Ecole - school

Chartreux primary school in Marseille http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/marseille-l-cole-primaire/5710.html
Click on S bottom right of video window to turn on subtitles.
What's different? How do you know it is a French classroom?
Note the reading preferences. The French love their BD - cartoon books like Asterix.


Playground games and equipment http://www3.ac-clermont.fr/etabliss/ecole-jferry-perignat/spip.php?article50

Long school day and long lunch break. Also linger summer holidays.

Lunch menus are published in the local paper and online - fascinating!

Pupils have to provide all their own jotters, folders, pencils, paints, glue etc

Classes
Nursery (la maternelle) age 3-6
3 stages les petits, les moyens et les grands
Primary (l'école primaire) age 6 -11 5 years
CP
CE1
CE2
CM1
CM2 equivalent of p7 but pupils are a year younger.
Foreign language lessons, usually English, are given in CM1-2

A feature of French primary education is the classe de découverte where a whole class decamps to another venue for 1-3 weeks a bit like a school trip but with lessons, could be in a ski resort at the seaside or in the country: classe de neige, classe de mer, classe de nature

Secondary schooling 11-16 compulsory, up to 18
Collège
comprehensive
le sixième equivalent to first year but pupils are a year younger.
le cinquième
le quatrième
le troisième leads to le Brevet
Lycée
leads to the Baccalauréat and higher education

more detailed information in English here

Film clip from être et avoir about a one teacher country primary school in 2002