From the 2026 school year, the first year of secondary education will undergo a major evolution to better prepare pupils for the realities of the modern world. At the heart of this reform is a modernised digital curriculum, incorporating the challenges of artificial intelligence, while also strengthening core learning and pupil support.
Given the growing role of digital technology in everyday, school and professional life, two hours a week will now be entirely devoted to digital education. Pupils will develop essential skills relating to digital tools, computational logic and the basics of how today's technologies work. Particular attention will be paid to artificial intelligence: not to turn pupils into mere passive users, but to help them understand its mechanisms, uses, limitations and ethical challenges.
The aim is clear: to develop citizens capable of taking a critical, responsible and informed view of the technologies that shape our society.
This change responds to a widely shared observation: the existing frameworks, drawn up in 2016, no longer reflected recent technological developments, particularly the massive rise of AI and the acceleration of digitalisation in schools since the Covid crisis. It had become essential to adapt learning content to these new realities.
This priority given to digital skills is part of a broader reform of the first year of secondary school. The number of hours devoted to core subjects is being increased to consolidate the essential foundations for school success. French and classical languages will have six hours a week, mathematics gains an extra hour (5 hrs in total), there will be an extra hour of cultural and artistic education (2 hrs in total), while pupils continue their education in modern languages, sciences and historical, geographical, economic and social studies.
The reform also aims to support pupils in thinking about their future. Two days dedicated to discovering professions will be organised during the school's free days, giving pupils the chance to explore different professional environments first-hand, for example by visiting a company, their local pharmacy or bakery, or a law firm. These experiences will help young people get to know themselves better and lay the groundwork for a more positive and thoughtful career orientation.
Finally, personalised and enhanced support will be introduced in the first year of secondary school, building on existing measures in primary education. The aim is to consolidate basic learning, prevent school dropout and allow each pupil to progress at their own pace.
Pupils who have wholly or partially failed the CEB external certifying exam will receive enhanced support. This enhanced support will act as a “backpack” for the pupil, helping them overcome any difficulties identified during the CEB in particular.
With this reform, the first year of secondary school establishes itself as a key stage, firmly focused on the future and perfectly aligned with the 6th year of primary school: a school that fully integrates digital technology and artificial intelligence, while guaranteeing solid foundations and support tailored to everyone's needs.