French Education & Other Tricky Matters
Posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 at 11:46 pmCategory: Uncategorized
Notwithstanding Boris’ excellent answer, as someone (Hi Jan!) asked about how French education was structured, I thought I’d write a short piece and attempt to explain how it works.
Education is compulsory from the age of six to eighteen. Prior to age six, children have the option of attending maternalle, which is equivalent to nursery. From six to eleven, children go to école primaire, covering five year groups: CP (classe primaire), CE1 (classe elementaire), CE2, CM1 (classe moyen) and CM2.
From école primaire, they progress to collège. Collège lasts from eleven to fifteen and covers four year groups: sixième (6ème) being the youngest and going through 5ème, 4ème and 3ème. In 3ème an examination called a brevet is taken that tests knowledge gained in collège and decides in what direction a child will head next.
The final three years – 2ème, 1ère and terminal – are usually spent at lycée. This leads to the baccalaureate (“bac”) examinations. The bac may be academic or vocational in emphasis depending on the child’s inclination. But whatever is taken, the bac is important: without one it is nigh on impossible to find a job.
After 18, education can continue to university or, for a very select few, through series of “super” lycées onto one of the grande écoles. The grande écoles are outside of the mainstream university systems. The mainstream public universities are open to anyone who has passed the relevant bac. There are also a handful of “private” universities. For the most part these are Catholic universities, though there are a couple of unaffiliated ones.
The grande écoles are only accessable through a series of very tough competitive examinations. The education these small institutions provide is amongst the best in the world, rivalling Oxbridge and the Ivy League.
For the most part, fees are paid by the state and maintenance grants for living expenses are available.
The essential basis of French education has not changed since the time of Charlemagne (AD768-814): it is centralised, rigid and not exactly child-orientated. Old fashioned, in other words.
For brighter children, it is very successful, but the system has only recently started adapting to the needs of more practically inclined children.
So there it is Jan – does this help?
BTW this not just incestuous backscratching. 
March 18th, 2009 13:31
It’s jolly-well helped me, anyway, Jon.
We don’t have offspring, but the educational paths of our friends’ children here are baffling. Or Have Been Till Now!
They do seem to have to make bizarre subject choices at school, and after the bac face fierce competition for very limited places in areas like midwifery, for example.
However, we do know several adults who are now able to take further vocational training to improve their skills or even change career – in catering, nursing, wine-producing…
And that seems terrific.
March 18th, 2009 15:04
yes jon that helped very much ,when you said college i had a picture of this tiny little ten year old among adults as my 26 year old is in college and your school system sounds better than what we have here in the states
i refuse to allow my 2 youngest to have anything to do with our public schools and we home school them ,the decline of the public school system here is horrible
the only history my teenagers know prior to the Vietnam era i have taught them .roman numerals,science do not exist here in our tiny little county school system
the roman numeral thing is one of my pet peeves that pushed me over the edge
i began to realize the decline when i would speak to teachers about their lessons plans and realized there was no substance to them
your system seems much more geared to helping children become productive adults
April 11th, 2009 11:03
First clear explanation I`ve seen – thanks