3. The French Education system
Schooling in France is compulsory for all children from ages 6 to 16.
French education is highly centralized with a nationwide curriculum decided by the
Ministry of Education.
The school year runs from September to beginning of July.
Pupils work from Mondays to Fridays, from 8 am to 5 pm but have the entire
Wednesday or Wednesday afternoon free.
The four main school holidays are:
- 2 weeks around November 1st
- 2 weeks at Christmas
- 2 weeks for winter break
- 2 weeks for spring break
Public schools: 56 032 schools in 2011 (48139 basic schools and 7893 secondary
schools)
Private schools: 8803 schools in 2011 (5279 basic schools and 3524 secondary
schools), 21% des élèves du secondaire sont scolarisés dans le privé en 2009
Home teaching
4. The French education system
École maternelle, kindergarten or pre-school
3 classes, from 3 to 6.
Curriculum includes reading and writing, numeracy and
artistic and creative activities.
École primaire, primary school
5 classes, from 6 to 11.
Curriculum: classes in French, arithmetic, geography
and history, arts, and a foreign language.
For these levels, pupils get a-24-hour tuition a week
(Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays)
This was before September 2014 where all pupils go to
school on Wednesday mornings but finish school
earlier
5. The French education system
Collège, middle school
4 levels, from 11 to 15.
Curriculum: French, Maths, History, Geography,
ICT, art & music, PE, Civic Education, Physics &
Science, and two foreign languages.
At the end of the last year, pupils take the brevet
exam (GCSE)and are orientated to Lycée Général &
Technologique (High school) or Lycée professionnel
(vocational training high school).
A Year7 pupil works around 25 hours a week and a
Year 10 pupil works around 29 hours a week.
6. The French Education system
Lycée général , high-school
The last 3 years of secondary education before taking the baccalauréat exam, the high
school leaving certificate exam (A levels), from 15 to 18.
-3 main general baccalauréats:
literature and language (L),
science and maths (S)
and economics and social sciences (ES)
-4 baccalauréats technologiques.
Lycée professionnel, vocational training high-school
A lot of different baccalauréats professionnels, such as the "lycée du bâtiment" or
building trades lycées, where pupils specialize in one of the various trades of the building
and construction sector.
lycée agricole, agricultural high school
7. The French Education system
Lycée professionnel, vocational training high-school
A lot of different baccalauréats professionnels, such as the "lycée du bâtiment" or
building trades lycées, where pupils specialize in one of the various trades of the building
and construction sector.
Lycée agricole, agricultural high school
A baccalauréat général et technologique guarantees entrance to a state university.
8. The French Education System
85,7 % d’inscrits au baccalauréat obtiennent
ce diplôme
= 71,6% of school pupils in France complete
their secondary education and take the
baccalauréat. The official target is 80% of
pupils passing the Baccalauréat.
9. The French Education System
Registering a child
The choice of the school is subject to the Carte scolaire (a map of geographical
districts), the children ares supposed to attend the school nearest to their home
address.
Primary school: the town decides of the school according to the carte scolaire.
Middle & High-school: the Educ a tio n Na tio na le (French educational authority)
decides according to the carte scolaire.
If people want to bypass the carte scolaire they are required to request a specific
waiver (d e ro g a tio n) from the local School Inspector (Dire c te ur Ac a d é m iq ue ).
University Teaching / Polytechnic: With baccalauréat, dossier, sélections.
78% des bacheliers s’orientent vers le supérieur (= 53% d’une génération)
10. The French Education System
Financial support for students:
grants (secondaires = 24,2%), fonds sociaux collégiens par les
établissements, secondary school social fund (=31,4 millions €),
allowances to children going back to school (= 1,5 billions € from
Caisses d’allocations familiales, family allowance fund)
Statistics
Dropout rates: in 2009 17% leave school with or without the
Brevet diploma and 10% before the end of High School.
Ratio teachers / students: 18,7
11. The French Education System
Master 2 = 5 years of university after baccalauréat
To teach in the first degree: competitive examinations called « concours de recrutement
de professeurs des écoles » (CRPE), organized at the « academie » level.
To teach in the secondary level: several competitive examinations
_ le certificat d’aptitude au professorat de l’enseignement du second degré (CAPES) ;
_ le certificat d’aptitude au professorat d’éducation physique et sportive (CAPEPS) ;
_ le certificat d’aptitude au professorat de lycée professionnel (CAPLP) ;
_ l’agrégation (more selective than the CAPES)
859 300 teachers in public and private education (720 655 in public education).
375 200 teachers (7 400 trainee teachers) in the first degree.
484 100 teachers (8 400 trainee teachers), in the second degree.
