What's better, Secondary school in France or England ?

[zebredee]

Looking to choose between doing secondary school in France or England, state system
What's better ?

Not conclusions exactly MariaNovella! But hopefully a couple of open days when we go over in the February holidays at the very least. And the research continues...

I don't know anything about the university system in France but in England and Wales university ranking will affect access to higher degrees and jobs.
This isn't the whole picture though as some universities are considered better for certain subjects than higher ranking ones.
It might be an idea to ask about universities and courses on here once you have some in mind.

U.K. higher education has far fewer risks of year repetition or failure than the French HE system. The British are not accustomed to managing such a high level of risk.

It depends which bit of the French HE system you are talking about. In my experience British parents in France just don't understand the HE system at all. Might be different in Paris of course.

Having left the UK 20 years ago, and educated in a private school, ice no idea what to compare with
My eldest got into a state international primary school, half taught by French teachers, the other half by Anglo Saxon teachers. The English ones are fab, the French are awful - when they were 7, one of the kids forgot to write their name on their work so the teacher ripped it up in front of the class 😥. Just an example of many

I don't know if I'm idealising my school experience, but we are always encouraged and supported

Thx for your feedback

In my experience British parents in France just don't understand the HE system at all.

Yes, and the reverse is also largely true, despite the quite significant flow of French students to the U.K.

They're currently in France but the system seems so negative to me, very strict and quite demoralising. We feel like we are always being told off as parents and the kids are shouted out and often humiliated by the French teachers. All true, but important not to measure too much against your own experience of school. If they’ve always been in the French system it will be water off a duck’s back. We took the view that if ours did the French Bac they would have the choice of going onto HE in France or the U.K. - much harder to keep all options open if they are schooled in the U.K. DD is in terminale and currently applying to U.K. universities - offers are trickling in. AAA equates to 13/14 in the Bac which seems achievable. I’m not sure how easy it would be to apply to French unis with A levels. I think it’s a very difficult call to make and we won’t know if we made the right decision until our kids are out the other end, but on balance I’d say it’s always better to keep your options open and (I’m prepared to be corrected) I think once you move your kids from the French to the English system there is no going back.

I agree with LilianGish that it is easier to move from the French system to the English system than the other way round. However, the French school system is generally very weak in the Arts and in debating of ideas. If your child is mathematical or interested in business and management or political science, the French system is good preparation for UK higher education. If your child wants to do a creative subject, you will need to supplement their education outside school.

I am very much pro the French system and would never consider putting my girls into the UK education system. Although I agree with others SN is not treated well in France.

As always on MN there is the assumption that DCs will go onto university. But in France there are so many other options available. Bac pro and BTS offer so many different opportunities and more and more apprenticeships are being offered.

I think it really comes down to where do they feel that they belong. They have dual nationality but where do they call home?

A bit late to this party, but my DC have been educated in both systems at different stages and I am not a fan of French state schooling. It's only any good for highly compliant and hard-working teens who favour academic rather than creative subjects.

The system is rigid, boring and one-dimensional, and it takes a lot of extra curricular activity (not to mention counselling if your child is singled out for ritual shaming by bad teachers!) to counterbalance that.

A good UK secondary opens the mind and encourages ability in ways the French system doesn't even try to. The learning is much broader and there is plenty of scope for the bright ones to be pushed further.

Personally I think British schools sounds nightmarish and very odd, especially all these issues with phones, which you don't get in France. But my perspective is through mumsnet! Undoubtedly if your child wanted to go to one of the amazing French HE insititutes like Science Po then they'd be better in the French system with some help to navigate the way in. Plus there are lots of amazing options and really well organised professional side as well, where they really learn a trade and not just casual apprenticeships which seems to be the case in the UK. Not knocking the UK, I'm sure there are lots of positives too.