All children in France that are aged between 6 and 16 must attend school. There are no fees to attend a state school and all state schools are for children of any religious background. France also has a number of private and international schools. Schools which are connected to a particular religion are usually private and charge fees.

When you enrol your child in a French school you will be expected to prove that the child has had a certain number of vaccinations. These include the Diphtheria-Tetanus-Polio vaccination, although the TB vaccine is only compulsory in certain circumstances. Children are usually examined once a year by the school’s doctor and many schools will expect parents to provide insurance to cover their children during school hours.

In France the school year begins at the start of September and actual dates will vary depending upon the region you are in so the school may have a 2 or 3 week break for Christmas and Easter and there are half-term breaks which also vary in length. School will finish for the summer in early July. It is tradition for children not to be in school in France on a Wednesday afternoon and until 2008 it was common for children to attend classes on a Saturday morning. This is no longer the case for young children, although some older children may have timetabled classes on a Saturday. Some schools now add Wednesday hours onto other days so that children only attend four days a week. Most schools will begin at 8.30 in the morning and will work until 4.30 in the afternoon. This is a longer school day than in the UK or the US, but children do have several breaks, with a lunch break that is often more than an hour.

The nursery school (école maternelle) is for children aged between 2 and 6. Children can be enrolled at the local nursery through the Mairie. There are three sections to the nursery – ‘petite’ for children aged 2-3, ‘moyenne’ for those aged 3-5 and ‘grande’ for those aged 5-6. You will need to provide a certain amount of information to the Mairie including the ‘livret de famille’ or relevant birth certificates, vaccination information and proof of address.

The primary school (école élémentaire) is for children aged 6-11. If your child has already attended a nursery school in the same area then there is no need to register again with the Mairie. Primary school education is followed by secondary school education which has two sections. The first is for those children who are aged between 11 and 15 and is known as ‘collège’. Successful completion of this section will earn them the ‘brevet des collèges’ certificate. The second stage is for those aged 15-18 and is known as ‘lycée’. At this stage the child will study for the baccalauréat.

All schools offer mainstream subjects with French, maths, sciences, religion, languages, history, geography, IT and other subjects available. When children begin the baccalauréat they can choose from the standard French version or the international version. They can also choose from an arts-based or science-based curriculum, depending upon the subject areas that they are interested in. Each programme will still offer elements of the other so students do gain a wide range of skills.

France does have a number of special needs schools and some schools have a dedicated department but this is by no means widespread and if this is a consideration you should check in advance to determine the facilities that are available in your area.

Some parents moving to France will want an English language education for their children and this can be achieved in a number of ways. There are specialist international schools which teach solely in English and will follow an American or British curriculum. There are also bilingual schools which have a split timetable with teaching in both English and French and some French schools offer a number of classes that are taught in English.

Home schooling is a possibility in France and all children being homeschooled will need to be registered each year at the Mairie. Annual visits are made to the home by the schools inspector and every two years the Mairie will visit. If the standard of education being offered is not considered to be adequate then it can be ordered that the child attends school.

Useful Resources

France International Schools Directory
france.english-schools.org

French Ministry of Education
www.education.gouv.fr