Attainment at 16+: the French Perspective

The Education of the Adolescent: recent developments in secondary education in France

“…As stated in my earlier article [1] I think it is important for the British Government to consider the standards reached by approximately two-thirds of secondary schoolchildren in France (as in other comparable countries in mainland Europe) on successful completion of their general secondary schooling. These youngsters have reached satisfactory standards in a range of subjects: French, mathematics, a modern language, history/geography (including economics and civics), experimental sciences, art, craft, physical education and at least one of the following options: Latin, Greek, a second modern language, enrichment of the first modern language, or technology (see Fig.…”

“…Meanwhile what of the traditional 'Brevet d'Etudes du Premier Cycle'-the BEPC-of which I wrote in my former article [1]? (This is an examination which, for the English, could offer some kind of comparison with the General Certificate of Education 'Ordinary level' or the higher grades of the Certificate of Secondary Education.)…”

“…Many people are, however, less happy about the treatment of history and geography, now combined with elementary economics and civics as one subject: 'Histoire, geographic, economie et instruction civique', with only three teaching hours per week throughout the four years of general secondary education. Consequently the systematic 'global' coverage of history and geography (as discussed in my article of 1975 [1]) is abandoned. The syllabus for the new 4-year programme is ambitious [3]: but for people who care about a sense of chronology much has been sabotaged [4].…”