A Parent's Guide to French State Schools in Annecy
- Bernie
- Jul 5, 2024
- 17 min read
Updated: Nov 10
Welcome back to another post. If you're unsure as to whether or not to put your child into a French state school, read on. This post is going to provide you with everything you need to know from how to 'choose' a school, the uniforms, hours, lunches, pre- and after-school childcare, registration and possible disadvantages.
As an aside, if you don't know much about the French education system, I suggest you read my post The Key to a Seamless Move is Simply.....a Plan! because it provides links to comprehensive guides which explain the essentials of education in France.
If you already know that you want your child to go to a private school but you're not sure which one, you might be interested in my post A Simple Guide to Schools & Colleges in Annecy. Although I mention private schools here, I will not go into as much depth as I have in the afore-mentioned post.
Let' get started...
Should My Child Go To a French State School in Annecy?
This is a very personal question and one which only you can answer but if you're undecided about whether or not to put your child into a public school, read on...
Roughly 80% of children attend public school in France and as such these state schools generally offer a high level of education.
If your child is between 3-10 years of age and doesn't speak much French and your planning on living permanently in France, a state French elementary school might be your best option because he/she will be fully immersed with the language and culture quicker than if they are in a bilingual school. I firmly believe that it is a good idea for your child to be able to master the language before going to secondary school where the curriculum is more complicated. (Please be aware, this is my opinion only and is based on what I have seen and experienced whilst living in here).
If your child is 11-15 years of age, he/she will go to collège or secondary school, not to be confused with college in the UK system which refers to a sixth-form college or a general further education college. I have known non-French children attend a collége in Annecy without many issues but it can be a challenge and will depend on your child's character, motivation, interests etc. otherwise the bilingual school might be a better option.
16-18 year olds go to a lycée, otherwise known as college in British English or high school in American English. Unfortunately there are no bilingual options in Annecy for this and therefore it can be an intense time for students who do not have a relatively good command of the language. One potential option might be to look at Geneva.
I often get asked about particular schools in Annecy, what do I think of them, are they good etc. Firstly, this is a very subjective question as what is 'good' for one child may not be good for another. If you're from the UK you'll know about OFSTED (Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills). OFSTED inspects and regulates schools based on pre-determined measurables. This means that as a parent, you can go online and see the OFSTED report for any given school. This doesn't exist in France thereby making it very difficult to evaluate one school against another. More often than not it comes down to word of mouth and even then, one child might find a particular teacher to be the best thing ever, whilst another may not. All I can say is, each school has a certain demographic which is determined by it's catchment area. Our son went to a small school with only one class in each year group. Some years were hard going and others were great. It comes down to what the teacher is like and this can be a lottery.
Uniforms
Children don't wear uniforms in France except for schools in the French overseas department of Martinique, a handful of vocational establishments, military colleges, some private schools and Les Maisons d'Education de la Légion d'Honour. If you're wondering what these are, they are secondary schools for girls whose parents, grandparents or great-grandparents, whether French or foreign, have been awarded the national order of the Legion of Honour. The uniform consists of a sleeveless navy-blue dress and a white blouse, short-sleeved in summer and long-sleeved in winter. The uniform is completed by a sash worn across the body, the colour of which indicates the school year or grade of each student:
green for 6th grade ;
purple for 5th grade;
orange for 4th grade;
blue for 3rd grade;
cherry red for 2nd ;
white for classes in 1st;
multi-colour (using the colours of the lower years/grades) for senior classes.
Naturally, this is an exception rather than the norm. Most children in French state schools do not wear uniforms. I feel that there is less emphasis on clothes branding among children compared to the UK. However, apparently there are issues in some parts of France, particularly in inner cities, where inequality, bullying and peer pressure are problematic. The government has therefore approved a pilot to determine if uniforms might help mitigate some of the social imbalances.
Pilot Test
In December last year, the Minister of Education; Gabriel Attal announced a trial for uniforms starting in September 2024. It consists of 100 schools and colleges who have volunteered to participate. Children of these schools are obliged to wear a uniform which has been financed by the local authority and the state, at a cost of €200 per child. Depending on the results, uniforms could be made compulsory by 2026! Let's see what happens.
Public School Hours
For primary schools the hours are usually as follows, give or take half an hour here or there:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 08.30-16.30 with a 15min break in the morning and afternoon, lunch and playtime between 11.30-13.30.
No school on Wednesdays!
What? A four day school week? Why?
Let me explain how this came about with a little bit of French history.....
