3. Structure of French School Education

1. 3.1. School Structure
   3.2. Class Structure
   3.3. Key Stages of Education

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3.3. Key Stages of French School Education

In your reading and meetings with teachers, you may also come across references to the cycles de l’education. These are what might otherwise be commonly understood as the 'key stages' of education.

One of the main purposes of the cycles is to emphasise the continuity of education between years and between schools.

Thus, you can see from the table below how the cycles overlap between nursery and primary schools. In a similar manner, how the first year of collège emphasises the transition from primary school and how the final year of collège is meant to be preparation for lycée. Of course, whether the practice matches the theory is another matter!


Table: Cycles of Education

Class/Year	Cycle
Petite Section	Cycle des apprentissages premier
Moyenne section
Grande section	Cycle des apprentissages fondamentaux
Cours préparatoire
Cours élémentaire 1
Cours élémentaire 2	Cycle des approfondissements
Cours moyen 1
Cours moyen 2
Sixième (6e)	Cycle d’adaptation
Cinquième (5e)	Cycle Central
Quatrième (4e)
Troisième (3e)	Cycle d’orientation
Seconde	Cycle de détermination
Première	Cycle terminale
Terminale

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