Overview
Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle is an independent day co-educational French school for pupils aged from 3 to 18. It is located in South Kensington, London. Lycée Charles de Gaulle is a French school that offers a British, International, Bilingual, Multi-lingual and French education, providing pupils with a unique experience in an exceptional environment. The Lycée has four primary schools called South Kensington, André Malraux, Marie d’Orliac and Wix.
Teaching and Curriculum
In nursery and primary years, the school is focused on offering bilingual and multicultural learning in an international environment in which pupils acquire linguistic and cognitive skills that are valuable for their personal development. For Year 7/10, pupils are offered two different sections; the plurilingual one, in which pupils can learn up to two additional languages; and the British English international section, characterised by a stronger emphasis on teaching the English language and culture. Meanwhile, Years 11/13 pupils also have these two sections with the main difference being that in the international section, students take the OIB (International Option of the Baccalaureate) which is characterised by the fact that they take two IGCSE exams.
Entrance and Feeder School
To join the school, candidates must be registered one year prior to entry. To access the French curriculum, siblings are given priority, then to children educated in any AEFE school, then to pupils who have studied in a state or voluntary aided school in France and other French-speaking children. Bilingual primaries (Marie d’Orliac and Wix) can be accessed as a private school via Lycée registration or as a state school via the local borough authority. Success through this route depends on proximity to the school. To access the British curriculum, candidates take written tests and an interview to assess their French level.
Top leavers’ destinations
After the Baccalauréat, around a third of pupils continue their education in France. Those who stay in the UK go to top universities such as Russell Group universities, which are the most popular destinations among pupils. Also, a large number of students go to Imperial College, UCL, Exeter, Bristol and Warwick universities. In addition, the school also gets some Oxbridge places each year. In recent years, US colleges are becoming attractive destinations for students.
Special Education Needs (SEN) Support
The SENCo team is composed of a school psychologist and a speech therapist, both work together to ensure pupils with special education needs develop their potential. These pupils are catered for on an individual basis.
Extracurricular: Art, Music and Sport
Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle offers different co-curricular activities that pupils can enjoy. These include different clubs such as programming, maths, debate, and board games… In addition, there is an orchestra and a choir for music lovers, as well as a theatre club for those who prefer drama. A great variety of sports are also offered, such as climbing, football, gymnastics, karate, badminton, Zumba, handball, table tennis, volleyball, basketball, and judo.
International Students
The Lycée is an international and French school that has over 3,500 pupils, of which most are multilingual and some of them often have several nationalities. There are pupils from around 40 different nationalities – the most common one is French.
Pastoral Care
At Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle there are not too many strict rules. However, punctuality and absences, follow strict protocols. Generally, this is a remarkably self-regulating school in which pupils have a voice.
Fellow Parents
Parents tend to be wealthy multilingual and often hold several nationalities. Families usually give their time to the school to help with different activities. These include running the alumni club and working for the parent association and school charity.
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