After the revolution in 1789 when the monarchy was 'dismantled' and France became a republic, the schools became a point of political contention. Even though France was now a republic, most of the elementary and secondary education were run by clergy. Opposition to the religious teachings grew because the church was seen to go against the grain of the republic. The loyalists or conservatives wanted to keep the schools in the hands of the Catholic church which taught obedience and traditionalism whilst the radicals were anticlerical, they didn't like the influence of the church and pushed for education rooted in republican values.
At this time, children went to school six days a week until 1882 when Jules Ferry, a moderate republican, introduced two reforms which established the principle of secular (laïque), free and compulsory education for all children. By 1904 nearly 100 000 religious schools were closed and nuns and priests ousted, many left France to escape persecution.
Photo credit: Wikipedia.
L: portrait of Jules Ferry Prime Minister 1883-1885.
R: 'At the gingerbread faire' Jules Ferry portrayed as eating a gingerbread man in the shape of a priest. Author André Gill, 1878-1879.
In 1905 the French government passed a law to complete the separation of the church from the state. At the same time, the six day school week was reduced to five with Wednesdays free for extracurricular activities and a half day in school on Saturday mornings to compensate for the reduced hours during the week.
In 2007 the Sarkozy government announced the end of Saturday mornings for elementary schools starting in September 2008 and in 2009 for secondary schools. The change came about when parents lobbied to have two clear days free as a family. Even though Saturday mornings are no longer obligatory, it depends on the local authority, some regions still have Saturday school and that is why when you look at information about the start of the 'big' summer holiday, the last day of school is a Saturday rather than a Friday.
In Annecy the school week used to be four and a half days; Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 08.30-16.00 and Wednesday morning 08.30-11.30. In 2019 the local authority sent out a questionnaire asking parents for their preference for either four long days with Wednesdays off or four shorter days with school on Wednesday mornings. The majority chose the former.
What can your child do on Wednesdays?
Wednesdays are kept for sports or leisure activities:
You can register your child with a sports club, a music or dance school, language classes etc.
You can register your child with a centre de loisirs, a local activity centre funded by the government which offers a variety of cultural and sporting activities. They offer either a half or full day on Wednesdays throughout the school year. During the school holidays, they often have a daily program, 5 days a week. In the summer they may offer several weeks of activities and maybe one or two days a week in August but this depends on the centre as they operate independently and determine their own programme. It's a great service for working parents and young children tend to like the variety of activities.
Aside from these centres, the local authority offers a range of activities throughout the year for children aged up to 14 years of age. For example, the 2023-2024 program included gymnastics, swimming, ice skating, archery, roller skating, wall climbing, badminton, cross country skiing, mountain biking, kayaking, rowing, sailing and athletics. Registration is online via the same portal as the school lunches and fees are based on your family's income.
N.B. Activities are not just on Wednesdays, depending on the sport and the age of your child, you may find a suitable activity after school or even on a Saturday.
N.B. These activities are very popular and places are limited so you need to get your registration in as soon as the registration process opens.
For secondary schools and colleges, the times are quite different and may vary depending on the establishment, year and nature of study:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 08.00-17.00
Wednesday 8-12.00. The afternoon is for sports and hobbies.
Lunches
Generally, primary school meals tend to be prepared centrally and distributed to the schools for warming up, whilst some secondary schools and colleges might have their own kitchen and prepare the food themselves on site. The meal consists of a starter, usually a salad or soup, a main course and a dessert.
I feel that the quality of the food is pretty good and quite varied. Now and then there has been a meal which my son didn't like but generally, I feel he has eaten well at school and has certainly broadened his palette for foods I know he otherwise wouldn't eat.
Each month, the daily menu is posted online on the Portail des Familles (see below) and outside the school on a notice board. I believe this applies to secondary schools and colleges too but it may vary depending on the establishment.
When you enrol your child at a state school, you will be asked if your child is going to eat at the canteen and if so, you will need to provide proof of your family's income 2 years prior to the enrolment. This is because the price that you pay for municipal services varies depending on your income. For example, the minimum price for a lunch may be €1 and the maximum €8.50. When we arrived from the UK, even though we had proof of our UK income, the town hall wouldn't accept it and therefore we paid the maximum meal price for the duration of that year.
To register your child for lunches, you set up an account on the aforementioned portal which is possible once you've enrolled your child in a school. This portal is used to manage your registration for a range of municipal services including school meals, pre- and after-school care (more on this later on), municipal leisure centres, crèches and sports/activities.
Food Allergies & Special Diets
If your child has a food allergy or special dietary requirements, you should inform the Mairie of this during the enrolment meeting. You will be asked to complete a PAI (Protocole d'Accueil Individualisé) which basically informs the school and town hall of your child's situation so that a decision can be made as to whether or not you can bring in packed lunches. It will also include information about what to do in the event that your child has an allergic reaction. I know of an instance where a child with a severe allergy to milk and shellfish was not allowed to eat the school lunches because the local authority couldn't guarantee that the food would be completely safe for her to eat.
