This is the story of an ‘Australian’ family’s courageous experiment that worked – and worked wonderfully well. Ten months ago I wrote a blog about the arrival in Tréguennec of Tom (a consultant psychiatrist) and his partner Sian (a lawyer) who decided they would ‘drop’ everything in Australia and spend ten months in France with their two children –  Elise (aged 8) and Gabe (aged 5). (A Family’s Adventure Begins, 7th September 2024). The idea was that if their children spent a year at school, they would learn French and, in passing, discover a second culture!

That original blog told of the children’s first day at the ‘Les Trois Galets’ (The Three Pebbles), Tréguennec’s tiny primary school. This blog tells of what has happened in the months since.

Plans for their stay were hatched months earlier when it was decided that in term-time the family would live in our cottage in Tréguennec and in the school holidays, which by and large coincided with our stays in Brittany, they would go to England to see friends and family (Tom grew up in London), or around Europe to see the sights. For every child living in Tréguennec, attendance at school is free.

Throughout their stay, while the children were learning at school, Tom and Sian spent time brushing up their own French with various teachers. This blog concentrates on what happened to the children during their stay and for details I have relied heavily on Elise’s accounts; she is a very thoughtful and good communicator. 

Both children loved their Three Pebbles, not once complaining about going there each morning. They loved their 2-minute walk from their new front door, their school lunches -‘magnifique’, the ‘wonderful’ sessions they spent hours listening to the likes of Beethoven, the times they helped other children in their ‘English’ lessons, and their new friends. One or both loved their outings to an art gallery, their school ‘stay overs’ and their ‘nature walks’ in the countryside. In addition, both loved their teachers (see illustration). 

Individually, Gabe loved the chess club and was proud of being the youngest player in the school team. Elise also played chess but more important to her by far, was her new mastery of French. Just before the term ended she and I sat and talked about her year’s experience – with her permission the discussion was conducted in French. When she was originally told that the family would be spending a year in France she remembers saying ‘Non’, ‘Non’, ‘Non’. In retrospect, she now says how much she has loved her stay and how learning a new language had been enormously important to her. Interestingly, being more fluent in French than either of her parents gives her a special ‘buzz’.

The moment that I discovered at first hand that her French was fluent, and her accent perfect,  and that we could communicate with one another with ease, was very special. More impressively, when she spoke French she had the confidence and authority of a child several years older than her Australian self.

Now to Tom and Sian, and both were delighted with their decision to come to France. They were enamoured by the school where teaching had a structure, where homework was a recognised component in the children’s learning programme, where the school culture championed equality, where both teachers were very gifted, and where, from the outset, the other parents welcomed and embraced them.

Not surprisingly, their stay also touched the teachers whose feelings whose were dominated by excitement as they saw how the presence of Gabe and Elise developed them as teachers, was good for the other pupils, and obviously a wonderful experience for the two children with whom they identified. And, when I asked Marisol, the head teacher, how she would see the year in retrospect she said and I paraphrase: ‘Life is full of memories, and when one day I look into my box of my memories I will see their visit as a most precious jewel’

The last ten months have brought an Australian family success beyond belief and with this thoroughly deserved feelings of happiness and fulfilment. Although the achievements, particularly of the children, were not mine, their success has given me enormous pleasure too. 

Here was an ambitious experiment which could have gone so wrong but it worked, and just recently the family set off for their journey back to Australia. Once home the children will start their next adventure as they enrol in Sydney’s French Lycée, in which places were awarded as a result of the video application in French they made and sent during their year in France.

The illustration is a photo of Elise and Gabe sitting on a bench in the playground of the ‘Three Pebbles’. It was taken just weeks before their stay ended. Sitting next to Elise is her teacher Julie, and next to Gabe, his teacher Marisol.

For helping me write this blog I would like to thank Elise, Gabe, Julie, Marisol, Tom, Sian, Dominic, Rohan and Vivien.