Living in the Languedoc:    Education:    Special Schools

Schools State schools are available to foreign nationals, although a thorough knowledge of French is required. Bilingual
schools are subsidised by the government and so fees are lower than in other international schools.

The vast majority of pupils attend schools under the responsibility of the Ministry of National Education. However, around 100,000 (suffering from various disabilities) go to special schools run under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and 200,000 go to agricultural lycées to study technical and vocational courses.

300,000 others, (aged over 16) undergo apprenticeships, which prepare them for vocational qualifications.

Alongside the ordinary school education system, there are also specialist or adapted classes, which are often integrated into primary and secondary schools, (such as the CLIS classes which act as bridges to bring children back into the mainstream system, and the SEGPA designed for children having difficulty at school because of psychological, emotional or behavioural problems, and for slow learners ). The aim is to get these children, around 5% of the children in one year group, to achieve a minimum vocational skills level: the CAP (certificat d'aptitude professionnel).