The Centre International de Valbonne has a long and distinguished history preparing pupils for international examinations. The Anglophone section is the largest of the six international sections currently represented in the school, all preparing pupils for the International French Baccalaureate, the Baccalauréat Français International or BFI.
In 1985, three students from the fledgling Anglophone section sat what was then called the OIB; this year, over 200 are being prepared for the exam, alongside classmates from the German, Italian, Russian, Chinese and Spanish sections.
Students in the Anglophone section in lycée are taught language/literature and history/geography principally by ASEICA teachers, native English speakers who have been trained in their home countries.
Each week our students study English language and literature for five hours. The course they follow aims to encourage and develop enjoyment and appreciation of literature in English, as well as analyze and discuss personal response to texts. In the final exam, their response to literature will be assessed, and they will be required to demonstrate:
- Knowledge
- Understanding
- Analysis/insight
- Judgement and critical awareness
- Expression
- Organization
Students are also taught history and geography in English for two hours per week, supplementing the two hours’ teaching also given in French. This syllabus is set by the French Education Ministry. All other subjects are taught in French by Education Nationale teachers.
Additionally, students in 1ère and Terminale are taught a third subject in English for two hours per week: Contemporary Studies - U.S. perspectives. This course focuses on research skills culminating in an independent project.
The great strengths of the program are its truly bilingual nature, and the fact that students benefit not just from a challenging academic environment but one that is culturally enriching, where the methods used, as well as the content taught, reflect the origins of the teaching staff.