French Life-expat France

Much as in other countries, the choice of schools in France occupies a great deal of time and effort. It is currently occupying our household although I think we are over the worst of it now!

Broadly speaking, primary school (ages 4 - 11) and college (11 - 14 years old) are not a big issue, because most children simply go the school nearest them. There are exceptions - international schools and private schools among them - but these affect a very small number of children. College finishes with the ‘brevet’ exam. The final score in the brevet includes results of work during the year and also the results in the final exams.

The only subjects currently examined in the final brevet exams are French, Geography / History, and Maths (so English, although taught in all schools, is not examined).

The brevet qualification is then followed by three years at a lycée, which leads to the baccalauréat - usually referred to simply as the ‘bac’. (This is broadly equivalent to A’levels in the UK or a high school diploma in the US). The bac is less standardised than the brevet and students can opt for a general, technological or professional bac, or options more focussed on particular trades.

The general bac itself falls into three general types - economics and social science, science, or literature but this choice is not made until the second year of lycée.

So the choice of lycee depends to some extent on the preferences above, since all lycées offer the general bac, but then vary in what specialities they offer or which subject they focus on.

Other things that affect the choice of school include the results of the lycees, which are published publicly. The rating depends not just on the bac pass rate for the school, but also on things like ‘capacity of the school to help children improve’ and ‘how much supervision and assistance do the children get’. Typical bac pass rates across France (there are about 1800 lycées in total) vary between about 80% and 95%.

The next important factor is the reputation of the school. Every lycee has a different reputation according to who you speak to. Almost every lycee we’ve investigated has been accused in whispered tones of violence, drugs, racism, disciplinary problem etc among the students - only for the same accusations to be laughed away as ridiculous by someone else - usually someone who actually knows children at the school

The next factor, and perhaps the most complicated, is the hardest one - where are all my friends going?! Everyone wants to stay with friends, avoid people they don’t like, make sure they will be sharing a room with people the like and so on - most students board during the week at rural lycees, so they will be spending a lot of time together over the next three years.

Anyway, having spent a few weeks navigating the minefield the application forms are in and the choices have been made (three are chosen in order of priority). Many children of course will simply go to the nearest lycée, with no great consideration given to options and possibilities.

Having got all this process finished it seems there is another problem, much more serious. Since our daughter will be boarding at lycée during the week (coming home at weekends), she will be having all her meals there. She is, to say the least, a slightly fussy eater.

But the food isn’t the problem, it is the drink that is the issue. Apparently some lycées only serve coffee, whereas others can muster up a cup of tea. She doesn’t like or drink either of them, but thinks she can learn to drink tea if it has enough sugar squeezed into it.

So each night we have been having a practice run, with half a cup of warm, sweet, weak tea being sipped as if it is some kind of noxious medicine. Two months to prepare for the brevet followed by three months learning how to drink a cup of tea, life is hard for children in France.