French International School Riyadh Review
The story so far...
One of the long-established international schools in Riyadh, the École Française Internationale de Riyad, (EIFR) otherwise known as the French International School Riyadh, is one of many international French curriculum schools which operate under the auspices of the French Ministry of Education and are accredited with its Agence pour l'Enseignement Français à l'Étranger (AEFE). The Riyadh school operates with the support of the French Embassy in Saudi Arabia.
Located in the northern An Nada area of the city, according to AEFE, the school currently has some 1,380 students of whom approximately 25% (370) are French citizens. In the 2020-21 academic year, approximately 18% of students attended the Kindergarten, with a further 39% of students in the Primary school, 26% attended College and approximately 220 students (17%) were in the final three grades of Lycée.
In the same period, the school had a total of 145 staff members with 30 educational staff (including 26 teachers) from France, and 115 staff under local contract, including 82 teachers from a range of different francophone countries. The teaching team includes a specialist music teacher and nine language teachers (four in English – five in Arabic).
The school has established a Vision and Mission for the period from 2022 to 2025:
“Supporting each student on their path to success; allowing him (or her) to become a fulfilled and responsible citizen”
The mission and vision update is part of a process of "improvement and progress in the service of the academic and human success of the students." Input from the school community identified three key areas of focus.
These are:
- The development of the mastery of the French language and exposure to culture to ensure the success of all students.
- The facilitation of a proactive approach in the service of education for sustainable development.
- The preparation of students to be responsible citizens, capable of contributing to the development of a democratic, united, pluralistic society open to other cultures.
In addition, four components of AEFE's strategic plan find their place within each of the priority areas: orientation, continuing education, digital technologies and educational cooperation.
In common with most such international schools which are supported by their governments, EFIR is a not for profit school which is operated via a number of administrative boards, including the Governing Board and School Council. The school council is composed in part by 15 elected parents whilst the Governing Board has four elected parents.
The school is led by Principal, Mr. Ronald Muller, Deputy Principal, M. Christian Ducrocq, and Primary School Principal, M. Franck Grebot.
Organisationally, the school is separated into three sections including Kindergarten/Primary, Collège and Lycée.
There are three classes in the Petite Section, four in the Moyenne Section classes and four in the Grande Section classes. In Kindergarten, each teacher is assisted by a Kindergarten assistant.
Admission to the Petite Section is open to all students provided that the child is three years old during the calendar year, i.e. before 31 December. For the other sections, and subject to available places, registration is subject to passing an entrance test. However, to apply, the child must be, during the calendar year, four years old for the Moyenne Section or five years old for the Grande Section.
The Elementary section is divided into five classes each of Cours Primaire, CE1 and CE2 classes, and four each of CM1 and CM2.
The College has five sixth-grade (6ème) classes, four each of 5ème and 4ème, and three classes of 3ème. Finally, the Lycée section has three classes each of Seconde, Primaire and Terminale.
What about the curriculum?
Students follow the French National Curriculum throughout the school, and EFIR has also placed a particular focus on language teaching, taking into account its location in Saudi Arabia, but also the increasing emphasis on the English language in the French curriculum.
In Kindergarten and Primary, teachers meet the parents of students in the first term to explain their programme and the objectives to be achieved during the year. The curriculum focuses on the priorities of elementary education including the French language and Mathematics initially.
Since the start of the 2020 academic year, and the implementation of EFIR’s linguistic project in accordance with the directives of the AEFE, Petite and Moyenne Section students study a single foreign language which is Arabic. From Grande section, students study two foreign languages: Arabic and English.
As students enter the Primary school, so the curriculum broadens to include additional core subjects such as literacy, history, geography, science and technology, visual arts and music and physical education. From CP to CM2, students have 90 minutes of English per week and 120 minutes of Arabic, and the amount of time spent on each language increases as students move through the school.
As students move on to Collège, they continue their studies of the core curriculum of French Language and Literature, History and Geography, Arts and Crafts, Musical Education, Civics, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Technology and PE. Students continue to study the two additional languages, with English for 4 hours per week in sixth grade and 3 hours per week in fifth grade, whilst Arabic is taught for 2.5 hours per week. Once students reach 5ème, they take three compulsory languages, again with English for 3 hours per week, Arabic for 2.5 hours per week and a choice of German or Spanish for a further 2.5 hours per week. At the end of 3ème, students take the Diplôme National du Brevet.
