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Among school-age children a mastery of spelling points to good written skills, both in France and in Britain. While studies of spelling skills in a monolingual setting abound, much less work has been done on bilingual settings. This study aims to test the hypothesis that a bilingual/monolingual variable affects spelling. Such a hypothesis has up to now only been suggested. The bilingual subjects worked with are children of Turkish and Turkish-speaking migrants, whose "migratory" bilingualism, is often looked down upon. The hypothesis that bilingualism affects spelling skills is tested in two environments - France and Britain with divergent language and educational policies. This comparison aims to explore the influence of these policies on bilingual language use.