The Programme is very much part of the French school. Any pupil accepted into the Programme is still (first and foremost) a pupil in the International Lycée or Collège. The Programme’s lessons form part of the main timetable: there is no separate 'English' part of the week (unlike in the primary Programme, where all English teaching is grouped on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons). Pupils in English National must obey the same school rules and follow the same procedures as all other pupils in the Collège / Lycée.
The aim of the bilingual education offered by the Programme and the Lycée/Collège is to allow pupils to be able to speak, write and read two languages to a very high standard. In the end, you should be in the enviable position where neither is a ‘foreign’ language for you, because you will be used to employing both for thinking, learning and expressing yourself. The aim is also that you should take exams both in French and in English, (for example, GCSEs and the International Option of the French Baccalauréat and Brevet) so that you could go to university in French or English speaking countries - or perhaps in both.
But there are many advantages in this kind of truly bilingual education which go beyond exams and diplomas. To be able to understand the culture and way of looking at the world of people who do not necessarily speak your mother tongue is very beneficial, for example. This ability to understand things from two points of view in two languages is part of what we call bi-cultural education. Pupils are educated not just in two languages but within the educational cultures of two countries: France and Britain. This kind of education is not widely available in the world.
International pupils who are new to the school may know no French at all, or they may be fluent French speakers. Because of this, you may be asked to sit an entrance test in French. If you come from a school which is part of the French educational system you will probably not be tested in French. You will proceed to the next class in the normal way, unless your previous school has decided that you should do your last year again. Most new pupils who have not come from a French school will sit a test in Mathematics as well. The results of French tests are used to place the new pupils within the four levels of 'French special' classes, from level 1 (beginners) to level 4 (advanced), and the results of the Mathematics test may be used to decide which class a new pupil will go into. These tests are administered by the French school and are not connected with ENP Mathematics.
Pupils from local French primary schools who are already in the Programme
are not, of course, tested for entrance in French and Mathematics: what
counts here is their primary school’s ‘avis de passage en 6eme’.
All students, wherever they come from, are tested for entry into the
English National Programme, which, as a ‘section international’ , tests
pupils for entry into the College and the Lycée systematically (even if they
have already attended classes in the Programme in the year preceding entry).
Entrance into any international section in the school can only be allowed
by the French inspector with responsibility for all such sections. All
the Programme’s test results are sent via the school to him/her, and places
are given only with his/her approval and agreement. The ENP written tests
last between one and two hours, depending on age-group. They include the
writing of an essay, as well as comprehension exercises. A test of oral
English is also taken.
Entrance tests take place in late May and then again in early
September for those who missed the earlier session. The test for
students already in the Programme’s CM2 primary class take place in May
within the Tuesday/ Wednesday afternoon teaching time. Tests for new pupils
are organized and run by the French school: there is one session for the
Collège and one for the Lycée. You should receive an official invitation
('convocation'), telling you when and where your tests will take place,
unless you are already in a class in the Programme. The school sends results
as soon as possible, but this may take some time, since marks have to be
gathered from several teachers and put together, then sent for the
inspector’s ‘avis’. S/he publishes a final list of pupils admitted to all
international sections at the end of June or early in July. Since the number
of places for English National pupils is limited, decisions about entry have
to be based on knowledge about who is leaving and who is repeating a year.
This imposes a certain amount of delay before places can be officially
confirmed, but this replaces the former system of ‘derogation de secteur’,
which also imposed a delay (pending the inspector’s decision) of this sort.
‘Derogations de secteur’ are no longer needed by pupils applying to
international sections.
Several decisions have to
be made as test results are considered by the school. The most important one
involves deciding if you will be able to cope with the demands of being
educated in French,
and which of the four levels of 'French special' you will go into, if you
need help to learn French. The school must also decide which class you will
be placed in (this will be decided either by your age, or by your ability in
Mathematics as shown in the Mathematics entrance tests – see above). We
must decide, too, via the entrance test you take, whether your English is
good enough for you to come into the English National Programme. (If you
do not pass the test, we will communicate this decision to you quickly.)
Finally, no matter how good your test result is, the school must decide
simply if it has room for you. Sometimes there are more pupils trying to get
in than places available for them. There are also limits on the number of
places available in the Programme each year.
