International school
Driving change in education !
Inspired by Scandinavian and Québec education models, HoplaBoum International School is a bilingual, research-informed school offering active and innovative learning approaches, with a strong arts-and-sciences focus, deeply connected to nature, and open to the world.
School Overview
HoplaBoum School offers a rigorous, rich, and engaging education that respects each child’s natural rhythm and is structured around interdisciplinary projects. The school is made up of two small classes—one preschool class and one elementary class—and welcomes children from preschool through 5th grade
At HoplaBoum School, the teaching of core subjects follows the expectations of the French National Education curriculum, ensuring that every pupil develops a strong shared foundation. Unlike a traditional school, however, we organise the timetable around children’s natural rhythms, as supported by research: mornings are dedicated to foundational learning, while afternoons focus on experimentation, creativity, and exploring the living world.
Our motto, “The curriculum… yes, but more besides!”, reflects our commitment to offering pupils far more than academic instruction. Our programme, designed by a multidisciplinary team, draws on internationally recognised pedagogical approaches and is grounded in recent work in education sciences and neuroscience. The school nurtures autonomy, cooperation, self-esteem, and the joy of learning within an inclusive and caring environment.
The curriculum... yes, but more besides !
At HoplaBoum School, the French National Education curriculum is our foundation… but we go further: project-based learning through Arts and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), critical thinking education, philosophy workshops, nature-based learning (outdoor classroom), and other workshops enrich every day to nurture free, curious, and engaged minds.
A school where educational rigor meets creativity, science, nature, and a sense of wonder.
A year shaped by the world’s major causes
A curriculum open to the world: the UN–UNESCO as our compass, cultures as bridges.
Our annual curriculum is built primarily around the thematic weeks and international days promoted by the United Nations and UNESCO. We use these as a guiding thread to design interdisciplinary learning sequences rooted in today’s major global challenges (education, science, culture, human rights, sustainable development, peace). In practical terms, we regularly align our projects with these international reference points (the official “International Days and Weeks” calendars) to open learning to the world, build a shared culture, and give meaning to the activities carried out in the classroom.
In addition, we also integrate major cultural celebrations (local and international) to nurture curiosity, intercultural openness, understanding of traditions, and the celebration of diversity.
The HoplaBoum Curriculum
The HoplaBoum School programme is based on the French National Education curriculum, while also weaving together some of the most effective international educational approaches (the Québec Ministry of Education, the UK Department for Education (DfE), and Sweden’s Ministry of Education and Research (Utbildningsdepartementet), etc.).
2 cores
Arts
STEM
3 pillars
Languages
Eco-School
Cultural Studies
Our arts-oriented mission
Art is not a luxury, but a fundamental necessity for human development
Neuroscience today confirms what artists have always known: artistic practice profoundly shapes the brain, simultaneously strengthening creativity, emotional intelligence, abstract thinking, and cognitive abilities. Through dance, which awakens bodily awareness; theatre, which cultivates empathy and expression; music, which refines listening and coordination; and visual arts, which unleash the imagination, our school offers a complete pathway in which each discipline enriches the others. Guided by passionate professional artists—true experts in their craft—pupils do more than learn techniques: they discover universal languages that will enable them to express themselves, understand the world, and connect with others throughout their lives. Culture is not an optional extra in education; it is its beating heart—the force that shapes us into whole, sensitive, and creative human beings.
Music
Danse
Visual arts
Theater
Our STEM-focused mission
Explore, Understand, Invent!
The STEM pathway is committed to cultivating a genuine scientific mindset by placing pupils at the heart of investigation and experimentation. By integrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, learners develop a critical and curious approach—learning to ask meaningful questions, design rigorous experimental protocols, and develop innovative solutions to real-world challenges. This interdisciplinary approach comes to life through complex, authentic projects, enabling pupils to see how theoretical knowledge takes shape in practical, meaningful applications.
Guided by teachers who are experts in their fields, pupils benefit from high-quality support that fuels their passion for discovery. Contemporary neuroscience supports this approach, showing that active learning and authentic problem-solving stimulate neuroplasticity, strengthen synaptic connections, and promote long-term memory far more effectively than passive transmission of knowledge. Engaging in concrete challenges activates reward pathways and intrinsic motivation—both essential for deep, lasting learning.
