The Château de La Devèze, in Béziers, will host a bilingual French-English Montessori school

The castle, which took the name of the Devèze estate, owned by the Sabatier Desarnauds family in the 17th century, was built in 1890. ANTONIA JIMENEZ – Midi Libre

The castle, which took the name of the Devèze estate, owned by the Sabatier Desarnauds family in the 17th century, was built in 1890. ANTONIA JIMENEZ – Midi Libre

The castle, which took the name of the Devèze estate, owned by the Sabatier Desarnauds family in the 17th century, was built in 1890. ANTONIA JIMENEZ – Midi Libre

The castle, which took the name of the Devèze estate, owned by the Sabatier Desarnauds family in the 17th century, was built in 1890. ANTONIA JIMENEZ – Midi Libre

The castle, which took the name of the Devèze estate, owned by the Sabatier Desarnauds family in the 17th century, was built in 1890. ANTONIA JIMENEZ – Midi Libre

The castle, which took the name of the Devèze estate, owned by the Sabatier Desarnauds family in the 17th century, was built in 1890. ANTONIA JIMENEZ – Midi Libre

The castle, which took the name of the Devèze estate, owned by the Sabatier Desarnauds family in the 17th century, was built in 1890. ANTONIA JIMENEZ – Midi Libre

Christols Institute, a bilingual French-English private school, outside of a contract, directed by Aurélie Pradeloux, will offer, from September 2024,   a Montessori nursery section and more institutional primary education. 

The beautiful castle of La Devèze, dormant for several years, erected in 1890, writes a new page in its history.

Bought last September by the Champart-Pradeloux family, under construction since then to transform the former Pinard castle into a school, it will reopen its doors in September 2024 to accommodate its first students from 3 to 11 years old, from the Little Kindergarten section to CM2. 

A family adventure

At the helm of this ambitious family project to create a private school, outside of a contract and bilingual in French and English: the father, Denis Champart. This former general knows well how educational establishments work. For more than ten years, he has been putting his skills at the service of the School Foundation, a structure which supports and promotes free schools outside of contracts. "Certainly, it's a big investment, financial and human. But we have the ambition to offer a response to the growing demand from parents wishing to offer their children a quality education, in small classes, in a stimulating and bilingual environment."< /p>

At his side, his daughter and son-in-law, Aurélie and Stéphane Pradeloux. She will manage the school, her husband will ensure communication. 

A castle in good condition

But the time has come to work to give new life to this Béziers heritage. Luckily, the Château de la Devèze, a building with its beautiful glass roof, its three floors, its beautiful volumes, its old ballroom, its moldings, its large staircase in precious wood, its numerous rooms, its two parking lots. ;nbsp;in front (which will become the two playgrounds) and its green spaces, n'a  not suffered too much from the ravages of time. The roof, structure and woodwork have been well preserved. Inside, everything needs to be redone.

At the end of the work, the ground floor – ballroom, glass roof and entrance hall – will host, in a large open space, the various activities of students aged 3 to 6. As a reminder, Montessori pedagogy emphasizes autonomy, self-confidence and learning through experience. A French educator and an English assistant will guide the little ones in their bilingual learning, in total immersion, based on Montessori materials, such as the pink tower and the bars for example, for an introduction to the decimal system. quot;, explains the director, also a teacher. And add: "CP students will also be welcomed downstairs." .

The first floor will be dedicated to primary school children, from CE1 to CM2. The learning will be organized in half-days, one in French, with a French teacher, the second in English with an English-speaking teacher.

The third level of the school, on the garden level, will house, among other things, the library, the refectory, technical spaces and the nursery dormitory. 

"Ultimately, we plan to accommodate 60 students in kindergarten, with two educators and two assistants, and 20 students in primary per level, or 100 children, with five equivalents full-time teacher. That's a total of 160 students." 

A public information day on February 24

In order to present the school to interested parents, an information day is organized on February 24, from 10 a.m., at the Château de La Devèze. Families will be able to visit the premises, meet the teaching teams and find out about the organization. Pre-registrations for the start of the September 2024 school year are already open. "To date (Saturday January 13), we have 65 requests from families arriving in Béziers,  foreigners (especially English-speaking) and residents of Béziers with children entering nursery school, explains Aurélie Paradeloux, the director. Prices: 445 € per month for 10 months for kindergarten; 390 € for primary school. The management reserves a few places at lower cost for deserving children from modest families (with symbolic participation). 

Info: https://ecole-bilingue-beziers.com/ or 06 01 98 08 00.