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WHAT IS DSC?
There are often students who live out of the UK but
who would like to gain UK academic qualifications.
These could be under 18s who have come to live in France
but arrived too late
to settle into French education, students whose place in UK university or training demands UK qualifications, perhaps adults
needing 'A' levels or simply students who want to keep up their UK culture while at
French school.
DSC is here to give guidance and help with tuition.
WHERE IS DSC?
A recently restored small two-storey building in Faye, about
5 km from Mussidan and 1 km
from Beauronne on the RD 709 towards Ribérac (15 km).
The ground floor is the tuition room and is lined with books,
videos, DVDs and a large viewing screen. The first floor is the examination room and is also used for private study and homework.
It is all very comfortable and relaxed, easy to find and with
convenient parking. There are no boarding facilities, but host families can often be found for the occasional overnight stay. Mussidan has a railway station where students can often be collected and delivered.
HOW DOES DSC FUNCTION?
Because of logistic problems, arrangements have to be flexible.
It is important for students to come to the centre at least once a week - if possible more than once. Some students come for one whole day, for one and a half days, or for two days. A full day usually
means 2 x 2 hr sessions (after 2 hours face to face
tuition concentration
can begin to wane!)
Lunch is provided for students who are here around midday. Coffee
and other refreshments are almost always available.
Students are encouraged to send homework in by e-mail, but should
submit some work in their own handwriting, a skill easily lost. In an emergency, students can face John Airs on webcam or Skype.
WHO IS THIS JOHN AIRS?
After universities at Grenoble and Oxford, John
devoted his time to teaching. He became housemaster and then headmaster at British Public Schools before moving to France in 1975 to set up and run a 6th form college in Mussidan. After five years,
he was called upon to establish and run British sections in schools in Normandy, Copenhagen,
Paris and Warsaw, as well as
creating and directing the Paris Tutorial Centre for twelve years.
John is now officially retired, but undertakes much of the tuition
at DSC. Both John and DSC are well equipped for courses leading to ‘A’ level French, English and History. Other
subjects can be added for IGCSE, and tutors may sometimes be found. Quite often a combination of guidance and on-line courses provides a solution.
DSC has no laboratories.
Since its creation in 1996, DSC has been helping adults to gain
confidence in their ability to communicate in French.
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