Parent
We had a terrible experience with École Galilée. In Spring, we met with the directrice, Sabine Noir, about enrolling my daughter in CE1 in the fall. The first thing I told Mme. Noir was that my daughter was behind in reading and writing and most likely had ADHD. She may have to repeat CP. Mme. Noir reassured me that her school often assisted children with learning differences and they were well equipped to support her. After a trial day, they accepted her and we were thrilled to begin.
At the end of the second day of classes, my daughter's teacher Anne Bachelier, who was hired only three days before school began, told me she was concerned because my daughter was behind on reading, writing and mathematics and did not speak French. I said knew that and I had emailed the school a psychiatric evaluation of my daughter and her previous school's reports, which all said she had ADHD and was behind. Mme. Bachelier said she hadn't seen those documents and was unaware. She suggested she and I have a meeting with Mme. Noir. I set one up immediately for that Friday.
At the meeting, both Mmes. Noir and Bachelier were baffled that my daughter needed special attention. I was baffled because her special needs were not only the first thing I mentioned in my informational interview with Mme. Noir, but I had also provided documentation. They said she will never learn French in a classroom and I should enroll her in an English-only program. Despite her promises, Mme. Noir said there was little they could do for my daughter. They would place her in the CP class for the time being. Mme. Noir said she would provide me a list of schools that may be more appropriate and names of administrators I could contact. She never provided this list.
I was devastated.
That weekend, I told my daughter that she would move from the CE1 to CP class. She was delighted because a girl had been bullying her in CE1 and Mme. Bachelier refused to help her, maybe the children would be nicer and the teacher more competent in CP.
On Monday, I talked briefly with Mme. Noir after dropping my daughter off. I asked if she was going into CP. Mme. Noir told me, no, she would stay in CE1 because there was "no point" in putting her in a new class because she was leaving the school. I was very confused. I told her that I had only had time to research and call a few schools on Friday and they were all full. I didn't know yet where we were going or where. She maintained it would be better to "transition" my daughter out of CE1 and into CP gradually.
At pick-up, I asked my daughter how her day was in CE1. She said Mme. Bachelier, who seemed confused that she was in her class at all, told her to "keep the noise down" and did not include her in any lessons or give her work to do. She sat by herself and drew pictures all day.
I was furious. I emailed Mme. Noir that this was unacceptable. Tomorrow (Tuesday) would be her last day at École Galilee. I did not receive a response.
The next morning, Mme. Noir tried to explain, but I was no longer interested in her opinion. She had acted cruelly toward my daughter and my family. She had made promises that clearly her school was not equipped to keep. I demanded that our tuition deposit to be refunded immediately (this took about a week and several emails.)
École Galilee might be a fine school for children who are 100 percent neurotypical and can already read and write in both English and French. However, if a child deviates from this perfection in any way, please know that Galilee does not have the training and/or the desire to accommodate them. I only ask that they do not lie to families and treat children with kindness and respect.
3 other reviews for École Galilée - (Reviews aren't verified )
Parent
We came to France for a year with our three children.
All three went to the Galilée school. Everything went very well. The little one had a bit of difficulty adapting to the country and the language, but the whole team was great and helped her adapt. The teachers are very attentive, as are all the school staff.
The two older children learned French very quickly and have loved this year. The teachers know how to adapt to each child. I really appreciate that.
Thank you for this wonderful year, we won't forget it!
Parent
We chose this school after reading the good comments left online, but it
is important for us to give a review based on our experience :
The classrooms are too small for the number of students enrolled, even though class sizes are quite small compared to traditional schools.
Pupils only go outside once a day after lunch. When it rains, pupils may not go out at all.
This doesn't respect children's basic physiological need for time to move.
This lack of exertion can make it harder for them to be receptive to learning.
Another point of attention: the quality of the canteen. Despite a change of service provider, the food is constantly cold and bad, with no possibility of compensating with bread as they don't serve any.
During mealtimes, children have to remain silent or whisper, otherwise they can be punished during the break.
Finally, the headmistress doesn't question herself at all, and listens very little, if at all, to parents' suggestions.
Parent
Very disappointing experience. There’s a lack of space and infrastructures, but beyond this, there ´s an obvious lack of kindness, as far as I’ve been concerned with the CM2 teacher. It began right from the start when our son was candidate for « délégué de classe » and she cut him off and bashed him in front of all the students. He was proposing to raise funds to get a water fountain as the tap water is warm. Prior to this, our son had the idea to propose a petition to improve the canteen. They just tore the paper that had been filled with more than 20 commentaries from the students and this is how he got sacked the entire year. I must underline that the management endorsed this teacher every time she has been confronted, and despite a direct testimony of another adult during a meeting with us (as I was told, children’s voices are not accountable) and so the teacher ke... read full review
