The BIS Community
Our community is at once close-knit and open to the world! Being a relatively small school with a limited number of students, strong relationships are forged between students, teachers, and parents. Looking further afield, we have strong ties with the Bordeaux and wider French communities, as well as with other countries (our partnership with Déguimbéré school in Senegal, a bi-annual Canada trip…) and organisations in international education. Students joining BIS gain an intercultural, international outlook, and our community reflects this.
Parents
At BIS, parents are truly considered to be active with us in the education of students. They are regularly invited to participate in school life throughout the year, during events celebrating cultural diversity and at occasions geared towards the financing of common projects. The PTA (see below) is the clearest proof of this.
There is no doubt that Bordeaux would have been out of the question for us if there had not been an international school with English instruction. What we found was a little jewel of a school where children benefit from intimate peer interaction in small classes, attentive teachers who practise multimodal forms of teaching to cater to different learning needs, and a nurturing and flexible bilingual learning environment adapted to each child. The vibrant parent community also allows for the school not only to be a supportive space for children but also for their families, many of whom are new to Bordeaux.
The PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) is an organization of BIS parents, teachers, and administrators whose mission is to foster a spirit of community at BIS and to work in tandem to provide the best possible learning environment for our students. The PTA is composed of the executive board, section heads, parent representatives or “Reps” for each class, and is open to all parents. In addition to fundraising and organizing recurring events and projects such as the International Buffet, Sports Day, and the Annual Improvement Project amongst others, the PTA also regularly engages in new projects that benefit both the school as well as the parent community. These include working with the school to implement a digital solution for parent-teacher communication, assisting in the school’s recent reaccreditation process, and organizing social events for parents.
Alumni
Following a bilingual programme and completing the International Advanced Level diploma means that our students go on to study at world-class universities and other higher education institutions in France, the UK, America, and Canada, to give some popular examples. Studying at BIS means becoming a global citizen – but of course with the BIS community always behind them!
Where do our students go?
BARCELONA (Spain) – Business Management • Bath (UK) – Sociology • Bishop’s University, Canada – Biochemistry • BORDEAUX (France) – History; Law • BRISTOL (UK) – Physics • ECAM Lyon – Engineering • Ecole Hôtelière Lausanne (EHL) Switzerland • Epitech – Parcours Grand École. • ESMOD Paris – Fashion • EXETER (UK) – Mathematics & Computing • Guildford School of Acting, England – Musical Theatre • INSEEC, Bordeaux – Business & Management • John Cabot, Rome – History & Politics • KENT at CANTERBURY (UK) – Mathematics & Philosophy • LONDON SCHOOL of ECONOMICS (UK) – Economics & Politics • MADRID – San Pablo CEU (Spain) – Law & International Relations • Manchester (UK) – Neuroscience & Psychology • McGILL (Canada) – Mathematics • PARIS – A.I.M (France) – Business & Management • PARIS – HEC • Portsmouth (UK) – Multimedia Design • PRAGUE (Czech Republic) – Medicine • ROTTERDAM – Erasmus School of Economics • SHEFFIELD (UK) – Archaeology and Biblical Studies • SOUTHAMPTON (UK) – Applied Physics • STANFORD (USA) – Mathematics • University College London (UCL) – Urban Development • University of Sussex, England – International Relations & Development • WARWICK (UK) – Mathematics • Yale – Liberal Arts • York (UK) – English Literature
Partners and local networks
Since the beginning, BIS has aimed to participate in the local community and create strong relationships, for the good of all involved.
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Local authorities: have given us their technical or financial support in order to realise important projects, the most recent being the building extension, which benefited from the support of Bordeaux Town Hall and the Conseil régional de Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
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BIS has developed links with local medical and advisory specialists, to whom we turn when the need arises.
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Invest in Bordeaux, of which BIS has been a member since the creation of the school, aims to develop the “attractivity” of Bordeaux and its region. BIS has been a member since 1999.
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Consulates: BIS is in frequent contact with the main consulates in Bordeaux, who contribute to the fulfillment of certain projects (the school in Senegal, careers and orientation…)
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Local anglophone, francophone and spanish-speaking bookshops and publishers come twice a year to present a selection of works in line with our yearly theme, encouraging a love for reading.
