You’re filling out a registration form and are unsure about the checkboxes. The preschool acronyms come one after another without anyone clearly explaining what they mean. At what point does your child move from one level to another? We’ll break down how age groups work in school.
The Toute Petite Section (TPS) is for children as young as 2 years old, the Petite Section (PS) is for 3-year-olds, the Moyenne Section (MS) is for 4-year-olds, and the Grande Section (GS) is for 5-year-olds. Placement is based on the child's calendar year of birth, regardless of the month of birth.
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In France,compulsory education from ages 3 to 16applies to all children. Preschool lasts three or four years, depending on your child’s age when they start.
To help you figure it out, here is a list of the abbreviations and the theoretical age during the calendar year in which school starts:
Enrollment in a private school—whether state-contracted or non-contracted—fulfills the legal obligation to provide an education starting at age 3. Each school offers a tailored environment to support children’s first steps in school. To understand the specific characteristics of these legal statuses, check out our guide to state-contracted and non-contracted schools.
The French school system does not take into account the exact month or day of birth. Only the full calendar year determines the grade level for enrollment at the start of the school year in September.
A child born in January and a child born in December of the same year end up in the same class. Nearly twelve months separate them, yet they share the same classroom. If you want to get a general understanding of how the school system works, check out our article to learn about the French school system in 5 minutes.
This calculation method applies equally to both the public and private sectors. Management teams organize their workforces according to these official age brackets.
You may feel concerned if your child was born toward the end of the year. In September, a child born in December is only two and a half years old, while classmates born early in the year are already turning three and a half.
At this age, a difference of just a few months can result in variations in language development, motor skills, and independence. A child born in December tends to get tired more quickly at first. He or she may sometimes have difficulty expressing his or her needs during the first few weeks.
This difference fades over time. Teachers observe each student at their own level, without expecting all children to be equally mature. In addition, the presence of older children serves as a source of inspiration. Younger children observe their classmates, draw inspiration from their successes, and quickly gain confidence.
In a traditional, single-grade classroom, the gap between children born early in the year and those born late in the year remains evident. A multi-age classroom changes this dynamic by mixing several age groups within the same class.
The way we view children is changing. It is no longer based on a single standard, but rather within the context of a diverse community. Children born at the end of the year find their place without feeling the pressure of an imposed standard.
Each student progresses at their own pace. A younger child participates in group workshops with older students in an area where they feel comfortable, while taking their time with other learning activities. Mentoring happens naturally: older students guide the younger ones, which fosters a sense of responsibility in the older students and reassures the younger ones. To learn more about how we implement these autonomy-based approaches, please review our educational program.
École M follows the National Education Calendar for Paris. Our facilities welcome children into a caring environment that fosters their personal growth.
At theÉcole M, our mixed-age classes allow us to tailor the learning experience to each child, regardless of age. Each group consists of about 20 children supervised by two full-time teachers. You can find practical details on the page dedicated to our organization.
Upon completing the final year of preschool, students at theÉcole M have the required and verified skills to enter first grade at any type of school: public, private under contract, private not under contract, or international. We support families in making this choice.
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