Back to school 2023: date, programs, what will change

The 2023-2024 school year is still a long way off. Moreover, the dates for the return of teachers and students have still not been fixed. On the new side, for next year, changes will take place in the form and substance of the programs for sure, but on the question of the teaching profession, nothing is less certain. Here is what you already need to know:

When is the start of the 2023 school year?

This is the big question! The date of the start of the school year in September 2023 is currently unknown. As a general rule, the dates are decided by the Ministry of National Education well a year in advance during the summer, then recorded by a decree. Except that to date, neither the Official Journal nor the ministry’s website has yet published an official date. Yet, according to West France, the Higher Education Council (CSE) met at the end of November to make a presentation of the future school calendar. Several member unions even later revealed the date envisaged for the start of the 2023 school year. The provisional calendar provided for a start of the school year for Monday, September 4, 2023. A date against which the CSE voted by majority. The services of the ministry have declared to our colleagues that a date will be fixed “in the next few days”.

What we know, however, with previous years, is that the school calendar usually includes a pre-return for teachers which takes place at the end of August, and a return for students at the beginning of September.

What are the dates of the school holidays in 2023-2024?

The same problem also relates to the next school holidays. The 2023-2024 school holiday calendar has not yet been communicated. If no date has yet been revealed, it is because developing a school calendar is a real headache for the three ministries responsible for it (Interior, National Education and Tourism). The proposed back-to-school date of September 4, 2023 posed a particular problem for union representatives and the Federation of Parents’ Councils, members of the CSE, because the dates of the holidays would have been unbalanced from one area to one area. Zone C would have had eleven weeks of classes between the end of spring break and summer. The Ministry of Education must find the right balance and above all respect the scheme “seven weeks of lessons then two weeks of vacation”, report our colleagues from Ouest France.

What’s new for the 2023 school year?

One of the main novelties announced by the government for the start of the 2023 school year concerns math education. Mathematics will again be compulsory for all general high school students, starting in the first class. In the long term, the other levels will not escape it either. The executive has planned a series of innovations to reconcile all students with this subject. In each college, for example, from the start of the 2023 school year, a mathematics club will be created for students.

About the health protocol at school related to Covid-19, given the increase in positive cases in December in France, for the time being no new official measures have been announced, even if the wearing of a mask was strongly recommended by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne in public transport. At present, the health protocol in place is the one that was acted on August 23, 2022.

On the side of the teaching profession, the government announced this summer an action plan to make the profession more attractive, with in particular an increase in remuneration and a “revitalization of careers” which will also concern contract workers. For this, the Education budget has been revised upwards for 2023. Announcements which have not completely convinced the unions.

Back to school means many purchases: school supply list is published every year for school children, and children generally want to change schoolbag with each new start. Not to mention the clothes and sneakers that will have to be bought for them because they grow up too quickly. To support parents, the government pays each year back-to-school allowance. Our advice for manage the back-to-school budget.

Find all our advice to better organize your daily life and manage back-to-school stress.

Whether it’s the first school year in kindergarten (compulsory from 3 years old) or its first start of elementary school or college, many children are terrified of going to school. New classmates, the master or mistress, or even the change of school are all disturbing elements for young and old. Our advice to reassure him and help him adapt to these changes.

Your child does his whole first start of kindergarten, CP or 6th grade ? Each of these classes, just like high school, is part of a milestone in your child’s life. To better support it, here are some practical tips.

First start of kindergarten

Children are afraid of what they don’t know, and that just makes sense. Hence the importance of talking to yours about school a few days before the start of the school year in order to prepare him for kindergarten. Talk to him about simple things, which he can easily understand: how the day will unfold, the activities he is going to do… And highlight the many positive points of the school: he will make lots of friends, he will learn to draw… Don’t forget to tell him who will pick him up after school: you, his dad, the nanny, his grandmother… Everything must be well defined to reassure your child!

First start of primary school

Entrance to primary school announces a big change for your child: it’s now a big one. And this must be reflected in his daily life. To show him the importance of this event, you can for example decide to rearrange your roomso that he can choose his clothes alone in the morning… In the days before entering primary schoolmake sure your child gets enough sleep so that he is in top form on D-Day. Also take the opportunity to set up the new bedtime and wake-up times. Your child used to go to bed at 10 p.m. during school holidays? Gradually bring him to bed earlier, around 8 p.m. This will allow him to get a real good night’s sleep before tackling the day ahead! Entering primary school also marks a important step in the autonomy of your child. From now on, he must be able to do a lot of things on his own. Encourage him in his direction, by showing him that you are at his side, that you are there to help him if necessary, but that you are not there to do everything for him!

First year in college

Unlike the comforting world of primary school, middle School leads to many changes in the habits of your child who will now be faced with different teachers, a busier schedule or a new one rating system. Becoming “big” means adapting to new constraints, a new environment and… new friends. Not all that easy, when you’re only 11 or 12 years old! To prepare your son or daughter for this great upheaval, consider visit your future establishment before the start of the school year – during his registration, for example – in order to help him to familiarize himself with the places. Many colleges also organize information days for new college students in order to present the teachers, the different teaching rooms and the operation of the establishment. Do not hesitate to attend with your child to reassure him… and you too at the same time! Because if the college is an important change for the child, it is also for the parents.

Finally, going to college often generates anxiety in the child who knows that his comfortable life will change. Fear of getting lost in the hallways, of being separated from friends, of not being able to follow classes… All these fears are legitimate and frequent among children who are about to start school. To play down the situation, the best solution is still to talk about it with him and explain to him how his days will unfold.

First year in high school

After primary school and college, your child is about to take a new fundamental step in his schooling: entering high school. If the second turns out to be a pivotal class, it is also synonymous with autonomy and changes in working methods. With the college diploma freshly in your pocket and the long holidays over, your future high school student will have to take a new approach by now taking a more active part in his learning.

Teaching in high school differs considerably from that in college. Indeed, the lessons are now based on solid foundations, which your child must have acquired throughout their schooling, to develop their own critical thinking and a more personal way of thinking. But at 16, it is not always easy to show as much maturity to cross this course without difficulty. Some high school students feel intoxicated by this new independence offered to them. This is why parents play a major role in informing their children and encouraging them to ask themselves the right questions.

Moreover, it is not because your future high school student appears confident that he does not feel stress at the idea of ​​​​entering second. In adolescence, children struggle to express their anxieties. It is therefore essential to talk about it with him to understand how he envisages this crucial comeback. This dialogue is essential to help your child define his project. Because it is when entering second that he will have to choose his compulsory options which may subsequently prove to be decisive in the context of its future orientation. If your child also wishes to opt for optional options, encourage them, but be sure to warn them about the additional workload this will entail.