Five things they don't tell you about… schools in France

Le transport scolaire

The school run is a rarity in France because most children (particularly in the countryside) take the school bus, which although it officially doubles as public transport, very rarely attracts adult passengers. 

Although bus passes are issued at the beginning of the school year, school buses are free for élèves. 

Tant mieux! 

Le déjeuner

Three-course school lunches are heavily-subsidised, and taken so seriously that some schools ban packed lunches, regarding them as a deprivation. 

Pupils who eat lunch at school are sometimes called demi-pensionnaires (half-boarders) because some state schools offer weekly boarding facilities for those who live too far away to travel daily. 

Bon appétit!

Read more: Mobile phones to be banned in French schools

La maîtress/le maître

French children, especially in primary classes, still call their teacher Maîtress or Maître which sounds ultra-formal to anglophone ears but is regarded as cute. 

Teachers can be anything but cute however, coming down heavily on pupils who commit crimes such as daydreaming, answering back, doodling or messing around. 

Fais gaffe!

La dictée

The torture of taking down dictation is common in French schools from primary onwards. 

La dictée préparée gives pupils more chances to avoid disaster, but exchanging tales of devilish surprise dictées inflicted by la maîtress is a feature of French social life. 

At education museums, adults even sign up for la dictée in recreated schoolrooms! 

Quelle folie!

Les devoirs

Despite President Macron's declaration that les devoirs should not be done at home, schoolchildren are commonly laden with homework, meaning parents spend long evenings puzzling over the subjunctive while their angels sleep. 

This is why French parents are so keen to find out the marks 'their child' got for their homework. 

Chapeau!