A Word from the Director

As the director of a school which is part of the AEFE network (the French Agency for Teaching Abroad) I would like to ensure that the values of the French educational system are shared by fostering the organisation of vibrant school life in the Primary School in which the pupils can develop initiative, responsibility and independence from the earliest age.  I fully recognise that a French school abroad is always a special place for the families: the skill of those who work there is to maintain a balance between school as we know it in France and openness to local differences so as to enrich our young pupils’  journey and development whatever their nationality or their mother tongue(s).

The present team (more than 40 people work in Foxrock!) seems to me to rise to this daily challenge already in all fields and I encourage all of those who participate in the success of our school to continue in this way.  It will therefore be a pleasure for me to accompany the educational community of Foxrock for a few years.  We will share our various projects for the Primary School pupils with you during the Primary School Councils.

Bleuenn Morvan

60 Questions

Kindergarten

Children enrol from the age of 3 years.  Language is the primary focus for children in Maternelle; learning to communicate, to express themselves. Children discover the pleasure of storytelling and are introduced to the written language by dictating their stories to their teachers.  Structured reading and writing is introduced only in Grande Section.

Each child is given the skills to work both as an individual as well as part of a group.  Children are also taught to express themselves through music, dance and sport as well as through arts and crafts.  By the end of Maternelle, the notions of numbers, classification, quantities, science and nature have all been covered by the curriculum.

Primary School

From the age of 6 years pupils build and improve on their knowledge of speech, reading, writing and numeracy, which form the basis of academic success.  In primary school pupils acquire autonomy and self-confidence in a bilingual multi-cultural environment.

All classes are conducted in French and according to the syllabus of the French Ministry of Education.  The LFI is also recognised by the Irish Department of Education.  This allows for the provision of English and Irish language classes which are conducted by teachers from the Irish national school system and follow the Irish national curriculum.  From 2010, 3rd, 4th and 5th class will receive instruction through both French and English for subjects such as History, Geography, Science and Technology in preparation for the bi-lingual programme that awaits pupils in the secondary school.