Short description of the educational system in France, so it can be compared to the one in other countries

1. Educational system in
1. Different schools for different ages
What types of schools? Age Range?
Primary school
Secondary school
Back‐to‐school date: End of year:
When does mandatory education start / end?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. Secondary school
A lesson lasts minutes. A school week lasts s days and pupils work hours per week (
lessons). A school year lasts weeks and there are weeks of holidays: (describe when the
holidays are and how long): Summer holidays: 8 weeks, Autumn holiday: 2 weeks, Christmas 2 weeks, Winter
holiday: 2 weeks, Easter holiday: 2 weeks.
3. Subjects studied at school:
● Mandatory : French, math, biology, geography, history, music, IT, arts, English, Spanish, chemistry/physics,
sports.
● Optional ‐ at our school: football, tennis, international class, “mini company” project.
Special programs offered in certain schools: The range of optional subjects can differ a lot from school to school.
Grading system:
The best mark a pupil can have: The worst:
Do all subjects use the same system? (if no, why?) Yes
How are marks shown to parents? How often? Three times a year, they have a paper summary and an interview
with a teacher. The grades are shown on a special school website for the parents.
What happens at the end of the year if a student :
‐ has poor results? Nothing really. They used to redo the same years but it is seen as costly and not efficient.

2. ‐ fails exams? Nothing really, because what you do the year after is decided before (for the “college section) If
you fail the bac, you redo the year.
4. National exams​ :
Name When do students take it? What do they consist in? Necessary in
order to go
further?
Brevet des
collèges
By the end of 3e 3 written exams : French / maths
/history – geography
1 oral exam : Arts
The grades of the 3e year are taken
into account as well
No
Baccalauréat By the end of Terminale A mix of written and oral exams
depending on what you specialize
on.
yes
5. Management and Teachers
On what level are schools managed? For college it is the “département” for lycées the region.
To become a teacher you need to study at least years and pass a certification called
As a teacher, you teach at least and at most subjects. You teach around hours a
week
and work (teaching + preparation time) hours a week.
To get a position in a school, teachers must : Apply for the position, go to an interview at the school and do well at
this interview. And have good grades.
6. Special needs
Are special needs children integrated into regular classes? Yes many are. Some with very special needs go
to special schools.
Are trained teachers in charge of SN Students? Not really. There are only a few trained teachers, in charge of all
the children in a district. Regular teachers can be trained a little if they ask.
Do special programs exist for SN Students? Yes. Sometimes, a person is hired to help the students in some classes
(the AVS : auxiliaire de vie scolaire)