Best Preparatory schools in France

We have had a wonderful experience at Eridan. Our 3 children aged 3, 11 and 13 at the time attended Eridan from January 2022 until July 2023.
As a family we move often with my husband's job, so it is very important to find the right school to assist with that smooth transition.
The children have had a very positive experience during their time at Eridan, the maternelle in particular we found to be a very kind, inclusive and nurturing environment. The open lines of communication and support in the college proved to be highly beneficial whilst navigating any gaps in the children's education including additional intervention in the way of homework and extra french lessons.
Thank you Eridan

Collège dans un beau bâtiment certes.
Néanmoins les profs sont beaucoup trop exigeant et pas assez pédagogue.
Ne permettent pas à des collégiens de faire des erreurs et de leurs expliquer celle-ci.
De plus, la bienveillance censée être leur mot d’ordre n’est pas présente, ils se permettent de descendre les élèves dès la 6e sans prendre en compte les problèmes éventuels de l’élève.
Ajoutons que si nous ne rentrons pas dans le moule, il est très dur de se faire accepter.
Les enseignants se permettent de juger et d’énoncer des critiques très peu appropriées.
Une hypocrisie globale se fait ressentir, et le harcèlement est FRÉQUENT par les professeurs tout comme par les élèves.
JE DÉCONSEILLE VIVEMENT, ayant était élève dans ce collège.

Nous sommes très content d’avoir choisi Nino’school. C’est une école à taille humaine, notre fils s’est épanoui grâce à l’attention qui lui a été portée par toute l’équipe et grâce au dynamisme et a l’enthousiasme de sa maîtresse.

Nous avons mis nos enfants dans cette école et nous ne regrettons absolument pas !

Fanny la fondatrice a su mettre a l’aise nos garçons.
Elle joue un vrai rôle au sein de l’établissement et créer un lien unique avec chacun des élèves.

Nos enfants apprennent à une vitesse folle mais surtout à leurs rythme.
Impossible de ne pas apprécier l’école croyez moi !

Les éducateurs respectent le caractère, la personnalité et le rythme de l’enfant.
Ils les tiennent en éveil en leurs présentant de nouvelles activités pour les stimuler dans leurs intérêts.
Investir et offrir à ses enfants un cadre idéal pour se construire n’a pas de prix.
Un grand merci à toute l’équipe 🫶.

Meilleure Ecole de Neuilly, qui forme les futures Elites de la Nation (AKA Moi meme)

Après 2 ans de déception a l'école de notre village, nous avons découvert cette école pour notre fils et c'est franchement incroyable! Une école telle que je la conçois: des maîtresses consciencieuses et soucieuses du bien être des enfants, un enseignement adapté au rythme de chaque enfant, une direction accessible et à l'écoute des inquiétudes ou demandes des parents, une ambiance très familiale et un environnement agréable... que demander de plus?

notre dame de sainte croix est une bonne école, les prof sont majoritairement sympa et les éducateurs aussi

Super école ! L'enseignement et les activités sont de grandes qualités. Mon fils a fait de gros progrès en anglais. Je recommande les yeux fermés !

Awful.

École à éviter ! Renseignez vous et vous constaterez que cette école (très chère pour l'éducation qui y est dispensée) traîne beaucoup de casseroles derrière elle !

Notre petite fille, maintenant âgée de 5 ans et demi, est accueillie à l'école Eridan depuis la petite section. Cette école l'épanouit énormément. Les classes ont des effectifs qui favorisent des liens de solidarité et d'amitié forts entre les élèves (ce que nous constatons pour elle depuis trois ans, ainsi que pour nous), en sus de faciliter bien sûr l'accompagnement de chaque élève. La professeur de français dédiée lui a donné énormément gout à la lecture et l'écriture. Enfin, l'environnement de l'école (campagne dans la ville) est très agréable quand on arrive le matin. Je ne peux donc que recommander cet établissement.

meh

Une école EXCEPTIONNELLE !
Mon fils y est rentré à deux ans et c'est incroyable l'évolution positive qu'il y a eu en si peu de temps !
Les enfants sont entourés par une équipe dynamique et bienveillante, à l'écoute des enfants et aussi des parents.
Contrairement à ce que l'on peut croire, c'est une infrastructure qui met en place un cadre, des limites où les élèves se sentent en sécurité.
Entre les activités de yoga, la permaculture, les chansons, les danses et plein d'autres, mon fils va à l'école avec le sourire ☺️
Que du positif, je recommande vivement !

