Registration « inscription » « à l'école maternelle » and « à l'école primaire »

How can I find the school my child should go to ?

Go the town house « mairie » also "hotel de ville" (to « service d'enseignement ») and ask them.

Can I choose the school I want for my children ?

In France, there's what we call « la carte scolaire ». It's an administrative decision stating where your children must go to school depending on where you live.

So, you might live close to a school but belong to another district of the « carte scolaire » and register your kids in a school not so close !

If you really don't want your children to go to a certain school, you still have two possibilities :

- « demander une dérogation », it's a dispensation. But your application must be « motivée » it means you have to give the reasons why you want a different school and the « mairie » can refuse it,

- register your kid in a private school « école privée ». In this case, you're free to choose the one you want even if it's at the other end of the town.

Anyway, if you're not sure about the « carte scolaire », just go to the « mairie » (if it's a big one, you should look for « service d'enseignement »). You will be told which school you must send your children to and what you need to bring for the administrative registration. This administrative registration should be done at the « mairie » too.

What you might be asked for when you go to the mairie :

- Livret de famille,

- extrait de naissance,

- carnet de vaccinations,

- derniers bulletins scolaires,

- sometimes also your « taxe d'habitation » or « titre de propriété » or « bail » (lease).

Then you receive a « certificat d'inscription ». With this « certificat d'inscription », go directly to the school and take an appointement with the « directeur » (headmaster).

You will also need an insurance "assurance scolaire".

Check with your « mairie » when you must register your child, it might be between march and june depending on the « mairie ».

If you want to register your child to a private school, go directly to the school to register your kid.

If it's a change of school.

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