Centenary of the Entente Cordiale

France and England an exchange of views

French Schools Directorate

Office for International Relationsinternational@education.gouv.fr

February 2005

Caroline Lucas / DR

DELCOM

Printing office of MENESR / 500 copies

theme

title of the document

editor

contact

date of publication

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design

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> Behaviour and discipline in schools

> Literacy strategies

> 14-19 year-olds and vocational education

France and Englandan exchange of views

1>

>W

hat are the expert group meetings?

Since June 2003, three groups of experts, including officials from the Departm

ents of Education inboth France and England, have been m

eeting on a regular basis to discuss three themes related to

education policy areas of joint interest:�

Behaviour and discipline in schools, La prévention de la violence en milieu scolaire;

�Literacy strategies, La prévention de l’illettrism

e;�

14-19 year-olds and vocational education, Les 14-19 ans dans le milieu scolaire.

Following the first m

eeting, which w

as dedicated to the presentation of the educational policiesand initiatives of both countries, the groups of experts have focused their discussions on specificcom

parisons of their respective systems, in particular:

�the “Behaviour and discipline in schools” group on the role of parents, teacher training, andreferral classes;

�the “Literacy strategies” group on the role of evaluation, and the place of spoken language atschool;

�the “14-19 year-olds and vocational education“ group on the structure of vocational teaching,guidance for vocational routes, and the role of the “key players”.

The expert groups have met three tim

es each, and at every reunion there was an opportunity to visit

the schools of the other country to see the subject of their discussions at first hand.

>W

hat is the purpose of the meetings?

Both countries have developed systems to attem

pt to address the educational issues that exist bothnationally and internationally, and, naturally, each country has a strong interest in com

paring its own

responses to the ones found by its partner. These meetings are an opportunity for French and English

experts to exchange their opinions and present the way things are done in their respective countries.

More broadly, they allow

for the comparison of educational policies and strategies.

>W

hy choose particular themes?

The three themes w

ere chosen as they are all related to real issues currently affecting education:�

behaviour and discipline because all European countries are encountering problems w

ith this,and it is the cause of m

uch discontinued learning;�

literacy because it is a shared concern. In 1998, a comprehensive literacy program

me w

asintroduced in England, aim

ed at improving teaching in the classroom

and raising standards ofpupil achievem

ent. In 2002, France introduced a scheme to prevent illiteracy, w

ith a special focuson the first year of prim

ary school;�

14-19 year olds and vocational education because mainstream

ing vocational education andteaching, m

odernising training and opening new routes in schools, is a topical area of activity in

England, particularly following the Tom

linson Report, and in France.

Introduction

>W

hy this exchange of views?

Following on from

the expert group meetings, w

e felt that it would be of interest to ask the experts in

each field to share their reflections and / or suggestions regarding the educational practices andstrategies of both countries. This “crossing of view

points” or regards croisésshould allow

the detailsof each system

to be highlighted and could, eventually, bring the English and French educationalpolicies closer together in an even m

ore fruitful collaboration.

Expert group contributors to the brochure

�Behaviour and discipline in schools:Claude Bisson-Vaivre, Deputy Director, Regulations and School Organisation Policy, French SchoolsDirectorate, M

inistry of National Education, Higher Education and Research (M

ENESR)

Nadine N

eulat,Head of the Office for Pupils' Health, Social Care and Welfare,French Schools

Directorate, Ministry of N

ational Education, Higher Education and Research (MEN

ESR)H

elen William

s,Director, Primary Education and e-learning, Departm

ent for Education and Skills(DfES)

�Literacy strategies:Viviane B

ouysse,Head of the Office for Primary Schools,French Schools Directorate, M

inistry ofN

ational Education, Higher Education and Research (MEN

ESR)Stephen A

nwyll,Senior Director (Literacy), Prim

ary National Strategy, DfES

�14-19 year olds and vocational education:M

aryannick Malicot,Head of the Office for Initial Vocational Education, Apprenticeship and

Integration,French Schools Directorate, Ministry of N

ational Education, Higher Education andResearch (M

ENESR)

Celia Johnson,Divisional Manager, School and College Qualifications, Departm

ent for Educationand Skills

< 2

Introduction

3>

>Behaviour and discipline in schools

page 6Exchanging View

s

page 10The Schem

es in England

page 11The Schem

es in France

>Literacy strategies

page 13Exchanging View

s

page 16The N

ational Literacy Strategy of England

page 17The plan to prevent illiteracy in France

>14-19 year-olds and vocational education

page 19Exchanging View

s

page 24Extending GCSEs to vocational subjects in England

page 25Com

panies with a stake in the vocational training of pupils in France

>Assessm

ent

Synopsis

< 4

5>

> page 6Exchanging View

s

> page 10The Schem

es in England

> page 11The Schem

es in France

Behaviour and disciplinein schools

➔W

hat do you think are the most

noticeable aspects of the English system

in the field of discipline?C. B

-V. :Prevention of violence occurs at a veryearly stage in England. Up until now

, we have

probably designed our [discipline] actions in agenerally structural w

ay as a response to situationsor facts. This is w

hy the English example is very

interesting to study.

N. N

. :Yes, the English have a more behavioural

approach than we do. They w

ork a great deal onearly prevention. They try to develop self-esteemand respect for others at a very early age, andthey offer concrete program

mes for this purpose.

We

would also like to w

ork like they do in thearea of parental support. It is very advanced intheir country and w

e are only taking the firststeps in France.

C. B-V. :The English have established m

odules tosupport parenthood. The aim

is to make parents

work w

ith the school, which gives support to the

parents and provides them w

ith indicators at avery early stage in the schooling of their child, oreven at the pre-school stage.

N. N

. :They have program

mes that are for all

parents, and programm

es tailored to specificgroups.

➔A

re there similarities betw

een the French and English approaches?C. B-V. :The schem

es that have been created inEngland are sim

ilar to ours. Their BEST (Behaviourand Educational Support Team

s) and their PRUs(Pupil Referral Units) are sim

ilar to our RASED1and

our referral units.

➔W

hat could we borrow

from

the English experience on the field?N

. N. :Prevention of violence is organised on a

very local level that is closely related to the localenvironm

ent.There is a w

hole system for exchanging inform

ation,betw

een educational partners, on children in adifficult situation, young parents and social fragility.There is a real synergy betw

een all the players.The social services are integrated into the schools.It is truly pragm

atic. In England, resources have tobe im

mediately available to the professionals w

hoare in daily contact w

ith children.

