FRENCH EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

The French educational system is highly centralized and organized. It is

divided into three stages:
Primary education
Secondary education
Higher education

THE ROLE OF THE STATE

The ministry of education :

Determines the curriculum
Determines the teaching methods
Determines the status and functioning of every school
Recruits, trains, appoints and manages the school staff
Organizes the national exams baccalaureat A-Levels- a passport to higher
education

Since the 1980s the State has devolved his role to the local authorities in the
management of the local school system. The recteur is the ministry representative
at local level, within acadmies (30 local authorities in all the territory
GENERAL PRINCIPLES
ACADEMIC FREEDOM State schools
Private schools

FREE PROVISION
NEUTRALITY
SECULARISM ( Lacit)
COMPULSARY EDUCATION (6 16 years old)
COMMON CORE OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

The structure of school system
System Schools Classes


PRIMARY

Nursery school
3 6 years old
- PS
- MS
- GS
- CP
- CE1
- CE2
- CM1
- CM2
Elementary school
6 11 years old



SECONDARY
Lower secondary
(collge)
11 15 years old
- 6
me

- 5
me

- 4
me

- 3
me

First exam Brevet des collges
Upper secondary
(lyce)
15 18 years old

Gnral, technological & vocational
routes:
- Seconde
- Premire
- Terminale
Final exam Baccalaureat
HIGHER
EDUCATION
- Short-term post baccalaureat studies (BTS / DUT)
- University
- Higher schools
Lower secondary school
Collge
From 11 to 15 (4 grades)
A unique system for all pupils (collge unique) with a
national curriculum
Weekly timetable: 28 to 30 hours
Subjects taught: French, mathematics, history and
geography, civic education, life and earth sciences,
technology, art, musical education, physical education,
physics and chemistry, two modern languages
A final exam ( Brevet des collges ) with no real
consequences on further studies

High secondary school
Lyce
From 16 to 18 (3 grades)
Weekly timetable : 30 hours

THREE DISTINCT ROUTES
General route: 3 options
L for literary (French, philpsophy and Modern languages)
ES for economics and social sciences
S for sciences (mathematics, physics and natural sciences)

Technological route:
Many studies: Management Sciences and Technologies, STG
Laboratory Science and Technologies, STL
Health and Social Sciences SMS
Hotel and restaurants management

Vocational route: mainly tertiary (office management, accounts, trade,
hairdressing.), industrial, craft industry,and medical & social sciences.



The vocational route allows pupils to gain vocational skills as well as
knowledge and know-how in a given field.

In the lyce professionnel, pupils attend seconde to prepare for a
baccalaurat professionnel over three years or a short path over two
years , the certificat daptitude professionnelle (CAP).

These studies mix theoretical and vocational training. Nowadays, many
pupils follow these ones because they do not want to go on long
studies and few of them actually go to university.

At the end of the last year, pupils sit the baccalaurat exam. The first
higher education diploma which opens doors for universities or higher
schools.


General and
technological route
Vocational route
1
st
year CAP
2
nd
year general
studies
2
nd
year
technological
studies
2
nd
year CAP
3rd year general
studies
3rd year
3rd year
technological
studies
General
Baccalaurat
Vocational
Baccalaureat
Technological
Baccalaurat
Certificat
daptitude
professionnelle
University Active life
After the lower
secondary school
collge
First year
2
nd
year
BEP ou CAP
Intermediate
diploma
First year general & technological studies
French secondary school timetable
Schooling weeks / year
Schhooling days / year
36 weeks
180 days (given public holidays)
Summer break 8 to 9 weeks
Short breaks Autumn (2 weeks)
Christmas (2 weeks)
Winter (2 weeks)
Spring (2 weeks)
Weekly schooling 4,5 days
Weekly timetable 30 hours
Number of students / class 24.7 students per class on average in the
lower secondary school
19.2 students per class on average in the
professional sections
29.7 students per class on average in the
second general and technological sections
TEACHERS
Status State civil servants
Recruitment Competitive exam for teaching:
- CAPES (the certificate of aptitude in secondary teaching)
- CAPEPS (the certificate of aptitude in physical and sporting
education teaching)
- CAPLP (the certificate of aptitude of vocational teaching)
- AGREGATION (more selective than the CAPES)
Career Promotion by seniority and level
No compulsory professional dvelopment
Advancement Competition for staff management
Working time 18 hours in front of students (Ongoing reform:
annualization of working time)
(35 40 hours estimed for
Holidays 14 - 16 weeks
Salary Starting salary: 1600
Average salary: 2500 / month
KEY FIGURES (2013)
Titles Key figures
Students
Primary school
Secondary school
12 213 300
6 753 800
5 459 500
Teachers
Secondary school
841 700
381 900
Diplomas
84.5% success rate in the national
certificate (Brevet des collges)

86.8% success rate in baccalaureat
Education expenditure
8,370 per pupil in lower secondary
school
11,470 per student n high school
(general and technological)
11,840 per student in vocational school