The Bilingual International School of Paris is a private school that springs from the needs of a globalized, expatriate community: parents from every corner of the planet brought together in their desire to ensure their children grow up with an education deep and wide enough to encompass the best of both French and English curricula, and one that gifts them with the lifelong skill of a thorough, working understanding of both languages. Paris is an international city, with an international culture, and is frequently the home-away-from-home for many people from a business, political or media-related background.
The school provides an excellent environment for the children of these individuals, bringing together the diversity of such a global city, and ensuring that diversity bonds rather than isolates these children, so far from their cultural ‘comfort zone’. To achieve this end there are no formalise, classroom tutorials with a language focus; no learn by rote repetitions of phrase and vocabulary; no dedicated “language hour”. Rather, the ethos is that of a bilingual home: there is no primary language, no secondary language, only used language. As the language is kicked about in context, and the child immersed in it’s use, learning happens.
What a difference a day makes
To create this type of learning environment, a day in a Bilingual School in Paris is divided into two equally weighted parts. One half is taught by native English speakers in their own language, the other by native French speakers in theirs. All lessons and subjects in the wide and creative curriculum is taught solely in the language focussed on. All conversations, all questions and all answers, all explanations and all corrections are exclusively in the native-speaker’s language.
Small is beautiful
Due to the very small number of students per class, a maximum of 12 per form, the education experience can be tailored and focused, giving each child the necessary scope and support to excel. The teachers are able to take the time and care to ensure no child is left behind, and the space for creative and diverse learning styles to be catered for.