Introduction
CFBL has developed expertise in bilingual primary education from PSM to CM2.
Each class is taught half the time by a qualified teacher who is a native French speaker, and the other half of the time by a qualified teacher who is a native English speaker. Consequently, the classes receive 13 hours a week of lessons taught in French and 13 hours of lessons taught in English. The two teachers work in close cooperation to define the contents of the lessons.
All the subjects and programmes defined by the French Department for Education are therefore studied in both languages in a perfectly balanced teaching timetable, managed by pairs of native French and English-speaking teachers.
CFBL’s bilingualism is further enhanced by the bicultural dimension of the teaching, as the English-speaking teachers use specific teaching methods and practices which are a positive additional contribution. CFBL is therefore the meeting point of two teaching cultures and, as a result, both classes and assessments bring to bear the most relevant aspects of both systems.
Parents’ Handbooks & rules of procedure
Please download here the parents’ handbook – released in July 2020 – and here the rules of procedure.
Curriculum
From PSM to CM2, CFBL’s teachings correspond to the guidelines set out by the French Ministry for Education. They are based on the Common Core of Knowledge, Skills and Culture, a programme articulated around 5 main domains:
- languages to think and communicate
- methods and tools to learn
- the development of the person and the citizen
- natural and technical systems
- representations of the world and of human activity
Since September 2016, a new curriculum is in place for all of primary school and secondary school as part of the 2013 law on educational reform. Teachings are now organised in cycles:
- Cycle 1 (ages 3-6) : PS, MS, GS
- Cycle 2 (ages 6-9) : CP, CE1, CE2
- Cycle 3 (ages 9-12) : CM1, CM2, 6ème
- Cycle 4 (ages 12-15) : 5ème, 4ème, 3ème
One of CFBL’s priorities being the success of its students, programmes are built over 3-year cycles in order to create continuity over the 9 years of mandatory schooling: The main innovation of this new curriculum is based on continuity and homogeneity of the subjects in order to better follow pupils’ progress. Cycle 3, which links primary and secondary, creates a transition between the two schools and enhances academic continuity.
School hours
During the school term, class run Monday through Friday – apart from 5 inset Wednesdays, the dates of which will be given during the school year – at the following times:
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 8.45am-3.15pm
- Wednesday: 8:45am-12pm
Students are welcome to arrive from 8:30, or from 8am if they are signed up to our pre-school care service.
Breaks
There are two breaks during the school day: one in the morning, and one in the afternoon.
Primary school pupils have lunch at CFBL on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. During the midday break, pupils can have lunch and play on the playground, go to the library or go to lunch-time clubs.
Absences
If your child is absent, please email us (info@cfbl.org.uk) and mention the first name, the last name and the class of the child.
After an absence and before going back to class, the student will have to give the Deputy Headteacher a letter signed by his or her parents (or legal guardian).
In case of a scheduled absence (for example, a doctor’s appointment), please send an email to info@cfbl.org.uk at least 48 hours before the scheduled absence.
A medical certificate is required for an absence due to illness lasting more than one week.
Supplies
- PSM / MSM
Pour les enfants entrants en Petite Section et Moyenne Section :
-une grande boite de mouchoirs en papier
-une paire de chaussons souples de gymnastique d’intérieur
-un change complet dans un petit sac en tissu qui restera dans le casier à l’école (culotte/chaussettes/t-shirt/pantalon)
Pour les enfants entrants en Petite Section uniquement :
une petite couverture qui restera à l’école pour la sieste
un petit oreiller ou coussin avec taie qui restera à l’école pour la sieste
un petit doudou ou objet de confort si besoin- GSM
- Une boite de mouchoirs
- Des chaussures de danse type « gym plimsolls » avec le nom de votre enfant inscrit à l’intérieur dans un sac avec le nom de votre enfant.
- Un sac fermé avec le nom de votre enfant et sa classe contenant des affaires de rechange : tee-shirt, pantalon, culotte/slip, chaussettes.
- une trousse contenant:
- un crayon de bois
- une gomme
- des crayons de couleurs
- des feutres
- une paire de ciseaux
- un tube de colle
- un taille-crayon
Ces affaires resteront à l’école.
- CP
- A school bag strong and wide enough to hold school exercise books (larger than A4)
- A box of tissues.
- For the classroom: a pack of 4 whiteboard (dry wipe) pens for mini whiteboard
- For sport: a CFBL PE kit (marked clearly with your child’s name)
- Comfortable headphones or earphones (with a jack plug) marked clearly with your child’s name.
- A reusable water bottle (CFBL bottle) marked clearly with your child’s name.
- For home: (any material already used in previous years is fine) a mini whiteboard marked with Seyes lines (on at least one side), two whiteboard (dry wipe) pens, colouring pencils, some felt pens, a pencil, a pencil sharpener, an eraser, a small ruler marked in cm and mm, and a glue stick.
- CE1
- Un cartable suffisamment solide et large pour supporter la taille des cahiers très grands formats 24×32.
- Une trousse vide.
- Une boite de mouchoirs.
- Pour la natation : un maillot de bain (une pièce pour les filles), un bonnet de bain, des lunettes, une serviette (le tout comportant le nom et le prénom de l’enfant)
- Un casque ou des écouteurs confortables pour enfant
- Une bouteille d’eau réutilisable (gourde CFBL)
- CE2
- Pour des fournitures plus écoresponsables, nous encourageons les parents à réutiliser du matériel scolaire d’années précédentes.
- Un cartable suffisamment solide et large pour supporter la taille de cahiers légèrement supérieure à un format A4
- Un porte vue contenant 20 pochettes plastiques (couleur au choix)
- Une trousse vide à conserver en classe
- Une trousse garnie à conserver à la maison (crayon à papier, gomme, règle, taille crayon, stylos bleus, rouge, noir, vert, crayons de couleurs)
- CM1
- un chiffon pour ardoise (bout de t shirt par exemple)
- une gomme
- une paire de ciseaux
- un stylo à encre avec cartouches
- un taille crayon avec réservoir
- une trousse
Pour la natation :
- un maillot de bain (une pièce pour les filles), un bonnet de bain, des lunettes, une serviette (le tout comportant le nom et le prénom de l’enfant)
- CM2
- un cartable suffisamment solide et large pour supporter le poids de cahiers légèrement supérieurs à un format A4.
Une trousse garnie avec :
- un stylo plume + 2 boites d’encre bleue (effaçable)
- deux effaceurs-réécriveurs (Tipex interdit)
- un fluo surligneur (type stabilo boss) jaune
- un taille-crayon avec réservoir
- un chiffon d’ardoise
- une pochette
Une trousse avec :
- 12 feutres fins
- 12 crayons de couleur
Pour la maison :
une trousse avec un stylo bleu, un crayon à papier, une gomme et une règle (20 cm) que les élèves ne rapportent pas à l’école.