N.B. Unless your child has a medical reason for not eating school meals, packed lunches are not permitted in school.
Booking Lunches
Once you have a login for the above mentioned portal, you can see the menu and register your child for as many days as you want. You can make changes up to 1 week prior to any given day without being charged. If however you want to cancel a meal within 1 week of a booking because maybe your child has an appointment, this isn't possible and you will be charged for the meal even though your child isn't going to be there. If you forget to book a meal and your child stays for lunch, you will be charged the maximum rate. You will receive an invoice each month detailing the number of lunches your child has had and the relevant price.
N.B. You do not have to pay for any lunches your child misses due to illness if you have a doctors note confirming his/her absence. You just need to send a copy of this to the Mairie which can be done on the portal.
N.B. If your child isn't eating at the canteen you can pick your child up at around 11.30 and drop him/her back at 13.30.
Pre- and After-School Childcare
In French this is called Périscolaire and means that members of staff known as animateurs, who by the way, are not part of the team of teachers, come into the school at certain times of the day to look after the children. On a daily basis, they come in before the school day starts, during lunch and again at the end of the day once lessons have finished. This is a great service as parents can drop their children in the morning and/or pick them up later on in the evening. Hours may vary but generally they are:
Morning: 7.30 - 8.30
Midday: 11.30-13.20
Afternoon: 16.30 - 18.30
There is a head of periscolaire who coordinates the arrival, departure and absence of each child. At the start of a new school term, he/she will also organise a variety of activities which may take place either during the midday playtime or after school. Usually you just have to fill in a form to sign up for those activities that your child would like to do. Places are limited so you may not get a place for every activity.
You can register your child for pre- and after school care via the same online portal as for the lunches. Again, fees are based on revenue but are nothing like the fees that you pay in the UK. For example, in 2023-2024 for pre-school childcare the fee was between €0.15 - €1.25 and for after-school childcare between €0.40-€4.00 per session!
Applying for a State School
To register your child, ideally you need to contact the town hall in the May or June prior to the start of the new academic year in September. This involves making an appointment to go to the town hall in order to complete the necessary paper work. It cannot be done online! If you don't live in France yet, make an appointment as soon as you arrive.
You can only apply for a certain state school if you live within its predefined catchment area, which is determined by the Mairie. As far as I know, if you live within the area, the school is legally obliged to take your child irrelevant of your living circumstances. When we first arrived, I went to Annecy town hall and in my very broken French asked to register my son at the local school. I was told, rather impolitely, that I needed a fixed address because otherwise my registration wouldn't be accepted. A few weeks later we moved to another short term accommodation, I went to a different town hall with my 'temporary' address and everything was fine. They registered my son in the local school, I made an appointment to meet the headmistress and my son started school the following day!
For the appointment you will need to bring with you the following:
proof of address e.g. an electricity bill, rental agreement
a copy of your id and that of your children and partner, if relevant
if your child is going to eat at the canteen and you don't want to pay the maximum fee you will need to provide proof of income. If you don't have this, you will automatically pay the maximum.
if your child is going to eat at the canteen and your child has one or more food allergies, you need to provide proof of this together with information about what needs to be done should your child have an allergic reaction
likewise, if your child has a medical condition and/or is taking medication, you need to provide medical records detailing this.
You don't need to bring your child to this appointment. If you feel you might need help preparing the paperwork or you want someone to accompany you to this meeting, don't hesitate to contact me.
Once your file has been created, you'll be given the contact details of the school. You must then call to make an appointment with the directeur/directrice. At this appointment, together with your child, the headmaster/mistress will explain which class your child will be in. You will find out about the school hours, lunches, any special requirements for day trips, sporting activities etc. You will be asked about any medical conditions and allergies of your child and discuss his/her level of French. You and your child may be given a tour of the school.
At the same time you can create an account on the family portal which will automatically show which school your child is attending. You can then start registering your child for school lunches, periscolaire and other activities.
Disadvantages of a French State School
Schooling is a very personal subject and each child has different needs so I'm not here to say which school system is better than another because it's not my place to do so. I'm just going to explain those issues that we've come across but it doesn't mean that you and your child will feel the same.
Language Issues
Putting your child into a French school can be overwhelming and for some a real challenge. There will be people who say 'your child will pick up the language in no time'. I am sure there are children who can learn the language very quickly but there are also those who struggle. Every child is different and I know for a fact that not every child can learn a language within a few months because our son certainly didn't! In fact, his first year at school at age 4 wasn't easy. The boys in his class wouldn't play with him because he was 'different'. Thankfully the girls, with their patience and kindness, made him feel welcome. Six years on, he's thriving. He's completely fluent and has a lovely accent to the point that some people think that he's French. He also has a good group of friends some of whom now ask him to teach them English!
