Jake Sauv

GCU 114
France Education

The education system in France is one of the best in the world, it is very organized, well
funded and generally it holds its students to high standards. Children that are 3-5 years old have
started beginning their schooling at nursery school or preschool, this trend started in the 1970s
and has continued growing through today. France also offers its students the option of going to a
private or an international school; however, the majority of all of these schools are catholic
schools. The schools are mainly funded by the Ministry of Education, which also creates the
rules and guidelines for a better education.
The public schools are almost all catholic schools and they account for the majority of the
student body in France. These schools have contracts with the government so that the teachers
and everything are paid for by the government, or more accurately, the tax payers.
For private schools in France, some of them are also funded through the Ministry of
Education, the rest of them arent as lucky and the teachers are paid through contributions from
families of the students going there since they dont have government contracts that pay for
everything like the other schools do; they are dependant on the students and their families to
provide the money necessary to run the schools. The international schools are part of the private
schools as well and they offer classes to teach students aged 3-18 different languages and
cultures and possibly send them to another country to study abroad as an exchange student.
France has created a three part cycle from nursery to primary school, eache stage of the
cycle is three years long and it the whole system is meant to reduce repeating years and allows

the students to learn at their own pace. The first stage of the cycle is; Cycles des Apprentissages
Premiers, which is ages 3-5 and consists of the first two or three years of nursery school. Cycles
des Apprentissages Premiers is the second stage of the cycle and consists of the final year in
nursery school and then the first two years of their primary school education. The final stage is
Cycles des Approfondissements, and this stage finishes off primary school and prepares the
students for college. It is made like this so that it is flexible and easier for the students to move
from one grade or schooling level to the next without them falling behind.
The government decided in 2005 to create the seven skills or competences that students
must have mastered by the time that they graduate from college. These skills include;
Mastery of the French language
Practical knowledge of a living, modern language
The basic elements of math, science and technology
Familiarity with the common techniques of communication and obtaining information
The humanities
Social and civic responsibility
Autonomy and initiative (FrenchEntre).
These skills are in place because if the students master them, they will be much better off in a
professional life and they should fulfill their potential.

School systems in France

f

This chart shows the different stages of each level of French education, including the ages of the
students at each stage starting at three for nursery school and ending at 18-19 after secondary
education is completed.

Education Structure

This slide shows and explains the three different levels of education in France.

Works Cited
French state education - an introduction - FrenchEntre. (2010, March 9). Retrieved March 23,
2015, from http://www.frenchentree.com/living-in-france/education/french-state-education-anintroduction/

France Ministry of Education (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2015, from

http://www.education.gouv.fr/

International schools in France. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2015, from

http://www.expatica.com/fr/education/International-schools-in-France_106620.html