Why gardening should be on the National Curriculum

Before we moved to France I was as an Environmental Educator working with primary school children.  I covered a range of activities including gardening.  I helped the children plan, build and use gardens in their schools.  It was hugely satisfying work and the children loved what they thought was non school work, where in fact they were learning so much.  My work was outside of the National Curriculum and relied on head teachers realising how important this "work" was, especially as much of the area I worked in was very urban, with many children having limited access to gardens or outdoor green spaces.   Both then and now I strongly believe that gardening should be part of the National Curriculum as it teaches children so many important things.

Weekly Green Tips - 7 Green back to school tips

Week 20 - Green back to school tips

For some the new school term has already started although for others there is a bit more time to get organised before children head back to school.  So have you thought about how you can make this Back To School a bit greener?  It's a great way to instil some environmental values in our kids and could save you some money too. Here are my 7 was to make your return to school a green one.

Back to School French Style - La Rentrée

This week is la rentrée in France for most children.  La rentrée, in this sense of the word, has no direct translation to English.  It literally means the return and is used for when children go back to school.  It's a word you will hear a lot at this time of year:  People will ask you when la rentrée is, they may wish you a bonne rentrée or how did la rentrée go?   For our boys, la rentrée was today. 

All About La Rentrée

School in France is somewhat different to the UK.  Some differences are better, some are perhaps not.

French school hours

It is a little past 7am as I am starting to write this blog post and I have just dropped the boys off at the bus stop in Lenault.  Yes, you did read that right - 7am.  In France children have a much longer day than in The UK and for our boys their first lesson starts at 7.50am.  Today, Wednesday, they only go for half a day and finish at midday but on every other day of the week they will not finish until 4.35pm and the bus will not get back to Lenault until 5.45pm.  It's a long day.  They do get a longer lunch break as well as morning and afternoon breaks plus several free periods through the week and longer school holidays but I think they (and I) would prefer hours more like those in the UK.

Uniform

French children do not wear uniform with the exception of a very few schools.  Uniform was phased out in the late 60s but there have been mutterings to bring it back.  Some feel that too many girls dress too provocatively and for many there exists peer pressure to be seen wearing the latest (expensive) designer clothes.  At the boys' school it seems to be a uniform of sort exists in that almost all pupils wear jeans, trainers, a T-shirt and a hoodie.  Tue pupils seem happy with and I can cope with this.

Supplies

In France parents have to supply exercise books and other school equipment and each year we are given a long and very specific list of the things we have to buy.  At least now, 3 years in to the secondary school system I am just about getting my head around what is needed but the first year of secondary and first year of primary when we first arrived were a nightmare! 

School Bags

The standard school bag, known as a cartable, is, for secondary pupils, a large rucksack of sufficient size to carry all the books etc. they need each day and you will see vast numbers of them for sale in supermarkets at the end of the summer holidays.  There are school lockers but school rules do not allow pupils to leave anything in them overnight so all pupils must carry all the exercise and text book plus other supplies on their back for each school day the result is a very heavy bag.  Back problems in French children is not unheard of because of this.

Lunch in French schools

As today is only a half day at school there is no school lunch but on the other 4 days the boys will get very well fed.  In France there are 2 options for lunchtime.  Pupils either go home for lunch or they eat the meal supplied in the school canteen.  There is no option to take in pack lunches.  As we live 13kms from school coming home is not feasible so the boys eat the excellent school lunch.  The meal is a "proper" French lunch with 3 courses plus cheese (but no wine or coffee!) and I hear no complaints from them about the quality.  You'll not see turkey twizzlers, chicken nuggets or a daily serving of greasy chips on French school dinner plates.

Discipline 

Certainly in the boys' school, they are very hot on discipline.  Pupils must stand when the teacher comes in the room, not dash out as soon as the bell goes and be well behaved in class.  Many a small misdemeanor will result in the offending pupil being given a cross and a certain number of crosses leads to a detention (an hour after school on a Friday).  Chit chat in class, forgetting to get a test or other paper signed, leaving a book at home etc. could all give the pupil in question a cross.

