We have just arrived in the area (are currently in Eymet) and are most likely to settle in Bergerac, or possibly near Montcaret.
We have got two sons aged 9 and 11 and are busy looking at french schools which will provide support with acquiring the french language. Our children are bilingual, but they do not speak any french yet.
Does anyone on this forum have kids and has been through a similar process and can give us advice?
Does anyone know about the school situation near Montcaret?
It would also be nice to meet up with families with kids/boys around the age of ten for a game of football or something !!
Hi Milena... sorry I've only just picked this up - haven't been on for a while. There are lovely schools close to Montcaret - friends of mine take her young children to the school is St Antoine du Brillieu and they say it's fab. There are also schools in Velines but I'm not so sure of them and I'm sure Montcaret has one itself. Hope this helps... Christine
Thank you so much for your reply!!!! Good to get your insider view - all helpful !! We will speak to head teachers in Bergerac and look at the schools there next week...
We had seen a couple of houses we liked near Montcaret which is why we are gathering infos on schools there, but are also still casting our net far and wide (today I was checking out Limoges)
Hi Milena, I'm not very clued-up about collège & primary schools in that area but I can tell you all about the Lycée in Ste Foy, where I teach. Judging by the academic level & behaviour of the children I have in 2de this year I would say avoid the collège in Vélines if you can, I don't know what has happened there but they have gone downhill - it used to be good for a very small rather isolated collège but there are clearly significant problems there now. Castillon doesn't have a fantastic reputation either I'm afraid. It is worth going & visiting any collège you like the look of and having a good chat with the head and the CPE (pastoral) if you can. My daughters went to one of the collèges in Bergerac, one is still there now, and I'm pleased with it overall. They are bilingual & have notions of other languages, many children are in the same situation so I think the staff generally cope well with it. If you have precise questions please don't hesitate to get in touch!
Thanks so much for your reply and helpful thoughts - it is encouraging to get positive feedback re integrating our (non-french speaking) children. I will try and contact Veronique re Montcaret.
We will be visiting Bergerac schools next week and hopefully we'll also see a suitable home in the right catchment area... many puzzle pieces will have to fit together...
I will look out for announcements of coffee gatherings!!!
I am the other side of Bergerac so do not know the Montcaret area other than to drive through on the way to Bordeaux. I would recommend you make direct contact with Véronique Langlands who teaches not so far from there in St Foy. However, both of our daughters are in colleges in Bergerac, but one of yours is still primary age. The colleges both seem very good, therefore finding a primary place for the younger on to make it easy to move on to college might be the best move.
From your name I would guess the bilingual might well be Italian? My wife's best friend is also a Milena, they both being Italian Swiss, so our two know some Italian anyway. That is a better way into French than English, although after a couple of years they were fluent in French anyway. Bilinguals always have a head start, I have been all of my life and my other half is pretty well fluent in four languages with knowledge of others. So, the other comment is simply not to worry, they will get there. As for football or something, well we have daughters 11 and 13, so perhaps not the greatest meet for boys (yet). Anyway, join the Bergerac group and some time in the near future some of us will get together for a coffee as we have in the past.