1. Educational system in France Carvin meeting – March 2013

2. In France school is laic, free and compulsory since Jules Ferry laws in 1882. Nursery school starts at 2 or 3 years old and lasts 3 or 4 years. Primary school lasts 5 years (CP – CE1 – CE2 – CM1 – CM2) Collège lasts 4 years and offers the first diploma called « Brevet des collèges » Lycée lasts 3 years and offers the second diploma called « Baccalauréat »

3. At school in France pupils learn: French, Mathematics, Science, Arts, Music, History, Geography, English The week is divided in 4 days (4 days and a half next year?) and lasts 24 hours + 2 hours of support class for pupils who need it. Usually pupils only have 1 teacher who does all the subjects.

4. Teachers have a educational liberty. There are no official books but we have to refer to the program. To the school time we add 24 hours of meetings (parents, colleagues…), 18 hours of training, 6 hours of « school council » The school year lasts 36 weeks and we have 16 weeks of holidays.

5. We are evaluated every 3 years by the inspector of our circonscription In collège or Lycée teachers have 18 hours a week of teaching time and teach their subject.

6. Pupils with special needs At school pupils with an handicap must be integrated in the classes and are accompagnied by an adult Children with a mental disease or an handicap that impeach their integration in a classic school go to a special school (IME)

7. Private schools Parents can chose to put their children in private schools. In France almost all the private schools are Catholic. They add catholic learning times to the program. The schools have to be officialy recognized by the institution. Teachers are paid by the state and are inspected like the others.

8. What about our school? Our school is a mix of 2 schools: one situated in the center of Carvin and an other situated in an area considered as rough. There are 11 classes but 12 teachers posts The headmaster has no class this year We have interactive boards in every class

9. We have 60 laptops we can use when we need it The school was made to use least energy possible It’s part of a big building project that takes place in Carvin