➔D

on't the English actually have a m

ore positive approach than the French?N

. N. :It w

ould be hard to say that this approachis m

ore or less positive; it is just different. Thiscan be readily perceived in the vocabulary that isused. They do not use the w

ord violencebut the

term “im

proving behaviour”. In the same w

ay,they do not talk about lutte contre l’absentéism

e(fight against truancy) but “attendance”, andthey talk about “continued-learning strategies”instead of décrochage scolaire

(discontinuedlearning), and “literacy strategies” instead ofprévention

de l’illettrism

e(prevention

ofilliteracy)…W

hat can be done to turn schools into schools ofw

ell-being? How can children be helped to develop

themselves? This is w

hat the English are concernedby. In France, w

e are more defensive and

constantly concerned by prevention. In addition,the English encourage pupils to develop a fee-ling of belonging to the school com

munity.

< 6

Exchanging Views

>The point of view

of two French experts on the English approach

Claude Bisson-Vaivre,Deputy Director, Regulations and School Organisation Policy, French Schools

Directorate, Ministry of N

ational Education, Higher Education and Research (MEN

ESR)N

adine Neulat,

Head of the Office for Pupils' Health, Social Care and Welfare, French Schools

Directorate, MEN

ESR

7>

➔H

ow could the English be inspired

by our system?

C. B-V. :B

y borrowing our indicators on acts of

violence in schools; for example, by adopting

software such as SIG

NA

that records more

serious incidents. Further, the English do nothave training for social w

orkers, for specialisededucators, and seem

to be interested by what

we are doing in this field.

➔A

nd what could w

e borrow from

theirtraining system

?C. B-V. :Training of English teachers includes acourse on “the psychology of adolescents” thatseem

s to be fruitful. This course focuses on them

anagement of behaviours, the anticipation of

crises, the detection of warning signals, and how

to deal with truancy.

➔W

hat could be the nature of a futurepartnership?N

. N. :The English w

ould like us to have discussionson the training of teachers and heads teachers onim

proving attendance, detecting problems and the

resources needed. Indeed, these meetings could

be fruitful because these themes are very m

uch inline w

ith what w

e experience.

1. Le RASED(Réseau d'Aides Spécialisées aux Elèves en Difficulté

- Netw

ork of specialised aids for children with difficulties) is a

scheme of specialised aid to help prevent difficulties for education providers on the one hand, and to find solutions w

hen difficulties

continue. Le RASED includes a school psychologist, an E master (in charge of tutoring in prim

ary school), a G master (re-educator)

and a social support unit.

Exchanging Views

➔Do you have the feeling that France

and England have a different approachregarding the prevention of violence in schools?First of all, I m

ust say that we are aw

are, when

we exchange points of view

on our respectivestrategies regarding the prevention of violence,that our French colleagues have in m

ind what w

ew

ould call “behaviour”. Therefore I will talk about

what the French call violence

and the whole range

of anti-social behaviours that include disruptivebehaviour, bullying and physical violence.

➔W

hat do you consider to be the most

notable aspects of the French strategy in the field of prevention of violence?The French have collected an im

pressive quantityof data on the different types of acts of violence,even if their reliability can som

etimes be debatable.

Too often in the past, the schools have denied theproblem

because they were concerned by the

image parents and other partners had of them

.Today, the fact that parents take part in thedebate is a strong point in the French approach.Also, it is adm

itted that the schools cannot solveit on their ow

n, that they must w

ork in partnershipw

ith the comm

unity that they serve, and thisconviction seem

s well established in France. I

think, for example, about the integration of social

and educational services that has been greatlydeveloped.In France, they also recognise that teaching non-violence to children m

ust start at a very earlystage to be effective. Conflict resolution trainingand involving children in m

ediation with their

classmates are im

portant elements of the French

scheme.

It is, indeed, essential to know how

to dealw

ith situations of violence, in addition toprevention.

➔H

ave you perceived specific Frenchschem

es that you do not have?W

eappreciated our visits to referral classes and

referral workshops in the Calais region, and w

ew

ere impressed by the devotion the teachers had

for pupils who w

ould otherwise have been

excluded from school. It is clearly adm

itted thatpunishm

ent is not a solution and that children atrisk of violent behaviour need extra help andsupport. An interesting feature of the schem

e isthe focus that has been placed on the vocationalintegration

of these

pupils; thus,

they can

understand better

what

the purpose

ofsecondary schooling is.On the other hand, research in the “sciences ofeducation” to try to lim

it violence in France isparallel to w

hat we call assessm

ent in England.W

e were interested to see how

activity in the fieldincluded an elem

ent of research that helps tom

easure their efficacy.

➔Do you perceive analogies betw

een theFrench and the English strategies to preventviolence?Both countries acknow

ledge that there is no singlesolution to the problem

of violence. Setting up aclim

ate of non-violence within a school isa com

plexprocess that requires a w

hole set of differentiatedapproaches and strategies. Also, the response toviolence w

hen it occurs is more effective w

hen theresponse treats the causes of violence and notonly the sym

ptom. These tw

o principles are in theFrench strategy to prevent violence in schools.Our tw

o countries also acknowledge that it is

important to introduce support for professionals

who w

ork on behavioural improvem

ent, given thegrow

ing number of such professionals. Creating

gateways betw

een those who w

ork in the fieldand researchers in educational science is a w

ayboth

countries have

to reach

this objective.

< 8

>The point of view

of an English expert on the French approachH

elen William

s,Director Primary Education and e-learning, Departm

ent for Education and Skills

Exchanging Views

Exchanging Views

Educational sciences will be able to provide

solutions to the problems that are expressed by

the staff in the schools. In England, it will be

made possible by training the experts in charge

of supervising the growing num

ber of professionalsin the field. Our experience of the French systemhas show

n us that the training given to specialiststo m

anage the prevention of violence is anindispensable elem

ent in any national strategy.

➔H

ow could the French be inspired

by the English schemes in the field

of the prevention of violence?In England, w

e have started to work on designing

a national scheme for school staff training. W

econceive that a training of this sort should beavailable for all staff in schools, teachers and non-teachers, so that pupils can feel the unitedstand of all the adults w

ho set an example and

implem

ent a climate of non-violence in the

school. This strategy has the specific feature thatit focuses on a com

prehensive process: it includesall of the school, both the teaching and the non-teaching staff, to help the pupils reach therequired level.

➔Can you explain this national training

scheme in m

ore detail?W

eadvise our schools on the m

eans by which

to achieve a consistent approach to conflictm

anagement. Program

mes have been designed

for Secondary

and Prim

ary schools,

andschools

that experience

the m

ore acute

situations.To prevent violence, the schools

need diverse methods in order to choose the

ones that are the most appropriate to their

needs. This involves alternative programm

esthat are focused on lim

iting the number of

exclusions from school and developing coope-

ration with the m

any partners outside the

school. Training starts with teacher trainees

and is expanded to the experienced staff,rolling out the required actions to all the staffof the school.

