Pre-primary school is one of the major assets
of the French education system. The early years
of education are crucial for helping children to
gain self-confidence. It contributes to children’s
personal and social development. This is why
school is compulsory from the age of three
in France.
Through play in particular, children develop
all the skill they will later need to acquire basic
knowledge (reading, writing, counting, respecting
others). Teachers place a special and continual
emphasis on language. Every moment spent in
the classroom is an opportunity to allow pupils
to express their opinions or needs, to ask
questions, give their point of view and take an
interest in what others say. As they discover
letters, learn to handle syllables and phonemes
and have regular opportunities to speak, children
are taught to understand and use increasingly
sophisticated oral language.
