Primary school
Primary school
Primary school runs from CP to CM2. It is in these classes that children start to get a grasp of fundamentals skills and acquire a solid base in all subjects, mostly using French.
- CP (Primary 1): 6 years old
- CE1 (Primary 2): 7 years old
- CE2 (Primary 3): 8 years old
- CM1 (Primary 4): 9 years old
- CM2 (Primary 5): 10 years old
Objectives of Primary School
Primary school is the foundation of learning.
French school programs aim to give pupils a solid knowledge and cultural base and a common set of skills. It focuses on 5 main areas:
- Languages as a means of thinking and communicating
- Methods and tools for learning
- Training of the individual and citizen
- The way nature and things work
- Representations of the world and human activity
Our top priority is for children at EFI Brussels to become proficient in French: assimilation of the language and skill in writing.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME
In this context, our educational program has been carefully prepared to take into account the complex issues related to learning in two languages, so our pupils’ learning and knowledge can improve on a very wide variety of subjects:
- Children develop their logic thanks to subjects like geometry or problem solving
- Children learn to organise their ideas, prepare for the events that mark the year, and manage their own work
- We teach them the concepts of time, space and environment
- Physical education, music and art complete this important phase in the child’s development
We encourage children to be original, creative and autonomous in all their learning. They make presentations of their work on a regular basis, thereby gaining self-confidence and organisational skills. We also encourage them to work in small groups, to develop their spirit of cooperation.
Customised Learning
The teachers at EFI Brussels give each pupil individual attention, while teaching the general curriculum. They adapt their approach to each child’s needs to allow him or her to make better progress by providing customised content that will bolster and stimulate the child’s ability to learn. Smaller classes and our overall innovative approach to teaching add even more value to the benefits brought about by of our child-specific approach.
Personal tuition
pupils who encounter difficulties in basic learning (articulation, reading, writing, numeracy) or any given subject matter can either join short individual work sessions or sessions in small groups.
Transitional Groups for English Language
Certain pupils may be able to benefit from special support groups to facilitate their English language learning if English is a foreign language to them. While lessons are being taught in English, pupils who need to improve their English can do so in small group sessions.
Tutoring
Pupils who need extra tuition or additional support with something in particular can take part once or several times a week in supplementary educational activities (SEAs) adapted to their needs.
Language Teaching
To ensure constant and rapid progress throughout the course of their primary education, our pupils spend half their time in lessons taught in English, amounting to approximately 13 hours per week. Each class has two teachers, a native French speaker and a native English speaker, who work in full coordination with each other. The French speaker coordinates the teaching of the French curriculum across the two languages. Pupils not only learn English, but also in English, through total immersion in both languages.