Our

most

recent innovations

are three

complem

entary programm

es that are in additionto the national strategy:�

to make efforts to enable everyone to reach

the required

national level,

and offer

life-long learning to a growing num

ber ofprofessionals w

ho work in the field of the

prevention of violence;�

to look more closely, specifically at the

programm

es on the prevention of violence, at

what

works

in school

to create

a clim

ate of convivencia(living together - a

Spanish word that is used here and all over

Europe);�

to set up a campaign against violent behaviour,

so as to promote adapted responses, having

shown their w

orth.

Do you have other schem

es that could givethe French food for thought?The draft law

on childhood in England is an example

of a recent legislation that helps to coordinate allthe schem

es, both inside and outside the school, byplacing at its centre the needs of the children. Itfom

ents coordination of services for children at alocal level, and provides for the nam

ing of a mentor

for each child who is at risk.

Also, the help that is brought to children who are at

risk of school exclusion because of their behaviouris at a m

ore advanced stage in our country than inFrance. How

ever, the development of the French

model of " referral-classes " and " referral-w

orks-hops " could offer a possibility for people w

ho work

in the field in our two countries to pool together

their experience of work w

ith children whose

behaviour is a serious threat for schools.

9>

>Schem

es within schools

�Behaviour and education support team

s (BEST)are team

s of police officers, of educators, medical

and social workers, external to the school and in

charge of bringing support in different subjects tochildren w

ith difficulties. This scheme involves 61

Local Education Authorities and 1,700 primary

schools. A BEST costs £350,000 a year.�

Learning Support Units (LSU) are set up within

schools to help children who are threatened by

exclusion because of their bad behaviour. TheseLSU are very close to French referral units. Theirobjective is to help to im

prove the behaviour ofthe children in order to help them

return quicklyinto m

ainstream classes. Today, there are 1,000

LSU. An LSU costs £50,000 a year.

>A

lternative programm

esA

lack of motivation for certain subjects in the

national curriculum can be a source of disruptive

behaviour. For some pupils, vocational training

in a different framew

ork / environment(colleges

of further

education, w

ork placem

ents) can

improve

motivation,

behaviour and

achievement.

>The PRU

(Pupil referral units) PRU

have much in com

mon w

ith schools,except they are directly funded and directed bythe LEA

. They are smaller than traditional

schools (from 6 to 200 pupils) and cover pupils

of different ages and with different types of

problems. The staff-to-pupil ratio is higher than

in traditional schools, which allow

s for tailoringthe w

ork to the pupils' needs. PRU referrals are

intended to be temporary, allow

ing pupils toreturn to the m

ainstream curriculum

as fast as

possible. How

ever, many pupils finish their

compulsory schooling in a PRU

. Unlike schools,

PRU do not offer the entire national curriculum

.They only teach English, M

aths, ICT and socialeducation.

>Specialized schools (Em

otional andB

ehavioural Difficulties)

Behavioural difficulties can be so serious insom

e cases that some pupils (2

% of the school

population) go to schools designed for pupilsw

ith emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD).

EBD teach the national curriculum and also

provide therapeutic support.

The quality of the teaching varies considerablyfrom

one PRU and one EB

D to another. O

FSTED(Office for Standards in Education), an independentbody in charge of inspecting and evaluatingschools, notes m

ore deficiencies in the teachingand m

anagement of these units as com

pared totraditional schools. Som

e EBD

failed when

inspected and had to be shut down.

As a basis, EBD and PRU education works w

ithw

hatever can be positive in the behaviour of thechild.

There are also preventive programm

es including:�

a programm

e of prevention aimed parents or

parents-to-be (e.g. with financial, psychological

or social difficulties);�

a program

me

for prevention

in prim

aryschools;

�teachers training on how

to manage pupils'

behaviour;�

the creation of tools to assess behaviour andim

prove its managem

ent.

< 10

The Schemes in England

11>

>Referral-units

Referral units are designed to provide supportboth during and after school hours for studentsw

ho have experienced –or who are at risk for–

social and academic exclusion. Referral units are

temporary alternative provision for m

andatoryschooling; referral classes and w

orkshops targetlow

er secondary

and som

etimes

uppersecondary school students w

ho have rejectedtraditional schooling. This can result in serious,repeated breaches of internal school regulations,chronic,

non-justified absenteeism

, lack

ofm

otivation to learn, and even dropping out ofschool com

pletely.The m

ajority of these students are adolescentsfrom

disadvantaged

social backgrounds.

Therefore referral units aim to get these students

back into academic, technological, or vocational

education program

mes

for the

long-term,

enabling them to re-engage into society and w

iththe aim

of enhancing learning in a sheltered,conflict-free learning environm

ent.

Theclasses-relais

provide a temporary structure

for pupils who have dropped out of school, in

order to help them re-engage in m

ainstreamcurriculum

. Lower secondary school pupils w

hoattend these classes m

ay stay from several

weeks to an entire school year. They m

ay,depending on their personal project, be eligiblefor special schedules in order to help boost self-esteem

and renew their interest in learning.

Some pupils, once they have turned fifteen, m

ayalso receive support to help them

with their

vocational project. A classe-relais

is always

linked to a lower secondary school (college) and

class sizes are kept small betw

een eight and tenstudents w

ho come from

a cluster of differentschools. The focus is on a differentiated curriculumand pupils personal projects that m

ay be basedon w

ork-related learning.

Theateliers-relais

were created at the beginning

of the 2002-2003 school year as a supplementary

provision to classes-relais. Like the classes-relais, the ateliers-relais

aim at getting the

student back into learning programm

es in apeaceful, conflict-free learning environm

ent. Theateliers-relais

are designed for lower secondary

school and sometim

es upper secondary schoolstudents for a short period that m

ost often variesfrom

one month to six w

eeks (attendance cannotexceed

sixteen w

eeks). These

pupils are

considered as full time students, that is, they still

qualify for the status of students in the educationalsystem

.

Besides teaching the fundamentals, w

hich is apriority, students are also taught to accept andaddress the rules of society, civility, citizenship,and dem

ocratic values.

>École ouverte (open school)

TheEcole ouverte

admits, on W

ednesdays andduring school holidays, pupils from

schools thatare located in a ZEP (Zone urbaine sensible - sensitive urban area). This is intended to helpyoung people build a strong positive bond w

ith theschool, and to im

prove the image of the schools in

the ZEP neighbourhoods.

