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newsletter
Edited by ALA-ELP
On behalf of all the parents in the *ALA-ELP Committee, I would like
to wish a belated Happy New Year for 2015 to all English National
Programme students, their parents and families.
I would also like to extend a warm welcome to the pupils, parents
and teachers who joined ENP and ALA-ELP at the start of the school
year in September. I hope you had a good “rentrée” and, for the
pupils, that you are enjoying your ENP classes. Our programme is
growing steadily, reaching a record number of almost 1,000
students across the primary and secondary sections … and we have
a record number of 8 new teachers who joined the ENP staff in
September.
With this New Year, comes a new President for ALA-ELP. After a very
productive 4-year stand, Julie Badoche stepped down and I was
elected to lead the Committee. My name is Annie Merat and I have
been volunteering as a member of the Committee for several years
now. During the November AGA, the Committee also welcomed 3
new members and co-opted 2 more subsequently in December. Our
group is now 14 parents strong, parents who, along with the Head
of Programme, Peter Woodburn, are responsible for providing a
strategic direction for the work and improvement of the
Programme, assessing its effectiveness and holding it to account for
standards achieved and the quality of education. We are also the
administrators of the association and represent its members, the
parents of all ENP students.
This is the current list of ALA-ELP Committee members:
Officers: Annie Merat (President), Sylvain Poitras (Vice-President),
Marco Cattaneo (Treasurer), Luis Del Pozo (Vice-treasurer), Susan
Morris-Yates (Secretary).
Other Committee Members: James Gillies, Anamaria Bulatovic,
Philippe Cloesen, Shaun Collins, Sarah Dehon, Emily James, Marc
Schachter. Ex-officio: Peter Woodburn as Head of Programme.
Co-opted members: Anne-Marie Twomey, David Simms.
This year, the Committee has chosen to focus its work on two
important topics: first, the planning and development of the ENP, by
reviewing the management structure of the programme to better
support its growth and by overseeing the implementation of a
system to track students’ results and set targets. Both are
recommendations made by the Inspector. Secondly, the welfare and
appraisal of ENP staff by introducing a ‘Mutuelle de Santé’ and
acting on a proposal for a new staff appraisal system.
As you will see in this edition of the ENP newsletter, volunteering is
very much at the heart of the ENP. Many students and teachers take
part in volunteer and extra-curricular activities, helping others,
contributing to exciting events and initiatives and, at the same time,
enriching their life experience.
FEBRUARY 2015
____________________________
In this issue
ALA-ELP AGA Meeting Report
2
News From ENP
Staff News
2014 Exam Results
2014 University Places
4
5
5
Primary Section
CP Write Their First Story
6
Students Articles
Never Going Back To My Old School
Oxford University Interview
Volunteer Work in Ghana
FerMUN
7
9
10
11
Events
Readers2Writers
GCSE Awards Evening
ENP Talent Evening
13
13
14
Key Term Dates &
Contact Details
15
Wishing you a fulfilling and
successful year,
Annie Merat
ALA-ELP President
*ALA-ELP stands for ‘Association de Langue Anglaise- English Language Programme’ and is the association governing and
financing the English National Programme (ENP). All the parents of the pupils attending ENP classes are de facto members
of ALA-ELP.
ALA-ELP Annual General Meeting
AGA Meeting Highlights - November 28, 2014
The Annual General Assembly (AGA) was held on Thursday 28th November 2014, in the Salle de
Conférences of the Lycée International in Ferney Voltaire. The meeting was attended by some 50 parents
and staff. Below are some of the highlights.
Student Numbers
The meeting heard that student numbers rose more than 4
percent to almost 1,000 in the school year beginning
September 2014. The trend continues the year-on-year rise
in pupils that we’ve seen over the last six years. Of the total,
350 are enrolled in the Primary section, 351 in the Collège
and 259 in the Lycée. These numbers include a new age
group - a CP pilot class in Primary – making it likely that the
Programme will rise above 1,000 in the near future.
To keep pace with this increase in pupils, the Programme
welcomed eight new teachers this year, five at the
Secondary level. However, two other staff moved to posts in
Geneva and a third, Doug Sammons, retired.
Inspectors’ Report
The independent inspection report, following a visit in April
2014, stressed in particular the quality of teaching and
management as well as high standards of achievement
among students. A survey among parents also showed high
levels of satisfaction with the Programme.
