Johannesburg - The French School of Cape Town has just made it even easier for semigrating parents wanting to have their children able to enter local and international universities. The school offers the French education system to children aged 2–18 and it has been awarded the “British International Section” for both the middle school and high school.
Students will now have the choice of sitting both the Baccalaureat and the Baccalauréat Français International (BFI) from June 2025. This accreditation validates full bilingualism for matric.
While students already sit the Cambridge English exam to substantiate mastery of English, with the new BFI, students will be considered bilingual not only in one subject, but a few. The whole qualification is bilingual, and could also be trilingual or quadrilingual in the future.
Principal Samuel Jourdan said the school already offers Spanish and German, and in the future, some subjects may be taught in these languages too.
“We have seen an increasing number of parents from Gauteng and KZN registering their children at the school. Parents are moving to the Western Cape for better services and job opportunities, and are looking carefully at education options for their children. They are attracted to our school because of the academic standards, the international opportunities on graduation, and because their children do not have to speak French on entry, no matter what their age.”
Practically, students will now have some subjects partly or completely in English:
English (completely in English)
World knowledge (connaissance du monde, completely in English)
Culture and language (Approfondissement Linguistique et Culturel, completely in English)
History and geography (50% in English)
Other subjects can be taught in English (for example arts and music in the middle school currently), as long as 50% of the teaching remains in French
The “ordinary” baccalauréat is already fully recognised in all EU countries and most countries in the world (including England, the US, Canada, and other English-speaking countries), but French students who apply need to prove how well they speak English, which is why the French School offers the Cambridge tests for its students. With the International Section now in place, students will no longer even have to take the Cambridge test although students at the French School will be encouraged to continue taking them. Their entry requirements to some universities will even be lowered. This in turn means fewer entrance exams, priorities given to enter English-speaking universities, and extra credit given when entering a university.
The BFI brings a deep knowledge of English culture and language. Students find easier entry to Ivy League universities in the US, and other world-class universities such as Concordia (Canada), Imperial College in London, Trinity College, Cambridge, and Oxford. Some students decide to study in France and the BFI gives them an advantage when considering prestigious schools and universities such as Louis le Grand, Henry IV, Janson de Sailly, la Sorbonne, and Sciences Politiques.
Children do not have to be able to speak French to enter the French School.