So how does la rentrée compare to going back to school where you live?   I'd love to hear from you in a comment.

C'est les vacances (It's the holidays)

Posted by Rosie

The boys are on holiday for half term. Yay!! You might think this is early for French holidays and you would be right ... although if you live in Nice or Paris or  Lille or Strasbourg or many other places you would be wrong.

Confused?  Let me explain.

France is divided into 3 school zones.  We are in Zone A but for example Nice is in Zone B and Paris is in Zone C.  The holidays at Christmas (2 weeks), Summer (8 weeks) and October half term (2 weeks) are the same across all of France.  However for February half term, known as the winter holidays (2 weeks) and the Easter holidays (2 weeks) the dates for school holidays vary according to the zones.  Some school will have the first 2 weeks of the holiday period and then go back to school.  The next zone will have the second week of the aforementioned holidays and the next week the final zone will have the second week of the second zone and the following week.  

Are you still with me?  This means that at February half term/winter holidays and Easter, the entire French school holidays are set over 4 weeks each time with one weekend in the middle when everyone is on holiday. The reason, as far as we can work out, is skiing.  Skiing is a big tourist earner for the French economy and many families go in either the February break or at Easter so by spreading the holidays over 4 weeks, they lengthen the family ski season.  In France it is severely frowned upon to go on holiday in term time (even for young pupils) and whilst there are no fines, as in the UK, families in France just don't do it.

The zones rotate round each your so this year our zone is on the first 2 weeks and next year we will be on the middle one before finding ourselves on the late one in 2 years time.  In the summer term there is no half term so when you are on the early Easter break it does make the summer term rather long.  This year the boys will return to school after their Easter break on 27th April but and will break up on July 4th.  That's a 10 week term without a break.  It does include 4 Bank Holidays but as some of these are date specific, with no extra day made up elsewhere, one year, the boys were on the early Easter break and then only has 2 extra days off before the summer holidays.  That made for a very long term. 

I suppose you could argue that French children make up as they get 2 weeks at February, Easter and October plus 8 weeks at Summer.  Yes, but they also start school at 7.50am and don't finish until 4.35pm. That is a very long day. 

How do school holidays work where you are?  Does everyone have the same time off or does it vary across the country. Please do let us know in a comment.

Wednesday Wonderings - Does Detention Work?

Posted by Rosie

At the boys' collège (secondary school) they have a system of crosses for bad behaviour and and when a certain number of crosses have been given it leads to a detention .  So far Tom and Ben have received crosses for forgetting to do all or some of their homework, forgetting to take in a text book or suchlike and not handing in a form.  Hardly huge errors in the great scheme of things but errors that are enough to get them a cross, although so far, luckily, not enough to receive a detention.   I am assuming other transgressions will also merit a cross and I do know that for worst behaviour and for repeatedly forgetting something an immediate detention can be given.

So far so good.  I do not have a problem with a school that expects it's pupils to do their homework, to behave and to not forget things.  It builds good routines and organised students which are excellent life skills.  Teachers need to teach and so if there is a disruptive pupil presumably it is hoped that a detention will help them to mend their ways.  The trouble is I do not think this system works.  The boys tell me that the disruptive and least organised pupils get detentions and then continue to be disruptive or to forget things.  Why is this and what do I dislike detention?

Detention takes place on a Friday.  Pupils are kept back for an hour after school and have to do a series of exercises set for them - academic exercises.  

Dislike One

For pupils who take a bus home (remember this school is in a rural area with a large catchment so many pupils rely on the bus) this means their parents will have to come and collect them later whilst those pupils who live in Condé can still walk home.  The boys are actually more worried about how cross we will be if we have to come and collect them late than the actual detention which I suppose is a deterrent in itself but not quite as the school maybe envisaged it!

Dislike Two

Pupils already have a very long day.  Lessons start at 7.50am and home time is not until 4.35pm and there will then be homework to do.  Perhaps a child is being naughty, not doing their homework and forgetting things because they are overly tired.  Adding another hour of school in the form of detention is hardly going to be helpful.

