COVID-19 and Learning
Last updated:
30 january 2023
For the 2022-23 school year (similar to the past two school years), ISP is fully open for all students from Nursery to Grade 12, in compliance with the health, hygiene and safety guidelines defined by the French government. Additional physical distancing and movement control measures may be enacted to ensure the highest levels of safety for students and staff.
This webpage will be updated regularly so that you have the most recent information about learning and COVID-19 at the International School of Paris. Please bookmark this page for easy reference.
Please also visit the page: Managing Possible / Positive COVID-19 Cases at ISP
Please also visit the page: Resources for Staying Safe and Informed
2022-23 School Year Planning
Once again, we can meet friends at a restaurant, go to a movie, the theatre or sports events. Please continue to look after yourselves and the whole ISP community by maintaining best practice COVID health and safety protocols. Keeping a mask on and physical distancing are still highly recommended in certain instances. Hand washing and proper ventilation is also important. Please keep safe ISP!
You can see the latest travel and quarantine information on the French Government website.
All children 5 years and older and adults can be vaccinated at any of the numerous vaccination centers in Paris. Vaccination is highly recommended for all members of the ISP community; however, vaccination is not be a requirement to enter campuses as this depends solely on the French authorities and the official list of required vaccinations for students in France.
Many health and safety protocols from last year will remain in place and others may be adapted, following the specific guidelines of the French authorities.
For full information about what will change, remain the same or continue to be evaluated for your child(ren)'s grade(s), please check your email regularly for updates from ISP News.
French Ministry of Education - Health Protocols and Scenarios
For the 2022-23 academic year, the French government maintains its strong emphasis on in-person learning, all while taking precautions to limit the propagation of the COVID-19 virus. The government has updated its operating framework for health and safety protocols to a common set of baseline parameters, followed by three distinct different scenario levels. The protocol level depends on a number of qualitative and quantitative factors and related health indicators, and this may be updated on a local, departmental or national level at any time. The level provides proportionate minimum protocols to be respected.
As announced on Tuesday 24 August, the entirety of France will begin the academic year at the socle/base level of protocols. This is the lowest level of the four levels as described below.
- socle / base level
- level 1 (niveau 1) / green level (niveau vert)
- level 2 (niveau 2) / orange level (niveau orange)
- level 3 (niveau 3) / red level (niveau rouge)
The safety of our students and staff is ISP's utmost priority. We will continue to adhere to all government requirements whilst also ensuring the highest level of safety for our community. This may include extending health and safety measures in additional ways as specific to our campuses. All health and safety protocols will be communicated to you via ISP News.
Regional, departmental and national incidence rates and other health data can be consulted on the French governmental website - you can filter by region (Ile-de-France) and department (Paris) in the upper left hand corner.
France Health Data and Incidence Rates
You can find additional details regarding the common operating framework and all three scenario levels below.
2022-23 Scenario Protocol and Operating Framework.
Official Documentation (French)
2022-23 Scenario Protocol and Operating Framework.
Unofficial Translation (English)
Online/Home Learning
An Online Home Learning programme will be used to support families...Our priority is always face-to-face learning on campuses. A modified Online Home Learning programme is available to support students who are in official quarantine or fully enrolled families who cannot return to France due to border control concerns. You will find additional information regarding the criteria for Online Home Learning below.
Note - Online Home Learning that is offered while school is on site, in person, is not provided to students located anywhere in France, unless they fulfill the criteria of numbers; 2, 3, or 4.
- A modified Online Home Learning programme is available to support fully enrolled families who cannot, due to border control issues and/or isolation/quarantine issues, return to France.
- Online Home Learning will be provided if at any time a single class, grade level, campus or the whole school is closed due to COVID-19. This includes any blended scenarios where class numbers/sizes are limited and students are attending in rotation.
- Online Home Learning is provided to students who test positive for COVID-19 and are isolating, only if they are asymptomatic. Note - Any student who is unwell must rest and recover as their priority and should not be working.
- Online Home Learning is also provided to support students who are in official isolation/quarantine. To note, as of 1 February, 2023, quarantine for positive COVID-19 cases is no longer mandatory; however, if your child is unwell, they should not attend in-person classes.
- If a family must leave ISP (and France) during the school year due to COVID-19 relocation reasons (to include the destination country and any quarantine period), modified Online Home Learning can be provided. School Principals will approve up to two weeks for quarantine periods and up to one month in extenuating circumstances.
- If a family is returning to their home country during an official school vacation, and needs to quarantine and miss school in order to do this, ISP will provide modified Online Home Learning for the quarantine period only. Any further extension of the holiday is at the family's discretion.
Families meeting the criteria above must contact the school principals for further details. You will find their contact details below.
