SCHOOLS

A FEW THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE FRENCH SCHOOL SYSTEM

• Schooling in France is compulsory for all children from ages 6 to 16. State education is free of charge. There is also a comprehensive network of private schools, including international ones.
• Foreign children may enter the state system, but a good knowledge of French is required. Bilingual schools are subsidised by the state and are considerably cheaper than other international schools.
• No uniform is required at any stage of schooling.
• Since 2004, secularity (laicité) has been enforced by law in all French state schools, and it is no longer permitted to wear headscarves or any other visible religious insignia to school.
• In France, schools do not offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities. There may be a school sports team or an orchestra, but on the whole French children tend to pursue their hobbies outside school.
• All French schools follow the same national curriculum, so parents who move to a different town or region can put their children into a new school without disrupting their education.

Learn more step by step:

NURSERY SCHOOL
PRIMARY SCHOOL
MIDDLE SCHOOL
HIGH SCHOOL
BILINGUAL SCHOOLS
THE CARTE SCOLAIRE
REGISTERING YOUR CHILD FOR SCHOOL
THE SCHOOL CALENDAR
SCHOOL HOURS

NURSERY SCHOOL

Children can begin public nursery school (école maternelle) from the age of 3, which is a great advantage for working parents. The école maternelle teaches a state-mandated curriculum and children who miss these years of preparation may be at a disadvantage when they start primary school. While the schooling itself is free, you pay additional fees for a lunch service and extra childcare before or after normal school hours.

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PRIMARY SCHOOL

French Primary school (école primaire) runs from age 6 to 11, and corresponds to UK Infant 2 through to Junior 4 classes, or US grades 1 to 5. This idea of cycles of education is fundamental to the organization of the French Education system.

• cycle des apprentissages fondamentaux consists of the first 2 years CP (cours préparatoire) and CE1 (first year of cours élémentaire) and the last year of the école maternelle,
• cycle des approfondissements is the following 3 years made up of CE2 (second year of cours élémentaire), CM1 and CM2 (first and second year of cours moyen).

All French children are expected to be able to read and write simple French by the end of the first term in Primary school. Foreign children are given some leeway to learn these skills depending on the age at which they start.

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MIDDLE SCHOOL

From age 11 to 15, children attend middle school (college). At the end of this period, important decisions are made regarding the direction a student's education should take.

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HIGH SCHOOL

At the age of 15, pupils move on to high school (lycée) where they prepare for their baccalauréat examinations (known as le bac) equivalent to A-Levels in the UK.

At the age of 16, and the end of the first year of Lycée (seconde),the key decision is made as to which bac a student will take. There are 3 baccalauréat general: literature and language (L), science and math (S) and economics and social sciences (ES). There are 8 additional baccalauréat technologique, diplomas based on technical skills. A baccalauréat guarantees entrance to a state university.

The baccalaureat examination process begins the following year, called the première, with tests in French language and literature. At the end of the following year, the terminale, students aged 17 to 18 sit their final high school exams.

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BILINGUAL SCHOOLS

There are around 30 schools in France offering a bilingual education that prepares students for an international baccalauréat. These schools cater to foreign students and make it easier for them to return to schools in their home country.

Many French cities have private American and British schools where the curriculum is equivalent to the country of origin.

For a directory of schools with international sections, see the website of the Centre international d'études pédadogiques.

For more information on the French education system, see the French Ministry of Education's website (in French).

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THE CARTE SCOLAIRE

If you decide to enrol your child in the French public school system, the choice of school will be subject to what is known as the carte scolaire, a map that divides the public school system into geographical districts. A student is essentially required to attend the school nearest to their home address.

For primary school, your local mairie decides which school you need to enrol your child in. For collège and lycée, the French educational authority (Education Nationale) decides.

If you wish to bypass the carte scolaire system and enrol your child in a different collège or lycée to the one imposed, you are normally required to request a specific waiver (derogation) from the local School Inspector (inspecteur d'académie). Private schools are not subject to the constraints of the carte scolaire system.

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REGISTERING YOUR CHILD FOR SCHOOL

If you decide to send your child to a public school, you need to contact the service des écoles at your local town hall. If you are arriving from abroad, and your child is entering French secondary school for the first time, contact the administrative head (rectorat) of the educational district in your area.

You can find a list of contact details for the different academies on the French Ministry of Education's website (in French).

Below is a list of the documents required to register your child at a French school, whether public or private. Any documents not originally in French must be translated by an official translator:

• A birth certificate (extrait de l'acte de naissance, or a livret de famille).
• Proof of parents' identity: copies of passports, cartes de séjour or cartes d'identité. Divorced parents may also be asked for proof of legal guardianship.
• A carnet de santé or other official health records to show that the child is vaccinated against tuberculosis (BCG), diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTP) and polio. Note that children entering from the U.S. often require the BCG vaccination.
• A copy of a utility bill showing your home address.
• Most schools will ask that you carry an insurance policy (assurance scolaire) for your child to participate in any activities outside the classroom.

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THE SCHOOL CALENDAR

Most French primary and secondary schools follow a pattern of 6.5 weeks of classes and 2 weeks holidays.

French school holidays are generally as follows, with some regional variations:

2 weeks in February
2 weeks at Easter
12 weeks from 15 June to 15 September
1 week around 1 November
2 weeks at Christmas

Most French state schools have adopted a 4-day week with Wednesday remaining free and no school on Saturdays. In areas where Wednesday is still a school day, it is usually a half day with optional games in the afternoon.

For the exact dates of the current school year, including public holidays, check the French Education Ministry's school calendar (in French), which shows all regional variations.

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SCHOOL HOURS

• Nursery schools run from 09.00 to 16.30 with an hour and a half for lunch.
• Primary schools generally run from around 08.45 to 16.30 with 90 minutes or 2 hours lunch break.
• Secondary schools usually start at 08.30 and finish at 17.00, with around 90 minutes for lunch.

Timetables may vary from school to school and should be checked when registering your children.

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