International Schools Directory

La Grande Boissière campus, situated in a lovely estate of twenty acres close to the city centre, has four units: primary, middle and secondary (English and French). Each unit has a principal, coordinating the academic and social life of the campus, and reporting to the director general and the governing board. Features of the campus are its 18th century château and the Greek Theatre which has a seating capacity of 1,500. The primary school (pre-primary to grade 4) is housed in a modern, purpose-built unit. The building, completed in 1986, was designed in keeping with the school's educational philosophy, providing a bright, pleasant learning environment for young children. The curriculum is offered in English or French, with exposure to the second language from the earliest years. There is also a 'Dual Language' class for each age group aimed specifically at children of bilingual families and long-term residents. Students with little or no English on arrival are given intensive English lessons at the ESL centre until they can follow the normal class programme. The middle school (grades 5 to 8) was established specifically to meet the needs of students aged 10 to 14. Its essential task is to provide a smooth transition from a primary school system whereby a teacher is responsible for almost all of the student's academic life to another where each individual subject is taught by a different instructor. The middle school offers two programmes of instruction, one in English (with regular French instruction) and the other a bilingual French/English programme. The secondary schools (grades 9 to 13) provide a continuation of the primary and middle school education systems. The curriculum and timetable in grades 9 and 10 provide a balanced programme for all students that permits them to continue their studies in English, French or a combination of both. From grade 11 onwards the comprehensive programme provides a pre-university education permitting students to fulfil the requirements for entry to a wide range of universities in the USA, UK, Switzerland, France and most other countries in the world. All units have a full programme of sports and extra-curricular activities; in addition, theatre, choir, orchestra and field trips all form an integral part of the wide and varied curriculum.