A morning worth a full day
Nineteen hours and twenty minutes a week, over four days: sixteen hours of teaching, and more than three hours of physical activity and outdoor breaks. Most of the work is done in the morning; a workshop in Spanish, art or music opens the afternoon, before pupils leave for their club. Every session is built on what research tells us about children's attention, memory and motivation.
A typical day
- 8.40 – 9.00
Physical warm-up
Outdoor cardio games in natural light. Twenty minutes of exercise before lessons: several studies show that physical activity improves attention in the hours that follow.
- 9.00 – 9.15
Morning launch: spaced retrieval
A recap of what was learnt the day, the week and the month before. One of the best-established memory techniques in the research, used every morning.
- 9.15 – 10.05
Maths — in English
Two 25-minute sprints on an individual mastery path, taught in English (CLIL). Every pupil works at their real level, without waiting for others and without being left behind.
- 10.05 – 10.20
Active break
Movement, outdoors.
- 10.20 – 11.10
French
In-depth reading, handwritten composition and grammar. Real writing every day, and on paper as a rule, because writing by hand helps children remember.
- 11.10 – 11.25
Socratic discussion
Philosophy for children: making a case, listening, conceding a point, rephrasing. This is also where moral and civic education takes place: the rules of living together, respect for others and the values of the French Republic. Now that artificial intelligence can supply answers in seconds, being able to reason and judge for yourself matters more than ever.
- 11.25 – 11.40
Active break
Movement, outdoors.
- 11.40 – 12.30
Rotating block
Science and projects in English (Monday and Thursday), history and geography taught chronologically (Tuesday), financial literacy (Friday) — all with specialist teachers.
- 12.30 – 12.45
Reflective close
Error log, a look back at the morning, goals for the next day. Learning how to learn is taught explicitly.
- 12.45 – 1.45
Lunch and quiet time
A meal prepared by a caterer and supervised by a member of our team, followed by quiet time.
- 1.45 – 2.30
Early-afternoon workshop
Spanish (Monday and Thursday), art (Tuesday) and music (Friday), with specialist teachers. Spanish starts in CP (age 6), spoken first: songs, games and short conversations. Writing is added from CM1 (age 9).
- 2.30 – 2.45
Journey to the club
Accompanied by a member of our team, who hands pupils over to the club coach.
- From 2.45 pm
Club sport
Every pupil joins their partner club — tennis, taekwondo, football… How long the session lasts depends on the child's age, level and club, and it may run into the early evening. The school coordinates timetables and keeps an eye on each child's overall workload.
Wednesdays are left entirely free for tournaments, training camps, rest and family time: the school week follows the children's real sporting calendar.
How the 19 hours 20 minutes are spent
| Subject (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) | Hours per week |
|---|---|
| Maths — taught in English (CLIL) | 3 h 20 min |
| French — in-depth reading, handwriting, grammar | 3 h 20 min |
| Science and projects — in English (Monday, Thursday) | 1 h 40 min |
| History and geography (Tuesday) | 50 min |
| Financial and economic literacy (Friday) | 50 min |
| Socratic discussion — philosophy for children, moral and civic education | 1 h |
| Spaced retrieval, morning launch and reflective close | 2 h |
| Early-afternoon workshops — Spanish (two sessions), art, music | 3 h |
| Physical warm-up and active breaks outdoors | 3 h 20 min |
| Total school week | 19 h 20 min |
| Club sport: depends on the child's age, level and club, sometimes as much time as in class, with sessions possible in the early evening and on Wednesdays | varies |
For comparison, a French primary school week has 24 hours of teaching, often with homework on top. We have chosen a shorter, more focused week, with no homework. This timetable may be adjusted before opening and during the year, always in the pupils' interest.
Measurable goals, not promises
Every family knows the goals we are working towards and can follow their child's progress through external assessments and a portfolio of work.
Solid foundations
Fluent reading (90 words a minute or more), instant recall of the four operations and times tables, and a first level of English certified by a Cambridge English qualification (Pre A1 Starters or A1 Movers).
Ready for the next step — and ahead
A2 English certified by an external exam (B1 for pupils who join early), the possibility of being one or two years ahead in maths, confidence in speaking and arguing a point, and the first foundations of Spanish.
Progress you can see in data
A mastery dashboard for each skill, a portfolio of real work and a one-to-one meeting with the family. Not impressions: evidence.
Screens in their proper place
- Devices belong to the school and stay there: no device is handed to a child.
- Phones and smartwatches are handed in on arrival and returned at the end of the day.
- Thirty minutes a day at most in CP and CE1 (ages 6 to 7), forty-five minutes after that, in sessions of no more than twenty-five minutes, each followed by an outdoor break.
- Digital tools are used for adaptive maths practice and review: no passive video, no open browsing and no free access to artificial intelligence.
- Reading and writing are done on paper, by hand.
- Your child's actual screen time is measured and shared with you.
- Tools hosted in Europe, with no advertising or profiling.
- No homework: the school never asks for screen time at home.
This charter draws on the recommendations of the French expert commission on children and screens, published in April 2024. Like the timetable, it may be adjusted in practice, always in the pupils' interest.
Let's talk about your child
The best way to understand Top Académie is to talk it through with us. Book a meeting and bring your child along.