First, there are a few key facts to know about the education system in France:
1. Schools in France start much earlier than in many other countries.
2. School is compulsory for all children from age 3 until age 16.
3. The length of the school day in France is also longer than in many other places; don’t be surprised if even from a young age you’re dropping your children off at 8am and picking them up at 4pm.
4. This is France, however, so an allowance is made for a nutritious three-course lunch served in the on-site cafeteria (my young children have learned to love lentils and beetroot and other foods they’d usually refuse if I served them at home). In fact, France’s school dinners are routinely lauded as some of the best in the world.
The French Government’s Culture, Education and Research page is recommended reading for more information on the topic.
Pre-school & nursery options
Unlike other countries, childcare costs haven’t skyrocketed in France and this affordability allows mothers to return to the workplace (if they want to) knowing they won’t be working only to pay childcare fees. Most cities and towns in France have a municipal crèche where children are welcomed from as young as a few months old until they start maternelle (or kindergarten/pre-school) to age three. As there are caps on how many children these centres can welcome, there are often waiting lists. Many parents turn to an Assistante Maternelle, a qualified and registered childcare worker who looks after a small group of children of similar ages in their own home.
From ages 3 to 5, children attend maternelle, or pre-school. It’s a way for young children to start to get used to school life and to socialise with their peers. The typical French school day involves plenty of play-based learning as well as art and reading. The class will eat lunch together in the canteen and, in the first year, called Petite Section, still have a sleep in the afternoon. The second year is called Moyenne Section and the third and final year is called Grande Section.
Primary education
At age six, children move into the primary (or elementary) school system — a transition that may also involve a change in premises as well. The first year is called CP (cours préparatoire), a key year for learning to read and write. The five years of primary school are split into two cycles. In the first, which is considered the cycle of fundamental learning, they move from CP into CE1 (cours élémentaire première) and CE2 (cours élémentaire deuxième année). From there, the second cycle, or the cycle of consolidation, starts. This comprises CM1 (cours moyen première année) and CM2 (cours moyen deuxième année). This is the final year of primary school.
At primary as well as at the preschool level, it is important to note that in some regions of the country, schools are closed Wednesday. In others, they are open for half the day. It’s just another quirk of the French school system compared to the English and others. Thankfully, there are also provisions for on-site before and after school care, called la garderie. In regions like mine where schools are closed on Wednesday, the local council usually operates one or more centres de loisirs where children are looked after by a team of qualified childcare workers. These same centres are operational during all school holidays.
Secondary education
Rather than a single high school where students go to complete their entire secondary education, in France you have two different schools: Collège and Lycée, or Middle School and High School. From primary school, children move to Collège — often more than one primary school feeds into a single Collège so it is a big change for children. The years work backward, so the youngest children are in sixième (6th form) and the eldest in troisième (3rd form). At the end of Collège, students sit for a national exam called the Brevet.
From here, students move into Lycée. As they progress from la seconde to la première to la terminale (the final year of school), this three year cycle culminates in La Baccalaureate university entrance exams. There are also the specialist high schools: Lycées Technologiques and Lycées Professionnels. Both prepare students for specific career paths and feed into tailored Baccalaureate examinations, although a Lycée Professionnel can also prepare students for the CAP (certificat d'aptitude professionnelle) certification which is completed in only two years (and isn’t a valid university entrance exam).
English-speaking schools/International schools vs French Speaking
It’s a normal question for any parent to ask as they contemplate a move to a different country: Is the French system good? And it’s one that has many people exploring English-speaking and international options. I’ve chosen to enroll my children in the local French school for various reasons: it’s free, I can walk to it, my children make friends within the local community, and, most importantly, they are learning to speak, read and write French even if we only speak English at home. For us, we’ve made the right choice, but it doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for everyone. You can’t pick what state school you want to enroll your children in, instead it depends on where you live and what school your address feeds into. There is also an extensive network of semi-private and private schools in France, some with religious affiliations, which are fee-paying and work on an application basis.
If you would like your child to be educated in English, there are state-run French schools with international sections where six hours a week is taught in English, as well as English-speaking international schools, many teaching the highly-regarded International Baccalaureate (IB) program. While an international school education may sound very appealing, it’s worth remembering that the majority of these are private and annual fees can run into five figures.
Extra-curricular activities
When looking at France’s education system vs the US and the UK, France’s is still weighted very much towards academic subjects. You’ll find that other activities such as sport, music, art and dance are best pursued outside of school hours. Given the length of the school day, many of these extras are scheduled on Wednesdays or on weekends.
Children with special needs
From a very young age, provisions exist to ensure children with special needs are supported in the education system in France. This could be a learning assistant to accompany the student in the classroom, or enrolment in a dedicated class for students with special needs inside a mainstream school. There are also specific schools for students with special needs (sometimes schooling is shared between mainstream and special needs schools), and distance-learning and homeschooling services. Wherever you are living in the country, the Maison Départementale des Personnes Handicapées (MDPH) in your region should be your first point of contact. The French government has comprehensive information on its website, too.
Homeschooling
While homeschooling (known as école à la maison) is on the rise in France, with 50,000 school-aged students homeschooled in 2020, as of September 2022, it will only be possible to homeschool in France with government authorisation, which is conditional on your situation meeting one of four exemptions based on health or sickness, the practice of an intensive sport, travel, or a particular reason specific to the child. If you homeschool your child, you need to make a declaration at the start of each school year to the municipality where you live, as well as to the Dasen (Direction des Services Départementaux de l'Éducation Nationale). Keep an eye on this government website for up-to-date information.
University options
In 2020, over 1.6 million students were enrolled in one of France’s 600+ universities, studying an array of subjects from arts and humanities (the most popular) to science, law, engineering and many others — just like any country! To attend university in France, you’ll need to have completed the Baccalaureate, or equivalent. An undergraduate degree, or bachelor’s degree is called a licence. Master and doctorat are postgraduate qualifications, the equivalent of a Masters and PhD.
Since many French universities are state-funded, tuition fees are very reasonable for French and EU students, especially if you are used to American college fees. International students enrolling at a French university should expect to pay higher fees, but again these are relative compared to some other countries. As with anywhere, it is worth exploring what scholarships, bursaries and other grants are available.
There also exists in the French education system a network of very prestigious Grandes Ecoles which have a defined area of specialism and a rigorous selection process. Many of France’s politicians, businessmen and leading scientists are Grande Ecole graduates.
Summary
There’s no doubt that, as you navigate the education system in France you’ll find differences to what you are used to in your home country. While you may become frustrated at certain traits, such as the long school days (especially for younger kids), there are plenty of positives to balance this out: France is a country that makes affordable and accessible education for children from birth until tertiary level a top priority.
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