There are local schemes that rely on a link w

ithassociations, including dém

ission impossible.This

scheme in the Pas de Calais w

as designed to helppupils w

ho have major difficulties at school. It

starts by developing a dialogue and mutual trust,

then by planning a way forw

ard, to help the pupiltake his / her future and training in hand. Usually,the pupil is given the possibility of w

ork placement

and / or training in a CFA (Centre de Formation

d’Apprentis- Apprenticeship Training Centre), a

vocational college, or a Maison fam

iliale et rurale.The objective is to allow

the pupil to breath, todiscover the w

orld of labour, to define more clearly

his / her vocational future and, if possible, to buildstronger self-esteem

in his / her own eyes and in

the eyes of teachers and family.

publication DELCOM

The Schemes in France

< 12

page 13Exchanging View

s

page 16The N

ational Literacy Strategy in England

page 17The plan to prevent illiteracy in France

Literacystrategies

13>

➔W

hat do you see as the most notable

aspects of the English system in the field

of prevention of illiteracy?There are m

any. The first aspect is the recentdefinition

of national

standards in

England,w

hereas in France this way of leading our

educational policy is as old as School itself, which

is designed as a unified public service. For theFrench, the curriculum

is national, and this isperceived as a token of equality.The decisions that are adopted in England havean “applicationist” nature, as if pedagogy couldbe deducted from

research: the basic principlesof the teaching system

are inspired by thefindings of research. Yet research is essentially inthe field of cognitive psychology. To rely exclusivelyon these findings runs the risk of im

plementing

mechanism

s with no real cultural anchoring of

skills, the risk of an empty form

alism, a bit like

when w

e had a training methodology w

ithout anycontent. This could explain the problem

s theEnglish have today, since they point out them

selvesthat there is a gap betw

een the satisfactoryresults in assessm

ents and the low level rein-

vestment into reading skills in activities that

require them.

Another feature: the “literacy strategies” scheme

is based both on procedures (a very precisedoctrine that teachers are to follow

) and results:the results of the national assessm

ent tests arepublic and taken into account in m

anagement.

➔W

hereas in France?In France, steering by the procedures (the curriculathat are to be follow

ed) has been exclusive for along tim

e, without the rigor of the English system

that defines as a whole the objectives, the

contents, the progressions, and even the standardteaching session. This logic w

as changed by thelaw

of 1989, which w

as a first step towards a

steering logic based on results; and the organiclaw

on the laws of finance leads us further in that

direction.

➔A

ny other notable English aspects?W

hat is also striking in England is the lasting natureof the im

plemented strategy and its sustained

financial support.

In the

sharing of

fundingbetw

een the State and the Local Authorities, do we

see a guarantee of a more collective involvem

ent?

➔W

hat are the analogies between

the two system

s?The analogies exist in the references but not inthe realisation, because England has a differenthistory and culture. W

e agree on the fact that thefirst line of prevention of illiteracy is a generalim

provement of the pedagogy, to w

hich we w

antto bring m

ore unity, consistency and continuity.This is reflected in our tw

o countries by theguidance for teachers and the developm

ent oftools of reference; but this m

ay simply be a

superficial analogy. We do agree on the need to

detect pupils who have difficulties at an early

stage, and to define specific actions for them.

Further, our two countries have set up local

support systems in w

hich pedagogical counsellorsand their equivalents have an essential role.

>Point of view

of a French expert on the English approachViviane B

ouysse,Head of the Office for Primary Schools, Schools Directorate, M

ENESR

Exchanging Views

< 14

➔Do you think that each of the tw

osystem

s can be inspired by the other andbenefit from

adopting some of the other’s

schemes?

There is obviously a limit to w

hat can be borrowed

because the gaps between the tw

o systems are

too wide to allow

us to imitate one another.

➔H

ow could the French system

benefitfrom

the English system?

The French system could find inspiration from

the guidance for teachers and the production oftools that exist in England. It w

ould also benefitfrom

a more com

prehensive association with the

stakeholders around

the school,

includingparents.The organisation and use of national assessm

ent,w

hich shows significant differences com

pared toours, could also be interesting (protocols thatw

ould allow us to com

pare and have a follow-up

year-on-year). But it would not be relevant to

imitate

everything: the

shape and

contentdepends a great deal on the didactic choices thathave been m

ade and which are not really ours. In

addition, the public nature of the results can onlybe conceived if w

e explain to those who w

ouldhave them

in hand the parameters on w

hich theresults are based, and how

they are widely

beyond the scope of the work of the teacher.

Finally, the English institution has shown a

capacity to focus in terms of com

munication, of

financial means, and of training as a real priority,

and to sustain it long enough to see its effects.W

ecan envy this stability, but here again, the

context is different: the French passion for adebate on education does not seem

to be sharedby our English friends.

➔Inversely, how

could the Englishsystem

benefit from the French system

?The English could change their conception ofreading and better articulate their Literacystrategies w

ith other fields. Our cross-sectionalapproach, w

hich can be summ

ed up by theform

ula Read-write in all subject m

atters, is, inthis respect, undoubtedly relevant. But it is easyto see the difficulty for them

: they cannot format

all lessons like they have done for reading andw

riting. Reading is not only a methodology to

process information: the reader is not a com

puter,neutral to texts and insensitive to the stakes andcontexts of reading. Reading is a linguistic,cultural, and social act that involves the individual(m

otivations, tastes, knowledge, inhibitions, etc).

Research can differentiate between these facets

because it must give itself a precise object and

proceed in an analytical way, but teaching children

is necessarily more global, m

ore complex.

Exchanging Views

15>

➔W

hat do you see as the noticeableaspects of the French system

in the fieldof literacy?Prevention of illiteracy is a priority in the prim

aryschool curriculum

in France, and a great deal oftim

e is dedicated to it in schools. However,

because there are no statistics covering allschools w

ith which to assess aspects of this

learning, it is difficult to measure w

ith accuracythe progress that is m

ade, to target the pupils who

require additional tutoring or to identify the specificaspects of the pedagogy that w

ould need to beim

proved.There is a large consensus in France on thecontent of learning, but less consensus and unityin respect of the w

ays to implem

ent it on apedagogical level: nam

ely, when the children do

not achieve as well as expected. There is also less

balance between class w

ork, group work and

individual work.

The teachers have more freedom

in France, butthis freedom

might lead to less hom

ogeneousm

ethods, not only inside the same school but also

between schools.