Our Online Home Learning programme adapts to our different learning scenarios...During any mandated distance learning periods, our Online Home Learning programme will drive our students’ learning programme and provide resources and wellbeing information.
Online Home Learning offers a balance of on-screen and off-screen tasks that connect to previous learning and the current curriculum. Our Online Home Learning site below directs students to their learning tasks through the Managebac, Google Classroom and SeeSaw platforms.
This hybrid learning model is not currently in place for ISP students but remains available to consult should Paris require heightened sanitary restrictions and limited student numbers on site for some or all grade levels.
As well, and in the event of a positive COVID-19 case/es in the school community, a homeroom, grade level, campus or the whole school may be closed for a set period of time, as established by the French health authorities.
During any such closure period, we will continue to actively support and guide learning and wellbeing through our Online Home Learning website. Such closure model will remain in place and will be available only during the established closure period and/or any required extension.
Coming to School Each Day
- Students and staff can only attend school if they are at full health. The school nurses will be monitoring everyone carefully - anyone who is unwell will be immediately sent home. Please consult your family doctor about any specific medical conditions and the safety of returning to school.
- Families have a duty to take their child(ren)'s temperature daily. Staff should also take their temperature, as well as monitor the temperature of their family members. Temperatures must be below 37.8 degrees to enter school.
- Primary School students can enter Gate 2 starting at 8:30. Parents must remain on the sidewalk, outside the gate. An exception is made for the parents of Early Learners and Kindergartners, who may accompany their children onto the Ranelagh campus and into classrooms.
ISP Learning Scenarios
| School Status | Conditions | Description | Online Provision | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
In Person (fully open) |
ISP plans to be open unless closed by the French authorities | Face-to-face, in school learning | Only for students outside of France or in official quarantine |
|
Blended / Hybrid | The French authorities limit class sizes and / or the number of students that can attend school | In school and online / home learning rotations | For groups of students who are learning from home on a rotation system |
|
Online (physically closed) |
The French authorities officially close schools in Paris, or in some areas of the city | ISP's fully online / home learning model | For all students at all grades, 5 days a week |
Learn more about the different scenarios:
Visitor Protocols & Social Gatherings
Parents and caregivers will not be permitted to enter the school campuses freely. An exception is in place for parents of Nursery, Pre-K and Kindergarten students at arrival and departure times, only.
Campus entry and face-to-face meetings will be by appointment only. When meetings are set, campus reception areas or designated meeting rooms will be used.
ISP will be required to follow the French governmental protocols (these can and do evolve on an on-going basis) but at this point we are planning for many meetings, events and social gatherings to be on campus during the new school year. Whether a meeting or event is in-person or virtual will be clearly noted in the Whole School Calendar and is subject to change.
Extended Curriculum Activities (ECAs)
The ECA programme will resume for all students in Primary on 19 September 2022 and for all students in Secondary on 26 September 2022.
For any questions regarding ECA, please contact Mr Steve Trollope, Director of Sport and ECA, strollope@isparis.edu.
COVID Response Team (CRT)
ISP has a dedicated COVID Response Team (CRT) that meets on bi-weekly basis (or more frequently, as required) to evaluate governmental guidelines, health and safety protocols and daily operations at our three campuses. This team is comprised of the following members :
- School Leadership Team (Head of School, Primary and Secondary School Principals, IT, Finance & Facilities, Advancement, Human Resources)
- All campus Nurses
- All campus Administrative Assistants
- Invited guests, as appropriate
Communication
ISP will communicate through a number of channels regarding any changes to our learning model or important community updates:
- ISP News will provide information concerning any class, grade or campus-wide changes, closures or important updates.
- The Sunday Newsletter will be used by school leaders for additional messages.
- Our COVID-19 & Learning Website contains all the information about Online/Home Learning.
- Our SMS system will be used for emergency and quick action messages.
Who to Contact?
COVID-19 related contact information and links.
General questions contact information.
Contact Us
Please contact ispnurse@isparis.net for any medical questions, or to report a suspected case of COVID-19.
Please contact our school leaders for questions related to teaching, learning or individual students.
| Ranelagh Campus |
Jason Taylor, Primary School Principal |
Anita Brady, Vice Principal Student Wellbeing abrady@isparis.net |
| Cortambert Campus | Amy Bowley, Secondary School Assistant Principal abowley@isparis.net |
Fiona Lee, Vice Principal Student Wellbeing flee@isparis.net |
| Beethoven Campus | Damian Kerr, Secondary School Principal dkerr@isparis.net |
Michael Kopp, Vice Principal Student Wellbeing mkopp@isparis.net |
Tell Us How We're Doing!
Please let us know if you find this web page helpful or not. We're always working to improve the quality of the information we provide, and your feedback is important!