Tracking and Targets
The report identified tracking student results and setting
targets for them as a key development at ENP. To meet the
need for consistent records of attainments by pupils, the
meeting heard from Mr Woodburn that the Programme is
looking at ways of creating progress targets, agreed with
students, for the end of each year. The targets use
Pupil*Asset, an online tracking application that helps the
Programme to generate measures of progress. These
averages are based on standards set in the UK; however
they can’t be applied across all ENP levels because there are
differences with the French system.
The tracking lets staff see a diagnostic view as well as a
forward target, designed to motivate students to reach their
potential. With regular discussions between teachers and
students, it should be possible to measure progress toward
targets while letting students be fully aware of them.
Peter Woodburn also desctibed a new ENP skills curriculum,
in line with what is being used in the UK. The curriculum
identifies seven key skills, broken down per subject, aimed
at providing a framework for the competences that need to
be mastered for academic and personal success.
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This helps the Programme’s teachers to coordinate teaching
across subjects and identify the skills that have an impact on
performance.
University Places
One of the targets for students in their terminale year is to
get a place at university. In 2014, 71 per cent of the year’s 76
students earned a place at their first-choice of university.
Three part-time university counsellors worked with the
students to help them make choices about where and what
to study. In particular the team focused on finding the best
places to study particular subjects, rather than focusing only
on the reputation of a university.
See later article on 2014 University places.
Committee Changes
The meeting also thanked Julie Badoche who stepped down
as president of the committee, along with fellow members
Karen Jones and Gilles Poumerol, for all their work in recent
years. Annie Merat, Secretary and Chair of the Human
Resources sub-committee, will temporarily take up the role
of president of the committee.
The meeting also adopted the auditors’ report and approved
signature rights on accounts and then elected three new
committee members: Sylvain Poitras, Anamaria Bulatovic
and Susan Morris-Yates, with a fourth, Marco Cattaneo, reelected.
St.Genis Lycée
Finally, Mr Woodburn and the committee members took
questions. There was a discussion about the second Lycée in
St Genis Pouilly. The target date for opening the Lycée, which
will also run international programmes, is currently
September 2016, although that is subject to delay. There
was also discussion on the fact that students will attend
either Ferney Voltaire or the St Genis site. The answer will
depend on where they live. Mr Woodburn also confirmed
that the same options for ENP classes will be offered on both
sites, although there will be some differences in baccalauréat
options.
News From ENP
From Peter Woodburn, Head of Programme
A New Primary Class: CP
ENP had never taught at CP (cours préparatoire) level. So
the opening of a CP pilot class represented a challenge to
our know-how and resources as well as an important
opportunity. Resources and equipment were put in place
and a framework for an effective CP curriculum designed.
Planning has continued and has been adapted in response
to our growing experience of the needs and capabilities of
this age-group. It is planned that the two teachers
involved should develop and consolidate expertise in this
area of teaching and learning that can be handed on to
other teachers. The results of this experiment seem very
positive and the Programme and ALA-ELP association will
be considering the future of CP teaching very shortly.
There is an article on CP’s first stories in this newsletter. It
underlines the main aim of teaching at this level: that
pupils should master reading in English and apply their
developing skills to their own writing.
A New Approach To The Curriculum
Last year the ENP Leadership team researched and wrote
a cross-subject ENP Skills Curriculum to complement the
individual subject curricula. This document sets out skills
domains and areas that subjects have in common and
that underpin the specific content of each. As we put this
curriculum into action, some skills areas are being defined
as priorities for cross subject or cross phase
(primary/secondary) work. Concise resources are being
produced for pupils to remind them of these priority skills
areas and to establish a common approach across ENP
subjects. An example of such a resource, which is for
6ème and CM and is on written communication, can be
seen on the ENP website along with the Skills Curriculum
framework.
New Baseline Testing of 6ème Pupils
Our work on tracking students’ progress, on setting targets for
attainment and on measuring added value needs reliable
baselines from which to measure. These can be hard to
establish with the high percentage of turnover of pupils we
experience each year. To address this need for baseline testing,
a pilot session of on-line cognitive tests, covering a range of
skills (rather than recently-taught content) was run just before
Christmas for all ENP 6ème pupils. These tests, run on the
internet in the school’s ICT room and individualized for each
pupil, were supplied by CEM, part of Durham University;
marking and reporting was automatic. The results will aid us in
ensuring that the academic potential of our bilingual pupils is
both well-measured and well fulfilled.