➔W

hat are the points the English couldbenefit from

in the methods to prevent

illiteracy in France?In France, the children seem

to have developedand kept the habit of reading at hom

e. In thesam

e way, a recent survey in England show

s thatchildren seem

to read more as a hobby than in

the past.

Also, the determining role of spoken language in

learning to read and write is m

ore widely

understood in France by the teachers, the childrenand the parents than is the case in England.Finally, the relation betw

een the French inspectorsand teachers is solidly built on confidence in life-long training. The English inspectorate w

ouldbenefit from

an enhancement of this system

.

➔W

hat are the schemes in the English

system that the French system

couldbenefit from

?The French could draw

more inspiration from

some of the English schem

es of intervention – atan early age – w

ith children who have difficulties

in reading and writing. I have in m

ind schemes

such as those that involve teaching assistantsthat could help to lim

it the number of children

who have to repeat their year.

We

have also launched a campaign in England to

promote ICT, applied to the learning of reading

and writing. This is done by reading electronic

texts and by using an electronic screen to write,

manipulate and exchange texts, instead of the

blackboard. And the role of ICT will be developed

even more, so that learning itself is in constant

evolution.The recent m

ethods for teaching writing in

English primary schools encourages the teacher

to show to children w

hat writing is and to explain

the choices made by the w

riter. They should becom

pared to the methods that are currently

being used in France.

> Point of view of an English expert on the French approach

Stephen Anw

yll,Senior Director (Literacy), Primary N

ational Strategy, Department for Education

and Skills

publication DESCO

Exchanging Views

< 16

>The N

ational Literacy Strategyw

asintroduced

to all

schools in

England in

September 1998 in order to raise standards of

literacy throughout the primary age range, to

support teachers

to deliver

the prim

aryprogram

mes of study for reading and w

riting asset out in the N

ational Curriculum, and to m

akea significant contribution to the developm

ent ofspeaking and listening. The

National

Literacy Strategy

set out

aFram

ework for Teaching

which schools delivered

through the Literacy Hour. This w

as reinforcedby

subject specific

training for

teachers,intervention in schools that w

ere failing theirpupils, and the setting of clear targets atschool, local and national levels. Follow

ing its introduction in 1998 the National

Literacy Strategy has continued to evolve torespond to the latest research and policy priorities.In 2000 the Foundation Stage w

as introducedw

hich provides a structured framew

ork for aplay-based approach to learning for 3 to 5 yearolds, and includes an em

phasis on early literacy,language and com

munication.

In 2003 the National Literacy Strategy w

ascom

bined with the N

ational Num

eracy Strategyto becom

e the Primary N

ational Strategy. This

allowed the creation of a m

ore coherent deliverystructure and organisational m

odel, and more

effective interaction with schools on w

hole-school teaching and learning issues. The overall direction of reform

has been set bytw

o key publications. In 2003, the government

published the

document

“Excellence and

enjoyment” w

hich set out an overarching frame-

work of reform

for Primary schools focussing in

particular on excellent teaching, curriculumenrichm

ent and leadership. This was follow

ed inJuly 2004 by the Five-year plan for Children andLearners, w

hich sets out an ambitious set of

comm

itments to build on the existing strengths of

the system and to provide a higher quality offer to

learners of all ages. The Prim

ary National Strategy has considerably

improved the quality of teaching and learning and

has helped to narrow the gap betw

een schools inareas of high and low

disadvantage. The 2004national curriculum

Key Stage 2 tests show that

78%

of children aged 11 in England have reachedthe required level at their age (level 4) in English.These results reflect an im

provement of 15

percentage points since 1997. The national targetis for 85

% of 11 year olds in England to achieve

level 4+ by 2006.

The National Literacy Strategy in England

17>

The plan to prevent illiteracy was im

plemented

in September 2002. Special care is given to the

determining level, the cours préparatoire

(CP) orfirst year of prim

ary school. The application ofthe new

curriculum for prim

ary school, which

came into force in the CP

in September 2003,

should enable the improvem

ent of daily activitiesand help in the field of prevention of illiteracy.The

curriculum

specifies the

compulsory

components to teach reading and the tim

ededicated each day to reading and w

riting (2hr30m

ins).

>Tw

o documents to help teachers

Documents, drafted at the national level and

distributed to all the teachers involved, are tohelp them

implem

ent the plan. Two booklets have

been specifically designed.The first, Lire au CP

-Repérer les difficultés pourm

ieux agir(Reading in CP – Detecting difficultiesfor

greater effectiveness),

distributed in

September 2003, gives som

e keys to betteridentify the skills required for learning to read,and supplies the teachers w

ith a typology of them

ain difficulties encountered by children and theactivities that can overcom

e them. The second

document, distributed in Septem

ber 2004, Lireau CP (2)

-Enseigner la lecture et prévenir les

difficultés(Reading in CP (2) - Teaching to read

and preventing difficulties), completes the first

one. It is more specifically m

eant for those who

work in classes w

ith a limited num

ber of pupils or

with extra staffing. It is less focused on the analysis

of individual difficulties and is a tool to organizethe pedagogy so as to prevent these difficulties.

>Continuation of lim

ited numbers

of pupils and extra staffingAfter a first phase of developm

ent in 2002-2003(about 100 classes w

ith a limited num

ber ofpupils), the M

inistry of National Education, Higher

Education and Researchdecided to continue the

experience of CPs with a lim

ited number of

pupils, approximately 500 classes in 2003-2004.

At the same tim

e, in difficult areas, others schemes

allow for diversity of the pedagogy in order to

enhance the help given to the children: �

in approximately 1,800 CP an extra teacher

supports the

first teacher

by regularly

taking charge of groups of pupils, accordingto the project defined in respect of pupilneeds;

�in m

ore than 2,000 classes, as a part-time

presence in the classroom, there are now

educational assistants

who

are creating

working conditions that allow

the teacher tobetter diversify w

ork so as to better take intoaccount the difference betw

een the pupils.

In 2004-2005,

the schem

e w

as furthered

extended, by giving educational providers thepossibility to m

ake it more flexible by pursuing a

local project based on an analysis of their needs.

publication DESCO

The plan to prevent illiteracy in France

< 18

> page 19Exchanging View

s

> page 24Extending GCSEs to vocational subjects in England

> page 25Com

panies with a stake in the vocational training of pupils in France

14-19 year-oldsand vocational education

Caroline Lucas-MENESR

19>

➔W

hat is the place in English schoolsfor 14-19 year olds?The English are in the sam

e situation that we are in:

they have to provide vocational qualifications,w

ithin the European context, to cover all of theactive population. W

ith regard to this objective,they encounter the sam

e difficulties as we do w

ith14-19 year-olds, particularly the boys, w

ho leaveschool w

ithout a qualification.

