La Découverte - Tuia Burnside Primary School
French/English Bilingual Special Programme
Supported by FRENZ
Tuia Burnside Primary School – French Special Programme
Tuia Burnside Primary School is proud to offer a unique French Special Programme, where students receive approximately 60% of their learning in French while following the New Zealand Curriculum. This immersive bilingual environment provides students with the opportunity to develop fluency in French while engaging in a rich and well-rounded education.
Eligibility criteria for being part of La Découverte include:
- The child comes from a French-English bilingual background.
- One parent or caregiver is a capable French speaker and is committed to support the child's bilingual education.
- The child can express their needs, feelings and ideas in French, as appropriate to their age.
- After being accepted into La Découverte, all families are required to join FRENZ, the supporting organisation (www.frenzschool.org.nz).
Process for application:
- Complete an 'Expression of Interest' form and email it to admin@burnsideprimary.school.nz or contact the school office 03 351 9407.
- Subject to a space being available and the eligibility criteria being met, your child will be offered a space conditional on an interview with a teacher and a FRENZ representative to confirm your child's level of French and home support structure is sufficient.
- When the programme is at capacity in a given year, a ballot is used to offer places for the following year. Applications for the ballot close on 31st August in the given year.
- Every year, the school will publish the number of spaces that are available in the ballot for the following year and will contact prospective applicants.
- The ballot system runs on a priority basis. Information on this can be found at the following link
- If your child is successful in the ballot a space will be offered conditional on an interview with a teacher and a FRENZ representative to confirm your child's level of French and home support structure is sufficient.
The programme is supported by a New Zealand NGO called ‘FRENZ’ which helps create and run French-English bilingual education units in New Zealand. The current yearly donation to FRENZ for families is $660 per year, per child. Please visit the FRENZ website [https://www.frenzschool.org.nz/] for more information.
External link