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Information for primary school assistants

You have just been appointed as a foreign language assistant in France. You are going to work in one or more schools. In order to facilitate your integration and carrying out of your role, you will find below a summary of the organisation of primary education in France and some useful terminology.

France is divided into 30 geographical education authorities, called académies. In general, the académie takes the name of the main city in the area. All schools and assistants are assigned to an académie.

The rectorat is the académie's headquarters and the site of the academic services offices.

Primary school level education is called the premier degré and its administrative and educational management takes place at the inspection académique (I.A.).  Every French département (local government area) corresponds to an inspection académique. Its leader is the inspecteur d'académie (D.S.D.E.N.  - Directeur des Services Départementaux de l'Éducation Nationale).

Each inspection académique is divided into several areas, called circonscriptions. Inspecteurs de l'Education nationale (I.E.N. - National Education Inspectors) are responsible for teaching in each circonscription. Their offices are found at the inspection de circonscription.  They are assisted by conseillers pédagogiques (C.P. - educational advisors).  You will probably be in frequent contact with the conseiller pédagogique départementale des langues vivantes (CPDLV), who monitors the educational follow-up of teachers in schools qualified to teach modern languages and oversees the teaching of modern languages.

Primary education includes école maternelle and école élémentaire:

School level	Class		Normal age of children
Ecole maternelle			2-6
Ecole élémentaire	Cours préparatoire	CP	6-7
	Cours élémentaire 1ère année	CE1	7-8
	Cours élémentaire 2ème année	CE2	8-9
	Cours moyen 1ère année	CM1	9-10
	Cours moyen 2ème année	CM2	10-11

Primary teaching consists of 3 cycles :

• 1st cycle: early learning cycle - maternelle (nursery school): petite section (2-3 years) and moyenne section (3-4 years);
• 2nd cycle: basic skills cycle: maternelle grande section (4-5 years), CP (6 years) and CE1 (7 years);
• 3rd cycle: consolidation cycle: CE2 (8 years), CM1 (9 years) and CM2 (10 years).

Schools have a directeur who carries out both educational and administrative duties.  A qualified teacher, the directeur carries out some or no teaching depending on the size of the school. The maîtres (instituteurs or professeurs) constitute the teaching body in nursery and primary schools.  They are responsible for one class for a whole school year. Some maîtres who are appropriately qualified may teach a modern language. If not, this teaching is carried out by individuals who are fluent in a foreign language and who live near the school. These are designated using the following terms: locuteurs natifs (native speakers), recrutés locaux (locally recruited staff) or intervenants extérieurs (supply teachers). 

Language assistants recruited for a seven month contract will be assigned from 1st October to 30th April.  Their role is to work in the presence of the class teacher or to take small groups separately to work on oral comprehension and expression and to introduce pupils to their culture.

Before coming to France, you will receive an arrêté de nomination or an arrêté d’affectation which will provide information about your inspection académique.  Your école de rattachement administratif and your écoles d'exercice will be specified later during September.  Your école de rattachement administratif will be responsible for managing the administrative aspects of your term of employment in France, but you will not necessarily work there. Your écoles d'exercice will be the schools where you will actually work.