FAQ

1. Which are the languages of communication at our school?
2. My child doesn’t speak French; may he/she still go to the French school?
3. Why should one learn French?
4. What is the difference between learning French and learning in French?
5. But what if we speak a third language in our family?
6. Which languages are taught in school?
7. Are all pupils French?

 

 

1. Which are the languages of communication at our school?

Except the courses of foreign languages (English, Slovenian, Spanish, and German) and the courses of the Slovenian program, all the other ones are held in French. The language of communication between pupils and teachers is French and pupils may communicate either in French or Slovenian.

The language of communication between families and school is French, Slovenian or English, depending on the families’ choice.
All the information regarding school and school activities is translated in the three languages.

 

2. My child doesn’t speak French; may he/she still go to the French school?

Of course. French schools of the AEFE network have a long-term experience in such cases and have been able to develop appropriate techniques and learning situations.

From the age of 2, your child will learn French language together with other children at the kindergarten, following the lessons, adjusted to their age. Slovenian speaking assistants will always be present to help him/her adapt to the new language, as well as to the life in school. Otherwise, he/she may benefit from additional courses of French.

If your child enters the elementary school and knows already how to read, he/she will follow the French curriculum, and if needed, a specialized teacher will accompany his/her language acquisition.

If your child doesn’t read yet, this type of training will be reinforced, so that we – the school, the pupil, and the family – would face together this challenge of language acquisition at the tender age.

 

3. Why should one learn French?

Today, the French language is spoken by 200 million of people on the five continents, and it is estimated the number of speakers would reach 700 million by 30 years. Even though, like English, French is not always the first language, it has, however, an important role in education, administration, diplomacy, justice, military, media, trade or business in many countries.

French is also one of the official languages of many international organizations.

And finally, to learn a language, this means as well to open oneself towards another culture and its values – and this can be one’s true wealth. This is the philosophy that guides the everyday life at our school.

 

4. What is the difference between learning French and learning in French?

At the French school, your child will follow the same curriculum, just as if he/she would be schooled in France. The courses are held in French using adapted teaching methods. So, it’s by the daily practice of classroom activities and learning that your child will master the French language.

 

5. But what if we speak a third language in our family?

Children from families where a third language is spoken, generally feel at ease at our multilingual school. This is probably due to the fact that they have learned very early a language, different from the one spoken in school, so they are able to make the connections between a language and the environment where this language is spoken.

 

6. Which languages are taught in school?

All the courses are in French, except for the courses of foreign languages. Everyone learns Slovenian and English, since kindergarten. In college, the school offers English, German and Spanish.

 

7. Are all pupils French?

At the moment, there are pupils from more than 15 different nationalities in our school. More than a third of the pupils are Slovenian, about a third of them are French or binational, and a quarter are of other nationalities. We are delighted to welcome nationals from francophone countries such as Belgium, as well as from other countries, like Hungary, Netherlands, Turkey, Greece, Czech Republic, Austria…

The French school of Ljubljana is proud of this diversity!