➔H

ow do they face up to these

difficulties?In England, the recognition of a qualification is assu-red by the active contribution of the econom

icw

orld, but the training is entirely in the hands of thetraining schools / colleges. The objective is to givegreater

acceptance of

the low

er levels

ofqualification, to hopefully allow

those who have

them to progress. The English are less dem

andingthan

the French

regarding these

levels of

qualification. In France, we try to m

ake youngpeople acquire a qualification validated by a degree.The English have neither the CAP, nor the BEP, northe Bac professionnel vocational qualifications, buttypes of “elem

entary units” that can be combined. It

is, of course, necessary to connect the vocationaltraining

schools /

college w

ith the

place of

employm

ent, and this is more liberal and m

oreflexible in England than in France. There is, in theircountry, a great deal of part-tim

e or temporary w

orkthat only requires low

qualifications; but there isalso m

uch less unemploym

ent in general, and, inparticular, am

ongst young people. Their vocationaltraining is thus adapted to their econom

ic system:

more partitioned and variable than in France.

➔Is the English system

evolving in com

pliance with the European

standards?In England, vocational qualifications degreesare, as I said, of lesser im

portance than in ourcountry; and this can be a problem

in theperspective

of Lisbon,

which

requires an

increase in the level of vocational skills. Thereform

of vocational education in England isthus aim

ed at giving young people broaderqualifications

by preventing

de-schooling.W

hile they want to m

aintain the recognitionand validity of elem

entary qualifications, theEnglish w

ant to better identify more com

plexlevels and w

iden access to them. They have

started to simplify the num

ber of alreadyrecognised qualifications and have m

ade themm

ore comprehensive than they w

ere. Theyhave restructured the organisation and createda

framew

ork for

training. H

owever,

thecontents are negotiated at a local level w

ith allthe econom

ic partners, instead of at a nationallevel as is the case in France.

>The point of view

of a French expert on the English approachM

aryannick MALICOT,Head of the Office for Initial Vocational Education, Apprenticeship and

Integration, Schools Directorate, MEN

ESR

Exchanging Views

< 20

➔W

hat are, in the field, the most notable

aspects of English vocational training?Unlike France, there is no training in a com

panyw

hile the trainee obtains their degree. However,

the schools have very well equipped w

orkshops.The English do not have alternative training, i.e.com

panies do not participate directly in thetraining them

selves like in France. But they doparticipate in defining the content and recognitionof the training on a local level. Another aspect is their training system

, which

does not aim at the acquisition of general

theoretical skills.

Our

CAP

includes a

fullacadem

ic curriculum that, shall w

e say, makes

them sm

ile; it includes courses in English, a bit ofm

aths… Here there is som

e form of am

biguity:w

hile the supremacy of m

ainstream education is

disowned, w

e cannot discard some form

ofreverence to it and, ironically, w

e are sometim

estem

pted to prove the value of our vocationalqualifications by the role m

ainstream education

has within its curriculum

! According to the

English, you can very well develop the qualities of

an intellectual and the humanities w

hen dealingw

ith the subject matter, but you can also m

eet theneeds and the dem

ands of the people for whom

you work w

ithout having to pass academic

subjects.

➔W

hat do you see as the strong points ofEnglish vocational training?The English schools are m

ulti-vocational and aretools at the service of local developm

ent. Thereare young people as w

ell as adults. These aresocial prem

ises, available to the local population.Focus is often put upon the com

puter material

that can be useful for all of the public. They alsohave w

ell-equipped and organised residentialschools.W

hat is also striking is there flexibility: a youth of16-19 years old can receive free tailor-m

ade 60 hours of training (35 hrs of car m

echanics, 25 hrs of m

aths, for example). Training is only

full-time for the state pupil, w

ho is in a minority.

So, in one of the schools we visited, out of 12,500

learners, 3,500 were there full tim

e. Since the schools are organized as social prem

ises,they also include nurseries. At the sam

e time,

these are places to welcom

e the local population,to educate children and fam

ilies, to train forhealth and sanitary qualifications. There is nobarrier betw

een training and social life, whereas

we tend to have excessive partitioning.

➔Does the English organisation

of vocational training allow them

to face the problem

of failure?Vocational training seem

s to develop real inclusivesolutions, because there is no standardisation.The English take into account particularsituations,the local environm

ent, and social and economic

context.In addition, there seem

to be less stringentrules in England. The standards of professionalbehaviour

(dress codes,

contact w

ith the

customers) seem

to be much less constraining.

Headscarves and clothes that we w

ould considerto be flashy are apparently not a problem

forthem

.The absence of standardisation is also found in thetraining. In France, w

e train in a uniform w

ay andspecialise the teachers. They all have the sam

eobligations of duty. Over there, the organisation is

Exchanging Views

negotiated within the schools. There is no hom

oge-neity. School is a place to live that adapts itself toits environm

ent.

➔W

hat do the English envy in our sys-tem

?It is hard to say! M

aybe the capacity of theFrench system

to quickly impose a reform

to allits stakeholders if there is a need for it. Thisw

ould be the positive aspect of our form of

standardisation.

➔In conclusion?

I see two m

ain points. In England, the vocationaltraining system

is at the service of the populationand it really takes into account the econom

ic andgeographical context. And, then, it focuses on re-m

otivating pupils and giving each and everyone at least a basic level of skills.

21>

Exchanging Views

< 22

➔ W

hat are the most notable aspects

of the French system in the field

of vocational training that caught your attentionW

ew

ere impressed by the em

phasis placed onthe strand of general education w

hich continuesthough vocational program

mes, and that there is

only substantial involvement in occupational

learning post-16. This is in contrast to the degreeof specialisation in vocational areas w

hich canoccur in England at a younger age and in placeof continuing general education. The stronginvolvem

ent of employers in the strategic planning

of your provision interested us greatly, whereas

our system differs in that the em

ployers’ role ism

ore focused on assisting local delivery of

vocational learning. The primacy of teachers

and head teachers in determining in w

hat areaspost-16 students w

ill continue their studies was

of interest to us, as was the use in France of the

tax system as a m

eans of encouraging employer

engagement.

➔ D

id you perceive any analogiesbetw

een the two system

s?W

edid share an appreciation that, despite these

and other differences between our education

systems, there w

as concern for the problems

faced in

both countries

of reducing

thedisengagem

ent of those 16-19 years olds who are

currently not involved in some form

of educationor training, and the issue of the vocational andoccupational routes being generally less w

ellrespected than academ

ic education.

