Enlarged partial agreement

Observatory on History Teaching in Europe

In France, history is taught in combination with other subjects. Primary school students begin taking the obligatory course “History and geography” in the fourth grade (age 9). From the sixth grade (age 11), they take the obligatory course “History-geography, civic and moral education”, including a final assessment at the end of lower secondary education. During upper secondary education, students in general or technological education are required to take “History-geography” and have the option to take “History of the arts” and/or “History-geography, geopolitics and political science” for two or three years. Students in vocational education are required to take either “French, history-geography, moral and civic education” for three years or “French, history-geography” for two years, depending on their specific track of education.

Some private schools (privé sous contrat) follow the same history curricula as public schools but others (privé hors contrat) are not required to do so. There are curricular adaptations for schools in the overseas territories. In the European and international sections of lower secondary and upper secondary schools, history is taught in French for half of the specific curriculum and in the language of the respective section for the other half.

 Plateforme Eduscol (information on the discipline)

France has a centrally controlled curriculum. Some local variation is permitted, although this is limited. The curriculum allows for teacher autonomy within the national curricular structure. Teacher autonomy in France is particularly developed in regard to teaching methods, which can be chosen by the teachers. The state does, however, provide pedagogical advice. The education authorities report that civil society organisations participate in curriculum development (data on the participation of minority groups are not collected).

The authorities report that minority groups (cultural, ethnic, linguistic, national, religious or sexual/gender) are included in the history curriculum.

 Curricula workstation par GEI (History curricula search by country)

 Programmes nationaux (website of the Ministry of Education)

The assessment methods teachers are required to use are essays, oral presentations/exams, knowledge-based questions and source-based questions.

End-of-stage exams are taken at the end of the compulsory lower secondary course “History–geography and civics” (cycle 4, level 3); the elective upper secondary course “History–geography, geopolitics and political science” (general lycées); the elective upper secondary course “History of arts” (general lycées); the compulsory upper secondary course “French, history–geography and civics” (professional baccalaureate section of professional lycées). Examinations are set at the national level.

End-of-stage examinations assess the following fields of knowledge: historical content knowledge, historical thinking competences (e.g., critical analysis and evaluation of evidence, formulation and justification of historical arguments, consideration of different perspectives).

End-of-stage examinations are oral, written and coursework based. Oral exams consist of presentations followed by close-ended and open-ended questions. Written exams include open-ended questions, close-ended questions, source-based questions and essays.

The government does not license materials, so teachers can use any materials without restriction. The selection of resources takes place at school level.

Policies on the use of different types of educational resources are as follows:

ENCOURAGED	ALLOWED	NO POLICY
Audiovisual sources (e.g., newsreels, private archives, commercials) History textbooks Literature (e.g., historical novels, graphic novels) Local cultural heritage (e.g., costumes, food traditions, celebrations) Museums and other places of heritage interpretation Oral sources (interviews with grandparents, relatives, neighbours, etc.) Primary documentary sources Printed or digital press (newspapers and magazines) Visual sources (e.g., paintings, photographs, drawings) Websites and databases with historical content approved by the educational authorities	Artefacts (e.g., paintings, architecture, sculptures, contemporary art) Audio sources (e.g., music, the sound of a steam engine) Cinema and documentaries with historical themes Historiographical bibliography Reports on historical topics in popular magazines Search engines and websites with historical content not necessarily validated by the education authorities Teacher notes Video games	Apps for smartphones and tablets with historical content Local and regional festivals and traditions related to historical events

 International TextbookCat (GEI collection of Textbooks and Educational Media)

Teachers must be recruited via entrance exams in the form of competitive selections at the national level (concours) via the certification of aptitude (CAPES) or the agrégation procedure. The competition is organised by the Ministry of Education (Directorate General of Human Resources, General Inspectorate of Education, Sport and Research, and universities).

Those who pass the concours selections complete two years of training for an education master’s degree in their subject area. The length of the training phase is one year for holders of a research master’s degree. Teachers can also be recruited via contractual arrangements offered by academies (regional inspectors) for those with a bachelor-level university degree (licence).

At the primary school level, teachers are trained to teach history and one or more other discipline(s). At the secondary level, teachers are trained exclusively or, most often, primarily as history teachers.

In-service professional development courses are mostly optional. The Ministry of Education offers a training programme at the national level. This is adapted by academies within the framework of academic training programmes. These training programmes are financed by the state. Providers of in-service professional development are chosen by regional inspectors and can also involve associations approved by the ministry.

 French History and Geography Teachers’ Association (presentation by EuroClio)

 Association des Professeurs d’Histoire et de Géographie (official website)

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