Sciences
Technologies
Engineering
Mathematics
bilingualism as a key driver
Bilingualism at the Heart of Our Pedagogy
The Languages pillar of our school is built on French–English bilingualism, delivered through full-day immersion so that children naturally experience both languages in every learning context and in everyday school life. Each subject is taught by native or bilingual specialists in their field, ensuring authentic, high-quality exposure to each language.
This approach is supported by findings in neuroscience showing that young children’s brains have exceptional plasticity for language acquisition: before the age of 7, children naturally develop the neural pathways needed to process multiple languages without conscious effort, engaging the same brain areas used for their mother tongue. Early immersion not only fosters fluent, intuitive mastery of both languages, but also strengthens executive functions, cognitive flexibility, and attention—benefits that can last throughout life.
By creating an environment in which bilingualism is lived as a natural and enriching experience rather than a formal subject, we offer children the best conditions to become truly balanced bilinguals.
Our approach is grounded in three complementary frameworks:
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the French National Education curriculum,
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the Cambridge University international curriculum,
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the Québec Ministry of Education curriculum.
This triple ambition opens the world to children, builds natural ease in both languages, and gives them the tools to think, create, and communicate without borders.
Eco-School
Everyday ecology, real-world impact: a school that gets hands-on with the living world.
At HoplaBoum School, the Eco-Schools programme is a “green thread” running through the entire school year. Built around eight major themes—food, biodiversity, climate, circularity, water, energy, health, and solidarity—it invites children to understand the world, take action to protect it, and grow into engaged citizens. Every project, every activity is an opportunity to connect theory with action, fostering curiosity, responsibility, and each pupil’s power to act.
Food
Biodiversity
Climate
Circularity
Water
Energy
Health
Solidarity
Cultural Studies
A school of dialogue: philosophise, debate, cooperate
for a culture of peace.
The Cultural Studies pillar offers a space for intellectual and human exploration, where experts guide pupils through the major questions that shape our relationship with the world and with others.
This interdisciplinary programme combines philosophical and democratic debates on contemporary ethical issues, while also integrating daily body-based wellbeing practices (yoga, sophrology, and cardiac coherence breathing), recognising the unity of body and mind.
Critical thinking education is central to this approach, teaching pupils to analyse information, identify and challenge biases, and develop independent judgement. Peace education and non-violent communication are addressed as essential skills to cultivate, thereby creating an environment conducive to constructive dialogue and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
An inclusive school
Real equity, every day / Making pedagogical accessibility a priority
At HoplaBoum School, inclusion is a concrete commitment: ensuring a high-quality education for all by taking into account pupils’ shared needs as well as the more specific needs of some, in order to guarantee equitable access to learning.
On a daily basis, we implement pedagogical accessibility grounded in differentiation, cooperation, and a safe, supportive climate, complemented when necessary by individual accommodations and tailored adaptations.
This approach aligns with the French framework of an “education for all” school model, based on the principles of accessibility and reasonable accommodation, and it echoes the international ambition to remove barriers to education so that every pupil counts—and counts equally.
A failure-free school
Progress at your own pace, succeed with method
At HoplaBoum School, we start from a simple principle: all pupils can succeed when learning respects their pace, needs, and strategies—and when they receive frequent feedback to refine their methods. This approach aligns with the logic of progressive mastery of expected learning outcomes (rather than moving everyone forward at the same tempo), and with a view of mistakes as useful information for learning.
In practical terms, we use clear, structured tools that pupils can understand: individualised work plans and competency belts. These help each learner locate where they are, practise, validate skills once they are secure, and then move on to the next step. This model develops autonomy, perseverance, and metacognition (planning, reviewing one’s work, self-assessing, and adjusting strategies)—capabilities widely recognised as essential for lasting learning.
Finally, by making progression more predictable and by prioritising assessment in the service of learning, we aim to cultivate a classroom climate grounded in trust: less test-related anxiety, a stronger sense of efficacy, and improved academic self-esteem—levers that are directly linked to engagement and achievement.
Outdoor Classroom — Nature-Based Pedagogy
Our school regularly holds classes outdoors as part of a nature-based education approach (NBE): we design intentional learning activities outside (greened schoolyard, garden, nearby natural spaces) to observe living systems, experiment, question, collaborate, and develop language, while also fostering autonomy and responsibility.