➔ W

hat could the French system learn

from the English system

?W

ebelieve that the degree of flexibility and

choice that the English education systems

affords to the students does serve to enhancetheir m

otivation considerably, and this may be

an area of potential gains for the Frenchsystem

. An associated aspect is that educationalcolleges in England usually offer vocationalcourses alongside the academ

ic, so that individualstudents can choose to com

bine academic and

vocational learning to achieve a mix that m

eetstheir individual needs and aspirations. W

esuggest you m

ight want to consider the w

ayEnglish em

ployers are engaged at a local levelin planning and delivering vocational education,as w

e find this proves a useful tool in ensuringthat the educational provision offered by insti-tutions

matches

the local

labour m

arket

>The point of view

of an English expert on the French approachCelia Johnson,Divisional M

anager, School and College Qualifications, Department for

Education and Skills

Caroline Lucas-MENESR Exchanging Views

requirements. In England, there is a considerable

range in the size of components that constitute

vocational qualifications, as a consequence ofa desire that each com

ponent should be nobigger than required to allow

students tom

aster the specific competency addressed.

Whether this degree of flexibility w

ould bebeneficial or possible w

ithin your baccalaureatefram

ework is an area you m

ay wish to reflect

upon.

23>

Caroline Lucas-MENESR

Exchanging Views

< 24

>The introduction of GCSEs

2in vocational

subjectsN

ew GCSEs, that validate vocational subjects,

were introduced in Septem

ber 2002 to allow pupils

to attain vocational certification age 16, at thesam

e stage as the other GCSEs. These vocationalsubjects offer a m

ore practical approach andbroaden the choices that are offered to the pupils.The new

GCSEs are delivered in different types ofsecondary schools and can be taken at the sam

etim

e as the other GCSEs.

>W

hy choose the new G

CSEs?M

any young people wish to experience the reality

of the labour world and this is w

hy they areinterested by vocational education. The newGCSEs give them

the opportunity to gain an insightof the professional w

orld without keeping them

from continuing their studies through to higher

education. They allow pupils to w

ork in companies,

to solve problems of the labour w

orld, and to talkw

ith people who w

ork in the field that they arestudying. Pupils discover different jobs in the lineof business that they have chosen.

The new GCSEs are m

eant to:�

make the labour w

orld better known;

�allow

secondary

school pupils

to begin

acquiring the required skills to begin working

in the 21st century;�

initiate secondary school pupils into a line ofbusiness, such as engineering or tourism

;�

help to develop certain skills that are used inthe field they have chosen.

Eight available subjects:�

art and design;�

applied business;�

engineering;�

health and social care;�

applied information and com

munication;

technologies;�

leisure and tourism;

�m

anufacturing;�

applied science.

>How

are the new GCSEs prepared?

The new GCSEs include m

ainstream courses that

take place in the classroom to w

hich they areassociated, w

ith more practical approaches on the

job site:�

visits to

companies

to have

a practical

experience of the skills, techniques, processesand equipm

ent that are used;�

a better understanding of the job and of the peoplew

ho are trained to do it, including their degreesand the schools they have been to;

�a collective project to help pupils develop theirself-confidence;

�solving practical cases;

�using the Internet;

�role gam

es and simulations of professional

situations given by people in a chosen area ofw

ork;�

a professional presentation of propositions /solutions;

�w

orking in a company under the supervision of

someone from

that specific area of work.

>W

hat do these new G

CSEs mean?

These new GCSEs are equivalent to tw

o otherGCSEs. Schools can, therefore, double the tim

e thatis dedicated to this vocational teaching and allowfor longer periods of training in com

panies or forother practical activities, such as visits on site.The guidelines for the certification in each subjectare the sam

e that are used for all the examcom

mittees – even though they m

ay have their own

methods of teaching and evaluating.

>W

hat can the new GCSEs lead to?

There is a wide choice of lines of business that are

adapted to the qualifications obtainable, whether

they are traditional or vocational, which places the

applicants on an equal footing.The new

GCSEs prepare pupils for AS, A-levels orthe VCE (vocational A-levels) either in the sam

esubject or in associated subjects (of a sam

e specialty) or in different subjects. Then, it is possibleto go into university or to other higher educationschools.

Extending GCSEs to vocational subjects in England

2. General Certificate of Secondary Education

25>

>Training in a com

panyIn France today, vocational training alw

ays includestraining periods in a com

pany, during a period oftim

e that depends on the type of degree that is beingprepared for. An indispensable com

plement to the

training at school, this time spent in a com

panyincreases the quality of the training and im

provesaccess to em

ployment. How

ever, the effectivenessof these periods of training is fruitful only if theplacem

ents is right, the right pedagogical support isreceived from

tutors, and the pupils are prepared tom

ake the best of these experiences.Training in com

panies can be called a stage(training course), a période de form

ation enentreprise

(period oftraining in a company) or a

période de formation en m

ilieu professionnel(period of training in a professional context),depending on the role they have and on w

hetherthey are assessed for the certification or not.These periods are an inherent part of the training:they are a privileged opportunity for the pupils tobetter define their professional future and tohave a real life experience of the vocationaltraining they get at school.

Thestages

They are compulsory, but are not assessed for the

certification. The stages(training courses) exist

for some certificats d'aptitude professionnelle

that have not been updated yet (CAPor low

erdegree of vocational qualification) and for m

ost ofthe

brevets d'études professionnelles(BEP

orhigher degree of vocational qualification). The stages allow

pupils to discover the corporatew

orld and to apply the skills they have acquiredat school in the industrial / business environm

ent.

There are périodes de formation en entreprise

(PFE or periods of training in a company) in BEP,

oren m

ilieu professionnel(PFMP

or periods oftraining in a professional context) in CAP

and inbaccalauréat professionnel.They are com

pulsory for all the newly created or

updated CAPs and in baccalauréat professionnel,as w

ell as in several BEPs.

Students are assessed for the certification.During these periods, the pupils do not only applyw

hat they have learnt at school. The company

becomes a place w

here they acquire professionalskills, defined in the degree as those that canonly be acquired through the contact w

ith theprofessional reality. W

hether they are stagesor

périodes de formation,the pupils are under the

responsibility of a tutor named by the com

pany.

