FAQ – French School of Sharm el Sheikh
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We’re here to help! Whether you’re looking to learn more about our services, need assistance with a specific issue, or just want to get in touch, we’ve got you covered. Below, you’ll find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, feel free to reach out to us directly. Your satisfaction is our top priority!
WHO ARE WE ?
We take immense pride in being the only international school in Sinai, established in 1992 and transformed into an international institution through an agreement between the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2001.
Our school offers a comprehensive European education under the auspices of the French Embassy in the Arab Republic of Egypt. We follow an international curriculum with foreign management and educators, providing instruction in English and French from kindergarten. Additionally, Italian is taught at the secondary level, and Arabic lessons are offered from kindergarten, although we are not required to adhere to the Egyptian curriculum.
Catering to students aged 3 to 18, our school encompasses Kindergarten, Primary, and Secondary levels. This allows families to reside in Sharm el-Sheikh throughout their children’s primary and secondary education without needing to relocate to Cairo.
We emphasise direct, in-person teaching at both the Primary and Secondary levels, ensuring that your children receive continuous and interactive education. In Secondary school, the National Centre for Distance Learning (CNED) supplies the coursework and assesses exams, while our experienced teachers facilitate the learning process.
We prepare students for the French BREVET (DNB) and the French BACCALAUREAT, qualifications that grant access to universities across the EU, UK, and USA.
Our school prides itself on maintaining very small class sizes to ensure optimal learning conditions. We provide individualised care, recognising that each child has unique needs.
As a parents-owned, non-profit organisation governed by French law, our Board of Trustees is elected annually by the parent body. Through an agreement between France and Egypt, we are exempt from following the Egyptian curriculum, even for Egyptian students, ensuring a consistent and high-quality international education.
WHAT DO YOU LEARN AT THE FRENCH SCHOOL OF SHARM EL SHEIKH?
At EFSSH, students learn:
– Languages:
– French as the language of instruction.
– English from the first year of kindergarten.
– Arabic from the first year of kindergarten to align with the local culture.
– Italian in secondary school.
– Official Curriculum:
– Grounded in the French Ministry of Education’s standards, focusing on rigor and critical thinking.
– In kindergarten: language skills, physical education, artistic activities, early math tools, and world exploration.
– In primary and junior high school: advanced language skills, physical education, artistic activities, math tools, and world exploration.
– In high school: mathematics, biology, geology, physics, chemistry, IT, economics, sociology, history, geography, French, English, and Italian.
– Social Skills:
– Emphasizing self-respect, respect for others, freedom with guidelines, cooperation, and teamwork.
OUR GRADES
– From Kindergarten to senior year of High School.
– Small number of pupils.
– Individual support.
– Responsive management.
– Frequent meetings with the teaching team.
– Quaterly school report in French and English.
WHAT SHALL I DO IF MY KID WAS NOT PREVIOUSLY ENROLLED IN THE FRENCH SCHOOL?
– Contact us. We have solutions for younger or older students.
– A new-to-French program will start in September 2024 for students who have not previously studied French.
WHAT ABOUT THE EGYPTIAN CURRICULUM?
– As an Embassy school, we are not compelled to give the Egyptian curriculum. However, our students study Arabic and those who do not enrol in a College abroad join both private and State Universities in Egypt.
– In an Egyptien College, they will have to sit for an exam in Arabic, Religion and Social Studies.
WHAT IF WE HAVE TO LEAVE SHARM EL SHEIKH?
In case you want to join any Language School, your child is considered just like an Egyptian coming from overseas. He/she is eligible to a derogatory status from the Egyptian Ministry of Education.
AT WHAT AGE CAN YOU JOIN THE FRENCH SCHOOL OF SHARM EL SHEIKH?
– In France, children usually go to school when they are two or three years old (Maternelle).
– The maternelle (which lasts three years) is not a kindergarten.
– The professional teachers follow a curriculum which aims at social, intellectual, motor and language skills.
WHAT SHALL I DO IF MY CHILD WAS NOT ENROLLED IN MATERNELLE?
– Contact us. We have solutions.
– A special integration class will open in September 2024 for the students who didnot previously study French.
– This project is monitored by the French Embassy.
I DO NOT SPEAK FRENCH? IS THE FRENCH SCHOOL OF SHARM EL SHEIKH (EFSSH) FOR ME?
OF course! Parents of all nationalities enlist their children in EFSSH.
WHAT ARE YOUR EXAM RESULTS?
In the 2022-2023 academic year, all Year 10 students achieved their Brevet (DNB) with honours, including one student with a ‘Good’ distinction. In the 2023-2024 academic year, our Year 10 student achieved a ‘Very Good’ distinction.
In the 2022-2023 academic year, we had one Year 13 student who passed the Baccalaureate. In the 2023-2024 academic year, we had one Year 13 student who passed the Baccalaureate with a ‘Fairly Good’ distinction.