If you are accepted by the school, you will be told which class you will be
in. A number designates the year or grade: 6ème (literally sixth year), for
example, means British year 7, or American 6th grade. The letter which
follows indicates one of several classes in that year. You might be told
that you are going into '6ème C', for example. Class C in 6ème has its own
timetable, its own set of teachers, and its own 'professeur principal'. This
is a teacher who has special responsibility for the class, and all the
pupils in it. This teacher will spend the first day or half-day of term in
September with the class, explaining the new timetable, and other important
matters.
If you are tested and accepted before the beginning of the school year,
you will start with other pupils on the first day of term. If you are
tested at the beginning of the school year in September, you must wait for
your results, and will probably be told to come to school for the first time
later on, when lessons have already started. If you miss the start of
school, you will normally be given your timetable and other information by
one of the school's administrators. There is a list of the names of these at
the end of this page.
Remember that it will be very important for you to understand and speak French as soon as possible. This may sound very difficult, but you will be pleased to know that hundreds of pupils have joined the International Lycée/Collège speaking less than perfect French and have left perfectly bilingual in French and English some years later! Try to make contact with (and make friends with, if you can) people who speak English and who can help you by explaining and translating. New students who speak no French are rarely placed alone in a class where nobody else speaks English.
English National Teachers and Mrs. Howen, the Programme Secretary, are available to help you and give advice during the first few days. The Programme office is on the first floor of the main Lycée building (opposite room 116); the English National staff room is in L34, in L block of the College, on the first floor, near the office the ‘Principal Adjoint’ of the Collège.
Since this handbook is mainly used by Collège pupils, this section deals with the Collège time-table. When coming into English National you need to:
· Choose between English National Options (Mathematics and History-geography)
· Choose whether to take German as your first foreign language (if you are coming into 6ème or 5ème, where German can be studied as a ‘true’ foreign language, as well as English National)
· If you have taken only English National as your language course, choose a second foreign language (LV2) from 4ème onwards (since from 4ème onwards two foreign languages are compulsory and English National counts as one of these).
· Understand which hours in English National will add extra to your time-table and which will simply replace other subjects. ENP Language and Literature hours replace LV1 (first foreign language) hours; if you take German LV1, these hours will be extra. ENP History-geography hours (2 in English, plus two in French) replace ‘normal’ French History-geography and add a little; ENP Mathematics hours are extra hours in the time-table.
· Some ENP hours replace certain other subjects. This is because some of the Programme’s hours may have to be placed where other subjects would normally take place so as to allow these lessons to take place. These hours are carefully placed by the school. In a school which is large and has a time-table which is very complicated such problems are, unfortunately, inevitable.
This table shows subjects in Collège classes for last school year. The numbers in brackets show hours per week.
|
|
6ème |
5ème |
4ème |
3ème |
|
French |
5.5 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
|
Maths |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|
History/Geography & Civics OIB History-Geography |
3
2 + 2 |
3
2 + 2 |
3
2 + 2 |
3.5
2 + 2 |
|
1st Foreign Language |
5 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|
Physics |
0 |
1.5 |
1.5 |
2 |
|
Biology |
1.5 |
1.5 |
1.5 |
1.5 |
|
Technology |
1.5 |
1.5 |
1.5 |
2 |
|
Art& Music |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Sport |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
2nd Foreign Language |
4 |
4 |
4 (NB depends on language) |
4 (NB depends on language) |
|
Latin (option) |
|
2 |
3 |
3 |
|
Latin/ Greek (option) |
|
|
4 |
4 |
Figures offered as an indication only: please check with the Collège if in doubt
(The following comments on the table above repeat information given at other points on this page, but are grouped together here for convenience.)
English National students study four hours of English as first or second foreign language. 6ème and 5ème pupils in the Programme may take German as their first foreign language and English as their second; otherwise English is the only 'foreign' language studied until 4ème.
You will also take either Maths or History Geography for two hours per week in ENP. This choice is made at the beginning of 6ème for two years and then at the beginning of 4ème for two years. These subjects in ENP are this known as ‘options’.
'French special' and 'Maths
special' lessons are very important for some ENP pupils, but these will not
start straight away at the beginning of September. Groups have to be made up (from the beginners'
group, level 1, to the advanced group, level 4), and the special timetable
for these subjects has to be arranged. Lists of groups and lesson-times will
be displayed on the glass doors of A or L building in the Collège as soon as
possible, or a French Special teacher will come to one of your lessons to
give you these details.
