Primary School
The primary school welcomes children from 6 to 11 years old. The basic class structure is as follows:
| Age | Class |
|---|---|
| 6-7 | Cours Préparatoire (CP) |
| 7-8 | Cours Elémentaire (CE1) |
| 8-9 | Cours Elémentaire (CE2) |
| 9-10 | Cours Moyen (CM1) |
| 10-11 | Cours Moyen (CM1) |
My School’s philosophy is to limit class size to enable us to adapt the program to each child’s individual needs. Depending on the number of children, we can have a mixed-age classrooms.
One of the priorities of primary school is to learn French language and mathematics, that are conducted in French in the morning. The English lesson, that takes up 25% to almost 50% of total school time, is taught in the afternoon by an English-speaking teacher. In small groups, the children alternate different subjects, such as science, history, geography, and arts. The rest of the afternoon is spent learning the discovery of the world, science, arts, etc.
My School follows the Common Core of Knowledge and Skills 2016 (le socle commun de connaissances, de compétences et de culture) recommended by the French Ministry of National Education, that is organised around 5 key competences for primary school:
- Languages for thinking and communicating
- Methods and tools for learning
- Becoming a person and a citizen
- Natural and technique systems
- Representing human activities and the world.
In continuity and in close relation with maternelle/kindergarten, primary school takes over with the goal for the student to “learn to know oneself and to understand the world, in order to find one’s place in it while respecting one’s own interests and those of others.”
In primary school, the learning and tools for learning can be categorized into 5 levels:
Reading, writing, counting:
The multiplying knowledge. These are the essential foundations for progressing in learning and understanding the world.
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Initiation and learning English
Based on the level of the children and their needs.
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Learning how to learn
This aligns with key skills and breaks down on several levels: organization and time management, note-taking, reflective analysis, self-evaluation… All these points are worked on from a very young age. As the world continually changes, schools must equip each child to learn throughout their lives.
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Understanding the world
Through the discovery of disciplines such as history, geography, science, music, etc.
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Learning to act
While respecting one’s own interests and those of others.
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The educational objectives include:
- Empowering students to become more independent.
- Life rules established with the students.
- Responsibilities related to classroom and school life.
- Establishing a listening relationship.
- Instilling a taste for effort and well-done work.
- Acquiring working methods.
- Regular evaluations and self-assessments.
In primary school, as in maternelle/kindergarten, the classroom is set up to consider the diversity of the children. The teacher must think about their teaching method and the organization of their class to allow each child to acquire skills at their own pace, with teaching materials tailored to their needs when necessary.
Teaching can be collective, individual, or in groups. The principle is to promote learning by engaging children in action, reflection, guiding them, and making them make choices to develop their intellectual abilities as much as possible. The benevolent teacher ensures that each child finds their place within the class and can develop intellectually and psychologically in a natural and serene way.
