A member of
Our Governance
President’s Message
On behalf of the Executive Committee, I would like to extend a warm welcome to returning and new families to the IFS Community.
It is an exciting time for our school, reflected by the launch of a re-branded International French School (Singapore) (IFS) in 2020. Renaming our school is part of a broader strategic thinking process.
Three critical strategic areas guide our day-to-day actions to meet the expectations of parents and students: excellence for all, openness to all and a high standard of school management. Our new vision and mission for IFS promotes the French curriculum and multilingualism to an ever increasingly diverse student population within a welcoming, inclusive and caring environment that remains accessible and affordable.
Accessibility, enriching, structured French curriculum and a genuinely bilingual education is what differentiates us from other premium international schools in Singapore: we want to and do welcome all families and contribute towards the education of both French and Non-French speaking students.
Considering the diversity of the student population in Singapore, at IFS, we seek to integrate non-French speaking families through specific French language programs while at the same time promoting the practice of English in an international context.
The Department of National Education has undertaken reforms of the French Baccalauréat for the 2021 session. These reforms aim at simplifying the examination organisation, better preparing students for higher education as well as providing improved streaming advice to them. All these changes will bring significant opportunities and benefits for our children.
In addition to these exciting developments in internationalisation, the school is undergoing an infrastructure expansion to accommodate the anticipated growth. We already welcome more than 3,000 students in the school. The planned expansion will include a brand-new state-of-the-art kindergarten and further education and administration facilities. More enhancements to the schools educational offering, particularly in the area of language support and acquisition will also be rolled out in 2020 – 2021.
IFS is a non-profit organisation whose financial strength has been demonstrated year-after-year. My commitment as President of the Executive Committee, together with my fellow elected volunteer members and colleagues, is to ensure sound management and development of our school while having at heart the interests of each student and family. Together with the administrative and educational teams, we the Executive Committee pilot the school’s operations and prepare for the future success of our students.
There has never been a better time to position French education as a viable option and leader in international education. I am very proud of the work the school, our corporate partners, parent community and students have done to futureproof IFS.
Once again, welcome to IFS. I look forward to meeting you and your families at the many events held in school throughout the year.
Pierre Chanteclair
President of the Executive Committee
The Executive Committee
Headed by the President, the Executive Committee oversees the management and long term strategy of the school excluding pedagogical matters which do not have any financial impact. The Executive Committee represents the IFS community of parents as well as the companies that hold Options de Fondateur (ODF) status.
All committee members are elected volunteers. Six parent applicants and 2 reserve members are elected for a four-year term, renewable for one additional term. Elections take place at the Ordinary General Meeting in November/December.
The Executive Committee is made up of 12 elected members and 4 reserve members from each group: Individual members and Corporate members.
Please note :
- The French Ambassador in Singapore and Axel Foucault are honorary Presidents of the Executive Committee
- The Counsellor for Culture, Science and Education (COCAC) is a non-voting member
- The Principal and the Executive Director may attend the Executive Committee meetings non-voting guests.
Who appoints the members of the Executive Committee?
The members are elected by the General Meeting held each year in October or November.
How to become a member of the Executive Committee?
- Reply to the call for candidature which is sent by the International French School (Singapore) before the autumn General Meeting. The number of available seats varies every year.
- Attach a picture and profession of faith to your candidature, which will be sent to all the parents and the corporate representatives.
➔ Your application will be put to the vote at the General Meeting.
The sub-committees of the Executive Committee
| Sub-committees | Approached topics |
|---|---|
| Audit & Compliance | – Compliance review – Internal and external Audits |
| Communication & Marketing | – Communication policy within Lycée and towards stakeholders – Marketing strategies – Openness to non French communities |
| Finance, Corporate & Fundraising | – Budget including school fees – Financial decisions – Fundraising – Treasury and fundings – Financial KPIs – Statutory Annual Accounts |
| Governance & Operations | – Convention with the AEFE – M&AA – Executive compensation – Executive Committee succession planning |
| Human Ressources | – HR Policies – Social dialogue – Compensation policy |
| Infrastructures | – Infrastructure projects – Yearly Investment programs |
The International French School (Singapore) is a Singapore registered private non-profit organisation, linked by an institutional agreement (établissement conventionné) with the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE).
At IFS we see it as essential that the four components of the school community, students, teachers, parents and corporate partners are actively involved in the management of the school. As such IFS is governed by two community-driven bodies. The Executive Committee and the Educational Committee.
Our parent community are encouraged to volunteer and participate in the governance of the school by being elected onto the Executive Committee as a parent representative or a corporate representative, (Options de Fondateur, ODF). Or by being elected onto the Educational Committee as a representative of the IFS parent community.
The Educational Committee is the main body responsible for running educational and pedagogical affairs of the school. Chaired by the Principal, representatives of the teaching faculty, non-teaching staff, parent, student community and the Embassy’s Counsellor for Culture, Education and Science comprise the group.
This committee is responsible for school projects, school rules, the timetable, the academic calendar, and a programme of training and professional development for staff. It provides guidance on the recruitment needs of IFS, school trips and the organisational structure of the school as a whole.
To learn more about the Education Committee, click here.
These two boards are internal bodies of the School and are governed by local legislation.
Academic Board
- Principal, Mr Christian Soulard
- Vice Principals, Mr Grégory Bailleul & Mr Bruno Ollivier
- Heads of Primary, Ms Agathe Blandin, Mr Jérôme Bel & Ms Karine Kentaoui
Examination Board
- Principal, Mr Christian Soulard
- Vice Principals, Mr Grégory Bailleul & Mr Bruno Ollivier
- Counsellor for Culture, Science and Education, Mr Anthony Chaumuzeau