Inscription a l'ecole

Blog
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This week amongst the house and chicken pox madness we have also been battling with l'inscription pour l'ecole.


Jasmine (4) was due to start last year but with us being away part of the year in London she is late and will probably start in September this year at the same time as Izzy (2).


I knew we had to inscribe toute suite so I took myself off to the Mairie with all our documents, Marriage certificate, French and English birth certicates, carnet de sante (vaccination books), utility bill, passports, water bill etc...


We know the lady at the Mairie very well, and she laughed at all my paperwork and took photocopies of the birth certificates then issued us with the certificat d'inscription. Facile!


Helpfully she informed me that the certificates in the Carnet de Santes are not actually vaccination certificates for the school so I needed an appointment with the Medecin to get these printed. Ok. News to me - but grateful for that info. I have now booked the appointment for Monday evening.


Next I tried to make an appointment with la Directrice, I called the number and I think I got the school cook. Was told to call back later - I duly did and voila la Directrice - tres sympa I thought, but then as I tried to explain I had 2 children to start in September the stupid internet phone cut out and cut me off. I had to start all over again apologising for our terrible line. Oh the joys of Orange/France Telecom in our village. We keep saying we are going to try the Satellite solution Mr Higginson recommends but now we are moving again we will have to put up with the annoying current solution for a while longer. Wasn't quite the first impression I was after.


Anyway eventually arranged an appointment for Monday morning. Hoping that she will accept the vaccination certificates will be given later that day after we have been to the Dr's.


All well and good. I think I'm doing ok.


But now all that good planning is back up in the air...Izzy has Varicelle - Chicken pox, so I will have to cancel the appointment on Monday with la Directrice and make another one. At least we'll have the vaccination certificates in the right order for the next one.


Jasmine is happy as she doesn't want to go to school - she thinks we are plotting to leave her there...ha ha ha if only you knew ma Cherie - roll on September.


Now I have to wait a week longer to meet Madame la Directrice. Extra time to brush up on my French then :)



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Oh thankyou - I forgot about the 'Certificat of Radiation'. I got as far as submitting my 'dérogation' at the Mairie yesterday because it's not the school for my catchment area & we need to wait for the Commission to give their yes/no on 24th May. Then we'll take it from there; maybe it won't be worth seeing the Directeur before then anyway. But I would have thought his opinion would help them to decide (as it is for 'horaires aménagés' for music, I think there is an audition involved). As you say Catherine, it's rather confusing - notice on the school gate saying children whose names starting N-Z should enrol on the 10th & 11th May (the 11th being a Saturday...) and the lady at the Mairie told me it wasn't true!! But if it all works out this year, great; if not then I shall know what to do next year!

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Started at pre-school when I was four in Cologne in 1952, finally left in 2009 when we moved here. I spent a considerable amount of that time either not wanting to go, finding ways of bunking off and eventually trying to persuade others to stay! If I can do it then anybody can...

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Our elder daughter was very keen to go to school in UK. She wasn't so happy when she found out that she had to go the next day and the day after that!

She was 22 when she finally left University as she took a degree in International Business and German and Bath, which meant an extra "sandwich" year as well.

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Here is something I wrote about it....

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Drives me mad how things vary from place to place! I've always had the 'red books' accepted - never had any problem but on one occasion we moved and forgot all the paperwork in the first load. We had the certificate d'irradiation (sp!) from the previous school but the new head was a complete jobsworth and wouldn't accept that as proof that the kids had previously been to school in France :)

Result - one stressed out mother and two of the three at home for a fortnight until the second load arrived. Grr!

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When we came there was a fantastic directeur who had been at the school for years and had really done things for it. He attended every meeting, he had the school online, there was a secretary and part-time librarian.

He retired.

Two school years have passed and things have gone downhill. For one thing, there is no support for the directrice. But then she is not in the least interested in anything. So getting hold of her is opportunism only. As somebody who teaches somewhere else said, she is eking out her last couple of years until she retires and has made it just like many other schools. At present she has a parent situation on her hands which she is avoiding generally.

So, best of luck to any of you. Normally it should be a piece of cake getting children sorted but if nobody appears to be properly administering the school - be prepared.

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Good luck! I have been trying to get the Directeur of the school I'd like my youngest to go to on the phone for weeks to even GET an appointment; people keep telling me I must go to the school in person - easier said than done with my work hours but will persevere....