Lycée International-British Section

The Lycée International was created in the early 1950s as the school for the children of military personnel working for SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Powers in Europe). The founding principle of the school was to combine an education in French with teaching in another language represented by the various nations forming part of NATO. The Château d’Hennemont, which had provided accommodation for both German and Allied forces during the Second World War, now took on a fresh lease of life as an international primary school – a role which it continued to fulfil until the early 1990s.

When SHAPE moved to Belgium following the French withdrawal from the unified command structure of NATO in 1966, the new Headmaster, Edgar Scherer, found himself with drastically reduced pupil numbers and only two national sections left (the German and the Dutch). The school was duly reorganised and redefined as a state lycée (senior school) whose vocation was to educate the children of expatriates and also to take in local French children with the potential and motivation to become bilingual through one of the section's languages.

By 1968, four other national sections (including the British Section) had been restored or created and others then followed at regular intervals. The most recent section to be created is the Chinese Section in 2016.

• To provide an authentic British educational programme as part of the bilingual curriculum delivered within the framework of the French schooling system
• To inspire a love of learning and to help pupils explore and nurture their individual personality, talents and interests
• To provide a safe, friendly and supportive environment in which pupils feel valued as individuals
• To work collaboratively with pupils, parents, and our French colleagues to maximise each child's personal development, well-being and achievement
• To help pupils to cultivate the attributes of independent, reflective and creative life-long learners and to become responsible and engaged global citizens
• To enable anglophone children and children learning English as an additional language, to develop high levels of academic literacy in English
• To enable pupils to continue their education and professional lives in the UK or another anglophone country
• To promote an understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity and facilitate international mobility
• To foster a vibrant, welcoming and supportive community