The New St.Genis Lycée site
The second site of the Lycée International is due to open its
doors in St Genis in September 2016. The first level to be
welcomed there will be 2nde, followed by 1ère and terminale a
year later. About half of all Lycée pupils at Ferney will attend
the St Genis site and this will include roughly 50% of ENP
pupils.
See more:
http://www.atelierdalmas.com/enseignement/ferney-voltairesaint-genis-pouilly-01
History-Geography and Mathematics
Each new school year for the last few years, OIB HistoryGeography in ENP has become compulsory for one
further age group. From September 2015 it will be
compulsory for 3ème, having become compulsory for
4ème from September 2014. From September 2016 all
pupils in the Programme will be studying HistoryGeograpy in English. Mathematics has, in this process,
become a true option. Pupils who take it increase their
hours of education in English from 6 to 8. It is a highly
attractive subject-choice which, together with the
compulsory ENP subjects, gives the basis of a rich
bilingual curriculum in classes from 6ème to 1ère. An
article on exams results later in this Newsletter gives a
sense of achievements in these two subjects.
Picture: Atelier Didier Dalmas Architectes Associés
www.enpferney.org
3
News From ENP
Staff News
We welcomed a total of eight new teachers at the start of
this year. In the Primary section, Meriel Rhodes (teaching
CM1) and Karen Poulsen (CP) joined us in September.
Karen’s skills and experience were particularly significant for
our CP pilot class start-up, but she had other work
commitments, and could stay with us for one half-term only.
Carolyn Howson took over her work with the CP class from
half term. Five secondary full time teachers were also
appointed in September. These were Sarah Smith, Head of
English, Nick Grey, secondary English teacher (also teaching
in CM2), Philip Bretéché, English teacher and new ICT
Strategic Leader, Richard Elwell, Head of History-Geography
and Neil Bishop who teaches History-Geography. We also
welcomed a new supply/cover teacher, Leslie Jagoe.
We warmly thanked Alan Ackroyd at 2014 end of year events
for his work as interim Head of English. Paul Grady, Head of
History-Geography, left ENP in July to become a Geography
teacher in a local international school, and, at the same
time, Doug Sammons was given a warm send-off by staff and
pupils for his retirement.
Paul and Doug were thanked for contributions to HistoryGeography teaching and to the department, and tribute
was paid to Doug’s pioneering MUN work. Thanks were
expressed and a warm send-off also given to Doreen Power,
who after her work in ENP as a primary and English teacher
left to join another local international school. Francine
Seller returned to her work in the ENP office at the start of
the school year, and was given a warm welcome by staff,
and Catherine Chevrot has just finished her ‘congé parental’
and is back with us once again in the office, where her work
is much appreciated. Florence Baudry’s contract as a
replacement office staff member finished at the end of
October and we said goodbye to her formally at our end of
year Christmas drinks. She continues to be heavily involved
in MUN projects with the School.
New full time teachers pictured in the staff room in January (left to right) Neil Bishop (History-Geography),
Richard Elwell (History-Geography, Head of Department), Nicholas Grey (English and CM2), Sarah Smith
(English, Head of Department); not pictured - Philip Bretéché (English and ICT Strategic Leader)
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www.enpferney.org
News From ENP
2014 University Places
Three part-time ENP university counsellors again worked
with the 76 students in terminale last year, helping
applicants with choice of subjects for study, and of the best
place to study in. The counselling team, led by Alan Ackroyd
included Lisa Woodburn and Sophie Garne. This school year
it has welcomed a new counsellor, Nicholas Grey, who has
taken over from Lisa Woodburn. Alan Ackroyd’s summary of
university places gained by 2014 graduates showed that
71% of the 2014 terminale year secured a place at their first
choice of higher education institution. The countries where
places were gained and the subject areas for successfully
secured places are illustrated in the table.
