Living School

Living School is a small bilingual école-collège in the 19th arrondissement, founded in 2007 by Caroline Sost. The pedagogy centres on savoir-être and eco-citizenship inside the French national curriculum, with English alongside French throughout the day.

Around a hundred-plus students from preschool through middle school at 93 bis rue Manin. English-speaking teachers are in class for roughly half the school day. The school is private and out-of-contract, secular, and trains its whole teaching team in its positive-pedagogy approach. Living School also runs parent workshops and expects active parent engagement with the philosophy.

Families who choose Living School are typically buying into the personal-development project, not just a French school with English added. Parents describe staff who genuinely care and fast confidence gains for children with prior learning difficulties. North-east Paris is a long way from the western expat clusters, and the parent-engagement expectation rules out a hands-off approach. Best fit for families committed to socio-emotional learning and the French curriculum in a small bilingual setting.

• Living School is a small, parent-led private bilingual école in Paris 19, with reviews concentrated on the school's pedagogy and atmosphere.
• The dominant note is warmth. Parents describe a caring environment where children progress at their own pace, with a teaching team trained in the school's "savoir-etre" personal-development approach.
• One parent said their child "regained confidence in himself and has made incredible progress, both academically and personally" despite earlier learning difficulties.
• Bilingual delivery in French and English is repeatedly singled out, alongside mixed-age classes and project-based eco-citizenship work.
• Parent involvement is heavy: regular evening workshops on parenting, screen time, sibling conflict, sexuality and child safeguarding are part of the offer.
• Independent critical signal is light. The visible review pool is small and concentrated on parents who chose the school for its alternative ethos, so polarised commentary does not surface.