Teaching and learning in primary education
Curriculum, subjects, number of hours
The curriculum of primary education in France is based on the Common core of knowledge, skills and culture, which was implemented in September 2016. The common core identifies knowledge and skills that are to be known by every student at the end of the compulsory education. It is articulated around five domains. Students acquire these skills and knowledge during the three educational cycles that cover primary and lower secondary education in France.
While the Common core covers both primary and lower secondary education, curricula that strictly concern primary education are currently provided in the curriculum of the fundamental learning cycle and in the curriculum of the consolidation cycle. Both cycles cover 3 years:
- The fundamental learning cycle (2nd cycle) covers "Cours Préparatoire" (CP – 1st grade), "Cours élémentaire 1" (CE1 – 2nd grade) and "Cours élémentaire 2" (CE2 – 3rd grade);
- The consolidation cycle (3rd cycle) covers "Cours moyen 1" (CM1 – 4th grade), "Cours moyen 2" (CM2 – 5th grade) and "Sixième" (6th grade), which is the first year of lower secondary education.
Development of the curricula
Two main comities are responsible for the development of the curricula. In France, curricula in school education are prepared by the "Conseil Supérieur des Programmes" (CSP – ‘Higher council for curricula’) upon request from the Minister of National Education. The CSP assembles a group of experts that will be tasked with developing the curriculum project, which is given to CSP in order for the council to debate and vote. The project is then submitted to the "Conseil Supérieur de l’Éducation" (CSE – Higher council for education) for its opinion. Finally, the project is definitely adopted by the Minister.
The CSP is composed of:
- Three members of the Parliament and three senators;
- Two members of the "Conseil Économique, Social et Environnemental" (CESE – Economic, Social and environmental council) ;
- Ten qualified personalities, directly named by the Minister (university professors, inspectors of the ministry, etc.).
The CSE is a consultative comity, directly under the minister’s authority, and is meant to give its opinion on:
- Objectives and functioning of the public service of education;
- Rules related to curricula, exams, diplomas and schooling;
- Questions regarding private education and personnel of these private schools ‘under contract’ (subsidised private education);
- Questions regarding teaching or education on the national level, regardless of the ministry.
CSE is constituted by 98 members in plenary sessions: representatives of the personnel (teachers, teacher-researchers, guidance, education, management and inspection staff, administrative, technical, labour and service staff), users (parents, students) and partners of the State local authorities, after-school and family associations, etc.). Their term is 4 years, with the exception of the representatives of users and upper secondary schools’ students, whose term is 2 years.
The common core of knowledge, skills and culture
The common core of knowledge, skills and culture defines skills, based on knowledge regarding several domains that a student has to master at the end of the compulsory schooling.
In primary education ("école élémentaire"), a common culture is established between children during the 2nd and the 3rd cycles.
The common core is constructed around 5 main domains:
- Languages to think and communicate;
- Methodologies and tools to learn;
- The training of the individual and the citizen;
- Natural and technical systems;
- World representations and human activity.
Mastery of each of these domains is assessed overall, except for the language domain which comprises four objectives, each of which must be assessed separately:
- the French language, written or spoken;
- using a foreign language, or, as the case may be, a regional language (or a second foreign language);
- using the language of mathematics, sciences and computers;
- using the language of arts and of the body.
Instruction time
Instruction time in primary education is allocated over 24 hours per week. The school year amounts to 864 hours of compulsory schooling. Instruction time by subject is detailed in the decision of November 9th, 2015.
Fundamental learning cycle Yearly instruction time Weekly instruction time
CP, CE1, CE2
French 360h 10h
Mathematics 180h 5h
Modern languages
(foreign or regional) 54h 1h30
Physical education 108h 3h
Art education 72h 2h
Question the world** including
Civic and Moral education 90h 2h30
TOTAL 864h 24h*
* 10 hours are allocated in the weekly timetable to daily activities of oral expression, reading and writing, covering every domain.
** It covers notions of science, history/geography, technology and ICT. This subject also includes civic and moral education: 36 hours over the school year, meaning 1 hour per week of which 30 minutes are dedicated to practices fostering oral expression.
Consolidation cycle Yearly instruction time Weekly instruction time
CM1, CM2
French 288h 8h
Mathematics 180h 5h
Modern languages
(foreign or regional) 54h 1h30
Physical education 108h 3h
Science and technology 72h 2h
Art education 72h 2h
History and geography
Civic and Moral education ** 90h 2h30
TOTAL 864h 24h*
* 12 hours are allocated in the weekly timetable to daily activities of oral expression, reading and writing, covering every domain.
** Civic and moral education: 36 hours over the school year, meaning 1 hour per week of which 30 minutes are dedicated to practices fostering oral expression.
Source: Recommended annual instruction time in full-time compulsory education in Europe 2022/2023
As long as the global instruction time of each domain is respected, the weekly timetable of teachings can be altered if need be for educational projects lead by the teaching staff. In grades 1-5 (primary), Breaks between lessons are not defined nationally. However, the reform of the organisation of school time (see above) set the minimum duration of the lunch break at 1hour and 30 minutes. Breaks between lessons last about 15 minutes. They are determined according to the actual duration of each half-day of instruction. Time devoted to breaks between lessons is to equally impact all the fields of education and therefore is to be allocated in a balanced way throughout the week. For grades 6-10 (secondary), prior to 2009, each lesson officially lasted 55 minutes and was followed by a break of 5 minutes (Circular No. 76-121 of 24 March 1976). However, the duration of lessons is no longer defined nationally.
Teaching languages
In primary education, a modern language is mandatory starting with the class of CP. Resources for teachers are available online to help teaching languages.
Specific courses are offered as part of international foreign language courses (Eile). These are optional and opened to every willing pupil in schools offering them from CE1 onwards. Such classes amount 1h30 per week, in addition to the 24 hours of compulsory schooling per week. The teachers of such classes are foreign teachers that speak perfectly French, and they are provided by partner countries.
Teaching methods and materials
Law no. 2013-595 of July 8th, 2013 fosters innovative teaching methods and states a great ambition for digital teaching and teaching digital science.
Moreover, the law of July 28th, 2019 for a ‘School of Trust’ reinforces this ambition for the digital by providing three new tools for teachers and pupils in primary education:
- A training tool for pupils in the Fundamental learning cycle (CP – CE2) updated regularly;
- Halved classes of CP in ‘reinforced priority education networks’ (REP+) starting with September 2019: a large scale deployment of digital tools and applications for fundamental learnings as well as new approaches of evaluation was included in the ‘Future Investment Programme’ (PIA).
- A call for projects for partnerships in artificial intelligence for learning in French and mathematics during the Fundamental learning cycle was also included in the PIA (8M€ dotation). The partnership was launched in June 2018, with the first deployment in 2020.
Individual school supplies, insofar as they are materials used by one single pupil and remain his/her property, are not free and are to be provided by families. In theory, school books, as individual school supplies, could also be purchased by parents. However, practically all communes provide pupils at public-sector schools with school books. The choice is based on proposals made by private publishers. Choices are made after consultation of the School Council. Finally, all or part of small school equipment necessary for each pupil, stationery or writing material, may be supplied by the municipality, even though this is not a generalized situation.
Excluding supplies paid by the municipal budget, pupils' school equipment list should be drafted and handed to families. School supplies lists should be as short as possible to have a slight impact of the family budget and not create inequality between pupils. Since 2007, a list of essential supplies is provided each year by the ministry of National Education. Teachers should refer to this list in order to create their own.