Meanwhile, you will go to classes with the rest of your class. Your whole
English National time-table will be reviewed and checked in English your
first lesson in the Programme, whether this is English, Mathematics or
History-geography. Be careful to note down subjects, times, rooms and
names of teachers. There is a space in your ‘carnet de liaison’ for you to
note down your time-table. If you do not speak French fluently, trying to
understand may be difficult at first, but remember that your first target is
to learn as much French as possible as quickly as possible. Listening and
trying to understand what going on in lessons taught in French is very
important.
When 'French special' and 'Maths special' lessons start, you will be
given a time-table which will give you several hours of these two subjects
per week. These replace lessons on the 'normal' class timetable. They
may also replace some English National lessons at first, because
improving your French is an absolute priority. But when you do not have
'French special' or 'Maths special' subjects, you must go to lessons with
the rest of your class.
(The ‘carnet’ is used for many things. It contains a copy of the school rules, which you should read with your parents. Its special purpose is to allow the school to communicate with your family. Teachers may write notes in it, and you may be asked to copy messages into it about meetings or special events. It is very important that your parents read and sign all messages sent home from school. They can't do this unless you remember to tell them that there is a message, and give them the 'carnet' to read. They must sign each message: if they do not, you may get into trouble for not showing them the 'carnet’. This booklet can also be used by your parents to write messages to individual teachers. In this case it is your job to remember to show the message to the teacher.
If you are absent from school, there are special pages in the 'carnet' for your parents to sign and fill in, so that the school has a record of the cause of your absence. You must bring your 'carnet' to school every day, and keep it in your school bag at all times. Make sure you read the school rules (réglement intérieur') in the 'carnet' at the beginning of the year. If your French is not good enough to these rules, ask a friend who reads French well to translate or to read them with you.)
Buy quickly:
stocks disappear rapidly once school starts!
You are expected to supply your own pens, files, paper, etc.
in most subjects. Individual subject teachers will tell you about any
special items you will need during your first lesson with them. You must buy
a special homework diary, (known as a ‘cahier de textes’ or ‘agenda’): this
will allow you to record homework accurately.
Most textbooks are loaned to you by the Collège but have to be bought if you are in the Lycée. 'Bourses' (book-sales) are organised within the school, to enable you to buy second- hand text books. Collège pupils will visit the library as a class to collect their books early in the term and give them back at the end of the year. Lists of titles and publishers of Lycée textbooks are available before term starts at the ‘accueil’ next to the main car park.
'French special' and 'Maths
special' lessons will not start straight away. Groups have to be made up
(from the beginners' group, level 1, to the advanced group, level 4),
and the special timetable for these subjects has to be arranged. Lists of
groups and lesson-times will be displayed on the glass doors of A or L
building in the Collège as soon as possible or a French Special teacher will
come to one of your lessons to give you these details.
Meanwhile, you will go to classes with the rest of your class. If you do not
speak French fluently, trying to understand is very difficult at first, but
remember that your first target is to learn as much French as possible as
quickly as possible. Listening and trying to understand what is happening in
lessons taught in French is very important.
When 'French special' and 'Maths special' lessons start, you will be given a
time-table which will give you many hours of these two subjects per week.
These replace lessons on the 'normal' class timetable. But when you do not
have 'French special' or 'Maths special' subjects, you must go to lessons
with the rest of your class.
These lessons take place in
small groups in separate classrooms. Inside your group you will find students of several ages
and nationalities. The teachers will give you work to do in class and at
home, and will expect you to learn quickly by working hard and carefully.
They will speak to you and give you instructions in French, and you will
have to do your best to understand and do what is expected. French grammar
and vocabulary, and the French approach to mathematics cannot just be
absorbed by being in France. You will have to learn a little every day and
revise regularly. Above all, you must participate in class. You will be in a
small group so you should not feel embarrassed about starting to speak
French in class.
If your marks are good and you make good progress, you will go up to the
next group quite quickly. Remember that the final aim of 'French
special' is to make sure that you learn French as quickly as possible, by
progressing rapidly through the four levels. But learning to speak and write
a foreign language fluently is something which will take some time in
'French special'. If you are starting to learn French from zero, it may take
quite a long time.
You may be wondering why 'Maths special' exists. Maths is the same subject,
you might say, in every country, so that this subject could be seen as a
means of communication for people who do not speak the same language.
