The Anglophone Section functions within and as part of the Cité Scolaire Internationale, which is a French state school with international sections.  It is composed of a primary and a secondary school and recruits children who are already fluent in one of the languages of its eight international sections:  Anglophone (English-speaking), Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese and Polish.

There are between six and nine hours tuition in these languages, covering, in the case of the Anglophone section, English language and literature and social sciences, with the rest of the curriculum being taught in French. There are intensive courses for children who do not speak French.  There is also tuition in “Special Mathematics” to overcome terminology and other differences in methodology. Students are integrated gradually into the mainstream classes according to their needs and level.

Children starting in the first year of primary school must be 6 years old before 31st December of that year. They then spend five years in primary school before going on to collège, usually at 11 years old.  There are four years in collège after which students go on to three years of study in the lycée, ending with the French baccalaureate. In the Anglophone Section this is taken with the International Option and we are the only section in France to offer both the British and the American versions of this prestigious diploma.

The French school head is Mr Ferrari (Proviseur), seconded by M. Duloquin  (Proviseur-adjoint) in the lycée, and Mme. Belli (Principal-adjoint) in the collège.  There is a separate headteacher, M. Fino (Directeur), for the primary school. The Anglophone Section has its own managerial structure overseen by Robert Miller, its Head of section.

There are self-service restaurants for the three different age groups, with a set price for a three or four course meal which is cooked on the premises. Packed lunches are not allowed.

There are school buses for children in the primary school and collège. These are run by the municipal transport services (TCL) and cover most areas in and around Lyon. The city also has an efficient public transport service.