THE KNOWLEDGE
stocking (and discounting) school supplies from June onwards, it makes sense to get the task of shopping over with as soon as possible. Popular items always run out and you do not want to be ‘that’ parent desperately searching for the right size exercise book at the end of August when the isles have been emptied! Life gets easier when your kids are of an age where they can be deposited in the stationery
shop or supermarket section and left to go through their own list themselves; however, do make sure you double check they have everything. A safer option
is to leave your list (either online or in store) with one of the
big stationery chains such as top-offi
ce.com or cultura. com who provide a complete shopping service. This is a massive time-saver and makes the whole process a lot simpler. The site
rentreediscount.com is another great one-stop shop and has introduced a service where schools can add their list directly; you just select your school via postcode, the class in question and they do the rest. At lycée, your child will still
be expected to arrive with all the basics but it gets slightly more complicated; teachers tend to issue their specifi c subject-based exercise book requirements only at the start of the term. And often not until the fi rst couple of weeks are over. By now stocks in the shops will be low as the ‘spécial rentrée’ isles will be full of
For the youngest kids, schools may request items such as slippers for them to wear indoors
“It makes sense to get the task of shopping over with as soon as possible”
Halloween decorations, and shopping online may be your only option. Your child will also need a special overall for science, a scientifi c calculator and text books – manuels scolaires. Diff erent regions have diff erent policies. Some provide them entirely free of charge, others off er grants or let you ‘rent’ the text books for the academic year, refunding you if the book is returned in good condition. Your high school will provide details of the exact scheme in place.
Top tip
September is also the time to sign up to sports clubs and extracurricular activities. Many clubs and
associations are unwilling to let people join mid-year so if you’re unsure whether your child wants to play
tennis or football, ask about a free trial session before
you commit to paying for the entire year upfront.
FINANCIAL HELP Equipping children for school involves signifi cant fi nancial outlay. Luckily, France provides generous ‘back to school’ payments; these are means-tested but received by the majority of families. The payments are distributed by the CAF – caisse des allocations familiales – and for 2023 are fi xed at €398.09 for children aged from six to 10, €420.06 for the 11 to 14 age group, and €434.60 for children aged between 15 and 18 years old. The start of the year is also
when you will need to decide whether your child is going
to come home for lunch or eat at school, à la cantine. At primary school this is generally traditional ‘school dinners’ where the children sit together and are served a three-course lunch. Packed lunches are almost unheard of in France and school food is generally of a high quality. It is also very reasonably priced as it is almost always subsidised on both a national and regional level, with children from low-income families also accessing the cantine à €1 scheme. Secondary schools provide self-service cafeteria-style catering with more choice but the same reasonable prices. Primary schools also provide
pre- and after-school care – la garderie, usually from 7am to 7pm, and if your commune is part of a regroupement scolaire, the garderie staff will be shepherd the children on and off the school buses. After school, the children will have a snack before the garderie staff help with and supervise homework – les devoirs. Again, prices are means-tested, incredibly reasonable and the service is used by almost all working parents.
The school bus service –
transport scolaire – is also used widely, especially in rural areas. Most regions require you to apply for a bus card from June onwards and these are then distributed during la rentrée. Diff erent regions have diff erent pricing structures and some are entirely free of charge. Your local government website will contain all the information along with details of how to apply. All that’s left is to complete
the huge amount of paperwork that accompanies the start of every year, ensure your children have school insurance - assurance scolaire - et voilà, you are ready for la rentrée! ■
FIND OUT MORE Read our guides to French property on
frenchentree.com
The school bus service is used widely NEXT MONTH
Christmas traditions in France
FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: September/October 2023 91
© SHUTTERSTOCK
© SHUTTERSTOCK
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