Michelle Bollar, Mary Fontenord, Vanessa Nguyen

French Statistics

▪ Current population is 66.6 million people

▪ Official language is French
▪ France is a secular republic; The state education system attaches great
importance to the principle of secularism (la laïcité), and there is no formal
teaching of religion in state schools in France. Private Catholic schools are
the exception.
▪ About 85% of the French population say they are Catholic
▪ The French Government spends about $123 billion on education which is
6% of its GDP
▪ 2015 PISA scores: Science-495 (US-496), Reading-499 (US-497),
Mathematics-493 (US-470) Overall-#28 (US-#26)
French Educational Program

 All educational programs in France are

regulated by the Ministry of National
Education
 The head or Ministre of the ministry is
one of the highest-ranking officials in the
cabinet
 The French educational system has a
national curriculum, meaning that the
curriculum is the same for all French
students in any given grade
 Public education is free for ages 6-16;
there are fee-based private schools; there
are programs to assist in paying for higher
education
 Education in France

▪ Compulsory for the ages of 6-16

▪ Large majority of children start school well before minimum age, often as young as
two years of age.
▪ Over 50% of 18-21 year olds are still in full-time education or following a vocational
training course
▪ 64% of all school pupils in France complete their secondary education and take the
High-school leaving certificate examination known as the Baccalaureat or the
Baccalaureat Professionnel.
– The official target is to get that to 80%
The French Educational Philosophy Emphasizes:

▪ The authority of the teacher

▪ Individual competition including an
absolute grading system (no grading on
the curve)
▪ Stress an analytical thought and rote
learning as opposed to creativity
▪ Generally high academic expectations
Jules Ferry, a Minister of
Public Instruction in the
1880s, is widely credited
for creating the modern
school. He also made
public instruction
mandatory, free of
charge, and secular
Creches
 Takes babies form 2 months to age 3
years-until they can attend the
Maternelle
 There are several types of crèches
(Crèches Collectives, Haltes-Garderies,
Micro-Crèches, Crèches Parentales, etc.)
providing different services (regular or
temporary child care), size and
management (crèches Parentales
require the parents to help).
 Getting a slot can be hard, and mothers
are advised to look for a slot as soon as
they are pregnant.
Ecole Maternelle
 Takes pupils ages 2-6 years
 Prepares children for entry into
primary school
 Curriculum includes: reading,
writing, numeracy and even a
foreign language in some along
with artistic/creative activities
 It has 3 classes: “les petits”, “les
moyens”, and “les grands”
Ecole primaire, or Ecole élémentaire:
(Primary school or Elementary school)

 Five classes for students ages 6 to 11

 Primary school curriculum in France
includes:  The five classes in the Ecole
• literacy Primaire are, in order, CP, CE1,
• Numeracy and arithmetic CE2, CM1, and CM2 :
• geography and history • CP is Cours préparatoire,
preparatory class
• the arts
• CE means cours élémentaire -
• French and a foreign language, usually elementary class
English. • CM is cours moyen, middle class; the
two middle classes are a preparation
for the next level, which is middle
school.
 Collège:
(Middle School-grades 6-9)

 Four levels for students aged 11 - 15. The "collège unique" is the backbone of the
French school system.
• All students go to collège, usually at age 11, but sometimes at an older age, if they have been made
to repeat a year in primary school.

 Students are oriented during their collège years either towards general classes, from
which they will be expected to continue their education in a traditional lycée, or
towards more technical classes, after which they will be expcted to take an exam called
the "brevet", and then either stop their secondary education (if they have reached
school leaving age), or continue in a "lycée professionnel" or vocational high school.

 The programme in collège includes French, mathematics, history, geography, technical

education, art/music, physical education, civic education, some science, and at least
one foreign language.
Lycée:
(High School-grades 10-12)

 The traditional French lycée covers the last three years of secondary education.
There are two main types of traditional lycée, the lycée général or lycée classique,
and the lycée technique.

 The main function of the lycée is to prepare pupils to sit the baccalauréat (or bac)
exam (US’s SAT)

 Classes in a traditional lycée cover the same range as in collège, with the addition of
philosophy (for all) in the final year.

