Interview with
Cédric Durantin.

It is an important recognition, by the French Ministry of Education, of the academic rigour of our bilingual model.

The DNBI is not simply an "English version" of the Brevet: it is a bilingual Brevet, which fully recognises the distinctive nature of Concordia School Paris. It acknowledges our students' ability to work, reason, analyse and express themselves with precision in both languages.

For our students, it is a recognition of all the work accomplished, as well as their command of French and English in an academic context.

Teaching a dual programme and conveying a dual culture lie at the heart of Concordia's DNA. From the youngest year groups, we prepare our students to thrive in two demanding frameworks: the official French curriculum on one hand, and a structured English curriculum on the other.

This approach is not about placing two teachings side by side. It enables students to acquire methods, references and ways of reasoning from both systems, so they can move easily between two languages and two academic cultures.

The DNBI recognises this work on the French side. Together, the DNBI and the IGCSEs will give our students two official recognitions at the end of Middle School, in both systems that structure their schooling.

The Cambridge IGCSEs, taken in Seconde (Year 11), are a major recognition of the English pathway and mark the academic culmination of the British Middle School.

The IGCSEs are the official examinations of the British system. They allow students to validate the knowledge, methods and skills developed throughout the English curriculum.

They also serve as an invaluable first dress rehearsal before the major examinations of upper secondary. Students learn to organise their work over time, structure well-argued responses, meet high expectations, and express complex ideas with clarity.

This is particularly useful preparation for what lies ahead, especially given our ambition to introduce the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme.

Our ambition is clear: to guide our students all the way to the baccalauréat.

The International Baccalaureate represents, in our view, a path of excellence to bring our students to the highest academic level and prepare them for the best universities.

The DNBI, followed by the IGCSEs, are structuring milestones towards this ambition.

We welcome this recognition and look forward, with enthusiasm and commitment, to supporting our students through this new academic and human chapter.