UCL, Kings College and Imperial College, London;
Universities of Warwick, Nottingham, Bristol, Bath,
Sussex,
Kent,
Manchester,
Surrey,
York,
Loughborough and Durham are among the list of UK
universities where places were gained and Geneva,
Neuchatel and Lausanne, EPFL and HEC, Lausanne;
the University of Virginia and McGill University; Lyon
University; Universities of The Hague, Amsterdam
and Rotterdam are among the universities outside the UK.
The counselling team is now starting their work with this
year’s 1ère students. Counselling work with terminale
students continues, as students complete applications,
attend interview (where required) and communicate with
universities on courses and offers.
Recent work has included organizing and running of mock
interviews with subject experts for candidates attending
interview at Oxford and Cambridge colleges. So far, two
conditional offers have been received from Oxford, one for
PPE and one for Computer Science. Two have also been
received from King’s College, Cambridge, both for Natural
Sciences.
Country; places gained 2014.
UK
Switzerland
Netherlands
France
USA
Canada
No. of Places
33
15
7
10
1
1
Course Category Subject area
Business & Management
Maths & related
Medical & related
Engineering/ Technology
Science & related
Social & political studies/ Law
No. of Places
8
2
8
12
5
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2014 Exam Results
We congratulate the Programme’s 2014 public examination
candidates for their achievements, and thank all teachers
who worked with these students during their examination
years and previous years.
The percentages of History-Geography OIB baccalauréat oral
and written scores at the 14 and over level were higher in
2014. In the written examination, 29% of candidates
obtained a score at this level: a key improvement on the
previous year’s results. In OIB English the same percentage
of candidates (63%) scored 14 or above in the written paper
as in 2013. Our school improvement partner (SIP) had set a
somewhat higher target. In the oral paper for this subject,
45% scored 14 or above. This figure is low in comparison
with recent years’ results and we are working for
improvement in the distribution of oral scores this year.
Percentages of students gaining A* or A in GCSE in 2nde in
English Language went up in 2014 to 40% (from 36% in 2013)
and down in English Literature to 44% (from 51%). Both
History-Geography and English departments set target exam
grades for individual students. One focus for development in
ENP is working to ensure that each student gains at least
their minimum target grade for each subject. These targets
are based on tracked past achievement and on expectations
of progress.
Results in ENP Mathematics GCSEs were very strong in 2014,
with 81% gaining A* or A in Mathematics and 62% in
Statistics. In the relatively new AS course, 16 students opted
to take the examination and 38% achieved an A grade. These
are very good levels of attainment, both for our students and
for the Mathematics department, which has wellestablished experience in the use of target setting for exams.
Full details of all 2014 exam results, can be found on the ENP website:
http://www.enpferney.org/enpv2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=172&Itemid=91
www.enpferney.org
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Primary Section
ENP’s New CP Pilot Class Write Their First Stories
Carolyn Howson, CP Teacher
This year saw a first for ENP - the introduction of a pilot CP
class as part of regular ENP primary lessons on a Tuesday
afternoon.
A team consisting of Lisa Woodburn, Head of Primary, early
years teacher Karen Poulson, and since October half term
Carolyn Howson, worked hard to design the new
curriculum, buy resources and adapt the classroom. The
main aim was to start the children reading, writing and
communicating orally with confidence and enjoyment in
English.
‘I can write some dreams down.’
‘My mummy loves writing and I love writing.’
‘I can write about anything I want and all I have done.’
‘I invent things.’
‘It makes people happy.’
The team was able within a standard secondary ENP classroom to make the right kind of space in which to welcome
and accommodate the intake of eager 5 and 6 year olds.
‘I share it with the class.’
Out of the new class of seventeen, two children could read
a little in English when they started in September. Barely
three months on, confidence has grown, skills have
developed and there is no stopping them. The children are
now even writing their very first stories.
‘We learn things when we are writing stories.’
Pupils have expressed immense pride in this new ability
and readily share their creations with the class. They have
read out their stories and answered questions put to them
by their peers.
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The children are already happy to talk about the pleasures
of writing. When asked why they liked writing, they said:
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‘I like going up and down in zig-zags.’
‘I love writing.’
And one pupil confided: ‘I like making books so my mum can
sell them.’
