Education Insights

F r e nc h SCHOOLING SYSTEM Beginners Guide for the Newbies

In France, education is compulsory for all resident children between the ages six and sixteen. Choosing the right school for your kids is not easy when there are multiple choices - a local state school, a state-contracted private school, a fully independent private school. These include international and bilingual schools or even home schooling. French education is divided into primary level, elementary or middle school and high school. You can choose from any of the state or private schools for your child. In France, even home schooling is legal, but it has to be under the guidance of the school’s inspectorate. With the availability of so many options, there is obviously difficulty in choosing the right one. Here is a detailed view of the different schools:

Local French School

The biggest advantage of enrolling your children in the local French schools is that they will become fluent in French faster than they would at international schools. Enrolling younger kids to the local schools would be a better option as they will learn easily and faster. French state schools generally only teach in French and conduct tests regularly. If your children are a bit older, they might find it difficult to cope up with the French teaching and learning. Language support is not always available within the school. The children must keep an average of at least 50% marks in an unfamiliar language as well. If you plan on staying long in France, it would be only wise that your kids go to state school and become fluent in French. The schooling system here is also quite rigorous. However, the state education is free and also considered of high standards. The class sizes can be of 30 or more students having only one teacher.

International Schools in France

International schools are easier for students from abroad to cope up with, as the education system might be similar. The syllabus is also taught in the language they are familiar with. Even if you are planning to move back home or move abroad to another country again then going for an internationally recognized school would be apt. It would be beneficial for the future.

One major disadvantage would be that your child would take longer to learn French. This might impact his or her integration into the society. The students of international schools usually are from families who keep moving or are here for temporary purposes. Friendships of children might be affected and it might be hard for them. The class size in international schools is generally smaller compared to that of state schools. This allows the teachers to pay more attention to the students. More of creative extracurricular activities are offered state-run schools. French education values academic learning and hence puts pressure on the student. The tuition fees at these schools can be high.

Home schooling in France

In France, home schooling your child is legal. The major advantage of this type of schooling is that you can continue to teach your children in their language of comfort. The child will be in a comfortable atmosphere and can learn and study at his or her own pace. Especially for those who travel a lot for work purposes, it becomes difficult for children to cope up at different schools. In such cases, you should opt for home educating your children. There are support organizations also in place to help you. The only thing to keep in mind is that the child will take much longer to learn and become fluent in French. T R

-Shreevarshita Gupta

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