Irregularities at the School Council Meeting of 2 July 2025

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In the interests of all LFCG parents, we would like to share what we consider to be concerning developments adopted at the latest School Council meeting on 2 July 2025. We have requested clarifications from the APL.

A change to the Financial Regulations amounts to a "blank cheque" to the administration for the February advance payment.

At the School Council meeting, the administration modified the re-enrollment deposit terms in the Financial Regulations. The previously fixed amount (£800) has been replaced with a new provision stating that the amount will now be “set by the school administration” at a later, unspecified date.

Slipped through just before the summer holidays, the CIPL is drawing parents’ attention to this alarming development..

Families may now be required to pay a re-enrollment deposit of up to £5,000, up from £800, should the full first term’s tuition be required. This creates significant uncertainty for parents.

In our opinion, this wording has no place in the Financial Regulations. As these are required to be approved by the School Council, there is no valid reason to grant the administration full discretion to set financial amounts.

The CIPL strongly objects to the fact that such a clause was proposed, and then approved, at the School Council meeting, in the presence of parent representatives, school leadership, and AEFE representatives.

The CIPL notes the introduction of a new “Parent Conduct Policy” in September.

While the CIPL firmly condemns any abusive behavior by parents toward the administration or teachers, the introduction of such a policy (whose content is still “in the process of being drafted,” according to the report) is expected to come into effect at the start of the school year, despite not having been adopted by the School Council. This would constitute a serious breach of procedure.

The CIPL alerts parents to what may be an attempt to silence all criticism about the school and decisions taken by its administrators, and will ensure that all procedural requirements are respected.

The CIPL also notes that the report appears to indicate that no formal vote was held on the proposals mentioned therein.

The CIPL will, of course, respond to these irregularities. We remain available to the APL leadership team to consider a coordinated response on these points.