https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed A French court Monday handed a suspended one-year jail sentence to a teacher for bullying an 11-year-old pupil who killed herself in 2019, in a rare such verdict in the country. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260413/french-court-gives-teacher-suspended-sentence-over-pupils-suicide Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:01:53 +0200 french-court-gives-teacher-suspended-sentence-over-pupils-suicide Five of France's largest teaching unions have called a nationwide strike on Tuesday in protest at what they describe as 'austerity' budget plans for education. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260324/french-teachers-call-nationwide-strike-over-budget-cuts Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:23:03 +0100 french-teachers-call-nationwide-strike-over-budget-cuts France's teachers and the government appear to be on a collision course after France’s education minister and president have both suggested that the country’s long summer holidays could be cut by as much as half. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260211/question-for-2027-the-battle-in-france-over-cutting-sacred-summer-holidays Wed, 11 Feb 2026 12:34:53 +0100 question-for-2027-the-battle-in-france-over-cutting-sacred-summer-holidays French lawmakers have passed a bill that would ban social media use by under-15s, a move championed by President Emmanuel Macron as a way to protect children from excessive screen time. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260127/french-lawmakers-pass-bill-banning-social-media-for-under-15s Tue, 27 Jan 2026 08:09:34 +0100 french-lawmakers-pass-bill-banning-social-media-for-under-15s The French government has called for 'urgent mobilisation' to encourage kids to spend more time reading, after a recent study showed that children on average spend just 19 minutes a day reading, as opposed to three hours a day on screens. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251202/french-government-plans-to-get-kids-reading-more Tue, 02 Dec 2025 11:15:11 +0100 french-government-plans-to-get-kids-reading-more French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a ban on mobile phones in upper-secondary schools (lycées) across the country at the start of the 2026-2027 school year. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251128/macron-plans-mobile-phone-bans-for-french-high-schools Fri, 28 Nov 2025 18:08:13 +0100 macron-plans-mobile-phone-bans-for-french-high-schools After five months of debating topics from the organisation of the French school calendar to access to screens and support for parents, the 'citizens' council' published its list of ideas to improve the organisation of children's days. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251124/5-day-weeks-shorter-classes-and-later-starts-how-france-could-change-the-school-day Mon, 24 Nov 2025 14:40:14 +0100 5-day-weeks-shorter-classes-and-later-starts-how-france-could-change-the-school-day A nine-year-old girl was found dead in her home in northeastern France this weekend, prosecutors and police sources said, pointing to a likely death by suicide after she was bullied. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251013/death-of-bullied-nine-year-old-shakes-france Mon, 13 Oct 2025 17:03:31 +0200 death-of-bullied-nine-year-old-shakes-france Sending children to school in France can be quite a culture shock for foreign parents - from delicious school lunches and impressive after-school care to complaints about a rigid attitude and lack of imagination, here's how readers of The Local view the French system. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250910/great-lunches-but-rigid-teaching-how-foreign-parents-view-the-french-school-system Wed, 10 Sep 2025 12:01:08 +0200 great-lunches-but-rigid-teaching-how-foreign-parents-view-the-french-school-system During France's Wednesday Bloquons Tout protests, thousands of school pupils took part in blockades of their schools - The Local looks at whether lycéens actually have the right to strike. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250912/do-french-schoolkids-really-have-the-right-to-strike Fri, 12 Sep 2025 13:25:50 +0200 do-french-schoolkids-really-have-the-right-to-strike The French schooling system can often present a bit of a culture shock - both good and bad - for recent arrivals. Here are some tips from parents who have already navigated the education system. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250911/7-tips-from-parents-for-surviving-the-french-school-system Thu, 11 Sep 2025 17:00:43 +0200 7-tips-from-parents-for-surviving-the-french-school-system The Local is looking to hear from foreign parents about their experiences with the French school system. Please take a moment to share your thoughts in our short survey. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250905/tell-us-parents-what-are-your-impressions-of-the-french-school-system Fri, 05 Sep 2025 13:28:34 +0200 tell-us-parents-what-are-your-impressions-of-the-french-school-system As 12 million students – and some 850,000 teachers – return to classrooms across France on Monday, September 1st, here’s what they can expect from the start of term. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250828/phones-exams-and-sex-education-what-changes-in-french-schools-from-september-1st Thu, 28 Aug 2025 13:07:00 +0200 phones-exams-and-sex-education-what-changes-in-french-schools-from-september-1st Heading off to school in France in September can be a stressful time for parents and children – whether or not you’ve done it all before. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250821/9-useful-back-to-school-websites-for-children-and-parents-in-france Thu, 21 Aug 2025 11:59:10 +0200 9-useful-back-to-school-websites-for-children-and-parents-in-france Every summer, French supermarkets fill up with stationery to cater to the incredibly detailed list of items that schools send out to parents ahead of the new school year. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190830/these-are-the-29-stationery-items-your-child-will-need-for-school-in-france Fri, 30 Aug 2019 17:00:00 +0200 these-are-the-29-stationery-items-your-child-will-need-for-school-in-france From the practical - stationery, uniforms, packed lunches - to the emotional - parental involvement and help for struggling kids - and the crucial issue of aid for non-French speakers, here's what to expect if your child is starting school in France for the first time. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250730/how-to-prepare-for-your-child-starting-at-french-school Wed, 30 Jul 2025 18:36:59 +0200 how-to-prepare-for-your-child-starting-at-french-school France's education minister said on Friday every school must adopt plans by the end of the year to identify and help pupils suffering from psychological distress. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250613/french-education-minister-urges-focus-on-mental-health-of-pupils-after-knife-attack Fri, 13 Jun 2025 18:32:09 +0200 french-education-minister-urges-focus-on-mental-health-of-pupils-after-knife-attack French President Emmanuel Macron has announced plans to launch a 'citizens' convention' to determine how long the French school year and school day should be - and whether the summer holidays ought to shortened. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250505/macron-calls-for-citizens-convention-on-french-school-holidays Mon, 05 May 2025 18:59:36 +0200 macron-calls-for-citizens-convention-on-french-school-holidays A French court ruled that a Muslim school could continue to receive state subsidies after local authorities in 2023 cut funding over alleged "serious breaches" of teaching rules, the court and its management said. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250423/french-muslim-school-re-allocated-suspended-state-funding Wed, 23 Apr 2025 19:56:35 +0200 french-muslim-school-re-allocated-suspended-state-funding The first researchers fleeing US spending cuts imposed by President Donald Trump will start work at a French university in June, officials said on Thursday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250418/first-us-refugee-scientists-to-arrive-in-france-in-weeks Fri, 18 Apr 2025 10:27:40 +0200 first-us-refugee-scientists-to-arrive-in-france-in-weeks