Secondary section CNED

PRESENTATION OF THE FRENCH CNED SECONDARY SCHOOL.

The French School of Thessaloniki is an officially-registered member of a French network of educational institutions abroad, comprising the French MLF Schools and AEFE (The Agency for French Teaching Abroad), thus offering students the possibility of following French schooling at the secondary level, starting from the 6th class of junior high school right up to the terminal or final year of senior high school. On successfully completing their course of studies and meeting all the necessary requirements, the students obtain the “Baccalaureate” (Advanced-level, School Leaving Certificate) and the “Brevet” (Ordinary Level Certificate) of the French secondary school system. On admission, the students are registered with CNED (Center for Long-Distance Learning) while simultaneously following courses run by the teaching staff of the department.

ORGANIZATION

Each student receives the required course books and complementary material for each subject as specified and sent directly by CNED, which are subsequently studied throughout the academic year with the help and guidance of a secondary school teacher assigned per course. This entails an individualized and personal program of instruction, on which each student is assessed on knowledge acquired and a diagnostic plan of action is drawn up should consolidation and supplementary work be required.

The evaluation of student knowledge is mainly based on the periodic assignments students are expected to send to the CNED external examiners for correction. In addition, there may be certain assignments that are locally corrected by the individual course instructors, whose marks are taken into account in the students’ final results. The number of assignments to be submitted varies according to subject and level, ranging from 8 to 16 per year. Passing to a higher level is ultimately decided by the CNED instructors in consultation with the secondary school teachers’ appraisal.

The teaching staff of the secondary school consists of 10 teachers, one per subject. At the end of each term, parents are sent a report card with the teachers’ assessment of the student’s performance and conduct.

The timetable varies depending on the subject and level, though a minimum of 20 hours are to be expected, including compulsory study time under supervision devoted to assignments and set tasks.

Students benefit from 1 hour of sports, weekly, indoors or outdoors, as well as participating in the cultural events organized by the French Institute and the various educational projects sponsored by the French Network of Educational Institutions Abroad.

Intensive French language courses are available to non-native students who wish to register. These courses are beneficial in helping students acquire the necessary knowledge, language structures and skills essential to their meeting course demands and handling assignments.

The living languages taught at the secondary level are English, German, Italian and Modern Greek; however, students can also opt to take up Latin or Ancient Greek.