Back to school 2024: a list of important new features and a lot of uncertainty

The school year began this Monday, September 2 for the approximately 12 million French students from kindergarten to higher education. New measures are coming into force for students.

The approximately 12 million French students are going back to school this Monday, September 2, 2024. A return to school that is accompanied by many new features and just as many uncertainties, the next tenant of the Ministry of Education being far from being known, like his wish or not to continue the policy of Gabriel Attal then Nicole Belloubet rue de Grenelle in the coming months… The resigning Minister of Education has also left doubts hanging over some of the orientations of this 2024 return to school, by presenting them at a press conference on August 27.

This 2024 school year should mark a significant turning point with the introduction of several new measures, which affect both students’ clothing habits and their use of new technologies. At the heart of these changes, two major initiatives have been put in place: the experimentation of the school uniform in certain establishments and the introduction of a digital break in several middle schools. These new features, still in the testing phase, are generating various reactions among students, parents and education professionals.

School uniforms: stop or continue?

Among the most notable changes, the introduction of school uniforms in about a hundred schools across the country has attracted attention. This initiative, which aims to promote equality between students, is seen by many as a way to erase social disparities that can be reflected through clothing and restore a form of discipline in schools. These uniforms, jointly funded by the state and municipalities, are distributed free of charge to students, a financial advantage for families. The outfits consist of simple clothes: a gray sweater and a white polo shirt, with a single color imposed for the bottom, navy blue. However, Nicole Belloubet did not give any indication on the continuation of the test or on a possible generalization.

Another measure tested this year is attracting attention: the digital break in 200 middle schools. This initiative requires students to put their mobile phones in lockers upon arrival at school and to no longer have access to them throughout the day, including during breaks. The objective is twofold: to reduce exposure to screens and to prevent online violence, an increasingly worrying phenomenon among young people. The digital break could be generalized to all middle schools from January 2025, but once again, its future is uncertain.

One constant, however, for this 2024 school year as for previous ones, the ministry has decided to focus on fundamental knowledge – French and mathematics – but also on supporting students with more support or better care.

• Assessments are becoming more widespread in primary school: they are being introduced this year in CE2 and CM2
• “The doubling of nursery school classes in the final year of primary school continues” in priority education zones, insisted the minister who resigned on August 27.
• The new middle school diploma “is taking shape”, the minister indicated, and the new assessment methods for the 2025 session have been revised: continuous assessment increases to 40% of the grade compared to 50% today. Obtaining the diploma will not be mandatory to enter middle school, as Gabriel Attal had promised.
• A “secondary prep” will be offered to volunteer students who have not obtained the certificate to strengthen their knowledge.
• Mobile phones are banned in middle schools, first during an experiment in 200 middle schools, then in all middle schools in France, in January 2025.
• The primary French and maths programs have been rewritten “to be clearer, more detailed and to provide guidance on what students need to know at the end of each year” and will come into effect “at the end of current affairs to come into force in September 2025”.

The date of the “big” return to school in September has been set at Monday September 2, 2024 for all students, from primary school to high school. However, depending on the level and the establishment, the start of the school year may be spread over the entire week. Each establishment is responsible for informing families of the official start dates for each level. For example, a notice may be provided at the entrance to the establishment.

The 2024 school year is suffering from recruitment difficulties and a lack of teachers. A complication that the ministry has tried to address by using contract teachers and through the “teacher pact”. This system should encourage teachers to provide replacements to limit the loss of teaching hours, but teachers are not convinced by these measures. The objective of placing a teacher in front of each class from the start of the school year and throughout the year could, however, be difficult to achieve.

So what should you do if your child does not have a teacher in the weeks following the start of the school year? Your child will be taken care of and will be able to stay at school, which must provide a permanent presence. Thus, the law states that “Any child enrolled in a public nursery or elementary school is welcomed during school hours to follow the lessons provided for in the programs. They benefit from a free reception service when these lessons cannot be provided to them due to the unforeseen absence of their teacher and the impossibility of replacing them. The same applies in the event of a strike.” However, the parents’ unions recommend that you immediately notify the rectorate, so that a replacement can take over your child’s lesson time slot.

Back to school has a cost, and many households benefit each year from the back-to-school allowance or back-to-school bonuses. The receipt of aid is based on the income of the families. For the year 2024, for example, those of 2022 are taken into account. The back-to-school allowance (ARS) is paid during the month of August subject to resource conditions, to families with children aged 6 to 18 enrolled in a public or private establishment or in a distance learning organization such as the Cned.