In fact, the reasons for the existence of 'Maths special' are easy to
understand. First of all, the language used in Mathematics is very
specialised in English and in French, and you have to know this language in
French before you can talk and write about Mathematics clearly. The other
reason concerns the order in which mathematical topics are taught: this is
different in each country. There will be things that you are expected to
know in French Maths in 4ème, for example, that you may just not have been
taught in your school or country of origin. There are also important
differences in the way answers to problems must be set out and explained in
French.
The goal of 'Maths special' is, again, to help you to get into normal Maths
lessons taught in French as soon as you can.
These start straight away,
or soon after the school year starts: it may be that ENP lessons will start
on the Monday following the first week of term. This is announced clearly on the rentrée notice board
(outside L31 in the College) and via email to families. You will receive
your English National hours as part of your main timetable from your
‘professeur principal’ and all your ENP lessons will be reviewed and checked
with you in your first lesson in the Programme. If you have questions or
queries about this, come to the corridor just outside the English National
Classrooms on the first floor of L block (L29, L3 1 and L33) and look at the
notice board which is labelled 'Rentrée Notice Board' (see above; this shows
details of the time table, including any changes, as well as lists of names
for teaching groups, rooms, etc.)
If you take 'French special', you may find that some of these hours replace
English National hours at first. This is because your French is probably not
as good as your English, and must be your first priority. As you are moved
to a higher group, your timetable will be likely to change. If you feel that
'French special' is making you miss too many English National lessons at any
time, see Mr. Woodburn (the Head of Programme) about this. Come to the
English National staff room in L block and ask for him, or ask your parents
to email the ENP office:
secretary@enpferney.org .
The second round of meetings is just before or after Christmas. This is to give parents the chance to meet teachers individually and discuss progress. If parents speak little French these meetings can be demanding, but it is important that they come, if necessary with friends or colleagues who speak French and can translate. The Programme runs an on-line booking service for these parents’ evenings. By booking on line you sign up for a five minute slot with each of your child’s teachers in the Programme. These interviews take place in English. Details of this system are placed on the website several weeks in advance of the meetings.
The name of the principal adjoint (head of the College) is Mme Conraux. Her office is on the first floor of L building. Your parents should contact him if they have any serious problems or urgent questions.
There are two CPEs ('conseillers principaux d'education') in the Collège, one for two levels. These are Mlle Magloire whose office is upstairs in A block (6ème and 5ème), and M. Sozedde whose office is on the ground floor of L block (3ème and 4ème).
M. Brech
is the Proviseur: he is in charge of the whole school, both
Collège and Lycée. His office is on the first floor of the administration
section of the Lycée building.
M. Pomato is the new Proviseur Adjoint, or deputy head: he deals with
matters such as curriculum and time-tabling. His office is on the first
floor of the Lycée building, near the Proviseur's office.
There are three CPEs ('conseillers principaux d'education') in the Lycée,
one for each of three levels (2nde, 1ère and terminale) These are Mme
Meunier and Mme Roux whose offices are on the ground floor of the main Lycée
building, and Mlle Flassayer, whose office is on the first floor of the
main Lycée building, near the English National office.
Mr. Woodburn is the Head of Programme. His office is in the English National Office, which is on the first floor of the Lycée, not far from the Lycée administration offices and the Italian and Spanish sections (and directly opposite room 116).
He also works in the English National staffroom on the first floor of L block in the Collège, near M. Thomas's office (room L34). All pupils and parents may contact him; the best way is by email: via the ENP office address: secretary@enpferney.org
There are three Heads of secondary subject departments in ENP: Mrs. Moriarty (English); Mrs. Knowles (Mathematics) and Mr. Sammons (History-Geography). They may each be contacted via email, the ENP office or the L34 staff-room (see below).
You will find the Programme’s administrative staff in the English
National Programme offices, on the first floor of the Lycée. In the same
office as Mr. Woodburn, you will find Mrs. Howen, Mrs. Seller
and Mrs. Barker. All Programme staff understand the difficulties
faced by newcomers to the school. We will do our best to help and guide new
pupils and parents.
If you are in the Collège, the most direct way to find an English National
teacher is to come to the English National staff room on the first
floor of L block in the Collège, near the office of M. Thomas, the
‘Principal Adjoint’: this is room L34.
Remember, finding the right person to answer your question or solve your
problem is an important part of finding your way around the school. Be
patient and persistent and you will find someone to help you. We wish you
good luck with your first days and weeks in school.