The reading skills of 6th grade students assessed, a "right" to academic support in college, new class divisions ... One week before the start of the school year, the Minister of National Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, details the key measures of this new school year unlike any other, still shaken up by the uncertainties of the health crisis and the long-term effects of confinement but also of the closure of schools on children. He announces that in the event of restricted reception of children in an establishment, pupils not accommodated in class will be taken care of.
SANITARY PROTOCOL. "The courses will take place in the vast majority of cases"
The health protocol published in July, while the health situation was improving, will it be changed?
JEAN-MICHEL BLANQUER. This protocol, which is one of the strictest in Europe, provides for the various possible cases. It was drawn up in the light of the recommendations of the High Council for Public Health, then worked as a Defense Council. It is a reference tool for considering all situations. And in this return, the main scenario is welcoming everyone, respecting the instructions: hand washing, the provision of hydroalcoholic gel, but also the systematic wearing of a mask from 11 years old for children. middle and high school students. In addition, this protocol can be supplemented by recommendations, for example for canteens, EPS (Physical and sports education), boarding schools.
The principle of non-mixing of students will not be compulsory either?
This is indeed a recommendation, which is especially valid at the level of a level: the second classes can mix but we avoid that the students of the first cross those of the second in order to reduce the risks of propagation and to trace the possible cases. Whenever possible, it is preferable that the teachers change classes rather than the students. In elementary school, it is above all a question of thinking about the direction of circulation, and the actors are now used to it. We benefit from the experience of going back to school in May and June.
Many other questions arise. For example, will recess take place normally? Will parents be able to enter the school on the first day of the school year? Clearly, will the start of the school year be normal?
Recess can take place quite freely, since the pupils are no longer in a closed space, but all the playgrounds are not the same. We know that individuals should not be brought together, and as much as possible the distribution of pupils over time. On these subjects, it is common sense and discernment that must guide the actors. The year will be normal in the sense that the courses will take place, in the vast majority of cases.
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And in other cases?
During the year, if the situation worsened in a given area, we could trigger a hybrid formula for certain establishments (part in small groups, part in distance education), or even very locally closures of classes or establishments. In both cases, we are ready. Our "my class at home" system which offers virtual classrooms is ready. We have recorded thousands of hours with France 4.
Training in digital tools and practices is available to teachers. This crisis also reminds us that we must fight against the digital divide. At the start of the school year, we are experimenting in Val-d'Oise and Aisne with a system entirely funded by the State with training for teachers and families, digital equipment for new teachers and elementary students, in link with communities.
Will the start of the school year be different in Ile-de-France and in Bouches-du-Rhône, where Sars-CoV-2 circulates more actively?
No. During the year, if the situation worsened in a given area, we could trigger a hybrid formula for certain establishments (part in small groups, part in distance education), or even very locally closures of classes or establishments. In both cases, we are ready. Our "my class at home" system which offers virtual classrooms is ready. We have recorded thousands of hours with France 4. Training in digital tools and practices is available to teachers. This crisis also reminds us that we must fight against the digital divide. At the start of the school year, we are experimenting in Val-d'Oise and Aisne with a system entirely funded by the State with training for teachers and families, digital equipment for new teachers and students in elementary class, in conjunction with communities.
In primary school, will children have the right to come masked if their parents wish?
Wearing a mask is not recommended in primary school; according to some WHO recommendations, in young children it poses more problems than it solves. But we must be attentive to the particular situations of children who have such or such fragility.
Do you agree to say that this re-entry is a necessary risk?
I prefer to say that the advantages of going to school are far greater than the disadvantages. During the holidays, the children practiced a whole series of activities with much less sanitary rules than at school. It would be paradoxical to be afraid only when it comes to studying. A child who does not go to school is serious.
If schools have to restrict their reception capacities, will children be looked after when they are not in class?
Yes, this is our wish. Our objective is in any case to be able to guarantee families that the child would be taken care of full time, either in class or through other measures such as study or cultural and sports activities.
And if the establishment closes, will working parents be allowed to be arrested for looking after their children?
We work to offer solutions to parents in all cases. These will be targeted measures, which must therefore be financially viable for the State.
Teachers "at risk", who did not return in May, will they be present at the start of the school year?
About 7% of teachers provided a medical certificate in May and June placing them in the category of vulnerable persons (according to the same criteria as for the rest of the public service and the private sector). Some of them will be there at the start of the school year, with masks provided by the establishments. Those who are stopped by their doctor will be on sick leave and therefore replaced.
