English at Ecole du Centre, Collège Pierre Poivre: The Best of Both Worlds 

An outstanding French education combined with first-class English instruction means that, at Ecole du Centre, your child will have the best of both worlds. Excellence in both the French and English languages provides a huge advantage for school leavers and working adults in Mauritius, as well as around the world. Greater tertiary education choices, a wider scope of employment opportunities as well as the social benefits provided by such an education can only be beneficial for your child, so why not choose to have the best of both worlds. 

In the Primary School 

English at Ecole du Centre has always been a priority with our students being immersed in the language on a daily basis. Right from the very beginning of their schooling in PSM (pre-school) our pupils are involved in meaningful and enjoyable classes taught by native English speaking teachers. With staff members coming from a variety of countries, including England, South Africa, Australia and the USA, the students benefit from the best possible English instruction. 

In addition to the excellence of the instruction on a daily basis there are also a number of special projects and events that the students are involved in.  The English department holds an annual English Week where students are involved in fun games, quizzes, contests, treasure hunts and so on which are aimed at making English enjoyable and memorable. In addition, each year, brings a different focus or a variety of projects which may include pet shows, exhibitions, shows and many other exciting activities. 

The International Section  

In September 2017 Ecole du Centre opened an International Section in our pre-primary, primary and secondary schools in collaboration with the French Education Department. This initiative allows the students to attain even greater success in the language and allows English to be integrated in a relevant and more significant way. In the primary school the International Section will eventually include all students and we plan to gradually open the Section in all classes, as can be seen in the table below, so that by the 2022-2023 school year the whole primary school will be in the International Section. 

The students enjoy English instruction mainly in half class groups where they can really get the chance to use the language in real situations. The younger classes participate in three hours of English per week and this increases in International Section classes as can be seen in the following table: 

Note: The hours in brackets in red above show the hours which will exist once these classes are in the International Section.  

The hours mentioned in the previous table include the teaching of English as a foreign language (LVE – langues vivantes à l’étranger), English Literature and DNL (Discipline Non Linguistique) including subjects such as science, history, geography, math’s and so on, taught on occasion in English.  

A World of Choice in the College 

All students at College Pierre Poivre have a minimum of 4-5hrs of English instruction each week. In addition, the students can choose to take on an additional English option to provide them with even greater access to the language. The options currently on offer are the European Section and the British International Section. 

The European Section 

The European Section is an option which students can apply for at the entry to 5ème. The option allows them to further improve their English language skills in a meaningful way. This subject involves the reinforcement of English with two extra hours of instruction in the language each week.  The emphasis during these hours is to improve the students’ language abilities through the study of history, geography, literature and science in English. 

Students choosing this option should already be at ease in English and will also be motivated and organized enough to cope with the two extra hours in English per week. 

Once in the lycée (upper high school) the students continue this option where they will be doing some mathematics or history and geography in English. Excellent results in the European Section can help ensure greater success at the baccalauréat. 

The International Section  

The International Section is an option which students can apply for at the entry to 6ème. The option allows them to further improve their English language skills in a significant way where full bilingualism is the eventual objective.  This subject involves the following: 

6ème 

• 4 hours of English language learning per week.  
• 4 hours of English literature per week. 
• 2 hours of history and geography in English per week. 

5ème, 4ème and 3ème 

• 7 hours of English language and literature per week. 
• 2 hours of history and geography in English per week. 

Students choosing this option should already be very much at ease in English and will also be motivated and organized enough to cope with the fact that they will have extra hours per week in their timetable. (Approximately 2-4 additional hours) 

International students will be able to participate in two oral evaluations in the Diplôme National du Brevet exams at the end of 3ème, one in English literature and one in history and geography. The points for these exams will form part of their Brevet results and successful candidates will achieve a “Mention Internationale” on their diploma. 

Once in the lycée the students continue this option in very much the same way and will prepare for the OIB (Option Internationale du Baccalauréat) where very high coefficients will greatly contribute to their success. A “Mention Internationale” would once again be possible to achieve and is a very positive element in any university application. 

Special projects 

The English department at Ecole du Centre is a very dynamic one and we are involved in a number of special projects and events aimed at making English instruction even more meaningful and enjoyable. These include an annual Flora and Fauna conference which the students organise in order to raise awareness and educate the public on our Mauritian plants and animals, the participation in the Big Challenge English exam as well as in the National Spelling Bee competition here in Mauritius, guest speakers, outings as well as many other fun and informative activities.