French Schools in Dubai: Curriculum, Language and Admission

A child who speaks French at home may follow a conversation easily and still need time to write an explanation in French in science or history. A teenager arriving from a lycée in France can face a different question. Can the Dubai campus continue the subjects they chose for Première, and can it take over the exam registration? Start with the work your child needs to do in class, the grade they are entering and the qualification they want to finish.

Three schools illustrate how those questions play out in Dubai. Georges Pompidou splits early years and later schooling between Oud Metha and Academic City. The AFLEC’s Oud Metha campus offers the French route through Terminale and publishes a separate charge for its international section. Jean Mermoz’s Campus Sud offers all grades through Terminale and has announced a future technological baccalauréat pathway. Each has its own process for assessing a child arriving from outside the French system.

Compare the campus and the entry grade

The French government’s June 2026 list recognises the French programmes of all three institutions through general Terminale. That recognition, known as homologation, concerns the French programme and the levels listed in the order. For the school run, use the campus assignment published by the school. For local inspection judgements, use the KHDA record for the exact campus. French government homologation order, June 2026 · KHDA school directory

For orientation, CP is Grade 1. The first year of collège, 6e, is Grade 6. The last year of collège, 3e, is Grade 9, and students then move through Seconde, Première and Terminale, equivalent to Grades 10, 11 and 12. Giving the school both your child’s current grade and the name of their current curriculum is more useful than relying on the year number alone. Georges Pompidou grade correspondence

Georges Pompidou for a route from primary to Terminale in Academic City

At Lycée Français International Georges Pompidou, Petite Section through Grande Section attend the maternelle in Oud Metha. CP through CM2 attend Academic City Elementary. From 6e through Terminale, students attend Academic City Secondary. A family with a child in Grande Section and a sibling already in collège may have two different journeys now, then a different pair of drop-offs when the younger child enters CP. Use the site and entrance named for each child when checking travel times. Academic City sites · Oud Metha maternelle

The school’s admissions page provides a grade equivalence table and explains that it operates a waiting list when applications exceed places. Its linked Academic City policy, dated 2025–26, says a placement test or interview may be requested from CP. It also describes limits on in-year admissions in exam years and restricts Terminale entry to students who followed recognised French schooling in Première. Because the policy PDF is dated, ask admissions how it applies to your child’s intake and whether any exam deadlines affect the planned move. For a student arriving during 3e, ask who would manage the brevet registration. For Première or Terminale, send the exact subjects and specialities before assuming the transfer can proceed. Georges Pompidou admissions · Published Academic City admissions policy

The school describes a British international section in collège and a route to the Baccalauréat Français International, or BFI, later on. A pupil considering that section can ask which classes would be taught in English, when the language assessment happens and what happens if they enter collège after 6e. A child who needs help learning in French should ask a separate question about French support in their actual class. An option with more English hours serves a different purpose from help reading a French maths question or writing a history answer. Georges Pompidou language pathways

KHDA’s Grade 6 sheet gives AED 46,695 in tuition for 2026–27. It lists books at AED 200–1,000, AED 500 for a digital device under required supplies, and optional transport at AED 4,993–8,527. The aptitude test also appears as a separate AED 300 item. Use the exact campus and year group when asking for the first invoice, particularly if a placement assessment or language section is part of the application. Georges Pompidou fee page · KHDA Grade 6 fee fact sheet

Georges Pompidou on Instagram shared a talk with entrepreneur Alexandre Mars attended by Première and Terminale economics and social sciences students. It gives a prospective student a concrete example of an activity connected to a lycée subject.

AFLEC in Oud Metha for a full French route and separately priced options

The Lycée Français International de l’AFLEC at Oud Metha lists classes from maternelle through Terminale. Its 2026 back-to-school guide gives separate information for Oud Metha and Mudon. Oud Metha’s guide covers the full lycée years. Mudon’s 2026 school materials also identify collège classes through 4e. If you are considering Mudon, ask what is currently offered at your child’s grade and where classes are held for the intended start date. The Oud Metha inspection judgement and fee schedule belong to Oud Metha. AEFE Oud Metha listing · AFLEC 2026 back-to-school guide · AFLEC books by campus and grade · KHDA Oud Metha school record

The school’s admissions instructions direct applicants to select the campus and academic year. The school says it may interview the child or family and assess the skills required for the grade, depending on the situation. Ask what this means for your child. Someone arriving in CM2 from an English-medium school might need to show how they read instructions and explain a calculation in French. A student transferring from a French school might instead need to show their recent reports and explain which language options they have studied. The school can tell you whether it needs further evidence for the chosen route. AFLEC current admissions instructions

At Oud Metha, the school describes enhanced English and Arabic alongside the French national curriculum and publishes a pathway through its American international section and BFI. Its dated fee grid lists AED 35,385 for CP through CM2, AED 41,806 for 6e through 4e, AED 47,509 for 3e and AED 62,363 for Première or Terminale in 2026–27. The American international section is listed at an extra AED 4,280 in collège and lycée. For a 6e pupil taking it, those two lines add up to AED 46,086 before supplies, transport and other charges. Ask the school to separate any assessment for the section from the application to the campus. AFLEC pathways · AFLEC Oud Metha fee schedule

The AFLEC’s Dubai Instagram shared a reel about its pupils taking part in badminton and table tennis at Georges Pompidou. If your child wants to keep playing a sport after the move, ask which activities run at their campus and how students join.

