THE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN A FRENCH SCHOOL (STUDENTS FROM 11 TO 15 YEARS OLD) AND ROLES OF THE PRINCIPAL AND VICE PRINCIPAL IN SCHOOL ORGANISATION
Marie Selva
First of all, we have to say that France is a secular country so the public school is secular as well. There are two different status for employees in our system : teachers, direction team, CPE, medical, social and orientation services are nominated directly by our Ministry of Education (we are all State civil servants) and the cleaning staff is hired by the Conseil Général (department)( they are territorial civil servants).
School is free, all the pupils receive the book they need to study. When families have financial problems, they have the possibility to be helped by social services in school or outside.
In our school: 700 pupils (6 classes of 6th, 6 classes of 5th, 6 classes of 4th and 6 of 3rd, 1 class for each level for adapted teaching : 64 pupils, 10 pupils in a ULIS (inclusion dispositive for pupils with cognitive problems) ; 51 teachers, 2 CPE (conseiller principal éducation), one nurse, one social worker, 1 orientation worker, 10 educational assistants, direction team (1 principal, 1 vice principal and 1 adapted teaching director).
Role of the principal and vice principal
• State representative : responsible for the application of the national educational rules and laws.
• Board of governors (conseil d’administration) president
• Financial management (financial and material responsability)
• Make sure the teaching hours go smoothly (respect of the working hours...)
• Educational role
1. Board of governors composition and role
10 elected staff representatives (7 teachers and 3 cleaning agents)
10 elected school users representatives (7 parents and 3 pupils)
10 de facto representatives (3 town representatives, 1 territorial assembly representatives, 1 « qualified » person (representing the socioprofessional world), 5 direction members (principal, vice principal, adapted teaching director, administrator and 1 CPE)
Every secondary school has about 4 to 5 administration council (CA) meetings a year.
This council decides how to share the operating budget received from the State or the Department Assembly. It decides on agreements and conventions, it confirms the division of hours sent by the Rectorat (education representative in every region), opening and closing of optional subjects, consulting educational projects.
From this board of governors, we create different committees (discipline committee, hygiene, security and work conditions committee, educational committee, health and citizenship education committee).
2. Educational role
All the teachers have an IPR (educational inspector) who evaluates every 4 to 5 years during a lesson their didactics and pedagogy. The direction team is present during the evaluation and have a prior meeting with the Inspector to talk about the teacher.
The direction team also controls punctuality, constancy, authority and class presence …
Different kinds of councils exist and the direction team has to inspire energy and the will to go ahead for their vitality : conseil enseignement (teaching committee for every subject : the teachers define together, in every subject, how to work and what they need (books, computers, videoprojectors, software...), conseil pédagogique (educational committee) writes and follow the school project), comité TICE (new technology and computers committee) …
In every case, we always give priority to the direct contact with every educational community member.
What is a school project ?
We (direction team, teachers, parents and pupils) outline for 3 years a road map for our school called the school project. It's the foundation of our life at the secondary school.
It follows our academic and national road map and includes the characteristics of our school. It has 3 axes (1. ensures the perfect command of fundamental knowledge and skills, 2. help our pupils for their future, 3. Promotes volunteering, responsibility) and each one with actions to do and indicators to verify the impact of these actions. The main aim of this project is the success of all students with different characteristics and promote global studies and team work. (example : art history (work in French litterature, arts, music, science and history), le socle (basis) that defines 7 skills that every student has to have when he leaves the collège (secondary school).
The direction team has to structure and put into place all of these works.
Every class has a « main teacher »(professeur principal) who coordinates the information from his colleagues, or direction team to the students and their families and vice versa.
Vie scolaire (life at school)
This concept doesn't exist in other countries. It refers to student life at school outside of class. This service chief is called C(conseiller) P (principal) E(d'éducation). This person has an important role in our system: he's the bridge between teachers and families, and has a special relationship with the students to help them find their place at school. The CPE spends a lot of time with the students and families and can resolve educational problems. He follows every student’s studies, controls their absence, controls sanctions or punishment...In our school, he's responsible for 11 educational assistants who help in all the tasks (supervision, control of absence, organisation of student center and so on...).
Pulpils : every class has about 25, 26 pupils (girls and boys between the age of 11 to 15). Every class elects 2 representatives (délégués) who assist at the 3 staff meeting (conseil de classe) (every trimestre).
They've offered different kinds of optional subjects (latin, bilingual classes (English-Italian and English-German), handball, climbing and skiing, music).
When our pupils are 14 years old and if they prefer more concrete subjects, they can do an internship (lasting 3 to 6 weeks).