Never Going Back To My Old School
Being A Student Helper In CM1
Mollie Jagoe, Student Helper Volunteer CM1
3.30pm, Wednesday afternoon. I stood in the empty
hallway outside of door G106, giving myself a few more
seconds before immersing myself in a primary English
lesson. It would be my first time ‘back’ in six years. (N.B.: I
had never in fact attended one of these lessons myself,
having arrived in 6ème. I had never even studied in English
in primary, so I could not imagine what awaited me behind
the door. However I had heard tales of spelling units, plays
and poster-making from friends and my younger siblings.
The ENP primary programme was already a legend to me,
and I seemed to be the only one who hadn’t experienced
it.) I knocked twice and walked inside Mrs Gregory’s CM1
class.
The room which I thought I had known so well had
undergone some kind of transformation. The colourful
projects which brightened the usually-bored walls made the
space feel lovingly used and welcoming. Instead of tired
and stressed half-children, half-adult students, the mini
artists themselves filled the old chairs and desks. They
made me feel taller, the room wider, and the desks bigger.
They were in the midst of passionately sharing their ideas
and suggestions with the teacher, each from their own desk
island but their minds together, when I entered the room. It
went quiet, and silent hopeful smiles went around the
knowing room. “Are you Mollie? Are you the student
helper?”
They had prepared questions for me, to get to know me.
Standing alone in front of the group I would grow to feel so
comfortable with, I felt about a metre taller than my actual
height (“How tall are you?” they awed), and quite
vulnerable. Their young and genuine interest disarmed me
momentarily. At that time it was difficult for me to imagine
how I would get to know them, to watch them grow even in
that short six month period. Amongst the many questions I
received, my favourites were “Are you forty?”, “Where did
you get your Doc Martens?” and “What is a student
helper?”
This last question was the only one I could not fully answer.
What is a student helper? What does a student helper do?
In my mind it had been simple up to that point. I had
received an email, along with every Lycée student in ENP,
that we could be ‘student helpers’ for one hour or more a
week. I had helped children complete their English
homework and learn English privately and I had been a
camp counsellor. A sweaty sunscreen-y camp counsellor
covered in paint, purple Popsicle slurp and six year olds. In
my mind, these past activities qualified me for helping in a
classroom. “Kids!” I thought to myself. I must know how to
be a student helper.
www.enpferney.org
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Never Going Back To My Old School
Being A Student Helper In CM1
Mollie Jagoe, Student Helper Volunteer CM1
The truth is, I don’t think anyone was too sure what a
student helper was. I was in the very first wave of our kind.
In any case, I was assigned to the Blue table, to help a boy
who needed extra help with his English. (How fun that your
table had its own colour! It adds to the excitement, in my
opinion.) I thought that this arrangement made sense. I
would help quietly during the lesson if he did not
understand something, or had difficulty in completing a
task. For the first lesson or two he was fairly shy about
asking me anything. I would need to prompt him and ask
him if he needed help understanding what to do and how
to do it. However, once he discovered that we were both
equally fluent in French, a new world of opportunities
opened up to both of us.
I became his dictionary/thesaurus/expert on the entirety of
the English language, and in exchange, he became a rebel.
“We’re in ENP, you need to speak English!” I would whisper
back at him helplessly. Over time, he did start speaking
English more confidently, which gave me a great sense of
achievement; even though I know that I cannot have been
the sole instigator of the English language in his life. Either
way, it allowed me to witness his progress and feel its
effects wash over me. This must be what being a teacher is
like. Directing, encouraging, wanting your student to
achieve their highest capacities – and then revelling at their
progress, watching them begin their steps in paving their
own paths.
Being a student helper allowed me to perceive life in a
different way. (Yes, in case you were wondering, I began
Philosophy this year.) When you are growing up and sitting
at vast desks, it feels like it will be that way forever. You
will always see older, more boring people, but you’ll never
actually become that way yourself, right? Everything in the
present is so important, so relevant and bright. I realised
that this is how I saw the world when I was in CM1.
Watching them see me and everything around them in that
same way gave me a strange feeling of mirroring and
inception. I recognized the same social situations,
embarrassments and interactions, the same mistakes,
habits, and kinds of students, the same thinking patterns,
book choices and blossoming ideas. These students were
truly still developing and growing into the next wave of
humans that would one day replace mine.
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To me, this was the incredible eye-opening aspect of
volunteering in the educational sector. Who knew that I
would find it in that familiar run-down classroom?