Dislike Three

Tom got a sort of mini detention last year for some minor and long forgotten about misdemeanour.  He was given a series of verbs to conjugate which he was able to do in a free period.  He said it was actually no bother as he had no homework and it gave him something to do. However, what about the child who struggles academically?  It will be harder for them so the punishment is hardly a level playing ground.  For detention it is exactly the same.  Sitting in a room after school and doing academic exercises will be much harder for some pupils than others.  More than that though, I strongly believe that as a school is there to teach pupils you should never use academic exercises as a punishment.  It is counter-productive.

That said,  for all my dislikes I respect that this is the system and that there is a simple solution - do not get crosses!  In theory, yes and we work hard with the boys to help them and hope that in time they will be organised enough to do this themselves.  This is not the case for all families and children.  I also wonder how detention could be better applied.  I think it should be within school time and not academic based but I am not sure exactly what.  Maybe some sort of community based work - clearing litter or raking leaves?  I did know a head at a primary school in England who used to make disruptive pupils jog round the playground and he went with them.  This was aimed at pupils who had too  much energy to sit still and he felt fresh air and exercise was what they needed to help them to concentrate.  Tom, our athlete, rather liked the sound of this for a punishment, so again - not a level playing ground.  

What do you think about detention?  Does your school use it, do you think it works or do you have any better ideas?  Please do let us know in a comment.

C'est la Rentrée and it's complicated!

Posted by Rosie

Tomorrow Ben starts collège, the name give to French secondary schools.  However Tom who is a year older does not start until Wednesday, so he will be home on Tuesday.

Oh and Tom only does the morning as is the case on every Wednesday.

And Ben does NOT go in this Wednesday.

But primary school children who have NEVER previously gone to school at all on Wednesdays, will now also be going Wednesday mornings.

Both boys will finally be at school on Thursday.

Confused?

This week is called la Rentrée and as well as referring to the return to school, it is also when many French people return to work after their summer holidays.  This includes a friend had no-one to look after her children this afternoon and no-one to look after her daughter, who is is Tom's year, on Tuesday.  So she asked if I could have them here. 

And then there is another friend who now has children in both primary and starting secondary with Ben and realised for the start of term that she could not be in two places at once.  Normal school starting time for collège is 7.50am but for the first say it is 8.50am, the same time as she needs to be taking her primary aged children to their school 10kms away!  So I need to take Baptiste into school tomorrow as well as Ben.

Oh and finally Baptiste and his brother and sister are coming here on Thursday evenings as their parents are both working late.

Which altogether means my days of waiting at the bus stop for the primary school bus are not yet over and my week of thinking I would have some peace and quiet with the kids back all at school is turning into a week with more children here than during the holidays!

Are your children back at school?  Has it gone smoothly or has there been logistical problems like here in France?

Word of the Week - Preparation

Posted by Rosie

 

preparation

ˌprɛpəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/

noun

The action or process of preparing or being prepared for use or consideration.

As we move towards the second half of August the return to school known in France as La Rentrée draws ever closer.  And with La Rentrée comes preparations for school.  In France pupils have to supply their own exercise books and many other things including art materials, pens etc, file paper, folders, plastic pockets ... and so the list goes on.  At the end of the summer term a list is sent home and parents are giving the onerous task of gathering together all the supplies.  Yes, I can see anyone with school-age children in France quivering slightly at this point and fully understanding what this involves!

It is something I absolutely dread because there are so many variations on each item yet each teacher seems to ask for a specific thing, slightly different from the next.  Take A4 exercise books.  The lists that Ben and Tom have asks for 4 different types:

• A4, 96 pages, small squares, not spiral bound
• A4, 96 pages, large squares, not spiral bound
• 24/32, 96 pages, small squares, not spiral bound*
• 24/32, 96 pages, large squares, not spiral bound*

* These are slightly larger than standard A4 and are apparently preferred by teachers who get their pupils to stick lots of A4 sheets into their books.

