School

French schoolteacher fatally stabbed by pupil

France — Link

A 16-year-old pupil is in police custody after he stabbed and killed a woman teacher during class at a school in the town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, in south-west France, on Wednesday morning, reportedly claiming he was 'posessed'.

Did French school fail Dinah, 14, who took her life after being bullied?

France — Investigation

A month after the suicide of 14-year-old Dinah in October 2021, her parents lodged an official complaint with the prosecution authorities over “bullying”, and have accused the middle school she attended in north-east France of failing to provide assistance to a person in danger. The school and the education authorities deny there was any breakdown in pupil welfare procedures. But other parents have told Mediapart of their concerns over how the same establishment handled the bullying of their children. David Perrotin reports.

Probe launched into racist comments at France's school for judges

France — Investigation

Documents seen by Mediapart reveal that some students at the school where France's future judges and prosecutors are trained used racist language on a private online document. The comments made by the students, who are poised to graduate from the École Nationale de la Magistrature and start their careers, include “France for the French” and “Arabs Out”. The college's authorities informed prosecutors in Bordeaux who have now opened a criminal investigation. David Perrotin reports.

French teenagers kept in detention over murder of schoolgirl

France — Link

A boy and girl, both aged 15, are being held in custody after admitting to the murder of a 14-year-old girl from the same school whose badly beaten body was found thrown into the River Seine in a Paris suburb after she had drowned.

Meat-free school meals spark row in France

France — Link

The ecologist mayor of Lyon, one of France’s most famously gastronomic cities, has kicked up a storm of protest and debate by taking meat off the menu at school canteens.

French school leavers tense up for the ‘bac’

France — Link

French pupils this year ending of their secondary education are currently sitting the baccalauréat, the all-important exam that opens the way to further education or the job market, a certificate that is surrounded by the heavy stress of fear of failure, for without it the doors of future social and professional advance appear closed.

France considers putting police officers in classrooms

France — Link

New plans are set to be announced by interior minister Christophe Castaner following a string of violent incidents in country's classrooms.

French town votes to introduce school uniforms

France — Link

Inhabitants of Provins, east of Paris, have voted in favour of introducing school uniforms in the town's primary schools, which France's education minister approved of saying it might be a way of lessening inequalities between pupils as perceived in clothing brands.

France to lower school starting age from six to three

France — Link

Change will only affect a small number of children, as most French families already send their children to nursery school aged three or even two.

Teenager held after gun attack on French school, up to four wounded

France — Link

A heavily armed 17-year-old pupil of a secondary school in the town of Grasse, south-east France, was arrested by police after shooting four people including the school's headmaster who reportedly intervened to try and stop the attack.   

Several wounded in school shooting in south-east France

France — Link

A heavily-armed gunman, carrying grenades and explosives and reportedly aged 17, shot and wounded at least three people, including a headmaster, at a secondary school in Grasse, close to Nice, in south-east France.

Tight security as French pupils go back to school

France

Pupils in France go back to school this week amid ever-greater security and against the backdrop of a constant threat of terrorism. The education minister and the interior minister have held a joint press conference to outline the unprecedented measures that are being taken to ensure the safety of children at school. As Faïza Zerouala reports, the authorities have to strike a careful balance between ensuring educational establishments are prepared for a terrorist attack and avoiding causing anxiety among younger pupils.

French girls 'tortured' 12-year-old

France — Link

Three schoolgirls aged between 13 and 15 have been arrested in a southern Paris suburb for allegedly sustained brutal attacks on a 12-year-old girl.

Six schoolchildren die in SW France collision between coach and truck

France — Link

A loose panel on a dumper truck sliced into a coach carrying 18 pupils near Rochefort, the second deadly school bus accident in France in 24 hours.

Two children die in school bus crash in eastern France

France — Link

Three other children were injured in the crash in snowbound conditions when their coach carrying 33 pupils to school near Pontarlier left the road.