CIPEC International School Reviews 22

CIPEC is great fun for kids and parents alike. Set in a beautiful natural environment, the school is well-organised and offers an enriching bi-lingual curriculum. Lots of sport and cultural events. Thank you so much for the happy memories!

Both of my daughters absolutely loved their time at CIPEC. It’s a really special place with a great atmosphere and a strong sense of community.

The staff and leadership team are incredible. They are kind, supportive, and truly care about the children. They take the time to get to know each child, creating an environment where kids feel happy, confident, and excited to learn.

My girls went to school every day with big smiles on their faces, which really says it all. As a parent, that’s the best feeling you can have.

The parent community is also fantastic. Everyone is friendly, welcoming, and easy to connect with from day one.

In my opinion, it’s the best international school in the Provence area, and I couldn’t recommend it more.

A wonderful school, brilliantly run. It’s an absolute privilege to have a chance to send our daughter there, a wonderful environment.

Had both my kids there for 3 years. Was the best. They became fully bilingual and spent 3 marvellous years they will always remember.

Our two children attended this international school for 2.5 years and we had a wonderful experience.
It is a small, nurturing school in a beautiful setting surrounded by forest, which creates a calm and inspiring place for children to learn and play. The teachers and staff are caring, enthusiastic, and truly dedicated to the children. They create a supportive environment where every child feels known and encouraged to grow in confidence. We also really valued the strong sense of international community. It was a lovely way to meet families from different backgrounds, and the inclusive atmosphere made everyone feel welcome.
Our children especially enjoyed the opportunities to engage with the French language in a natural and positive way. There are also plenty of fun activities and opportunities for families to connect, which helps create a warm and supportive school community.
We are very grateful for the time our children spent there! And we were very sad to say goodbye! Thankyou CIPEC.

CIPEC creates a warm, welcoming community for students and their families. The teachers generally seem to care for their students and have an interest in teaching and development. The school puts together nice events throughout the year that the children and their parents enjoy - from sports day (great sports educators too!) to Halloween festivities to Christmas and end of year shows. Overall, it was a very positive experience that created lifelong friendships and gave my child a good education.
The facilities are pretty basic but efforts are made, and there's a cute little library and a yurt for extra space. It's all very sweet in that regard, as schools are no doubt expensive to run.
But there are some aspects that result in demerits, and it's important that the school take note.
The biggest complaint is that the administration exhibited a degree of stubbornness and refusal to accept critical feedback. Suggestions for improvement were quickly shot down, in a "we know better and we don't need your feedback" way. Even a simple suggestion for a parent survey in order to solicit broad feedback was rejected, even when a parent offered to do the work to create the survey with the approval of the administration and summarize the results in complete transparency!
The school paid a significant premium for organic-only food, but the food was atrociously bad and not child-friendly. When all the teachers bring their own lunch every day, that should be an indicator. Children with dietary restrictions were sometimes overlooked - forced to eat a lunch of soggy vegetables because nothing else was provided that met their needs (whether vegetarian, a food sensitivity, halal or kosher). This is something I saw first-hand and it broke my heart to see those children hungry. It's shocking that a hired caterer not plan accordingly, and I'd forego the premium paid for all-organic food to consistently edible food.
The children's bathrooms were attached to the exterior of the building and unheated, which was very uncomfortable in winter. And at the time, the administrators refused to put a toilet seat on the girls' toilet and rejected the offer of a parent to buy them one! (Yes, there was a seat on the boys' toilet). It was since corrected after multiple complaints from parents and strong pushback by the school.
CIPEC is in a forest setting which is quite nice and allows for fresh air that's not relegated to a playground setting. The natural environment allows the older children to use their own creativity in developing their own games at recess. But it's a bit sad seeing them play in the dirt, with each class relegated to its own hill specifically so they don't interact (according to administrators) and no balls or playground toys to use.
In short, I WOULD recommend CIPEC and we had a very nice time there, but I also feel strongly based on personal experience that there are some small fixes that should be addressed. Most importantly I would have liked to see an administration that takes into account parent feedback constructively. The fact that they've offered this TrustPilot survey is quite surprising and a great step in the right direction.

The best school in the world !
My kids were so sad to leave cipec when they grew up… They have the best memories there thanks to the amazing team.

6 years at CIPEC means lots of playing in the woods, building cabins and my kids eating the 3 course French meals. Very happy memories and experiences were had here at this beautiful school. With the current team at the helm there is a load of nurturing and thought going into each student. It certainly is a happy place. Thanks team! Memories of making those cabins in the woods is still dinner conversation.

I just want to say a big thank you for giving our children 3 wonderful years at Cipec. It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye now that Tom is moving up to secondary school this year. Moving to France from England 3 years ago was a big decision for us and schooling was this most important decision of all. We chose Cipec as a ‘soft landing’ as we were not brave enough to put them straight into a French school. We only intended to put them in for 1 year till we made the transition but the children refused to leave & I am so happy that we let them stay! What a wonderful, nurturing environment - small class sizes, acres of woodland to run around in, internationally minded staff & parents in a beautiful, French setting. Not only have our children made lifelong friends there, we have too! It’s a real community! …. Good luck with everything - we’ll miss you CIPEC!!!!!

At CIPEC our whole family found a warm and welcoming environment of support and friends. Running around in the woods during breaks, an open ear for problems, support and encouragement in learning a new language, making friends from all over the world, made our son’s time at CIPEC a wonderful, unforgettable experience!

Our 3 kids were at CIPEC for 8 years and then moved on to the international section of Mignet middle school in Aix. Thanks to CIPEC they acquired a native level of English and French, which was not a given when we moved from Greece to France. CIPEC is a great school with a high standard of academics, combined with sports and other fun activities in an incomparable forest environment.

We chose CIPEC when we moved from Barcelona to Provence a few years ago. Manoa was barely speaking French as he had been enrolled in an English school until then, and Kyle didn’t speak neither French nor English, only Spanish. It was not an easy challenge for them… They were immediately welcomed and integrated in this family-like atmosphere. This brought them self-confidence but also fundamental values such as friendship, empathy, respect and cooperation. The school being surrounded by nature and forest also teaches them how to love and protect the environment with some science classes given in the middle of the woods and practicing sport outdoors every day. On the academic point of view, their progress has been remarkable. The teachers are incredibly good, closely following up the development of the kids, and at the same time kindly pushing them to give their best. Manoa is now in secondary school and benefits from a very solid basis; he is now both in French and English native sections thanks to the incredible work of the CIPEC team. Kyle continues his way at CIPEC, which he calls “the best school in the world”!

Andrea Szommer: We are an Italian-Hungarian family with two children who were 5 and 8 years old when we arrived. After 3 wonderful years at Cipec I can say that although they had no knowledge of English and French at the beginning, they are now fluent in both languages. The teachers are the best, very dedicated, you can tell they love their job. The atmosphere at the school is very family-like, with small classes surrounded by the greenery of a magical little forest that my children still talk about with nostalgia.Thank you, you are always in our hearts.🫶

Deborah Chapple (Australia): CIPEC works hard to ensure each child has the right learning and international experience. As Australian expats, our two boys have thoroughly enjoyed their time making friends from around the world, exploring the forest and deep diving in a new language. Having a child with additional learning needs, we were amazed at the progress made due to a more tailored curriculum and ongoing teacher support. I recommend CIPEC to any family wanting a school that truly cares for each child.