The shops however also supply exercise books with different numbers of pages and spiral bound and A5 and  plain .... and we poor parents have to trawl through them all to find the right ones.  Oh and then you have to try and work out if it is cheaper to buy multipacks or a different make and not forget that you need to buy the right number of protective covers to fit the number of different sized books you are asked to buy!!!

Oh and don't get me going on file paper (Feuilles).  The boys have been asked to get:

• Feuilles simples A4 large squares
• Feuilles simples A4 small squares
• Feuilles doubles A4 large squares
• Feuilles doubles A4 small squares
• Feuilles simples A5 large squares

Ahhhhhhh!!!

So this week I have been trying to pin down the boys to go through what they have left over from last year before bravely heading to the shops to stock up on everything new they need.  I may have been making preparations for La Rentrée but I reckon my word of the week could just have easily have been stressed or exasperated or confused or broke!

Translation:

Mum - "There we go!  I don't think we've forgotten anything!"

Boy  - "Yes! A giant school bag to store this lot in!"

If you are you in the midst of preparations for the return to the school, how's it going?

Kermesse - a School Fête, Normandy Style

Posted by Rosie

Last Sunday was Ben's school Kermesse.  The word is derived from 2 Dutch words for church and mass but has now come to mean various festivals including the equivalent of a UK school fête.  However a Kermesse is nothing at all like a school fête I had ever been to before coming to France.

In previous years the Kermesse has taken the following form for us:

• Arrive at the allotted time of 12 noon
• Realise no-one else is there yet and hang around
• Head home when you remember you have forgotten that you need to bring plates and cutlery etc to eat your meal
• Eat a meat heavy BBQ
• Hang around waiting for something to happen (there *may* be a rather bad magician to entertain you in this interlude)
• Watch a "spectacle" put on by all the children - usually dancing or singing
• Buy tickets so boys can play games (catch the duck, knock over the tins, football goal game etc)
• Watch boys win tickets of different colours
• Watch boys swap tickets of different colours for generally rather naff prizes.
• Head home wondering what that was really all about and where was the cake stall?

Ben le Docteur

This year however things were different!  The "spectacle" was BEFORE the meal and included a theatre production by Ben's class.  I think this was to try and get more parents to come for the meal which in fairness can raise a lot of money for the PTA but had seen numbers diminish over the last few years.  It worked and many more people than before watched the "spectacle" and then tucked into the meal this year.  Oh and yes, once again we forgot our plates but luckily we had ordered sausage in a baguette and chips that came in a tray so we were OK!

I have to say as non-native French speakers who were rather near the back of the audience we did find the theatre a bit difficult to understand.  However that was in no way due to the enthusiasm of the children who really did put a lot of effort into it.  Ben and his best friend Baptiste were joint narrators and did a sterling job with Ben, especially, throwing his voice so even we could hear him!  Ben was also the doctor in a sketch about a boy who kept falling over when in fact he was not ill but has put both legs down one leg of his trousers!  It was Ben's first time on stage and he loved it!  No wonder he has said that when he gets to collège next year he wants to join the theatre group and being an actor is on the list of things he wants to be when he grows up. 

Linking up Ben's stage debut with Magic Moments over at Jaime Oliver's Madhouse.  Have you got a magic Moment to tell from the last week?  If so why not link up or tell us about it here.

Word of the Week - Performance

Posted by Rosie

performance

pərˈfôrməns

noun

an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment.

With the school and sports years drawing to a close here in France, Simon and I have been party to a whole host of performances of one sort or another over the last week or so.

A serious and rather nervous Tom

First there was Tom's school choir and theatre show in the local cinema. Being English and trying to understand a somewhat odd story rather mumbled by young actors did make this a bit of a non-event for us. The singing was however a lot better ... if only Tom had smiled!  He said he was nervous, poor lad, this being the first time he has sung in front of so many people.

Sunday again saw Tom in the limelight.  He had qualified to represent Normandy in the 50m hurdles at Vire.  There were 3 heats and he won his in his best time to date.  Well run that lad!  However under the French system it is the fastest 7 who qualify for the final and despite winning he was 8th in speed so missed the final.  But winning in his best time was a brilliant performance!