 Pupils in a lycée technique may begin to specialize in a

fairly narrow technical field, in addition to their general
secondary studies.
Lycée professionnel:
(Vocational high school)

 "Lycée Pros", as they are commonly known, provide an essentially non-academic

syllabus for young people intending to work in manual or clerical jobs

 Pupils will either work towards a "baccalauréat professionnel" (bac pro), for which
they will need to continue taking classes in the main academic subjects - French,
math, and frequently a foreign language), a BEP (Brevet d'enseignement
professionnel), or a CAP (certificat d'aptitude professionnel).

 common type of Lycée pro:

• "lycée du bâtiment"-building trades lycée, where pupils specialize
in one of the many trades of the building and construction sector
• "lycées agricoles“-agricultural high schools
• "lycées horticoles“-horticultural high schools, providing the
increasingly technical education required by tomorrow's farmers
and gardeners.
Universities
 82 state universities, plus 5 Catholic universities and a large number of private
"institutes“
 Universities award three types of degree (European "Bologna" system):
• Licence- first degree (3 years)
• Masters-first postgraduate degree (5 years of study)
• Doctorate- final degree (at least eight years' study)

Les Grandes Ecoles

 The pinnacle of the French education system; students get
in by competitive examination; relatively small and highly
selective "schools" which provide a higher education to the nation's University of
REIMS (URCA)
future elites - tomorrow's "haut fonctionnaires" (senior civil servants),
leaders of industry, top military brass, top politicians, engineers,
physicists and others. In spite of the national preoccupation with equality
and equal opportunities, the top end of the French higher education
systems is elitist.
 The most famous Grande Ecole is "Polytechnique", also known as "X",
which was founded in 1794 as a school of public engineering.
 Teacher Facts:

 In France, teachers are mainly civil servants, recruited by competitive examination

and paid by the State. They must have previously gained college education and
receive professional education in IUFMs (University Institutes for Teachers
Training).
• Primary teachers can be appointed to any primary school and teaches all subjects
• Secondary teachers are recruited on a national level and can be appointed to any secondary
school in France; teach only one subject except in some vocational education programs
 Master’s in Education (Master Metiers de l’Enseignement, de l’Education et de la
Formation/ MEEF) is required to become a qualified teacher

 Teacher Salary ranges from $23,000 to $35,000 per year

 The French government spends about $123 billion on education which is about 6%
of their GDP
 Teacher Facts:
There are six corps of teachers in France's public service :
 Professeurs des écoles : Primary education teachers. They pass the CRPE competitive exam.

 Professeurs certifiés : high school, mainly junior high, teachers. They hold the CAPES (certificate for teaching in
secondary education) or the CAPET (certificate for teaching in technological education).

 Professeurs de l'enseignement privé : private schools teachers. They hold the CAFEP (certificate for teaching in
private secondary education).

 Professeurs de lycées professionnels : vocational high schools teachers. They hold the CAPLP (certificate for
teaching in vocational high schools).

 Professeurs de l'enseignement physique et sportif : sport teachers. They hold the CAPEPS (certificate for
teaching sport education).

 Professeurs agrégés : high school teachers who may also teach in post-high school programs (e.g. university and
"classes preparatoires aux grandes ecoles" preparatory program to prepare students to take competitive exam
to enter in engineer or business school). They pass the Agrégation very competitive exam. A very prestigious
title, often required for applying at academic positions. They represent a minority in high schools.
A day in the life of a French student…..
 Students go to school between 24 and 28 hours a week spread over 4 to 5 days
 Students preparing to take their baccalauréat exams may have as many as 40
hours per week; most schools are closed part of or all of Wednesdays
 The typical school day starts at 8:30 am and ends at 4:30 pm with two breaks
and at least an hour an a half for lunch
-Students can go home for lunch or stay and eat at school
-School lunches consist of a starter, main meal, dessert
and cheese along with water ; the cost varies

 The administrator is known as the directeur or directrice; teachers are referred

to as maître or maitresse
 Sports and creative activities are encouraged but are generally organized by
community or private associations, not by the school
 Students and teachers are allowed to leave school grounds to smoke
The School year extends from early September to early July
They have four two-week breaks throughout the school year
--All Saints (la Toussaint) –end of October
--Christmas (Noel) –at end of December
--Winter (hiver) –mid February
--Spring/Easter –mid April
Fun facts:

▪ France has won the most Nobel Prizes for

Literature than any other country in the
world, and the second most in
mathematics.
▪ French film production is second in the
world.
▪ The ministry of health once tried to
promote milk as the national drink of
France.
Check for Understanding

Quiz time!