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Our View
One of the first international schools in the world, Ermitage was established shortly after the Second World War in the picturesque town of Maisons-Laffitte not far from central Paris. It introduced the International Baccalaureate in the 1990s, and its now-separate IB School is divided into the IB Middle Years Programme and the IB Diploma Programme, with the Bilingual Lower School offering a perfect springboard for primary-age children. There’s a real sense of rootedness in the local community – the school is spread across the affluent town in gorgeous Belle Époque buildings, which hum with the sound of manifold languages among the fluent French and English of students hailing from all over the world.
Where?
Maisons-Laffitte couldn’t be more convenient for the centre of Paris, which is a mere 20-minute train ride away, but is a world apart with its green open spaces and acres of surrounding forest. Dubbed the ‘City of Horses’, it has 30 stables, four legs take priority over four wheels at crossings and the pavements are left unconcreted to protect equine hooves. Everyone knows everyone here; Ermitage is the only school and it occupies many of the historic buildings in the town, so pupils and locals mix harmoniously. The Bilingual and IB Schools all share a canteen, gym and science lab, and social events are run jointly. MYP pupils are taught in the IB buildings dotted around the town. There is security on each gate and teacher escorts.
Head
The whole school is overseen by executive president Jim Doherty, who arrived here in January 2023 from Loughborough Schools Foundation, where he was COO; before that he was in the British Army for 10 years. Marta Essinki, who has 20 years’ experience working in Francophile settings, heads the IB School. She joined in January 2024 from the International School of Gabon and has also worked for the British Council. She’s a passionate educator who came with a mission to grow the IB School, with an IB Primary Years Programme School set to open in the next couple of years in an idyllic open space near the forest. Plans for a performing arts centre are also on the table.
Admissions
The school is non-selective and prospective pupils do not need to meet any standard of English, even though all subjects are taught in it. There are excellent EAL teachers on site who bring pupils up to fluency level very quickly. Value-added is very impressive here, which is unusual in France.
Academics and destinations
Pupils can join the IB MYP School at 11. All subjects are taught following the IB method – learning is pupil-led, with critical thinking and research analysis all part of the bespoke approach. French, Spanish, science, music, art, drama and PE are on the curriculum and taught in class sizes of no more than 15 (compared to typically 30-plus in most French schools). As one of the more than 200 Round Square Group schools worldwide, Ermitage also benefits from school exchanges, trips and coordinated humanitarian missions that greatly enrich students’ learning experiences. The DP School offers a seamless transition at 16.
Co-curricular
Sport is important here, and pupils learn about health and exercise, as well as taking part in activities such as orienteering, netball and football. Facilities are extensive, with a gym, athletics track, sports field, tennis courts, pool and stables. Municipal buildings and the nearby golf course are used by all. There are a number of elite sports teams called the Ermitage Mustangs who take part in fixtures in Paris, as well as international competitions. Teams are a mix of students from the IB and Bilingual Schools. Gifted athletes are supported with balancing study and training; currently there are elite golfers, rugby players and showjumpers
Options such as performing art, visual art and design are on offer for the older years. Clubs are a big part of school life and include golf, rowing, riding, theatre, blogging, Mandarin and coding.
Boarding
Boarding begins at the start of the Middle Years Programme. There are currently about 60 full and weekly boarders who come from France and further afield, with 26 nationalities at the moment. There are five boarding houses dotted around the town; older pupils can go into Paris at weekends but must be in a group and sign out. ‘Weekend parents’ (who are part of the boarding house team) run trips to galleries, the cinema, Disneyland Paris and riding excursions.
School community
The student-centred ethos that underpins the IB is fundamental here, and there are on-site counsellors, careers advisers, SEN support and wellbeing leads (a rarity in France). Pupils are also part of a very tight-knit community, in both school and town. Most have lived abroad at some point, and parents are typically both non-French natives who have chosen to live in Maisons-Laffitte after work has brought them to Paris. They’re an incredibly involved and welcoming bunch, running social events, international days and generally embracing newcomers. There is also the town’s very active Maisons-Laffitte International Association – pretty much everyone gets involved.
And finally....
This rare gem so close to Paris offers young people a unique experience, marrying the educational ethos of the IB with the quintessentially French environment of Maisons-Laffitte, a town that is so pretty and friendly it’s hard not to fall in love with it.