Tom, second from right, about to win his heat

Both Monday and Thursday saw Tom performing again.  Monday was his music theory show where he sang (looking serious!) and Thursday his saxophone show ... where again he looked serious!  In fairness though, I think you always look a bit serious when playing a saxophone!  Despite the seriousness he did well at both and proved you do not need musical parents to be able to sing and play an instrument.

Tom, right, playing saxophone

The week is however not without a performance from Ben as he will be acting in the show his school is putting on for the school fête on Sunday.  He's really looking forward to it.  We rather think we may not understand much of it!

Have you been to any performances this week?   Or have you performed in any?  Please do let us know in a comment.

Outdoor Fun with School

Posted by Rosie

In France it is not half term this week.  In fact the boys have only been back to school after their very late Easter holidays for 2 weeks ago and they break up for Summer in early July so there really isn't time. That said, Ben who is still at primary school isn't doing any actual school work this week:

Ben the Archer

Yesterday and today he is on a 2 day school trip to the Outdoor Adventure Centre at Clécy*, just down the road from us.  For a small school with under 60 pupils they mange to arrange a good number of trips and whilst both boys enjoyed Futuroscope and Les Puits du Fou, I can safely say that this trip is the one Ben has been most excited about.  And why wouldn't he be as it is right up his street?  Kayaking, rock climbing, archery etc are all things he has done and adores!  Oh and camping out last night.  Yup, he left a happy chappy on Monday morning!

I really do think that all school children should have the opportunity to do things like this.  Of course everyone needs to learn how to read, write and do their numbers but children also need to learn other skills and perhaps do something that is completely new to them and perhaps out of their comfort zone.  I know several children going on this trip who would never otherwise have the chance to try out these activities.  This is such a great opportunity for them. 

Via Ferrata at Clécy - Ben is really hoping they do this during his trip

The school has also secured finding for Ben's class to go horse riding for 6 mornings this term - again, another opportunity to learn something new, maybe overcome some fears and achieve in something non-academic.

Ben gets back this evening and as he is still in primary school there is no school tomorrow, Wednesday.  Thursday is one of the many Bank Holidays France has at this time of year.  This one, celebrating Ascension Day, always falls on a Thursday and some schools chose to give the pupils Friday off to make Le Pont - the Bridge or long week-end.  Not this year though but on Friday Ben will be visiting his secondary school where he will start next term.  That just  leaves Friday afternoon and that is swimming!

So, a week at school, with lots of learning, but very little of it sat at a desk!

Whilst I would not wish his entire primary timetable to be like this I am very happy to see Ben's school providing non-academic activities as well as classroom learning.  It puts across the message that learning is not just about facts and figures, books and computers but also about getting out and about in the real world.  It may well give the chance for a child who never attains top marks in academic tests to really shine for once ... and maybe the most academic of children might find this a bit of a struggle.  Life isn't one long line of easy to achieve goals, some things have to be fought for and worked hard at.  Learning how to achieve at something that does not come naturally is a valuable life skill.  Therefore giving children this chance at outdoor learning can, in my opinion, only be of benefit to everyone.

Do you agree?  Should schools be taking children out of the classroom more or should they purely  concentrate on academic learning?  Do drop us a comment with your views.

Ben kaying at Clécy

* We are about 20 minutes from Clécy where there is a huge range of outdoor activities on offer - kayaking, rock climbing, paragliding, cycling, walking and horse riding.  An ideal location for people who like a bit of thrill seeking on their holidays! 

 

Chess Boy!

Posted by Rosie

Tom came in from school last week saying he had signed up for a small chess tournament at school.  He often play chess in break times with friends, plays with Simon occasionally and has even got to play with gite guests.  

Tom concentrating on a practice match with Simon

Day one of the tournament loomed and we wondered how he would do.  On coming home he announced there was both good news and bad news!

"The good news," he said looking very pleased with himself , "was that I won my match against A and I am now in the semi-finals!" Tom is only in his first year at secondary school and his opponent was in his third year so we were really pleased and proud he had won.

