The elementary school has 5 levels belonging to 2 learning cycles:

Cycle 2 (cycle des apprentissages fondamentaux):

Cycle 3 cycle (des approfondissements):

Mastering the French language in oral and written forms (reading and writing in particular) is the main objective of primary schooling.

At primary school, the main objective is to acquire a joy of reading and to develop the skills in both reading and writing. Therefore reading and writing exercises constitute a large portion of the daily program, covering a minimum of 2.5 hours in cycle 2 and 2 hours in cycle 3.

The tools for learning to read, acquired in the first two years of school, are further developed in cycle 3 where pupils are given longer texts in different subjects, such as fiction, history, geography, and reports on scientific experiments. Recently, literary texts have been added to the school curriculum.

Children are taught to write clearly and concisely, and to develop a well organized style. Pupils experiment with new forms of expression in cycle 3 as their writing skills mature.

Foreign pupils, who need to improve their French, can attend a FSL (French as a Second Language) class during school hours.

The Arthur Rimbaud French School offers a special Greek and English program for every pupil:

Pupils learn language at their level: beginner, intermediate or advanced.

Learning to live together is a skill developed at school, based on self-respect and the respect of others. Children develop and enrich social ties by sharing our cultural heritage. Regular debates stimulate the consideration of the problems of community life and the resources it has to offer. As a result, relationships of mutual respect and cooperation develop among peers, as does an initial awareness of their role in society.

The children will be introduced to the arts and artistic expression in the form of visual art and music. Occasionally, projects in theatre, cinema and architecture will enhance the learning process.

Physical education and sport, history and geography, sciences and technology are all part of the Primary School curriculum. Activities which stimulate the pupils’ curiosity and allow them to develop deductive reasoning are also encouraged (careful observation, experiments, solving technical problems, documentary research, surveys, school excursions, etc…).

The state assesses each pupil’s ability in reading, writing and arithmetic at the end of cycle 2 and cycle 3 (before entering secondary school). This also helps teachers identify any learning difficulties a child may have so that extra help and attention can be given to improve performances.