Schools

Whether you're planning to integrate children into the French state system or looking for an international or bilingual school, there are a number of options open to you.

To help you understand more about the French school system and how it differs from the UK, you might find the following information useful.

French schooling

Although private schools exist in France, the French state school system is widely seen as one of the best in Europe and takes pupils, free of charge, up until the age of 18. Pupils are obliged to stay in school until they're 16.

Schooling tends to start early, with 'école maternelle' being available to children from the age of three. The first two years concentrate on the child's intellectual and social skills while the final year introduces the child to reading, writing and arithmetic, in preparation for 'école primaire'. The French level of primary education is equivalent to the British Infant 2 to Junior 4 classes.

Secondary school begins with 'sixième' (year six) when pupils tend to start learning a foreign language. They have the option of taking a second foreign language two years later, in 'quatrième'.

Sixth form, known as 'lycée', consists of three years of education, with the objective of earning a Baccalauréat, the French equivalent to the English A-level system.

Further education ('enseignement supérieur')

France offers state-run as well as private universities.

State-run 'facultés' are grouped into universities who are able to award state degrees. University Institutes of Technology are privately run and offer a range of courses from scientific to literary, as well as professional studies.

Courses may be described as Bac+3 or Bac+5. This refers to the years of education a student will spend completing the course. For example, Bac+4 is a 'Maîtrise'; the equivalent of Master's Degree.

Education in English

If you want your child to be educated in English or bilingually, you'll probably have to send them to a private international school. These schools tend to be found mainly in areas with a high concentration of expatriate residents.

School registration checklist

Here's a checklist of what you'll need to consider. You'll need the same items whether you're registering with a state or fee-paying school, these are:

• A livret de famille, which you can get from your local mayoral office, or a birth certificate.
• A carnet de santé - a proof of immunisations against tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio.
• Proof of address, such as a utility bill.

A parent's passport or a proof of residence in France, known as a carte de résidence or carte de séjour.