WHAT ROLE DOES ENGLISH PLAY IN YOUR SCHOOL?
In primary school, pupils study English every day and are taught one subject from the British curriculum in English: PSHE – Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education.
We produce our own teaching materials at both primary and secondary levels in order to deliver English fluency at First Language level (where the CNED only provides English as Second Language).
Once a year, we use the Cambridge CEM online individual assessment to evaluate the English skills of our pupils from the age of 4 to 18 years old and compare them with those of pupils in British schools in the UK and around the world. The assessment is conducted online, and each child receives a report for their parents.
WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR FORMER STUDENTS?
PRIMARY
– You can write to request an appointment at: info@ecolefrancaisesharm.com
– No meeting can be held without an appointment.
– Communication with teachers through WhatsApp for personal matters is PROHIBITED. The use of
WhatsApp must be limited to giving practical information (supplies, meetings) or for educational use (dictations, etc.).
The children have a daily notebook (cahier du jour).
– By email: direction@ecolefrancaisesharm.com
– By phone: 01097659903, asking for an appointment.
– Learning to respect schedules is the key to success.
– The regulation that you signed and you can download at www.ecolefrancaisesharm.com specifies that the doors close at 8 am sharp.
In December March and June for a constant follow-up.
Those booklets are translated into English.
Yes. In September, each Primary teacher will introduce their methods and objective to the parents. Later on, one-to-one parents-teachers meetings will take place in December, March and June.
The headmaster and the Teacher of the class.
– You must pay everything you owe the school. An exeat (deregistration certificate) will be given to you by the school adminisrator.
– You will then be given the folder.
– At the end of September.
– You will be notified by email and WhatsApp.
Let us know by WhatsApp or email and send us a medical certificate.
– Students make progress together at the class path.
– A child who is absent a lot needs to compensate the parts he/she missed.
– It is an accreditation from the French Ministry of Education for school overseas.
– It provides a guarantee of quality regarding the standards of Education.
– It makes easier to transfer your child to another French school.
– Because the teaching team is highly motivated, everyone willing give their time, their energy and their skills for the success of your children.
– We want to be a school that makes a difference.
– We want to focus on achievements and prepare your children to live a successful professional and personal life here in Egypt or anywhere else in the world.
– We want to make them the citizens of tomorrow.
– It is an integration program which started in September 2023 and was set up by the French School of Sharm el-Sheikh in partnership with the cultural service of the French Embassy. Its goal? Allow children who were not enrolled in a French school and do not speak French to join us. How? It depends on the age of the child. For one year, students follow a dedicated intensive French course called FLE (Français Langue Etrangère) given by a teacher who is a specialist for Non-French Speakers. They also study Mathematics, Physical education, Arabic (if they are Egyptian) and English. They can then join the class corresponding to their age.
– The very small number of students allow an individual follow-up and a real progress. For more information, contact us.
SECONDARY
The correspondance booklet was rarely used. If a teacher has a message to pass on to parents, he/she communicates it to the Headmaster assistant who will forward it by email. A hard copy of the message and its answer will be placed in the student’s file for the current school year.
– You can write a message to info@ecolefrancaisesharm.com and the school administrator will forward it to the teacher.
– You can write to request an appointment at: info@ecolefrancaisesharm.com
– No parent is received without an appointment.
– Each teacher in Secondary opened a Google Classroom account.
– Access codes are communicated through WhatsApp messaging.
– You can also read your child’s textbook.
– By email: direction@ecolefrancaisesharm.com
– By phone: 01097659903, asking for an appointment.
Learning to respect schedules is the key to success.
In January and end of June.
Yes. In October, December and March.
MY CHILD IS IN BREVET OR BAC. WHAT WILL HIS/HER EXAMS CONSIST IN? I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE “SPECIALITES” ARE… WILL WE HAVE CAREER CONSEILING ?
Indeed. Parents of 3ème, Seconde, Première and Terminale will meet the Headmaster regularly. Orientation sessions will be hold in December and April for Seconde and Première.
In Secondary, the CNED decides on the passage to the next class.
So that students can use all the resources provided by this website. So that parents can track their child’s progress and grades.
WARNING! IT IS FORBIDDEN TO COMPLETE “EVALUATIONS” AT HOME!
You must pay everything you owe the school. An exeat (deregistration certificate) will be given to you by the school administrator You will then be given the folder.
At the end of September. You will be notified by email and WhatsApp.
Let us know by WhatsApp or email and send us a medical certificate.
Students make progress together at the class path. A child who is absent a lot needs to compensate the parts he/she missed.
Because the teachers are motivated, give their time, their personal material sometimes for the success of your children. We want to be a school that is different, demanding, focused on success and which prepares your children for a successful professional and personal life here or elsewhere in the world.
Request Our Brochure
Reach Us
Location :
Hadaba Oum el Seid P.O. box 385, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Email :
info@ecolefrancaisesharm.com
Phone :
+20 109 765 9903