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last mo.

French Citizens' Convention Backs 5-Day School Week, 9 a.m. Starts in Overhaul Plan

The near-unanimous report now goes to the government for review, with no promise to implement.

Le rapport du Cese mentionne toutefois les doutes exprimés par certains citoyens sur l’effectivité du passage de trois à deux zones « au regard de l’impact sur l’économie du tourisme ». Ici des enfants en cours de ski à Risoul (Hautes-Alpes), en février 2025.
Images d'archives de la rentrée scolaire à l'école primaire Henri-IV à Bordeaux, le 1<sup>er</sup> septembre 2025.
Image
La convention recommande notamment que la semaine d’école s’étale sur cinq jours pleins plutôt que quatre comme actuellement.

Overview

  • The Convention citoyenne on children’s time adopted 20 proposals on Nov. 23 at the CESE by 119 votes to 2, with 4 abstentions, after six months of work by 133 randomly selected citizens.
  • Key school-day changes include five full days from elementary through lycée, secondary lessons capped at 45 minutes, theory in the morning and practical work in the afternoon, and an end of classes around 15:30 to allow activities.
  • Middle and high schools would start no earlier than 09:00 to align with adolescents’ chronobiology and reduce daily intensity and fatigue identified under the prevalent four-day week.
  • The calendar plan consolidates winter and spring breaks into two zones instead of three, maintains 16 weeks of annual holidays, aims for a seven-weeks-on/two-weeks-off rhythm, and adds a shared week for families split across zones.
  • Proposals also seek tighter digital safeguards and a dedicated Ministry of Childhood, while ministers expressed interest without commitments and early reactions signal pushback from teacher groups and the tourism sector.