So, what is a student volunteer? A student volunteer is the
one who tentatively corrects your spelling mistakes before
showing the teacher, the one who checks your library books
in and out (probably chatting for a minute too long about the
book), the one who frantically helps the slowest child cram
loose pieces of paper into their backpack while the others
wait in the corridor. I am the one who escorts your child to
the toilet, stealing snatches of conversation about their
family, their holidays and their love for drawing. I will spend
those painful ten minutes removing thumbtacks from the
wall to return the bright projects to their rightful owners. I
help stimulate group discussions, suggesting questions that
students can ask one another (I have fond memories of eager
children fervently asking each other “And what do you think
about this painting?”) so they can improve group discussion
skills. I sheepishly admit that I am also the one who may or
may not have occasionally been caught up in the mischievous
laughter of the Blue table, perhaps brought on by something
as simple as the word “piggy”.
The highlight of my experience was not really in fact totally
absolutely attending the ALA-ELP end of year event catered
by the Indian Rajpoute restaurant (tee hee), but was truly
and genuinely receiving the card personally signed by every
one of my CM1 classmates. My favourite farewell note from
one of the students, Alex, was “show me América”.
“Show me América”.
Oxford University
Interview
School Matters
From Knowledge To Knowledge, On Knowledge
Alma Crespo on her experience of an Oxford admissions interview
‘Tell me about a
cactus.’ ‘How would
you break the news to
a farmer that his cow
has died?’ ‘Throw a
brick out of a window.’
Those are some of the many odd questions thrown at
candidates by Oxbridge tutors that have led to the making of
the Oxbridge interview myth, according to which the
interviewers ask the students anything and everything.
Everyone that went through the interviews this year,
including myself, didn’t come across that, which in some
ways is disappointing, because how you react to a question
like ‘Describe this saucer to me as if I wasn’t in the room’ can
tell you a lot about yourself.
No matter how prepared or confident you are, the thought
of it being a highly-ranked university has a way of making you
forget all your abilities. You shrink in the face of the
dreaming spires. At least, that’s what happened to me. No
matter how equipped you are to handle the situation, if you
convince yourself that this is too big, if you forget that this is
just another talk about why you love your subject, then you
lose yourself. I had to ask a friend to repeat those words to
me on a daily basis while I was there.
During the 4-day stay, Oxford gave the candidates complete
independence. I was staying at Somerville College, the one I
chose in my application, and all we had to do was to go via
the student lounge in the morning to check if we had
interviews at other colleges, which can sometimes happen.
When you are called for an interview, an Oxford student that
has stayed over the holidays to help the candidates takes
you to the building your interview is held in, talking to you
and trying to ease the fear on the way. ‘The first interview is
always the worst’, the girl said to me. My hands were
shaking. She took me down a long, white corridor, to a single
door at the end of it and a thought that calmed me down
was how comically cliché’d that moment was.
I sat down at a wooden table in the centre of the room,
surrounded by rows and rows of books on the walls. There
was a stack of orange envelopes, the first one with my name
on it. In it was a text I had to analyse.
After that I didn’t really think about the importance of
the situation, which is what normally makes one’s palms
sweaty, and just dived into the analysis. 20 minutes
later, a tutor came to get me and the interview began.
They found things in my personal statement I didn’t
realise I had talked about. For instance, I added an
alternative ending I would have preferred for a book I
read, and from that they concluded I like creative
writing. The question that stumped me, leading to a
two-minute silence was, “What’s the difference
between literary criticism and artistic expression?” You
can ask what they mean if you don’t understand, and I
did. I was told before that they don’t want you to know
the answer, they want to see how you think and how
you develop an idea on the spot. There is no right
answer, so I just had to trust my train of thought, no
matter how puzzled it was.
The second interview went much like the first, only I
knew what to expect. I was asked to a third interview at
another college, and I think that was the most stressful
moment of my experience. They tell you it means
nothing in particular: maybe they want another point of
view, maybe they have no more space for you, maybe
another college has become interested in you. There
was one boy that got interviews at six different colleges
and got an offer from a seventh college he had never
interviewed at. Another girl got interviews at 4 colleges,
and got an offer from her first choice. You can never
guess when it comes to Oxbridge.
Overall, the chance to meet wonderful people going
through the same thing that I was, and to be able to
relate to them and have great moments in the few days
I shared with them, was amazing. Being able to speak to
people that appreciate your subject the same way you
do, and to professors that understand the beauty of it, is
very rewarding.