"But the bad news is I am now going up against the best player on the school," he continued.   G is also in Tom's class but has been playing chess at a club since he was five and is ranked the 12th best player in France for his age group.  "I don't think I'm going to get to the final," he said, "but I'll give it my best shot!"

And he was beaten although not without holding off his opponent for a while and managing a few good moves.  Well done Tom!  For some-one who is pretty much self-taught we are really proud of his progress and this achievement.  Chess is a brilliant game (one I wish I could play) and for children it offers numerous benefits.  Research indicates it can help to:

• Raise IQ
• Increase creativity
• Improve memory
• Improve problem solving skills
• Improve concentration
• Teach planning and foresight.
• It may even help to ward off the onset on Alzheimer's .

So Tom - you have chosen well in learning to play chess and we are very proud of you.  Keep at it and one day you may well win beat G and win that tournament.  In between I am sure you will have a lot of fun!

Wednesday Works!

Posted by Rosie

In France primary children in primary school don't go to school on Wednesdays (although this will change next year when they will go in the mornings, bringing them in line with secondary schools). With Ben still in primary and Tom in secondary it means we have Ben home alone on Wednesday mornings and we can have a bit of time together, just the 2 of us.  This is what we got up to this week:

Gardener Ben

First he asked if he could do some digging. Well, I'm never one to refuse a bit of child-labour, help in the garden, so I set him off digging over what was the base of the old muck heap, ready for courgettes to go in as soon as the risk of frosts is over.  I was busy planting potatoes and both of us were on a mission to finish our jobs before the hail set in.  We failed!

Hale/Hail Ben!

The hail was however short-lived enabling Ben to finish his patch of digging.  He decided by then, that he had had enough gardening and as our tadpoles have hatched he'd go and see if he could catch any.  

Pond dipping

Yay, a bit of dipping later and he'd bagged 2 tadpoles and a pond skater.  

Ben's catch

He was going to do more but unfortunately the net handle broke.  In all fairness I have had this net from before we were married and as we are coming up to a wedding anniversary with a zero on the end I think it has done very well.  I am sure though, at the moment of breakage, I heard a collective sigh of relief from all the pond critters who have been unlucky enough to reside in one of the most pond dipped ponds in Normandy!  

Returning the tadpoles to the pond

The caught tadpoles and pond skater were carefully returned to the water by which time Tom was home and normal brother playing/winding each other up mode could be resumed.

After September I will no longer have my couple of hours with Ben on a Wednesday morning.  I'll have to do my own digging and dip for my own tadpoles with a new net.  It won't quite be the same!

TAXI!!

Posted by Rosie

One month into secondary school and Tom seems to have settled in very well at the College Dumond D'Urville in Condé-sur-Noireau.  In fact he is coping far better with the early starts than I thought he would!  He has to be at the bus stop in the village for 7.15am and his first lesson starts at 7.50am.  School then finishes at 4.35pm and his bus gets back here at 5.50pm ... or rather it would if he actually took it but more often than not he has something on and so we need to go collect him.  Driving to Condé, 13kms away, several times a week can be rather time consuming but luckily friends and teachers have come to our assistance.  So: -

Monday - Tom has music theory (Solfège) at the music school in Condé at 6.45am.  I was thinking he might have to walk down there but with the weight of his school bag (pupils are not allowed to leave anything in their lockers overnight!) and the fact winter is coming I wasn't overly happy with this situation.  But, his music teacher from school happens to be married to the head of the music school and he is happy to take Tom down to the music school.  Tom does his homework there and catches up with any reading (never a problem for him) before his lesson and then every other week Etienne, his music classmate's Dad brings both of them home so I only have to do one week in two.

Tuesday - Tom has athletics in the next town, Flers.  He does not have time to get the bus home to get back for the athletics bus but he can't hang around at school unless he is in arranged study time which he can't leave part way through to catch the athletics bus.  So this time a friend and his athletics trainer have come to our aid.  Tom can go to his friend until 5.30pm and then to the athletics trainer's house ready to catch the minibus.  Both luckily live very close to school.  I just need to remember to collect him from Condé at 8pm!