Alors concrètement saint croix c’est quoi
Je vais écrire ça en 2 parties là primaire puis le collège

Primaire
Plutôt calme bonne primaire je recommande appart peut être les prof je me souvient qu’il y a ou avais je ne sais pas si ils sont mort de vieillesses ou pas c’était un chauve 60 ans je dirais et une dame pareil 60,70 ans irrespectueux le monsieur m’avais pousser dans les escaliers étant jeune donne 3 tonne de travail sont abusif niveau notation nous mettent la pression bref c’est deux prof là je ne l’es recommande pas du tout mais il y a Mme grellier je ne sais plus si elle enseigne toujours une dame très gentille compréhensive je l’aimais beaucoup c’était une bonne prof

Appart ça niveau classe ce sont généralement des classes de taille moyenne avec général 30,32 élève led bâtiment sont plutôt beau la cantine est moderne ok y mange pas très bien mais c’est comme dans toutes les cantines j’ai envie de dire

La primaire je recommande

Là collège

Les bâtiments sont très beau la cantine est correct la cour est grande mais le niveau est élevé les prof sont trop sévère abusif sur le travail irrespectueux mais au moins ils enseigne bien mais ce sont des méthodes qui ne sont pas agréable stressante ect ils sont très sévères ils nous mettent des heures de colle pour rien au moindres faux pas niveau code vestimentaires ce nest pas libre mais tout le monde s’en fous un peu donc ça va les prof Monsieur larange PIRE prof que j’ai jamais eu sévère abusif sur les notation nous met la pression fais des blagues racistes nous menaces vraiment ce mec est un fous il y a aussi Mr gevert lui c’est un « légume » comme on dit il est absent pendant le cours il ne fais rien il s’en fous de tout mais au moins il est drôle

Conclusion Sainte croix est une bonne école néanmoins si vous voulez «  vous amusez être détendu » ce n’est pas fait pour vous certain prof sont abusif irrespectueux mais ils enseignent bien donc si vous n’avez pas peur de ça foncez y vous aurez un bon avenir mais pas ine bonne enfance

Si quelqu’un de saint croix voit ceci je vous passe le bonjour en espérant jamais vous re voir :)
( si j’ai fait des fautes d’orthographe j’avais la flemme et vous vous plaindrez à Monsieur larangé)

Très bonne école, bonne pédagogie et très agréable, bonne ambiance

An outstanding school with a professional team from diverse backgrounds who always gives their best for the good of their pupils. A year full of great experiences, with amazing children and co-workers, as a teaching assistant.

Du matériel et des locaux de grande qualité, de beaux espaces. Du personnel formé, avec un véritable atout pédagogique et de grandes compétences humaines. Nous sommes ravis des progrès de notre enfant, de l’attention qui lui est apportée avec bienveillance, et discipline. Une école qui bouillonne d’enfants heureux.

Nous sommes ravis que notre fille ait intégrée cette école! Elle a le sourire tous les matins avant d'y aller et tous les soirs en partant. Une équipe très professionnelle et toujours à l'écoute.

Amazing school! My childhood's best memories are definitely from this place filled with care and knowledge all around you.

