Local & International Partners
Community is Key...
BIS has always sought to participate in local life and forge strong links with the local community. Our students, parents and staff are actively encouraged to participate in initiatives that enhance their engagement within our dynamic region, and we have many partnerships and links that support our vision.
Children's Municipal Council (CME)...
The CME (Children's Municipal Council), in association with the Mairie de Bordeaux and the association FRANCAS, enables children from BIS and Bordeaux to take an active role in their city: to learn how democracy works, to defend ideas, to present them to the mayor, to implement them and to take part in decisions on the life of the city of Bordeaux.
Local Authorities...
We continue to receive enthusiastic technical and financial support from local authorities. In our latest major project to expand our buildings, we were backed by both the Bordeaux City Council and the Conseil régional de Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The inauguration was attended by Alain Juppé, former Prime Minister of France and former Mayor of Bordeaux, as well as Alain Rousset, President of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
Learning Support...
To support teaching and learning, BIS has developed links with local (anglophone and francophone) specialists including speech therapists, psychologists, and psychomotor therapists.
Regional Union of Cooperatives - Aquitaine (URSCOP)...
The Regional Union of Cooperatives (Aquitaine) supports us with our status as a cooperative. A yearly audit is carried out by the body to ensure that our financial status is well maintained.
Partnership with Déguimbéré School, Senegal...
Since 2017, BIS has established a partnership with a school in Déguimbéré, a small village located in northern Senegal, near the Senegal River, close to Podor, and in the Fanaye province. This partnership allows our community to connect with the vastly different reality of another school community, which nonetheless shares two common features with BIS: they have the same number of students and are highly focused on language learning.
However, the school in Déguimbéré operates within a very different socio-economic context: most parents are fishermen or nomadic herders, all living in extreme poverty.
This connection enables our students to engage in acts of solidarity: each year, a collective initiative (a sponsored run during International Week) helps fund their school canteen. Exchanges of letters, poems, songs, and small gifts help to strengthen the friendly bond between the two schools.
Local Organisations and Charities...
Thanks to our engaged community, BIS works with organisations and fundraising for charities as a way to be responsibly engaged in the local and international community. Most recently we embarked on projects that supported 'The SeaCleaners' organisation and 'La Maison Ukrainienne'. In addition, each December our PTA holds a 'Christmas gift raising' event for the Bordeaux CHU (hospital). In 2024, BIS worked closely with 'Les Restos du Coeur' which included fundraising projects and a visit from the organisation who gave a workshop to our students. In addition, our school regularly donates equipment to the 'Secours Catholique'.
Invest in Bordeaux...
Invest in Bordeaux is a development agency commissioned by local authorities to develop the attractiveness of Bordeaux and its region. BIS has been a member since 1999.
Consulates...
BIS is in frequent contact with the main Bordeaux consulates, who contribute to the implementation of some of our international projects (e.g. correspondence with a school in Senegal, careers and university guidance).
Local Booksellers...
Local French, English and bilingual booksellers and publishers come to BIS twice a year for our multilingual bookfairs to present their selections of books related to our annual school theme, thus encouraging a love of books and reading.
Sport and facilities...
The Mairie de Bordeaux provides the school with access to the sporting infrastructure at Chauffour and the olympic-sized pool in rue Judaïque. In addition, we have a partnership with Studio H25 for dance and theatre facilities.
