At a glance
Curriculum and academics
The Lycee Charles de Gaulle, formally the Lycee Francais Charles de Gaulle de Londres, is the anchor French school in London and a fixture of the South Kensington education landscape mapped on the London city hub. It was founded in 1915 as the French School of London, marked its centenary in 2015, and now educates around four thousand pupils from age 3 to 19, which makes it one of the largest schools of any kind in the capital. It is accredited by the French Ministry of Education and managed within the AEFE network of French schools abroad.
The core programme is the full French national curriculum, taught in French from the maternelle through to the Baccalaureat. Around this sit two distinctive routes. The British Section serves English speaking pupils in the secondary classes, preparing them for GCSEs and A Levels within a French school setting, an unusual bilingual arrangement that lets families keep both systems open. A multilingual section adds German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Arabic. Academic outcomes are strong, with pass rates at the Brevet and the Baccalaureat typically at or close to one hundred percent and a high proportion of honours. The result is a school that can take a child from nursery to university entrance entirely within the French system, or blend it with the British one.
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Lycee Charles de Gaulle fees
Lycee Charles de Gaulle fees sit in the lower band of our London fees guide, broadly in the region of GBP 4,500 to GBP 11,100 a year depending on stage, which is well below most London independent schools because the French education system is partly state supported. Fees rise from the primary years to the secondary and Baccalaureat years, and the scale changes year to year, so confirm current figures with the school directly.
Beyond tuition, budget for an enrolment or registration charge, lunches, and the usual trips and activities. The combination of a high quality French Baccalaureat and a relatively modest fee makes the Lycee one of the most cost effective routes into a recognised international qualification in London. To set it against other options on cost and curriculum, open our compare tool.
Admissions
The school is large but heavily in demand at every stage, and priority is often given to families already within the French system or transferring from another AEFE school. The British Section in the secondary years has its own assessment for English speaking applicants. Entry to the maternelle and primary years is the most sought after, so early registration matters.
Families relocating to London should contact the admissions office well ahead to understand availability in the year group they need and whether the French stream, the British Section or the multilingual section best fits their child. Mid year transfers are possible but depend on space in a school that is usually full.
Location and who goes there
The main school occupies a large site in South Kensington in the SW7 postcode in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in the heart of the area long known as the French quarter of London. South Kensington and the streets around it host the French consulate, French bookshops and a dense francophone community, which is part of why the school settled and grew there. Families also live across Chelsea, Fulham and the south west London neighbourhoods served by the feeder primaries.
The community is overwhelmingly French and francophone, the largest concentration of French families in London, alongside English speaking families drawn to the British Section. For how South Kensington compares with other parts of the capital on schools, commute and cost, see the London city hub and our London fees guide.
Lycee Charles de Gaulle reviews
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Frequently asked questions
How much are Lycee Charles de Gaulle fees?
Fees sit in the lower band of London independent schools because the French system is partly state supported, broadly in the region of GBP 4,500 to GBP 11,100 a year depending on stage. Confirm current figures with the school, as the scale changes year to year.
Is Lycee Charles de Gaulle a good school?
The Lycee is a long established French school with consistently high pass rates at the Baccalaureat and the Brevet and a large multinational community. It is accredited by the French Ministry of Education and managed within the AEFE network. We do not publish an invented rating.
Does Lycee Charles de Gaulle teach in English?
The main programme is the French national curriculum taught in French. There is also a British Section in the secondary classes for English speaking pupils, preparing for GCSEs and A Levels, alongside a multilingual section covering further languages.
What ages does Lycee Charles de Gaulle take?
The school is coeducational and takes pupils from age 3 in the maternelle through to age 19 at the end of the Baccalaureat, across primary and secondary stages on its South Kensington site and feeder primaries.
When do Lycee Charles de Gaulle applications open?
The school is large but heavily in demand, so register well ahead. Priority often goes to families already in the French system, and relocating families should contact admissions early to understand availability in the year group they need.
