The French delegation had lost time at meetings with the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, the Opposition Leader, Bill Shorten, and functions at the National Gallery and the Australian War Memorial earlier in the day.

By 2.15pm, when the President and his retinue of diplomats, generals, admirals and designer sunglass-wearing security detail were due to arrive at the 31-year-old joint French and Australian school, that delay had blown out to almost an hour-and-a-half.

This left a full quadrangle of immaculately attired and bilingual pupils literally all dressed up and nowhere to go.

The youngsters exhibited great discipline, holding ranks, chatting and playing quietly together while awaiting developments.

When the news "he's here" finally broke just after 3.10pm there was a palpable sense of relief briefly shattered by the first notes of the end-of-school siren at 3.15pm.

President Hollande took the rostrum at 3.30pm after a musical welcome to country, and the singing of the Marseillaise and Advance Australia Fair and spoke for 10 minutes - entirely in French.

One member of the audience who had no difficulty understanding the leader of the Fifth Republic was Armand Bouillard (8), a Class 3.3 student and a member of the Telopea Park school choir.

The son of French diplomats, Armand has lived in Australia for three years and said he had never seen his president in person until Wednesday.

"It was an honour to be able to sing for his visit," he said. "I think the school here is very good; I have made many friends and my English is much improved (since coming here)."

Armand did not mind waiting for the President.

"The time went very quickly," he said.

Deputy Principal Kate Sutherland, who has taught at Telopea Park for the past nine-and-a-half years, said she was proud of all the students and they were the reason she loved working there.

"This was created as a binational school to develop an understanding of French and English language and culture," Ms Sutherland said.

"About 80 per cent of our students come from Australian backgrounds and the balance from French-speaking backgrounds."

President Hollande, who was whisked off by his security detail moments after the conclusion of his address, spent much of Wednesday in the company of Prime Minister, Tony Abbott.

Unlike Tuesday's parliamentary guest, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India who enjoys rock star status on his home turf, the French President's poll numbers make the Australian PM look good.

Reuters reports that as of November 6 his popularity had plummeted to an all-time low of just 12 per cent in the wake of his Government's failure to reinvigorate the eurozone's second largest economy.

Mr Modi is currently rating at 82 per cent.