Our 2 children have been there for the past 7 years and I can say our overall experience has been great. I read through several of the reviews and there have definitely been some vastly different experiences. I can not speak for the families that have been targeted by the direction, because that seems to be the situation, but as an American mother that wanted her children to grow up knowing what it is to be bi-cultural and bilingual. Eridan has helped our family achieve that thanks to our children learning, from the beginning, in both languages and from teachers that are actually French, American, British, Australian, etc. When my children go to visit their American family they are as comfortable as when they are with their French one. Plus they mix with the children of my ex-pat friends as easily as they do with the children of my French friends. This is not as easy to do as one would think. The level of teaching at this establishment, as the level of care of the teachers themselves, are beyond reproach. Every time a teacher has spoken to me about my children it has been fair, observant amd constructive. All subjects are treated seriously, with a very well rounded curriculum that includes a real place for music, art and sports. As for the direction, however, there is room for improvement. Communication between the direction and parents (that isn't positive) is difficult and attitudes can be very different from the school's philosophy, which is a shame. In my experience the director is not horrible, just so attached to her school, and point of view, there is not much room for discussion. There is supposedly a change of power happening and the new director is more open to feedback. I hope it takes place because even with this reality Eridan is the only school in the Montpellier area that has been able to put in place a multi-cultural school, and not just a school that teaches English as well.

We have attended Eridan for one year after attending another international school in the area for one year and we are so glad we changed schools to arrive at Eridan.

As an American living in the South of France, it is difficult to find a well rounded, international-minded, welcoming school for our children but I think Eridan is pretty close to the mark. In the classroom, the English to French ratio is just about 50:50 and the level of English is very close to where they would be in the equivalent classroom in an English speaking country. The children are all held at a high standard in each language regardless of one's native language to the point where I spoke with several children who could speak quite fluently in both languages because of the classroom - not because of a bilingual home. I would attribute this standard to the excellent teachers. They seem to be given full control of how the subjects are taught in the classroom and are free to use creative and fun tactics to teach their subjects.

We found the school to be a very welcoming place for both our children and us, as parents. The children are polite and respectful and the parents are kind and willing to speak with a non-fluent French speaker. It feels as though the school works to make all activities inclusive of French and English speakers and even employs some of the practices of American and English schools that are not widely used here in France such as a parent Quiz night and book fair as well as extracurricular activities offered in both languages.

But if you have read the other reviews here, it is obvious there is one grand flaw in the school - the directoress. I will be honest that the stories the children come home with are quite concerning but as none of these interactions have been directed at either of my children I do not feel right in passing them along not knowing what is true or not. My children have limited interaction with her and so I have no direct complaint on the matter but I do think there is cause to be concerned. The rumor is she will not be around for much longer and her son will take over the position but we do not know when that will be. There seems to be a grand disconnect between the actions of the directoress and how the school actually functions - I imagine there are many answers to that question but I feel that the school is getting it right most of the time.

So, in short, the only reason I have given Eridan a 4 star review is because I feel that there needs to be a change in leadership.

Une équipe pédagogique à l'écoute, sensible et dévoué à nos enfants. Merci d'avoir été toujours derrières eux. Je recommande fortement

We first arrived in Montpellier for the school year of 2010-11 with our 6 yr old daughter and 3 yr old son. Although they have an American mother and a French father, the children had different levels of bilingualism in 2010 - the 6 yr old was much stronger in French and her brother spoke almost entirely English. We were excited at the opportunity to put our daughter at Eridan, which offered a 50/50 split of the languages from the first grade/CP. French and Math are taught by a native French speaker and English, Science, History/Geo, Art, Music and PE are taught by a native English speaker. The pre-school is taught 100% in English, however, so we were concerned about our son's ability to progress in French. No regrets - by the end of the first year (even by winter break, really) both kids were switching back and forth with English and French without an issue.

Now that we've been at Eridan for six full years, I can give an assessment of its pros and cons. By far, the best thing about Eridan is the teachers! As with any school, the teachers are what determines about 80% (in my opinion) of whether you child thrives or not. Eridan teachers know their material and care about their students. The second major advantage of Eridan is its ideology of respect, confidence and the right to make a mistake. The teachers espouse the approach and, helped by the small class sizes, can really bond with their students. Studies show that children learn better when the classroom is a constructive, enriching place, whereas French public schools tend to focus on teaching the material rather than developing the children. Also following on from Eridan's ideology are the positive interactions among the children. The kids know everyone at the school and many of them play together across ages and classes, so it really feels like a family. The third exceptional quality of Eridan is what actually stands out first - the language instruction. From our first year, when our daughter was starting CP/first grade, I have been able to speak English to her classmates. How many French 6 yr olds do you know who can understand a native English speaker and usually respond in English? And on top of English fluency, the students acquire an awareness of "Anglo-saxon" cultures around the world by celebrating Halloween, singing English songs, participating in correspondent programs with Australian kids, practising public speaking during school assemblies, playing cricket and baseball, and by many other activities.