Available research suggests that “outdoor school” approaches and learning in natural environments are generally associated with positive effects on well-being, motivation, and certain socio-emotional skills—and, depending on the context, on engagement and some learning-related indicators—while also emphasizing that outcomes depend strongly on frequency, pedagogical structure, and the methodological quality of the studies.
Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI)
Animal-assisted education (often described in the literature as animal-assisted services/interventions) refers to the structured, supervised integration of an animal—most often a therapy or mediation dog—in support of educational and psycho-educational objectives. In school settings, the available evidence suggests potential effects on the emotional climate and student engagement: reduced stress and situational anxiety, improved attentional readiness, enhancement of certain socio-emotional skills, and more positive attitudes toward school and learning. Results are particularly discussed for targeted formats such as “reading to a dog” programs, which aim to support motivation, confidence, and persistence in reading.
However, reviews also highlight substantial heterogeneity across protocols and variable methodological quality (e.g., modest sample sizes and risks of bias), which calls for cautious framing and rigorous implementation. In our school, this approach is therefore conceived as a complementary lever—never a substitute—and is grounded in clear safety, hygiene, and consent procedures (children/families/staff), as well as strict respect for animal welfare in line with international recommendations.
In practice, we use this approach as a complementary tool serving specific pedagogical and educational goals, within a robust framework (consent, hygiene, management of allergies/fears, interaction rules, and respect for the animal’s pace and needs). Our mediation dog is named Verdi, and he contributes to this dynamic within a defined structure. In continuity with this relationship to living systems, a chicken coop will soon be installed at the school, as a support for scientific observation, responsibility-building, and everyday education about the living world.
Our Values, Mission & Commitment
Our values
We believe education should awaken boldness rather than format minds. Our values are rooted in a radical conviction: every child carries a spark of genius within them, waiting to catch fire. We cultivate curiosity as an essential driving force, the courage to think differently, and the joy of learning as an act of resistance against systems that standardize childhood.
Here, mistakes are celebrated as a space for exploration, collaboration takes precedence over competition, and authenticity outweighs performance. We reject labels and glass ceilings: HoplaBoum pedagogy frees potential instead of constraining it, nurtures empathy as much as excellence, and develops whole human beings—bold, creative, connected to the world and to themselves.
We do not prepare children for a prefabricated future: we give them the tools to invent the one they want to live in. Because a school should never dim the light in a child’s eyes, but amplify it until it illuminates the world.
Photo gallery
Registrations
Registrations are open throughout the year, subject to availability.
This means we can welcome students at any time during the school year, including mid-year—for example, when families move to France for a fixed period (professional relocation, temporary assignment, family transition, etc.).
To begin the process, simply contact us so we can arrange a conversation and schedule an appointment.
Practical Information
HoplaBoum International School
3 Rue de la Condamine, 38610 Gières
FRANCE
Téléphone : +33 06 68 66 61 94
Mail : hoplaboumeducation@gmail.com
Tuition Fees & Pricing
Our mission is to help every child succeed in every area—academically, socially, and emotionally—within a positive and stimulating environment.
The school year runs from September 1 to June 30. Classes are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. After-school care is available every evening from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
HoplaBoum is an independent organization that receives no public subsidies. To date, we do not generate any profit; all fees are fully reinvested in educational materials, the facility, operating costs, and staff salaries, etc.
Registration Fee
€500 / year / family
Tuition
€575 / month (10 months)
€1,000 / month (2 children – 10 months)
€650 / month (partial year)
Lunch Program Fees (11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.)
€6.50 / meal (catered lunch)
€2.50 / meal (lunch box / packed lunch)
After-School Care Fees (4:30 p.m.–6:00 p.m.)
€2.50 / half-hour / family
Children's Day Camps
Wednesday Camp
€40 / day
Holiday Camp
€250 / week
We remain at your disposal should you need any further information.
* Flat-rate amounts apply regardless of the number of vacation days or absences.
** If tuition is covered by an employer (in full or in part), the cost will be recalculated.
*** This rate includes €175/month in after-school care fees, eligible for a tax credit for children under 6 (France).
**** Our costs are lower than the estimated annual cost of public schooling (€8,320, OECD/DEPP figure). (education.gouv.fr)