Mum of two and an expat in France, Sarah Daly examines the varied education choices accessible in France and what to anticipate to your baby on this information to French faculties and schooling for expats.
Do your homework
If you are shifting to France with a child, younger kids and even youngsters, you’ll most likely wish to perceive the varsity system right here. So how does it work, what’s it like and the way do you enroll and assist your baby in the direction of their schooling?
Education is obligatory in France for youngsters aged between three and 16 years of age. Schools will be public or personal and, underneath sure circumstances, there may be the potential of home-schooling. Some dad and mom shifting to France could select a global faculty for his or her kids or youngsters, with classes taught partly in English, typically following a UK or American curriculum.
We moved to France with kids aged 14 and 11 in 2018. We needed them to study French, so selected to enroll them each in our native center faculty (collage). It was a baptism of fireside for them each: our eldest spoke cheap French (for a British faculty child) and our youngest knew numbers and colours and the French phrase for platypus (platypus in case you had been questioning). It seems that none of this was ample preparation. The hours had been lengthy, the lecturers exacting and the youngsters tidy (as they do in every single place) from variety and caring, to desirous to pounce on any signal of weak point. Despite this, they each made associates and studied onerous. Our eldest is because of graduate from the Sorbonne with a linguistics diploma in the summertime (2026) and the youngest has simply began an structure diploma in Paris.
If you enroll your kids in a French faculty, chances are you’ll effectively discover that workers will enable you manage additional French courses for them. Our children’ center faculty organized franit is a second language (FLS) at a close-by faculty, so it is undoubtedly price asking about this if you first make contact.
Guide to French faculties and schooling for expats
Completing the paperwork
Your first port of name when you’re enrolling a number of kids in class needs to be your native metropolis corridor (city corridor) or, for older kids, you’ll be able to strategy the varsity straight. The city corridor will clarify which faculty/s you’ll be able to apply to and learn how to go about it. You could also be requested for a household report guide. If you do not have one, you’ll be able to apply on the city corridor or, for older kids or latest arrivals, your kid’s start certificates, proof of handle, proof of id and a wedding certificates or equal for folks is normally sufficient.
Get lined
Schools at any degree will ask for proof that your baby is vaccinated earlier than they be a part of. Consult your physician in France as early as you’ll be able to to seek out out what’s required and the way this correlates to vaccinations in your house nation, as there could also be gaps to fill. You might also be requested for proof of particular faculty insurance coverage. This is normally commonplace as a part of your property insurance coverage so, if unsure, examine together with your insurer.
State faculties are all the time secular however personal faculties will be spiritual.
State education is free, however personal and worldwide faculties aren’t normally an costly possibility. About 12 per cent of highschool college students board, and meals and lodging normally value lower than €2,000/pa. You can home-school, however that is more and more troublesome to get accredited. Non-state accredited personal faculties are costlier, with extra flexibility over timetables.
School consumption is predicated on the calendar 12 months and never the varsity 12 months.
Retaking a 12 months is widespread, notably at major faculty degree and, it is price discussing with a brand new faculty which degree you – and so they – suppose would observe your baby greatest. Our eldest was born in November, so dropping a college 12 months put him at an equal degree to his UK education and prevented him from successfully skipping a 12 months.
School holidays are lengthy and financial institution holidays can fall on any day of the week.
School holidays in France fall into three completely different zones. Pupils get two weeks off in October, over Christmas, in February and in spring. Whitsun half time period does not exist, however there’s a four-day weekend in late May. Bank holidays fall on a specific date, such because the 1st May or 1st November and never on the closest Monday, as is normally the case within the UK.
School finishes for summer time in early July.
Pupils who do not have exams, nonetheless, will usually cease stepping into after the varsity council, in early June. This council, or class council occurs 3 times a 12 months and is made up of lecturers and sophistication representatives. Progress for the varsity report is mentioned and it is essential on the finish of center faculty, serving to to find out the place the pupil will go on to highschool.
School days are lengthy, however timestables can range.
School sometimes begins at 8.30am and may end at 5pm or 5.30pm, however Wednesdays are free for major faculty kids, whereas Wednesday afternoons are normally free in center faculty and the decrease years of highschool. Timetabling could imply that classes begin later or end earlier on a couple of days too.
School transport is offered
Particularly in rural areas, it is not uncommon for youngsters to take the bus to highschool. The value of this varies in response to the place you reside and the size of the journey, however it’s typically free, as is the case in Hauts-de-France the place we dwell or monetary assist is offered. Sometimes the journeys will be lengthy, even requiring a change of bus for some pupils.
Averages are sometimes every little thing.
In major faculty, pupils are evaluated on French and Maths, whereas in center faculty and highschool your baby will take common exams in lots of topics and be given a mark out of 20. This is the common. Above 10 means they’re prone to move their exams and under means they might not. As a father or mother or pupil, you’ll be able to normally connect with an app that means that you can see grades and entry faculty studies. This can be utilized by the varsity to speak with dad and mom.
