Schools

Enrolling your children in a French or international school

In France, school is compulsory for children between 6 and 16, regardless of their nationality. Public schools are free. Most children aged between 3 and 5 attend nursery school.

International School Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur (in Manosque)

The International School Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur was founded for the children of ITER employees as part of France’s obligations under the ITER Agreement. It is a French public school with multiple language sections based on the French education system.

The School comprises: Kindergarten and Elementary school (Maternelle and Primaire), Middle school (College) and Secondary/high school (Lycée). Since its opening in September 2007, the International School PACA enrolls most children from ITER families, as well as many local children, in a bilingual educational program; around 50% of students are from ITER families and 50% from the local area.

To know more about the school, please check the Hiring pages of ITER (for Direct employees) or contact the Human Resources of the ITER Organization.  

For registration to the school, please contact Mrs Zhen CHEN (Zhen.Chen@iter.org), Human Resources Officer at ITER.

You can also find information on the website of the school.

How can I enroll my children in another French school?

To enroll your children in school, you have to go to the city hall with the following documents:

  • your child’s valid passport,
  • his/her birth certificate translated into French by a certified translator,
  • his/her health record: to enroll in the French education system, your child must be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus and poliomyelitis (“DT-Polio”),
  • proof of residence (lease, rent receipt or an electricity bill).

    If there are several public schools in your city of residence, you will be told at the city hall which school your child must go to.

If you want to enroll your children in another school, you will need to fill in an application at the city hall.

Once you have enrolled your child, the city hall issues a certificate. In order to complete the enrollment, you will then have to go the school with this certificate.

Nursery school (“école maternelle”)

From age 3, your child can go to nursery school. It is optional. However, in France, most children between 3 and 5 attend nursery school.

Primary school (“école primaire”)

From age 6, school is compulsory in France. During the year they turn 6, all children must be enrolled in an elementary school before the start of the school year (usually in September).

Secondary school (“collège”)

Secondary school is mandatory for any teenager between 11 and 15. To enroll your children, go directly to the school they are assigned to.

To learn more about secondary school, visit the regional education authority website: http://www.ac-aix-marseille.fr

High school (“lycée”)

Teenagers between 15 and 18 can attend high schools that offer either a general education leading to the baccalaureate or various vocational programs.

To find out more about high school, visit the regional education authority website: http://www.ac-aix-marseille.fr

For any information related to international sections in other schools, please find below useful links

            Bilingual preschool, kindergarten and primary school a few minutes away from Aix-en-Provence.

After school care

  • Collective childcare: recreational centers and child-minding facilities

Outside school hours, recreational centers and child-minding facilities organize leisure activities for children. Before and after school, your child can be taken care of in the nursery school facilities.

Every Wednesday and every day during school breaks, your child can go to a recreational center all day.

  • Individual childcare: Certified child minders (“assistantes maternelles”) or nannies (“nourrices”) looking after your child at home

Your child can be taken care of by a certified child minder before and after school. You can also hire a nanny who works directly at your house.

Please also see our Childcare section.