CHILDREN'S LEVEL. "The first trimester" to catch up
The gaps widened dramatically during containment. How can National Education make ends meet, between children who are early and those who are late?
This phenomenon is global. We sought to compensate for this heterogeneity by organizing a voluntary deconfinement, then by triggering learning vacations or free successful internships, and then by preparing the educational dimension of the start of the school year, which begins with the ability to know the level of the children at the beginning. year. This is why the assessments at the entrance to CP, CE1, 6 and Seconde are so important.
Will they be different from previous years?
In 6th year, the assessment, which focuses on French and mathematics, will be denser and more robust. One of the new features is that we are going to measure the fluency of reading aloud, to identify children who are very fragile when they enter college when it comes to mastering basic knowledge. In addition, we provide teachers with assessment tools for each level, useful for triggering all personalized aids.
Will this aid be reinforced?
Yes. We have created positions in primary school, and 1.5 million additional hours dedicated to personalized support in middle and high school. One of the strong translations of this help is “Homework done”, an accompaniment that will begin this year as soon as the school year begins, and not during the All Saints holidays as is usually the case. I say it clearly: any family can request to benefit from free academic assistance in college, 3 hours per week on average.
Why not have chosen to adapt the school programs, so as not to leave anyone by the wayside?
Whatever the situation, our double priority is raising the general level and reducing social and educational inequalities. So anything that wateres down, anything that pulls down, is negative, both from an educational point of view, and from a social point of view.
Will parents have a precise report on their child's level at the start of the school year?
Of course. The assessment is digitized and then automated feedback is provided to teachers, who share it with parents. We will try to improve the delay in transmitting results to teachers and parents.
How long are you giving yourself to catch up with the delays during the confinement?
The first trimester can be considered a key period to catch up on what needs to be done, even if for some students, support will have to be extended.
Will there be a particular effort in priority education?
The most visible policy in this area is the duplication of CP and CE1 classes for 300,000 pupils, to which is now added the duplication of large section classes: 20,000 children are concerned this year. In addition, we are starting to roll out the “no more than 24 pupils” measure in large section, CP and CE1. Many social measures characterize this new school year, such as the increase of € 100 per child in the back-to-school allowance.
You announced the freezing of class closures this year. Promise kept?
We have taken unprecedented measures: in the small towns, there has been no school or class closure without the mayor's consent. In medium and large cities, I have given the guarantee that the average number of pupils per class in primary school will be better this year, at the level of each municipality. Our course remains that of giving priority to fundamental knowledge in primary school.
NEW TRAY. The calendar will be fixed before All Saints' Day
The baccalaureate will take place for the first time in continuous assessment for the Terminal, in a complicated context: what will happen if establishments have to close part of the year because of the Covid?
The reform is subject to continuous monitoring, to take account of feedback from the field. This is how I have already taken steps to give high schools more flexibility to pass year course evaluations. We are putting ourselves in a position to deploy continuous monitoring, and to pass the final tests in 2021.
Will families have a clear idea of the calendar of events in their establishment?
Yes, the heads of establishments will give this information before the All Saints holidays.
SALARY OF TEACHERS. 450 euros bonus for school directors
Will teachers ever be well paid in France?
We are taking the right road for this. This very week I am meeting with the unions, and I will propose in the coming days a timetable and a methodology for the first significant salary increases in 2021, for teachers at the beginning of their careers. This increase will go hand in hand with the modernization of our public education service.
Are you going to take concrete measures for school principals, who have expressed their fed-up after the suicide of their colleague Christine Renon, a year ago?
We have already adopted at first reading a bill providing a framework for the function of school director. I am taking other measures to lighten their workload, provide them with administrative support, thanks to part of the 100,000 civic service positions that we are creating. Finally, an exceptional bonus of € 450 will be given to school directors to recognize their merit and the work they do.
This is your fourth comeback. Will you be doing the fifth and last of the quinquennium?
I hope so. It is important to set a sustainable course for Education which is one of the priorities of the President of the Republic. Important and far-reaching reforms have been initiated three years ago: the duplication of the CP and CE1 classes, the training of teachers, homework done in college, the reform of the baccalaureate and the vocational path, not to mention all the structural reforms such as the overhaul of the general inspectorate, Parcoursup, the creation of the scientific council and the evaluation council… The second phase concerns the human resources of the ministry, and the ability to have teachers who are fully recognized and benefit from good working conditions . The School is evolving in France, in the direction of a consolidation of fundamental knowledge and a greater development of students through culture and sport.