>The apprenticeship tax

Thetaxe d’apprentissage

(apprenticeship tax) isa tax paid by com

panies. It is calculated bym

ultiplying the number of w

ages paid before taxby the com

pany by a rate of 0.5%

In addition to the funding that is granted by theState and the Regions, the apprenticeship tax ism

eant to help fund the first technological andvocational training levels, i.e. according to thelaw

, “those that prepare young people beforethey enter the job m

arket to work in the industry

or in a company, as specialized or qualified

workers or em

ployees, or to be an independent

Companies w

ith a stake in the vocational training of pupils in France

Caroline Lucas-MENESR

< 26

worker or a fam

ily assistant, a technician, aqualified technician, an engineer or an executivein com

panies of different lines of business”. 40

% of the taxe d’apprentissage

must necessarily

be given towards the training provided / granted

by the

centres de

formation

d’apprentis(Apprenticeship Training Centres or CFA). Theother 60

% can be distributed to any type of

trainingcentre

that offers

technological or

vocational training. A com

pany can pay the apprenticeship tax inthree different w

ays: by paying it directly to thePublic Revenue Departm

ent, or directly to thetraining centres, or to a body in charge of collectingthe tax to distribute it to the different centres. Theyearly am

ount of the apprenticeship tax isestim

ated to be approximately 1.5 billion euros.

>The

comm

issions professionnellesconsultativesThe

comm

issions professionnelles consultatives(CPCs or Vocational Advisory Com

mittees) of the

Ministère de l’Éducation N

ationaleare authorities

where em

ployers, employees, public authorities

and qualified staff (800 people in all) form a

counsel and give an opinion on the creation, the

up-dating or the suppression of technological orvocational degrees from

the CAPs up to the BTS.

None

of the

640 degrees

(except for

thebaccalauréats technologiques, and if all the optionsand specialties are taken into consideration) canbe created or changed w

ithout an instructionfrom

the comm

ittees.

The designs of the degrees are based on ananalysis of the situation of the labour m

arket thatthey are m

eant for. This analysis can be the resultof polls in the field, of interview

s with em

ployeesand w

ith their managers, of research; it relies on

the participation of professionals in the specificline of business, of em

ployers and employees in

the field that is being scrutinised and by the taskforce in charge of updating, reform

ing or creatinga degree.

CPCinput is essential all through the designing of a

degree and chiefly when the syllabus of the

vocational activities is created: specific challengesof the business area that is being considered m

ustbe taken into account, as w

ell as the diversity ofthe situations, of the sizes of the com

panies, of thetypes of organisation…

Companies w

ith a stake in the vocational training of pupils in France

27>

These meetings allow

ed the French and Englishexperts to have a broader outlook on each of thethree them

es, not only due to the input ofinform

ation on the practices and schemes of the

other country but also because of the reactions,the com

ments and questions from

both sides: inother w

ords, because of the eye cast by theirforeign counterparts.

Beyond the personal and professional enrichment

brought to the different experts by expandingtheir references in the field of educationalpolicies, it is reasonable to say that at length thism

eeting of ideas and practices could lead inFrance and England to progress in each area,first on a political level and then in the field.

From one them

e to another, notable aspects ofthe tw

o different systems w

ere detected. Theseinteresting aspects are w

hat can nurture furtherreflections in the future and could bring about arapprochem

ent of the educational policies thatare m

ost convincing each other.

>The view

point of English experts on theFrench system�

The English experts, although they appreciatethe French institutional exigency

in respect of thecontents of w

hat is taught and find the wide scope

that is given to academic skills in the training of

French teachers interesting, have reservationsregarding the m

ethodological and pedagogicaltraining they receive. They are, for exam

ple,astonished

by the

freedom

allowed

Frenchteachers in the pedagogical im

plementation of the

contents of teaching and of the lack of homoge-

neity that this freedom generates.

�They are struck by the pre-em

inence ofm

ainstream education

in France over vocationaleducation. They note, for exam

ple, that there isno possibility in France for pupils to com

bine their

academic and vocational subjects as is the case

in England.

�They appreciate the role that is granted in

France to mainstream

education within vocational

training programm

es, even if they feel at times

that it is made too im

portant. The Tomlinson

reform

project show

s a

will

to delay

thespecialisation of pupils and to broaden the basis of basic skills, w

hich could improve the

transferabilityof qualifications in tim

e.

�They react positively to the com

mitm

ent of theindustrial and corporate w

orld to the designing ofsyllabi and certifications in vocational training.

>The view

point of French experts on theEnglish specificities �

The French experts are interested by thepragm

atism, w

hich characterizes the Englishapproach to issues. This pragm

atism is expressed

by the quest for solutions at a more local than

national scale, and consists, for example, in

making connections betw

een all the educationalpartners at a local level. The flexibility and theabsence

of standardisation,

particularly in

training, belong to this pragmatism

. Adapting to

a given environmentand social and econom

icalcontextis constantly at the heart of the Englishconcern, w

hereas the French system gives

greater importance, for reasons of Republican

equality, to the homogeneity of training and of

degrees throughout its territory. In the same

way, for the French experts, there is no gap in

England between training and social life, w

hereasin France there tends to be excess partitioning.

�They appreciate how

important the notion of

school comm

unityis for the English, the notion of

“living together” and the fact that the Englishschools are designed as places to live – w

hetherthey are traditional or vocational schools – so as

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to create a sense of belonging in the schoolcom

munity. Is it a cause or a consequence?

Rules regarding dress codes or behaviour seemto be m

uch less stringent than in the Frenchschool com

munity.

�They

see that

the exigencies

regardingtheoretical skills are low

er in England than inFrance and note that, according to the Englishperspective,

we

can very

well

developintellectual and hum

an qualities by working

without necessarily receiving an in-depth basic

education / training.

�They appreciate the capacity that the English

have to focus on a real priority, to stick to it andto put all their m

eans (financial means, but also

means

in the

field of

training, evaluation,

comm

unication) so as to reach their objectives.In parallel, they feel that the guidance of Englishteachers

is m

ore “applicationist”

than in

France: it is meant to give them

methods to

apply more than pedagogical tools from

which

they could choose and have more freedom

, as inFrance.

>Convergences

The reflections

that these

exchanges have

brought to light rest on our shared concerns andjoint priorities. Each and every one of them

couldbecom

e a line of thought to bring together theEnglish and French educational policies. Andthese lines cross several of the them

es that were

dealt with in the course of these m

eetings.

These are:�

the role of parents and families, w

ithout whom

prevention of violence and illiteracy is to nopurpose;

�school projects, w

hich are the only way to give

the necessary impulse to deal effectively w

iththe tw

o issues of behaviour and literacy;�

taking into account the local economic

environment

can help to enhance the valueof vocational education.

These are the lines of thought that we need to

explore together in the framew

ork of an open andconstructive collaboration, in order to giveFrench and English pupils the best opportunitiesfor success.

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