Primary Admissions and Testing

Please read this guidance carefully before applying for a place. It explains priorities for admission and other important issues which you need to know before applying.

General Points:

Our primary classes start at CP level. The ENP Primary Programme provides tuition in English, based on the English Curriculum for children from CP level. Classes are taught in English and children applying to join the Programme will be expected to have an age-appropriate, native or near-native level of English in all aspects of the language.

The ENP Primary programme works in collaboration with the French educational system. Primary lessons take place on one afternoon each week. Our CP, CE1 and CE2 classes take place on either a Tuesday or a Wednesday afternoon. Our CM1 and CM2 classes take place on either a Wednesday or a Friday afternoon. We ask families to choose their preferred day, but we cannot guarantee that we will be able accommodate your request. Pupils who attend the Programme receive the main part of their education during the rest of the week in a French primary school.

The English National Programme is governed and financed by the ALA-ELP Association; an association registered under French law. Parents of children admitted to the Programme are required to become members of this Association, to abide by its statutes and rules and to pay promptly the membership and tuition fees on receipt of invoices. Fees are set at the beginning of the academic year, in late September or early October. The fees change from year to year due to inflation and fluctuations in the number of students enrolled.  Before requesting admission to the Programme, please consult our tuition fees page for further information about the Association and current tuition fees.

Admission:

Admission to the Programme is not automatic. If fundamental decisions about coming to live in the Pays de Gex or about your children's educational future depend upon gaining a place in the Programme, please seek our advice before taking these decisions.

• Children must be enrolled in a French primary school in the Pays de Gex to be eligible to participate in our Primary programme.
• Priority is given to children of parents who are resident in France. Children who attend French primary schools in the Pays de Gex, but whose parents reside in Switzerland, will be considered if space allows.
• Within the group of students who achieve a pass mark in the tests for the primary section, priority is given to children of CERN employees whose children attend a French primary school in the Pays de Gex. (By ‘CERN employees’ is meant those who are employed directly by CERN.)

Testing for Primary:

All places in the Programme are awarded based on entrance test performances.

Testing for our intake class (CP) usually takes place on a Wednesday morning at the beginning of June. At this point, candidates are at the end of their GS (Year 1/Kindergarten) year within French primary schools. Testing for CE1 to CM2 will take place at the end of June. 

The test for entry into CP is principally an assessment of their ability to speak English with ease. The test is a 10-minute individual test (face-to-face) conducted by the Programme’s primary teachers. The testers’ main goal is to put children at their ease, so that they can respond in English with their usual fluency and confidence. Places are awarded based on performance in the oral test only. 

For CE1 the test will take 30 minutes. For all other Primary classes (CE2, CM1 and CM2) the test will take 60 minutes. These tests consist of a reading comprehension exercise based on a short passage of prose and a brief piece of continuous writing by the candidates. An oral test will also take place. 

Our primary tests are designed to assess the children’s level of spoken and written English. The complexity of the tests increases with the age of the child. 

An administrative fee will be charged for each application to take the ENP Primary admission test. The fee is non-refundable and applicable to all applicants, including those who have previously applied to, or been part of, the Primary Programme. The fee for primary applications is €100 which will be payable on registering your child for the test.

If you wish to register your child for our admission test, click here.

If you have any further questions then please contact our Admissions officer, Ms Gwen MARY, by emailing administration@enpferney.org, or calling the ENP office on 0749315529.