Study intervals are widespread from center faculty on.
Absent lecturers are sometimes not changed and free intervals (whether or not deliberate or not) at center faculty are spent in a supervised research session known as permanence. This can be utilized for homework (graded homework – count on quite a lot of this, no matter age your baby is) or to review for supervised homework gold evaluations (classroom exams). In highschool free intervals aren’t supervised, however area for personal research is usually accessible.
Strict self-discipline usually applies within the classroom.
Good conduct is anticipated, reward isn’t the norm and, in lots of classes, kids will study by rote, even at highschool. Our eldest was inspired to suppose critically in his UK secondary faculty and located this distinction marked. The curriculum taught is broad, with a give attention to language studying and, at highschool, philosophy kinds an necessary a part of the core curriculum, together with French, maths, science, languages, geography, historical past and sport.
Three course faculty dinners
Lunch is the principle meal of the day in France and it is taken significantly in school. It’s normally a three-course meal with a starter, bread, essential, cheese and dessert. Provision for particular diets varies, however your baby can normally take their very own lunch by association.
All kinds of topics
In center faculty, pupils select between completely different trendy languages and may add Latin, further English or different choices. Beyond that, all college students take the identical topics for the brevet, normally when they’re 15 and education is obligatory till 16. Roughly two-thirds of pupils then observe the three-year common and technological curriculum at highschool, selecting tutorial specialisms inside that. A 3rd will select a Professional baccalaureate skilled course and people who do not go on to highschool could select a coaching or different vocational course, an apprenticeship or army service. After center faculty, there may be normally no artwork or music instructing except your baby has chosen to specialise in these, usually by selecting a extra arts centered highschool.
Join the category
Preschool or kindergarten
Preschool in France is compulsory for youngsters aged between three and 6 years, though some faculties take kids youthful than three relying on their readiness and the supply of locations. The essential distinction between this and kindergarten, is that the latter will routinely take youthful kids. Both provide a preparation for major schooling and will be state-run or personal. To enroll your baby in your native preschool (or to seek out out the place it’s), it is best to contact your native metropolis corridor (city corridor). Your baby will virtually all the time begin in school within the September of the calendar 12 months wherein they flip three, and it is best to full the paperwork by June of that 12 months on the newest. If you wish to select a distinct preschool, you continue to want to begin by contacting your city corridor. The ranges of preschool are referred to as small part, center part and massive part.
Elementary or elementary faculty
Primary faculty in France is obligatory for youngsters from six years and the varsity week is fastened at 24 hours. The curriculum is concentrated on instruments and strategies of studying, language for thought and communication, private improvement and citizenship, pure and technical programs and representations of the world and human exercise. Pupils research French and maths, a residing language (usually English) artwork, music and bodily schooling, in addition to ethical and civic responsibility.
Levels of major faculty are divided into preparatory course (one 12 months), elementary course (two years) and common worth (two years). These are abbreviated as CP, CE1, CE2, CM1 and CM2. Pupils in any respect ranges might be evaluated on French and maths specifically and you may most likely discover the varsity makes use of a digital platform to speak progress with dad and mom.
Middle faculty
Most kids begin center faculty in France within the 12 months that they flip 11 and they’re going to depart at aged 15 after taking the nationwide patent diploma. This consists of an oral presentation, which will be executed in English with questions in French, and written exams which check understanding of the curriculum extra broadly. Children will begin in sixith (6th grade), transfer to fifthth (5th grade) and 4th (4th grade) and the ultimate 12 months is thirdth (3rd grade).
High faculty
Pupils will select their highschool, or different, within the final 12 months of center faculty, and can get some assist to decide, though quite a lot of the onus is on the pupil and fogeys to analysis this and apply. Most pupils will transfer to an area highschool to proceed an instructional schooling, however many will select a extra specialised faculty, both for its worldwide curriculum, emphasis on sport or on inventive or skilled topics. There could also be an interview or check as a part of the appliance course of on this case, however this varies in response to the institution.
High faculty pupils will begin in second (2n/a grade) and select three choices to specialise in for firstperiod (1st grade). At the top of this 12 months, they’ll sit the French baccalaureatethat is itwhich consists of an oral presentation and a written examination, mixed with steady analysis. They focus research additional in terminal (remaining grade) earlier than sitting the common baccalaureate. This consists of an oral presentation (referred to as the nice oral), a philosophy examination and exams of their chosen specialisms.
Alternatives to highschool embrace learning for a skilled baccalaureate (bac professional) which provides a basis of common schooling with skilled coaching and sensible programs in particular areas, a skilled aptitude certificates (CAP) which is concentrated on a particular occupation, or an apprenticeship.
Further analysis
There is a short overview of the system accessible in English on the official authorities schooling web site www.schooling.gouv.fr This additionally has detailed data on each step of the method of education in France accessible in French.
Sarah Daly is a contract author who lives within the far north of France.
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