The educational programme is taught in English. However, all students study French at levels ranging from beginners to first-language speakers. A Supplementary French programme is available upon request and is designed to challenge our speakers of French as a first language. Children may also take additional private language lessons with our native-speaking teachers. Outside the classroom, children benefit from being immersed in a French/English bilingual school community located in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. The children are presented with many opportunities to practice their language skills informally around school, locally and on school trips.
La Garenne students study French from Year 1 upwards. La Garenne students study French from Year 1 upwards. Depending on their level, students are prepared for internationally-recognised examinations to validate their language skills – the DELF suite of qualifications (see below). The students find this very exciting and motivating.
Cambridge Exams
The Cambridge English for Schools range of exams is specially designed to make learning English fun and motivating for school-aged learners.
Covering all four-language skills – reading, writing, listening and speaking – the exams can help your child:
- Improve in Englishand get better marks at school
- Understand books, television, films, songs, the internetand other media in English
- Make friendsaround the world
- Travelthe world
- Study at university or college, either at home or in another country
- Get a job and use English at work, either in your country or abroad.
We believe that these examinations help prepare the students for their chosen secondary school and for their future life in general. Students want studying for qualifications to be challenging and enjoyable – this gives them excellent preparation for success in their next steps in education or work. The Cambridge English Examinations have international value and are valued by schools, universities and employers.
- Students want studying for qualifications to be challenging and enjoyable – this gives them excellent preparation for success in their next steps in education or work.
- The qualification has international value and is recognized by many universities and employers.
At La Garenne, the children are all assessed at the beginning of the school year and placed in a class suitable for their level of English. The Cambridge courses are integrated into the regular English programme. On a weekly basis the students work towards gaining a qualification at the end of the year in one of the following examination programmes:
- Young Learners (YLE)
- Starters
- Movers
- Flyers
- Key English Test (KET) for Schools
- Preliminary English Test (PET) for Schools
- First Certificate in English (FCE) for Schools
- Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)
We are very proud of our students of the achievements of our students in these examinations. The results for last year
 |
 |
DELF French Language Diploma
The French Ministry of Education awards the DELF French Language Diplomasolely to foreign candidates whose mother tongue is not French. It provides official certification of proficiency, practice and mastery of the French language and is equivalent to the Cambridge Englishexaminations. DELF is issued "for life" and recognised globally.
Students from Year 5 and above with sufficient competence are entered for one of the first two levels of the DELF exam (A1 and A2).Each level is split according to age i.e. primary for those under twelve or junior for those over twelve years of age.
Student selection is generally based on the December school exam results. The official tests are usually held in May at an external centre. Our students are the youngest participants in the canton of Vaud – a fact that often impresses the examiners and other external candidates.
Since 2015 La Garenne students have consistently achieved a 100% success rate in the DELF examinations. This is clearly a great source of pride for the students, their parents and the school.
More information is available at :