Wednesday - throughout the week pupils have several study periods when they can do their homework.  Tom's class happen to have 2, first thing on a Wednesday morning so he actually does not need to be in school until 10am ... although that means I would have to drive him there.  Yesterday, whilst shopping I bumped into the Mum of a girl in his class who lives nearby and we have arranged to do alternate Wednesdays.  She was as pleased as I was to reduce her trips to Condé!

Thursday - it's back to the music school for a saxophone lesson at 5pm and once again M. Fioult, Tom's music teacher takes him down and I pick him up at 5.30pm.  He is then home at about the same time as if he had taken the bus!

Friday - Nothing!  Just lessons with a study period at the end of the day when he can do his homework so he finally gets to take the school bus home and enjoy his week-end. 

Except come Saturday there is another trip to Condé (or Flers if there is no bus/lift) for athletics and then to Flers in the afternoon for Ben's rugby (although a friend takes Ben and I only have to collect him) ... rugby is also on Wednesday afternoon when my friend cannot help so I tend to stay and walk the dogs in the woods over there.  

Then there are all the trips up and down to Lénault to take and collect Ben from his school bus. In fairness Ben does cycle up and down when it is light and not raining but with the days shortening the poor old car will be up and down to Lénault as well as Condé and Flers rather a lot.  Luckily thanks to friends and teachers this will considerably fewer times than it would otherwise have been.  Thanks everyone!

I still reckon I need the T-shirt though.

School Change

Posted by Rosie

11 years later and he's off to secondary school

In September Tom will start secondary school.  Yes, our first born is growing up - FAST!!  Soon he will soon be leaving his small rural primary school for something a bit bigger and a bit more urban.

The somewhat grandly named Collège Dumont d'Urville in Condé-sur-Noireau is where he will be going.  Children in France go to "Collège" from 11 years old to 15 and then move to Lycée for the next 2 years.  There is no school choice - your children go to the their allocated local Collège but if you do want them to go elsewhere (perhaps for work reasons) you have to put in an application which may or may not be accepted.  The other alternative is to pay to go to a private catholic school, although we are not talking about the fees of English private schools - about €250 per term from what I can work out. 

Yesterday, Tom spent a half a day at the school with his teacher and class-mates, being shown around by the deputy head and having the chance to eat at the canteen.  He was really excited going in and came home saying he loved it. Well, why wouldn't he?  He had chips for lunch and there is a large school library!  For those who don't know Tom, he loves his food and is an avid reader!  A bit more quizzing though and we gleaned a few more facts from him.  There are around 400 pupils in 16 classes spread over 3 buildings; the school day starts at 7.50am and finishes at 16.35pm (12.05pm on a Wednesday) and he will get to study English on 4 days of the week!  No doubt when he actually starts there we will learn more!

The jump to a much longer day could be a bit of a shock - I believe the school bus leaves Lénault at 7.10am and gets back around 5.30-6.00pm.  That's a big change from 8.15am to 4.30pm .... for me as well!!  Tom likes his sleep so I do foresee a dozy boy possibly getting some extra kip on the school bus in the mornings.

Change is also afoot at primary schools in France. When we first moved to France, all children (primary and secondary) went to school for 3 out of every 4 Saturday mornings (we only found out it was not every Saturday on the fourth when we arrived to find school all shut up!).  Secondary pupils went on Wednesday mornings, as they still do, but primary pupils have never gone on Wednesday mornings.   However, after one year here, Saturday school was abolished with the school day slightly lengthened to try and make up for the  missing hours.   Ever since then the teachers have complained that they have not had enough time to fit in all the curriculum ... in inimitable French style >>> Strikes!!  Enter into power, M. Hollande and now the plan is for all primary school pupils to go to school on Wednesday mornings AND the school day will start earlier and end later!

Schools have the option to begin these changes in either September 2013 or 2014.  From what I understand, out local primary school has chosen 2014, by which time Ben should be starting secondary school anyway - so he, at least, will have finished primary school without doing Wednesdays.  Well that is except the odd extra Wednesdays they have had to go into school to make up for other odd extra days that have had as holidays!

