Many French children start playschool (école maternelle) when they are just two or
three years old, and go to primary school (école primaire) when they are six. When
children are ten or eleven they move on to secondary school, or to a trade and technical
school where they can learn skills that will help them to get a job. Children at the
secondary school sit an exam called the Baccalauréat when they are eighteen. Many
go on to University, though how long they stay there depends on how well they do in the
exams at the end of each year. A small number who do well in the Baccalauréat go
on to professional training colleges known as filières. These have a very good
reputation, and those who attend the filières expect to get well paid,
professional jobs, eg in business or engineering. Grand écoles are where the
elite of French society go for their education, instead of University. The majority of
schools in France are State schools, meaning that they are run by the government. There
are also some private schools, a number of which are run by the Roman Catholic church. |
