Schools in France for UK families
The French education system for British movers
Written and maintained by the UK→France route team — the coordinators and crews who run the UK→France corridor every week. Regulatory detail on this page describes French and EU rules as we understand them at the review date above; confirm anything you intend to rely on with the French douanes, service-public.fr, HMRC and the French consular network, because these rules change and we are movers, not advisers.
How does the French school system work?
France has a largely free state education system, and education is compulsory from age 3 to 16. Schooling runs in four stages: maternelle, élémentaire (primary), collège and lycée, ending with the baccalauréat. The school year starts with the rentrée in early September, and year groups are named differently from the UK — French primary starts at CP and collège starts at 6e.
Year-group equivalents: CP, CE1, CE2, CM1 and CM2 correspond roughly to UK Years 2 to 6; collège runs 6e, 5e, 4e and 3e (roughly Years 7 to 10); lycée runs seconde, première and terminale (roughly Years 11 to 13).
How do you enrol a child in a French state school?
For primary school, you enrol through the mairie of the commune where you live, which then directs you to the local school; for collège and lycée, children arriving from abroad are placed through the local education office (DSDEN). You will need the child's birth certificate, proof of address in France, vaccination records and the most recent school report.
Most UK families use French state schools. Education is free; the curriculum is rigorous; schools are catchment-based. A translated school report is helpful but not always required.
Private schools — the Catholic and contracted alternatives
Most French private schools are "sous contrat": they teach the national curriculum, their teachers are paid by the state and their fees are modest compared with UK private schools. Many are Catholic-affiliated but accept children of any background. Families choose them for smaller classes, a particular teaching approach or continuity of style, though most French families use the state system.
They are an established option rather than the default, and places in popular ones can be limited. Contact the school directly.
Are there English-speaking international schools in France?
Yes, but mostly in Paris, Lyon and on the Côte d'Azur, with a few in other large cities. Curricula vary — British, American, IB or French-international — and many public lycées also run sections internationales that teach part of the curriculum in English. International schools suit families planning a UK university return or relocating on a package that covers fees.
Fees at the private international schools are substantial and vary widely by school, so check them directly. The state sections internationales are a lower-cost route to bilingual schooling where your child meets the entry requirements.
How do children who don't speak French cope at school?
Better than most parents expect. French state schools assess new arrivals from abroad and can place children who do not yet speak French in UPE2A support units alongside their normal class, with French taught as a second language. Younger children usually pick up working French fastest; teenagers take longer to be comfortable with academic French and benefit from extra support.
Children adapt remarkably well, but the first school year is demanding for those starting from little or no French. Some tutoring or a summer course before the rentrée helps.
Families with existing French exposure — a French-speaking parent, previous bilingual schooling — find the transition much smoother.
Which year group will my child join in France?
French schools place children by calendar year of birth, while UK year groups run from September to August. So a child usually joins the class that matches their age, but children born in the autumn can land a year away from where their UK year group would suggest. Expect the school to assess your child and confirm the class.
For lycée and exam-year placements, the transition is harder. The UK GCSE years correspond roughly to 3e and seconde, and A-level years to première and terminale. Mid-cycle transfers need careful school-to-school coordination.
The baccalauréat is taken at the end of terminale. It gives access to French universities, and UK universities routinely accept it.