My DS wasn't underchallenged in French classes in CP, though the English grade 1 curriculum was too easy for him. The advantage in that grade was that the French took up 70% of the day. This value went to 60% the next year, by which time he was underchallenged in every academic class except French language/grammar.
YMMV obviously, but I thought I'd send some food for thought. If you want to do a skip (especially of 1st/CP), I'd recommend looking into it early.
Val,
Your situation sounds pretty similar to ours. Like your school, ours is really bilingual - at least after the maternelle. For the 3, 4, and 5 year olds the language at school is almost entirely French, excepting about an hour of English per week. But the ratio of French to English changes starting in 1st grade, and by 3rd or 4th grade it's about 50/50. In our case, I think the immersion has been terrific for DS. He hasn't learned a single thing about math or reading in English at school - though he does these at a pretty advanced level at home. But there's still enough challenge for him during the school day since he's constantly working on his French language skills. If it turns out that that continues to challenge him in 1st/CP, then that would be terrific. Sooner or later, though, the lack of appropriate math and reading will likely become a problem.
Just out of curiosity, how was the transition out of the French school?
BB
