L'École des Petits

Founded in 1977 by Mme Otten, L'Ecole des Petits first started in a small Church hall in Chelsea.

In 1991, the school relocated to a refurbished Victorian building in the heart of Fulham, previously a community centre in the 1930s. (The Princess Beatrice Social Centre, inaugurated by the Duchess of York in 1931). The school retains the original plaque commemorating this on one of its walls.

During the 1950s, the building became an English School of Dance. It then remained empty until L'Ecole des Petits moved there, at which point it underwent a complete refurbishment.

The school in Fulham opened in September 1991 welcoming 60 pupils.

Today 135 children attend the school aged from 3 to 6.

L'Ecole des Petits was the first independent pre-primary school in Great Britain to be officially recognised as an Ecole Homologuée by the French Education Authority (Ministère de l'Education Nationale); a recognition which was confirmed in 1995.

L'Ecole des Petits houses 9 classes of maternelle from Petite Section to Grande Section .

The school caters for English-speaking and French-speaking children and provides learning in both languages. The school welcomes pupils from all over the world

L'Ecole des Petits follows the official French Education National curriculum and offers pupils an education in a warm and friendly atmosphere where, thanks to a policy of small classes, each child is encouraged to express him/herself. All French classes receive daily teaching in English.

Pupils at L'Ecole des Petits are expected to attend the school until end of Grande Section (5/6 years) if they later on wish to have a guaranteed place in a French primary school.

In September 2005, L'Ecole des Petits opened a second school in Battersea, this school was created to extend the age range at L'Ecole to cover from three to eleven years so as to provide a full pre-primary and primary education from maternelle to CM2.