To be fair in my assessment, the things I like less about the school are: that the director did not always practice what she preached in terms of the ideology, that there aren't more international or bicultural families, and that despite having Spanish since age 3, the kids cannot speak basic Spanish by the time they finish primary school.

No school is perfect, of course, and no two children or families are the same, so only you can determine whether Eridan is the right school for you. We are very happy with the education and experience our kids have had at Eridan and feel lucky that we had the possibility to send them there.

My three children attended this school for 2 trimesters 2015-2016.

After an initial delay of 3 months in finishing the newly built "collége" (equivalent to Junior High School) they were in relatively comfortable classrooms with basic equipment for Grades 6 (6-éme) and 7-8 (5:éme, 4-éme) Since the class size was too small they combined 7th and 8th into one. They had a couple of excellent teachers and learned a lot of French out of necessity (and desire) since half of the classes including Physics, Mathematics, Biology and Music were 100% in French.

The school is privately owned by the Gillet - Gely family. The PTA is run as far as I could tell by Frederique Sidney-Hetmaniak. Due to the lack of a BOD the family has total discretion.

If you've been to any US public schools or to any international school as we were before attending Eridan (UNIS: United Nations School and Wagner jr. high in NY) you might be as dismayed as we were to see how intimidation and verbal abuse is a regular part of the daily life of students young and old at this school. One great frustration for us was that, ironically, the Principal Sylvie Gillet didn't speak English well enough to communicate with us and interaction between us 'foreigners' and the "Francophones" was actively discouraged.

All in all, through hard work and perseverance, we achieved what we set out to do: to gain a better understanding of French language and culture. Luckily there are some seriously dedicated teachers - especially the British teacher responsible for English/Geography/History/Arts who was wonderful and the French-native teacher responsible for Mathematics/Physics/Biology/Music.

Unfortuantely, instead of being a 100% positive experience, we were left with a sense - even after 9 long months at the school - of NOT belonging due to the dismissive attitude of the administrators towards them and their foreign-born pals as well as the ingrained xenophobic attitudes of both the parent body and the students.

Finally the location of the school is really not ideal as it's sandwiched in between a recycling plant and a massive auto repair shop (which doubles as a "ChiCha" club at night (when I asked the guy outside the club what it was he said "nargilay" which is a Turkish water pipe or Hookah - Google searches for Eclipse Night Club confirm this) and a railroad depot in the back. The school as well as the mini sheep farm next door made it habit of (illegally) burning leaves and straw rather than composting them and unfortunately the school follows a policy of dumping the excess cafeteria food into a "composting" pile directly next to where kids play and parents wait after school which in warmer months makes it fly and vermin infested and leaves a terrible smell. (I am all for composting but they mix meat and dairy into the pile and don't balance the brows and greens so it's an unhealthy compost). Overall the location along broken-car-window-glass strewn empty streets which trucks and cars barrel down without concern for the fact that there's a random school in the neighborhood make it unsafe and the highly industrialized area is unclean with poor air quality. We lived within walking distance in a nearby decent neighborhood (near St Cleophas) but we were the only ones who walked to and from school. The rest of the parents come in by car to leave and pick up their kids.

Feel free to contact me with any other questions you may have about the school : karinaaberg AT me DOT com

je suis à ste croix et vraiment je pense que c'est le meilleur établissement que j'ai fais (5 en tout)
les professeurs sont très compétant, les éducateurs sont compréhensifs et toujours de bonne humeur... c'est franchement super

Super