I moved to France four years ago when my kids were 12 and 14. My husband has just been made redundant and it was a 'now or never' moment - we knew if we waited much longer, the kids would have a really difficult time adjusting. Here are my experiences of the French education system.
The French system is split into Maternelle, c.m., College and Lycee. Kids start school at about three years old. They go into College at the age of 11, stay generally until they are 14 and then go onto Lycee. Local villages often have their own maternelles and c.m.'s but when kids go to college, often at some distance from their home, they stay in the 'internat' which is the equivalent of boarding and is closely supervised by 'surveillants'.
At the end of College, children take an exam called the Brevet which has three parts: French, Maths and Sciences. There is no equivalent of GCSE. Passing the Brevet is not essential in order to go onto further academic study but preference is given to those who do pass as they have shown evidence of aptitude for further study.
Children do not automatically go up at the end of each academic year. If the teachers do not feel that the child is ready to progress, it is common practice to 'redouble' or redo the year. This means that in each class of the College, there is a spread of ages.
French school is very formal. Children stand when the Head enters the room. Lessons are very much chalk and talk and group work/essay writing doesnt happen. Drama, IT and religion do not form part of the curriculum. The practice of going to school on Saturday mornings is now rare. Before College, children have Wednesdays free. In college, Wednesday afternoon is usually free with many sports being offered. The french curriculum has a very academic emphasis - my kids had 11 hours of languages (french, english, spanish, latin and occitan), 6 hours of maths (at a level much higher than demanded in England), 3 hours of sport and the rest was split between Education Civic, Art, Science and Vie Communale.
Progress is monitored by 'controles' which are periodic tests and there are regular parents' evenings.
After the freedom of the English educational system, frankly my kids did not flourish and it wasnt just because they didnt speak the language - after a year, they were both managing very well. They felt suffocated by the rigidity of the structure and the inability of the system to allow individuality.
At 14, or at the age when a child finishes College, a choice has to be made between continuing into formal education at a Lycee Generale and going onto the Baccalaureate, or going into an apprenticeship or going onto Lycee Professionale and learning a trade. This is where the French system excels. The number of courses available is truly mindboggling and ensures that a child who is not academic can do a training which will gain them useful employment.
My eldest, who is now nearly 18, went to Lycee Professionale and obtained a Certificat d'Aptitude Professionale (CAP) in electricity and has now gone onto Brevet d'Etude Professionale (BEP) in electricity. He goes on work experience regularly and is gaining in confidence every day.
My youngest, who is now 16, made no head-way in the system and started at International School at Bordeaux a year ago. He is studying International GCSE and took French after one year in which he gained an A*. He is in a class of 6 and is very happy. He boards with a french family who look after him very well and he comes home at weekends. Occasionally he gets on the wrong train and rings me up to say he is going to be a while.....
I have not regretted bringing them to France. Children here are hardworking and respectful. They have no wish to join the 10% unemployed. They do not hang around the streets getting drunk at weekends (although this does happen during fete weeks!!). I cant remember the last time I saw a teenager pushing a pram. They are not obsessed with shopping. I know full well that if we had stayed in England, that my eldest would have emerged from the system with nothing. In an english comprehensive, a child can be easily lost in the thousand plus children. In the french college they went to, the Head knows each child - not that difficult as there were only 80 in the whole school - and any misbehaviour is very quickly nipped in the bud.
If you are wondering whether or not to make the move, I would say 'go for it'!
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