For those of us from across The English Channel, the idea of school on Wednesdays is as normal as school on Saturdays is odd.  For French parents though, they may well find waving goodbye to their young children on Wednesday mornings somewhat strange ... and I am sure there are many child minders across the country who might not be voting for M. Hollande come the next election!

Les Recettes de l'Ecole

 Posted by Rosie

This year, as a means of raising funds for the school trip to Futuroscope in April, the children have compiled and sold a recipe book which we received yesterday. Out of the 57 recipes brought in by pupils and teachers, 17 are starters, 13 are main courses and the remaining  27 are puddings or cakes ... and 8 of these are variations of chocolate cake - no real surprise there then!

Ben asked me to find him a recipe for Gingerbread Men (petits hommes en pain d'épice). Great - except it includes the very English "Golden Syrup". Luckily this can be bought in the English section of various supermarkets along with Gales Lemon Curd, Robinsons Barley Water, Frey Bentos Steak and Kidney Pies in a tin and Rowntrees Jelly. I do wonder what the French think we English like to eat.  

Tom wanted to do a typically English main dish and after a few ideas where translating the recipe would have been too hard we came up with "Toad in the Hole" = "Crapeau dans le Trou"! Actually thinking about it that might explain why the French have such a negative view of our food with recipes purporting to contains toads!

I have no idea if anyone will try our English recipes but I do hope so. I may give a "Fondant au Chocolat" a go as having watched many a chef on Masterchef prepare this dessert I would like to see if I could successfully make one.

I'm too old for all of this.

Posted by Rosie

Late nights that is. 

Some fell by midnight

Last night it was the boys' school meal, run by the PTA; an annual event run to raise funds for various school trips (not least next April's big outing to Futuroscope - more of that another day). Previously we have never gone to the meals as they don't start until 8pm and in keeping with French tradition we always assumed that would mean the meal not being served until gone 9pm and maybe coffee might make an appearance around midnight, by which time the boys would be exhausted and horribly grumpy to be around. However, this year my good French friend, Gwenäel, had coerced me into going to PTA meetings and I got sucked into helping at the meal. 

 

Tom & Ben (boys to the right) lasted longer

Were we right about the lateness? Errm, not quite. We arrived at 8pm, almost the first there and saw there was to be a disco. This was going to be a LATE night.  Everyone gradually drifted in over the next hour and a half and the area in front of the bar filled quickly. Drinks make money so it was not until 9.45pm that we finally got our free Kir and starter. Even another French friend commented on how she wished she had eaten before coming and she is used to this sort of thing!  It was very much past midnight before coffee was served by which time the disco was in full swing, the beer and wine was flowing and everyone, adults and children alike, were having a great time.  I had planned to stay to the bitter end to help with all the clearing up but as time wore on the boys' ability to stay awake faded and it would have been unfair to make them stay. They had had such a good time but now they needed their beds. So what time did we leave? 3.45am!! Admittedly, the tables were cleared and much of the tidying up was done but there were a good number of dancers still strutting their stuff and I really dread to think what time the last of the PTA finally managed to lock the village hall doors. 

 

And many more were still dancing when we left

It was a great evening, the boys were so well behaved and hopefully it raised lots of money. However I am so not used to late nights and even though I only drank 2 glasses of Kir, today I have felt completely washed out. I crawled out of bed at 9.45am to feed some slightly cross animals, Ben followed around 10.30am and Tom wandered down at 11.00am.  I won't embarrass Simon by saying what time he eventually surfaced!

Butter Man

Posted by Tom

Yesterday I went to the Mediateque (library) with my school to make butter. It was part of La Semaine du Gout, a week all about food. 3 men showed us how to make butter and we got to taste it as well as some cheese. It tasted lovely. We came home with a goody bag containing ......

• 2 pats of butter
• 1 pack of cheese
• A butter cookery book
• A butter curling knife
  
• A butter knife
• A book about diary products.

Do you like the funny green hat I had to wear?