Given the above, you might be interested to know that there are three state elementary schools in Annecy where half the curriculum is in French and the other half in English. They also provide additional French classes in small groups to help non-French speakers improve their French. Read my post A Simple Guide to Schools & Colleges in Annecy.
Flexibility
French state schools are not known for their flexibility. Teachers are not known for adapting their teaching methods to cater for different levels or abilities. If your child has learning difficulties, sometimes 1-2-1 help is given in the class by an ATSEM (Agent Territorial Spécialisé des Écoles Maternelles), otherwise known as a teaching assistant. You can discuss this when you register your child (more on that later).
To go back to the topic of flexibility, for those of you who are used to streaming in schools and assume that it's a logical and effective way of structuring a class, in France it is not! Prime Minister Gabriel Attal recently called for a set of measures to introduce streaming for French and Maths in secondary schools. Some teachers and teaching unions are opposed to it because they believe it will stigmatise already socially impoverished children as being less knowledge-able than others. Watch this space...
Teaching Methods
Some might say that the French education system is designed to prepare pupils for work whereas in the UK, the education system has evolved over the years to focus more on group work and a child's wellbeing.
I feel that the French approach is stricter than in the UK and unfortunately, the teacher has complete authority which can be problematic if a child struggles to adapt to the rather rigid and at times monotone approach. Again, I must reiterate it depends on the teacher. My son has had teachers who were more modern in their approach and who created a fun learning environment where the children were able to express themselves. However, we have also experienced teachers who were stuck in the more traditional way and just wanted the children to sit, be quiet and work.
When I've pointed out how some teachers have been unnecessarily strict, I hear the argument that discipline and strictness prepare the children for professional life. It makes you wonder what goes on in some companies!
Generally, the method of teaching in France is based on individual work rather than group work. The focus is on core subjects such as French and Maths. Pupils learn poems by heart and spend quite a bit of time on handwriting. This is quite different from the UK where teachers encourage children to talk and work together and where a variety of resources are used to stimulate learning e.g. forest schooling.
Evaluations are done 2-3 times a year. If a child doesn't achieve a certain standard, he/she can repeat a year. Likewise, if it's shown that a child is particularly advanced, he/she can skip a year.
Collective Activities
Just a quite note to say that compared to the UK, the primary schools don't have assemblies, sports days or occasions where the school gets together collectively. There will be an end of year party and maybe a fair or some kind of fundraiser but things like school plays or concerts for example, are not part of the French education system. I believe this is different in secondary schools.
Strikes
We all know that the French like to stand up for their rights and strikes in the schools by either the teaching or canteen staff are not unusual. There are different unions and depending on how many teachers belong to any particular one, will determine whether or not your child will need to stay at home on a day of a teachers strike. If it's only one teacher, the class concerned may be split and the children put into other classes. If several teachers are absent, the classes will be closed for the day. If the canteen staff go on strike, it might be possible for your child to bring in a packed lunch but if the périscolaire staff are also striking, this may not be possible and you might have to pick up your child for lunch and drop him/her back afterwards. If the périscolaire staff strike, there will be no pre- or after school care for that particular day. For any strike, notice has to be given one or two days in advance.
Needless to say, these strikes can be problematic for parents who work and who don't have the flexibility to stay at home with their child. I see a lot of grand- parents helping out but for those families who do not have this support close by, parents get together and share the child care, arranging for their child to go to a friends house or vice versa.
I feel that the unions don't give enough notice and therefore it can be disruptive to your working week. After the third or fourth strike in 4-6 weeks, it does wear you down. Just so you know, the canteen and périscolaire staff tend to strike more than the teachers.
To Conclude...
I hope this post has given you some idea of what you can expect from a state school but I don't want to close on a note of negativity because I know of several families who have put their children into French state schools and have been very happy with the experience. My son too, despite the ups and downs, has thrived in a French state school. The fact is, no one school is perfect for all children, whether private or public and your decision will depend on the character of your child and your personal motivations for moving and living in Annecy.
Furthermore, although the school tries to incorporate some art, music, sport and culture into the curriculum, it is limited but as mentioned above and in some of my other posts, to compensate for this, there are plenty of options to help discover and develop personal creativity, music and sporting ability. I advise encouraging your child to try as many activities as possible before secondary school. You just never know what they might like!
That's about it for now. If you have any comments or suggestions about the above, feel free to email me at info@simplyannecy.com
À bientôt......
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