Finally, in Lycée, the school has introduced the new French Baccalauréate with its core subjects and division into general and technical streams. French (in Primaire), Philosophy (in Terminale), History/Geography, Moral and Civic Education (EMC), Modern Languages A and B, Physical and Sports Education, General Science (in the general stream) and Mathematics (in the technical stream). A written and oral French test takes place at the end of first year of Lycée.
English lessons are mandatory for 3 hours per week, together with a second compulsory language of either German, Arabic or Spanish (for 2.5 hours per week). Students also have the option to take the third language, for 2.5 hours weekly).
From the start of the 2019 academic year, the EFIR offered seven specialty courses including Life and Earth Sciences, Technical/Digital Science, Economics, Arabic, German, Spanish, and Art/Music.
In Terminale, students take compulsory common courses in Philosophy, History and Geography, Languages A and B, Science, Physical Education and EMC. They then continue with compulsory specialty courses of those options taken in Première and two further optional classes from Language C, Expert Mathematics and Complementary Mathematics. Students also participate in continuous assessment during this period with the final year culminating in the examinations for the Baccaléaurate.
In addition to the academic programme, EFIR offers a range of Extra-curricular Activities, Clubs and workshops throughout the school from Primaire to Terminale. Options among others include Basketball, yoga, football, gymnastics, music, judo, dancing, chess, team sports, bricolage, table tennis.
What about Academic achievement?
EFIR students sit for both the Diplôme National du Brevet and the Diplôme du Baccalauréat Général.
The school publishes its results each year on its website.
In 2021, there were 73 candidates for the Brevet of whom 72 were successful – a 99% pass rate. 67 students achieved ‘mentions’ including 41 ‘très bien mentions’.
For the Baccalauréat, there were 69 candidates of whom 67 were successful – a 97% pass rate. 54 candidates achieved ‘mentions’ including 23 ‘très bien’ mentions and 5 ‘félicitations du jury’.
What about the Facilities?
The school makes very little mention of its facilities other than to note a Cafeteria and two libraries (Bibliothèque/ Centre de Documentation), one each for the Primary and Secondary schools. The school also has an indoor sports hall (which is also used an Examination Hall) and a Swimming pool.
The Buzz
Unusually for a French curriculum school, EFIR has a far larger proportion of non-French nationals than would ordinarily be seen. It is evident that the school is popular with a wide range of French-speakers from around the Arab world, and this is likely to impact the culture of the school - making it rather more international than is perhaps the norm.
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What about the fees?
EFIR has two separate sets of fees based on whether students are French or non-French citizens. In addition, there are separate fees for new students and those returning to the school. The fees included on our Fees and Availability page are for new non-French students, as they are the higher range.
For non-French new students overall fees range from 38,408.85 SAR from KG/Primaire to Collège inclusive of all costs and VAT. For students joining the Lycée, from 2ème to Terminale, fees are 42,462.60 SAR.
For French students, the fees range from 38,409.85 SAR from KG (Maternelle) to Troisième (College) for new students, and 37,001.25 SAR for existing students, rising to 42,462.60 SAR for new students and 41,055 for existing students of the Lycée section.
Admission procedures
No assessment of students is required for entry to the Petite Section, or to other grades within the school if the student is a French citizen from a public or private establishment under contract in France or from a French establishment abroad, approved by the French Ministry of National Education. Similarly, a non-French student who has already been in school for at least one full year either in France, in a public or private establishment under contract, or abroad, in a French establishment approved by the French Ministry of National Education will not be required to participate in an assessment process.
If applicants do not meet the above requirements, EFIR assessments are organised systematically in each level from CP to Terminale. The evaluation from the 6ème to Terminale takes place in the form of an oral interview in the presence of teachers, which may be supplemented by a written evaluation. When an assessment is organised, a fee of 230 SAR including tax for primary and 345 SAR including tax for secondary is payable (Saudi citizens are exempt from VAT).
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