There's a library in Oxford called the Bodleian library,
where there is a copy of every single book ever
published in the UK. The collection is so big that it is held
in underground rooms running under the streets of
Oxford. Walking out of a bookshop and onwards
towards our college, a friend I met there told me he
loved the city so much because we were constantly
walking "From knowledge, to knowledge, on
knowledge."
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Volunteer Work In Ghana
Terminale Student - Volunteer Work In Ghana
Eduardo Valverde is a
student in ENP terminale
and is planning to study
medicine. Last summer,
Eduardo travelled with the
organisation Projects
Abroad to Ghana for
volunteer work, in
preparation for his
application.
During his two week
placement he worked in
the local villages; providing
care and helping with local
awareness campaigns.
This article was written by
Projects Abroad about his
experience.
Projects Abroad is a
voluntary international
organisation that proposes
voluntary missions for
young people from the age
of 16. It offers internships
across many domains:
Humanitarian,
Construction, Teaching,
Business, Ecovolonteers
etc., along with language
courses in 29 countries
around the world. More
information about the
missions can be found on
the website:
www.projects-abroad.fr
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www.enpferney.org
FerMUN
Engaging Youth In The Post 2015 Agenda
Palais des Nations, January 12th 2015
After months of work by students and MUN directors, six
hundred students gathered on Monday January 12th in the
Palais des Nations for the opening of the 2015 FerMUN
conference. The theme was 'engaging youth in the post
2015 agenda'.
Over the two days following, in the ITU and elsewhere,
themes vital for the future of mankind were discussed in
committee, made the subject of resolutions and lobbying
between the students, and debated with passion and
engagement. That distinctive MUN hallmark - that
students take key leadership roles in every aspect of the
conference - was very much in evidence. President of the
conference, interpreter, journalist and translator: these
were among the tasks taken on with enthusiasm and
professionalism by Ferney students.
All subjects and all tasks were approached, in English or
in French, with motivation and enjoyment, evidence of
the fact that MUN offers an education of the whole
student which nothing else can equal.
The themes debated, including global extreme poverty
and waste, climate change, sustainable development,
and health across the world, called upon students'
knowledge of the world, their idealism, optimism and
their determination that things should improve.
'Uncertainty can no longer be an excuse for passivity'
was one statement emerging from exchange and
debate. It is a sentence that sums up something about
the conference and sums up as well, perhaps, the spirit
of those who imagine and plan such inspirational events
for young people - and turn them into reality.
This was a fully bilingual conference and delegates chose
to speak in either French or English. The conference
facilities allowed them to understand each other and to
debate.
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FerMUN
Engaging Youth In The Post 2015 Agenda.
Palais des Nations, January 12th 2015
What is MUN?
MUN stands for Model United Nations. It is an academic — university and high school level — simulation of UN debates
on geopolitical topics. Universities such as Harvard have been organizing these simulations for a long time. The aim of
MUN is to motivate students to care about international relations. It helps them to develop their debate skills, to learn
how to write resolutions and to engage in several different causes. The ‘Club MUN/MFNU’ is a ‘bi-language’ club and is
currently an activity within the AP structure of the Lycée with students attending an hour session every Wednesday
afternoon. The FerMUN conference is organised by the association MUN-MFNU, with adult directors working closely
with a board of students. For further information please visit the MUN Ferney website at: http://www.fermun.org
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www.enpferney.org
Events
GCSE Awards Ceremony
th
Tuesday, January 20
Baccalauréat certificates were distributed to 2014
graduates at a Lycée ceremony last November. The
Programme again this year ran a separate award ceremony
for those who took British exams (GCSE, IGCSE and GCE)
within ENP in 2014. This took place on Tuesday, January
20th from 18h00 in the Agora. Over 150 pupils and parents
attended.
M Brech, Proviseur of the Lycée International, was present
and emphasised the importance of celebrating pupils’ efforts,
before they were called forward to receive their Edexcel
certificates from M Brech. The evening finished with an
aperitif provided by the ALA-ELP Association.
