11/2018/07/2010

The French school system

overview

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Founding principles

• Mandatory schooling : from 6 to 16

• Free education• Secularity: religious, political

and phisosophical neutrality

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The French education system

• Stuctures• Organisation• School year

organisation

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Structures

• The role of the state: Departement of Education

Defining the syllabus at every school level

Organizing exams, delivering certificates, diplomas and degrees

Recruiting, training, assigning, paying and managing the teaching and administrative staff

• Sharing out responsabilities:building and maintenance

State

Region council

‘Département’ council (chief admisnistrative division)

Town council

UNIVERSITEUNIVERSITE

LYCEELYCEE

COLLEGECOLLEGE

ECOLEECOLE

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‘30 académies’school districts /

Regional authorities

Head of ‘académie’ the ‘Recteur’ (commissioner of Education), enforces the decisions taken by the Department of Education

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Regions, administrative divisions and districts

• ‘DAREIC’ is Delegation for European and International Relations & Cooperation

• In the administrative division ‘inspections académiques’ are in charge of the enforcement of teaching methods

• The National education inspectors note the teachers and are assisted by Education counselors

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Departement of Education

• Most members of the workforce are civil servants

• 10 000 schools belong to the private system of education (17% of the school population)

Primary schools

Teachers Pupils

321 739 6 643 600

Secondary schools

Teachers students

393 860

3 088 500 junior secondary students

1 446 900 senior secondary students

1 391900 vocational college students

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Organisation Objectives Class Entitled Age

(average)

Deeper approach a foreign language learned

‘Ecole primaire’Primary

(mandatory)

Middle 2nd form CM2 10-11

Middle 1st form CM1 9-10

Elementary 2nd form CE2

8-9

Elementary 1st form CE1

7-8

Fundamental learningReading, writing,

arithmetic

Preparatory form CP 6-7

‘Ecole maternelle’ Nursery school

(optional)

High section GS 5-6

Basic learning Middle section MS 4-5

Nursery school PS 3-4

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Objectives Class Entitled Age(average)

‘Lycée’senior high school

(optional)

16-17

15-16

14-15

Common teaching & know-how

‘Collège’ Junior high school

3rd class 14-15

4th class 13-14

5th class 12-13

6th class 11-12

Organisation

‘Brevet des collèges’ Road safety certificate (level 2) &

‘B2i’ Data-processing and Internet certificate

A-level, SATs, ACTs, leaving Certificate, Abitur

‘Terminale’

‘1st’

‘2nd’

Final assessment

Final Diploma ‘Baccalauréat’

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Specifics

GENERAL:• ‘L’: literature• ‘ES’: economy & social

studies• ‘S’ : sciences

TECHNOLOGY:• ‘STG’: Science and Technology

Management • ‘ST2S’: Science and

Technology Health and Social • ‘STI’ : Industrial Science and

Technology • ‘STL’: Science and Technology

Laboratory • ‘STVA’: Science and

Technology of agronomy and life

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Vocational and professional high school

• 2 training programmes2 years• Vocational diploma (BEP)• Vocational training certificate (CAP)

• 1 training programme3 years• ‘Baccalauréat professionnel’:

Professional secondary-school-leaving certificate

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School year organisation

• Students’ timetable• Teachers’ timetable• High school organization chart• Schooling organization• Foreign languages in Nantes district

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Students’ timetable

Primary school

• 26 hours a week,

• 4 days a week (Monday, Tuesday,

Thursday, Friday).

• 8:30-11:30 & 1:30-4:30 with breaks at 10:30 & 3:00

Secondary school

• Between 28 and 35 hours per weekmaximum: 8 hours a day

• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday a.m., Thursday, Friday

Some classes on Wednesday afternoons or Saturday mornings

• 8.00-5.30 or 8.30-6.00

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Teachers’ timetable

• Primary school teachers : 27 hours per week

• Secondary school teachers (certifiés): 18 hours per weekexcept librarian teachers : 30 hours &

sport teachers : 20hrs

• Successful candidates of advanced professional competitive examinations (agrégés): 15 hours per week

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High school organization chartHeadmaster

orPrincipal

Bursar Deputy

headmaster or principal

Secretariat NurseSocial worker

Documentation and information

department

Teachers Careers officerPsychologist

School life:Education counselor

Students Students Students School assistants

Students

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Schooling organization• A school year starts at the beginning of

september and ends at the the beginning of july

• Holidays: after 7 weeks at school / 2 week-holidays

• A school year divided in 3 terms• Class meeting at the end of each term:

President: headmaster or deputy headmaster The teachers of the class, The students’ delegates, The parents’ delegates, Others: nurse / counselor…

Report sent to parents

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Foreign languages in Nantes district

• Pupils start learning a foreign language in primary school, mostly English 96%, German 3,8%, Spanish 0.13%.

• Pupils start learning a 2nd FL in 4th class of secondary school.

• In Nantes school district 4200 pupils start learning an 3rd FL

3rd foreign language

2nd foreign language

43%

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European class

• 9% of the pupils start learning a 2nd FL at the age of 11 in ’bilangue section’.

• 212 schools open CLIL called ‘European class’

FL in European class

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Updating 2010 adapted from 3 original slide shows by:• Amelie Castet (British council)• Olivier Boissière ( Académie de

Strasbourg)• Website Académie Lyon (http://

www.ac-lyon.fr/assistants-etrangers/

systeme-educatif-francais.html)

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Thank you for your attention