Jean Mermoz Campus Sud for continuity through lycée

Lycée Français Jean Mermoz’s Campus Sud on Hessa Street describes a full route from Petite Section to Terminale, with a dedicated secondary building from the 2026 intake. The French recognition order lists the South campus separately and includes general Première and Terminale. Mermoz also has Campus Nord in Al Quoz. Ask admissions to name the campus on the offer, especially if siblings are applying to different grades. Jean Mermoz Campus Sud · Jean Mermoz campus locations

Mermoz makes the difference between school background and home language explicit. Its published procedure describes an interview for students already in France or at a recognised French school, and an interview plus a test for students coming from outside that system. Its admissions FAQ says French-speaking pupils from a British or international curriculum are assessed in French and maths for placement. It also welcomes applications from households that do not speak French, while asking families to expose children to French outside school. A teenager who speaks French comfortably but has never written extended answers in it should ask what the assessment covers and what help is available if offered a place. Mermoz admissions procedure · Mermoz admissions FAQ

For an older pupil comparing a general and technological route, Mermoz’s official programme page announces STMG, a management and business-focused technological baccalauréat pathway, at Campus Sud starting with Première in 2027. The school’s Instagram announcement describes the planned sequence, with Terminale to follow in 2028. Ask about the application process for that intake and the exact approval and availability for the grade. The French government’s June 2026 homologation list describes the current general pathway. Mermoz STMG programme · Mermoz on Instagram

The public Mermoz fee table is headed 2025–26. Request a dated Campus Sud quote for your child’s grade before comparing it with the 2026–27 figures above. Ask for approved tuition, any discount that applies, books, any device requirement and transport. Mermoz’s admissions procedure says it confirms an accepted place on payment of 10% of annual tuition, credited against the first term. That is a payment to budget for upfront as part of tuition. Mermoz fee page · Mermoz admissions procedure

What to take to the admissions conversation

Bring the last two school reports if you have them, the expected start date and a short description of how your child uses French. For a younger child, mention which language they use to learn to read and write. For a secondary student, say which subjects they already study in French and include a recent piece of written work if the school will accept it. A school can then explain whether the assessment concerns the language, subject knowledge, placement or entry to a particular section.

If the move falls during lycée, send the exact specialities alongside the report. Ask whether the school teaches all of them together and what it needs to take over the student’s exam record. If the student is considering a language track, ask which subjects it changes and whether it continues into the intended qualification. A viable place gives the family a clear campus, a workable timetable and a way to reach the qualification in the time remaining.

If the child is in maternelle, think through the transition into CP before choosing a nursery or signing a longer lease. At Pompidou that means a move from Oud Metha to Academic City. At AFLEC Oud Metha and Jean Mermoz South, the schools describe primary provision at the same campus. A family with two children can put the current drop-off and next year's drop-off on the same map and ask whether the school bus serves both campuses. Include the pickup times too, especially if you are comparing a primary day with a lycée timetable.

For a Grade 6 budget, the difference between the published base fees at Pompidou Academic City and AFLEC Oud Metha is AED 4,889. Add AFLEC’s American international section to the Oud Metha example and the gap to Pompidou’s base fee falls to AED 609. These are different teaching arrangements, and Pompidou may charge separately for its own optional section. Compare two offers for the routes your child would actually take. Start with the ordinary tuition line, then add only the programme fees, books and travel that apply to that offer.

Ask how support will work once the first month is over. A child can do well in a short interview and still need help reading long instructions or explaining an answer under time pressure. If the school offers French support, find out whether it takes place during normal lessons or separately, who reviews progress and when families hear how the child is settling in. A child who already studies in French but wants a stronger English route can ask for a sample timetable showing which subjects they would study in each language.

Frequently asked questions

Can my child apply if nobody speaks French at home?

Yes, a family can enquire, and Jean Mermoz explicitly welcomes such applications. What the child needs will depend on their age, school experience and the language used in the proposed class. Ask about assessment and support for their grade, including how often support takes place and what the school expects families to do at home. Mermoz admissions FAQ

Is the BFI the International Baccalaureate?

They are different qualifications. The BFI is the international option within the French general baccalauréat, prepared over Première and Terminale. If you are comparing offers, ask which diploma the school would register your child for and which languages and subjects they would take. French Ministry of Education BFI guide

Can a child transfer during Terminale?

Ask the receiving campus early. It needs to check the student’s current programme, subject combination and exam registration. Georges Pompidou’s published policy also specifies prior recognised French schooling in Première. Bring the current school’s details and the student’s latest report so the admissions team can address the actual transfer. Georges Pompidou Academic City admissions policy