Entry into the Wednesday weekly classes at primary level is made by application directly to English 31 and is subject to successfully passing an assessment. Places are limited and not all qualifying applications may be accepted.

However, there are set times for the testing of pupils, and children will be expected to attend an assessment session which occurs in the Spring. For students who are applying from abroad, online sessions can be organised and the written exam (if applicable) can be sat at your child’s current school.

CP to CE1 will have an oral assessment lasting 15-20 minutes at Simone Veil School in Colomiers.

CE2 to CM2 will have a reading and writing assessment lasting one hour, followed by an oral exam of 10 minutes at Simone Veil School.

We test in spring time but if there are places available, we will organise more testing in summertime.

Entry into the Integrated/international section programme at Simone Veil school is made by application to the school authorities (Simone Veil and Mairie de Colomiers) - the dossier d’inscription is also made available on our English 31 website in December. Applications are followed by an English-based assessment test in March/early April at the Simone Veil School. A convocation is sent by email to the applicants informing them of the exam dates. This form should be brought along with a passport ID to the examination. Arrangements can be made for foreign students to sit the test at their current school abroad.

For a place in CP and CE1

The test involves a 15 minutes oral assessment with a Section’s teacher and will consist of looking at and discussing books from the reading scheme. The aim will be to check that the child understands and can answer questions about the story, the characters and can talk in more detail about the main themes in the text. A reading check will be made but the ability to read already will not be expected.

For a place in CE2 to CM2 – There will be two parts to the assessment process:

Reading comprehension - Each child will be given a piece of text to read, differentiated between the different year groups. (20 minutes)

Oral Interview with a Section teacher - During the discussion the candidate will be expected to answer questions about the text and complimentary questions related to the subject matter. (20 minutes)

All applicants for CP to CM2 will also have a short interview in French with the head teacher of Simone Veil School to assess their level of French.

A waiting list of candidates who have the level but have not received a place is also in operation and some candidates can be admitted later in the school year should a place become available.

Collège

Entrance to the British Section of the Collège is obtained by applying directly to the school authorities via the Victor Hugo Collège website. English 31 is NOT involved in the application process. Please find more details on the Victor Hugo Collège website here  or on our website here on how to proceed with your child’s enrolment.

Please note that pupils within the English 31 Primary programme do not have an automatic right of entry to the Collège Victor Hugo and must apply as per everyone else. There is a very heavy demand for places in the Collège, and applications are managed by the school authorities.

Applications are made in January directly to the Collège administration team, followed by an entrance test in March/early April at the Collège. A convocation is sent by email to the applicant informing them of the exam dates. This form should be brought along with passport ID to the examination. Arrangements can be made for foreign students to sit the test at their current school abroad

The exam is a 1.5 hour written exam followed by a 15-minute oral. An example of which can be found here.

Candidates are informed by the Collège administration team if they have been successful in obtaining a place, usually sometime in April. A waiting list of candidates who have the level but have not received a place is also in operation and some candidates can be admitted later in the school year should a place become available.

Places for Cinquième through to Troisième are very few and again a waiting list operates. Please note that the waiting list is held for one year at which point the examination must be resat.

Lycée

Entrance application to the British Section in Lycée is made directly to the school authorities via the Victor Hugo Lycée website. English 31 is NOT involved in the application process. You can find more details here or on our website here on how to proceed with your child’s enrolment.

Applications are made in February directly to the Lycée administration team, followed by an entrance test in March at the Lycée. A convocation is sent by email to the applicant informing them of the exam dates. This form should be brought along with passport ID to the examination. Arrangements can be made for foreign students to sit the test at their current school abroad.

The entrance test is a two-hour paper comprising a piece of extended writing (i.e. an essay) and a comprehension exercise. Only students satisfactorily passing the written test are invited to attend an oral assessment.

Candidates are informed by the Lycée administration if they have been successful in obtaining a place, usually sometime in April. Places for Première are very few and NO places are available for direct entry into Terminale.

Given the considerable academic and intellectual demands the French educational system places on its pupils, it is unlikely that a student of Lycée age who speaks no French will be able to cope with the challenge of a new language, educational system and culture. The British Section is very reluctant to accept such pupils unless evidence is provided of the candidate’s ability and willingness to integrate into a bilingual school system.

SECONDARY ADMISSIONS TIMELINE