Why join us?
There are many benefits for parents and children alike.
For children
For children
- Being able to speak more than one language greatly enhances a child’s confidence
- It provides a broader range of future job prospects
- The ability to relate to family and friends in their parents’ home country
- Awareness of their cultural identity
- It's fun!
- Getting support in facing the challenges of developing their children’s bilingualism
- Preserving their families’ culture and identity
- Getting to know other expat families who are in a similar predicament of being far away from their traditions and family networks
Who can join us?
Our lessons are aimed at children aged 3 to 18 who live in families where children have regular and frequent exposure to French and therefore have a more than basic proficiency in the language. Given that classes are conducted entirely in French, children who do not have that level of exposure to French would find the classes very difficult to follow. The school is open to all families where parents wish to improve the fluency and confidence of their children in French as their second mother tongue. The charity also runs activities for anyone who is interested in the issues of bilingualism and multilingualism. These events are open to all.
What our members tell us
Parent
"Thanks to Ecole des Copain, my child can experience a French speaking environment which I just cannot provide at home as my husband is English. Without this Saturday morning experience, it would be a real struggle to get any French spoken at home. I love the family atmosphere as well." - Joëlle
Child
"It can be hard to get up on a Saturday morning to go to French school, but although I moan sometimes, I always enjoy it once I'm there; it's like going to see a gang of friends, and my teacher is lovely (Béné this is for you if you get to read this message one day!) - Sébastien
Adult class member
"The adult classes are great fun, and it's really helping me to encourage my kids to speak French at home." - Alex
"Thanks to Ecole des Copain, my child can experience a French speaking environment which I just cannot provide at home as my husband is English. Without this Saturday morning experience, it would be a real struggle to get any French spoken at home. I love the family atmosphere as well." - Joëlle
Child
"It can be hard to get up on a Saturday morning to go to French school, but although I moan sometimes, I always enjoy it once I'm there; it's like going to see a gang of friends, and my teacher is lovely (Béné this is for you if you get to read this message one day!) - Sébastien
Adult class member
"The adult classes are great fun, and it's really helping me to encourage my kids to speak French at home." - Alex
Fees
We try to keep the fees as low as possible while making sure the charity is self-funding. We don't aim to make a profit.
There is an annual membership fee of £55.
Then there are tuition fees for each term, which can be paid at the beginning of each term, or as an annual payment.
In an attempt to ease the financial burden for families with two or more children, we operate a sliding scale for fees.
Broken down to a cost per session, the fees are:
£13 per session for the first child
£9 for the second child
£7 for the third, and subsequent children
There is an annual membership fee of £55.
Then there are tuition fees for each term, which can be paid at the beginning of each term, or as an annual payment.
In an attempt to ease the financial burden for families with two or more children, we operate a sliding scale for fees.
Broken down to a cost per session, the fees are:
£13 per session for the first child
£9 for the second child
£7 for the third, and subsequent children
