NEED TO KNOW:
fa m i ly
a pleasant, safe neighbourhood bursting with remodelled Victorian terraces and tree-lined avenues. In fact, the sudden influx of Gallic parents wanting to be near to the school is already giving Kentish Town a boost in the exclusivity stakes, credited with adding a more international and culturally diverse feel to the traditionally artsy borough. And it’s easy to see where the appeal lies – Kentish Town is certainly an up-andcomer, with a less touristy feel than neighbouring Camden but smaller price tags than nearby Highgate. It’s also close to the West End (15 minutes by car), but not so close that residents are forced to abandon dreams of large period homes with generous gardens and on-street parking. And let’s not forget that St Pancras, with its direct trains to Paris and beyond, is a mere four minutes from Kentish Town Railway Station, making pit-stops back home to stock up on Brie de Meaux as easy as the morning school run (well, almost). There’s also an increasingly great selection of independent shops to choose from (the delis among them covering a truly dizzying array of world cuisines), not to mention good restaurants and a better-than-average selection of specialty wine shops (not to be sniffed at if you happen to be French). With the demand for places at French schools rocketing and a handful of institutions set to open across the capital in the near future, the French invasion certainly shows no sign of slowing down – and if that means more little enclaves filled with brasseries, boulangeries and Baby Dior, you definitely won’t hear us complaining. n
NEED TO KNOW: Type of school: Bi-lingual private independent day school Age range: 5-15 Gender: Mixed Number of students: 583 Date opened: September 2011 Headmaster: François-Xavier Gabet Overseen by: Agence pour l’Enseignement Français à l’Étranger (AEFE) Type of education: Bi-cultural and bi-lingual, meaning that roughly 50 per cent of classes are taught in English and 50 per cent in French. The school also has a homologation from the French Ministère de l’Éducation Nationale, meaning that it follows a French curriculum. Address: 87 Holmes Rd, London Borough of Camden, NW5 “As part of its mission, CFBL aims to offer its pupils an excellent education, adapted to the needs and ambitions of each individual. Multicultural, plurilingual and cosmopolitan in outlook, we strive to enable our pupils to discover the pleasure of learning and to grow up in an international and multilingual community, embracing mutual respect, listening and the wellbeing of all.” – François-Xavier Gabet, Headmaster
a pleasant, safe neighbourhood bursting with remodelled Victorian terraces and tree-lined avenues. In fact, the sudden influx of Gallic parents wanting to be near to the school is already giving Kentish Town a boost in the exclusivity stakes, credited with adding a more international and culturally diverse feel to the traditionally artsy borough. And it’s easy to see where the appeal lies – Kentish Town is certainly an up-andcomer, with a less touristy feel than neighbouring Camden but smaller price tags than nearby Highgate. It’s also close to the West End (15 minutes by car), but not so close that residents are forced to abandon dreams of large period homes with generous gardens and on-street parking. And let’s not forget that St Pancras, with its direct trains to Paris and beyond, is a mere four minutes from Kentish Town Railway Station, making pit-stops back home to stock up on Brie de Meaux as easy as the morning school run (well, almost). There’s also an increasingly great selection of independent shops to choose from (the delis among them covering a truly dizzying array of world cuisines), not to mention good restaurants and a better-than-average selection of specialty wine shops (not to be sniffed at if you happen to be French). With the demand for places at French schools rocketing and a handful of institutions set to open across the capital in the near future, the French invasion certainly shows no sign of slowing down – and if that means more little enclaves filled with brasseries, boulangeries and Baby Dior, you definitely won’t hear us complaining. n
NEED TO KNOW: Type of school: Bi-lingual private independent day school Age range: 5-15 Gender: Mixed Number of students: 583 Date opened: September 2011 Headmaster: François-Xavier Gabet Overseen by: Agence pour l’Enseignement Français à l’Étranger (AEFE) Type of education: Bi-cultural and bi-lingual, meaning that roughly 50 per cent of classes are taught in English and 50 per cent in French. The school also has a homologation from the French Ministère de l’Éducation Nationale, meaning that it follows a French curriculum. Address: 87 Holmes Rd, London Borough of Camden, NW5 “As part of its mission, CFBL aims to offer its pupils an excellent education, adapted to the needs and ambitions of each individual. Multicultural, plurilingual and cosmopolitan in outlook, we strive to enable our pupils to discover the pleasure of learning and to grow up in an international and multilingual community, embracing mutual respect, listening and the wellbeing of all.” – François-Xavier Gabet, Headmaster