Readers2Writers
Tuesday, January 20th
This new extra-curricular venture started in November with a
session on the work of Nicholas Grey, novelist and English
teacher in ENP. Students and parents attended a live
interview in the Agora, during which Nicholas talked about
the process and pleasures of writing, where he got his ideas
from and what helped him to keep applied and inspired
while writing.
The series of meetings continues on February 5th, with an
evening session on the work of Edward Girardet.
During the first meeting Peter Woodburn outlined the ideas
behind Readers2Writers. He said that the intention was to
get as many writers into school and in contact with students
as possible, and to celebrate their skills and commitment.
He hoped in these encounters we would hear about the
realities of writing: the determination needed, and the
inspiration and time put in. In due course some student
writers would speak about their writing projects and what
writing means for them.
Students and parents are welcome at the next meeting on
February 5th on the work of Ed Girardet, a journalist and
writer who has worked in Afghanistan and made this country
his main area of expertise. A correspondent of international
standing, he is renowned for the qualities of his writing. His
book 'Killing the Cranes' describes his experiences in
Afghanistan over several decades and has been acclaimed as
a classic.
Peter Woodburn, Head of Programme, with Nicholas Grey at the Readers2Writers evening.
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Key Term Dates & Contacts
Contact with ENP Teaching Staff
Key Dates
Peter Woodburn, Head of Programme
[email protected]
Saturday 7 March:
ENP Talent Evening and disco
Wednesday 11 March:
CM1 Assembly
Friday 13 March:
CM1 Assembly
Wednesday 25 March:
CM2 Tests for admission in 6ème
Friday 27 March:
CM2 Tests for admission in 6ème
Saturday 28 March:
Journée Portes Ouvertes/ Open Day
Tuesday 31 March:
CE2 Assembly
Wednesday 1 April:
CE2 Assembly
Wednesday 8 April:
Tests for admission in CE1
Monday 6 April:
Public holiday. School closed
Monday 13 April to Friday 24 April:
School holiday. School closed
Friday 1 May:
Public holiday. School closed
Friday 8 May:
Public holiday. School closed
Tuesday 12 May:
IGCSE French
Wednesday 13 May:
GCE Maths Paper C1
Thursday 14 May:
Public holiday. School closed
Friday 15 May:
IGCSE Spanish
Monday 18 May:
GCSE English Literature:
Understanding Prose
Wednesday 20 May:
GCE Maths C2
Friday 22 May:
GCSE English Literature:
Understanding Poetry
Monday 25 May:
Public Holiday. School closed
Tuesday 2 June:
GCSE English Language
Wednesday 3 June:
IGCSE German
Thursday 4 June:
OIB English (written)
Thursday 4 June:
GCSE Maths Paper 1
Friday 5 June:
OIB History-Geography (written)
Friday 5 June:
GCE Maths S1
Monday 8 June:
GCSE Maths Paper 2
Tuesday 16 June
CE1 Assembly
Wednesday 17 June:
CE1 Assembly
Thursday 18 June:
GCSE Statistics
Thursday 25 June to Tuesday 30 June:
OIB Orals
Friday 3 July:
School closes
Tuesday 7 July:
OIB Results
Friday 10 July:
ENP Office closes
Lucy Howen, Administration & Admissions
[email protected]
Sarah Smith, Head of English
[email protected]
Andrea Knowles, Head of Mathematics
[email protected]
Richard Elwell, Head of History-Geography
[email protected]
Lisa Woodburn, Head of Primary
[email protected]
ALA-ELP* Committee Members
Contact with ALA-ELP
Annie Merat, President
[email protected]
Officers:
President: Annie Merat
Vice President: Sylvain Poitras
Treasurer: Marco Cattaneo
Assistant Treasurer: Luis del Pozo
Secretary: Susan Morris-Yates
Other committee Members:
James Gillies
Sarah Dehon
Mark Schachter
Shaun Collins
Philippe Cloesen
Emily James
Anne-Marie Twomey
David Simms
Anamaria Bulatovic
*ALA-ELP stands for ‘Association de Langue
Anglais - English Language Programme’ and is the
association governing and financing the English
National Programme (ENP). All the parents of the
pupils attending ENP classes are de facto members
of ALA-ELP.
ENP Office
As the ENP office is busy place, the Programme’s preferred means of
contact is by email: [email protected].
The office staff make every endeavour to reply to emails promptly. If
however you do need to phone, the number is: 04 50 40 82 66.
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