Lower secondary education, a key stage for consolidating basic learning and working on career guidance

In its 2024-2029 Community Policy Statement, the Government committed to implementing the common core in secondary education while strengthening its guidance dimension.

To this end, a policy note was approved by the Government to set out the broad outlines of this development of lower secondary education (S1-S2-S3):

• Clarify the link between the end of primary education and entry into secondary school.


• Establish the organisational principles for the three years of lower secondary education regarding basic learning and guidance.


• Specify the arrangements for career adjustments linked to the reform.

1. Clarifying the link between the end of primary education and entry into secondary school

The Government wants to ensure pedagogical continuity between primary and secondary education, so that every pupil has the necessary skills to approach lower secondary education with confidence and meet the challenges facing schools after a decade that has been particularly transformative for teaching professions, notably with the advent of AI, with clear priorities:

• Strengthen cooperation between primary and secondary school teachers, to ensure better transmission of information about pupils' skills and needs, through an administratively simplified DACCE.


• Support pupils entering S1 with difficulties that could jeopardise success in their first year of secondary school, through enhanced support from the moment they start first year secondary.


• Harmonise assessment practices, to maintain consistency between the two levels of education.

1. Establishing the organisational principles for lower secondary education.

First year secondary, the first step in the reform of lower secondary education

The first year of secondary school will mark the starting point of the development of lower secondary education. It must enable every pupil to consolidate the skills acquired in primary school while opening up to new subjects, activities and working methods.

Specifically, the timetable and organisation of the 1^st year of secondary school will include:

• Digital skills at the heart of learning:

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  • 1 weekly period of MTTV (Manual, Technical and Technological Training) dedicated to the use of technological tools.
  
  
  • 2 weekly periods dedicated to basic digital skills (digital tools, computing logic, digital culture).
  
  
  
  

• Innovative measures:

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  • 2 discovery days organised during the “blank days”.
  
  
  • The possibility for schools that wish to do so to opt for the “P45-P90” system, which allows learning to be organised in 45-minute periods, grouped as much as possible into 90-minute blocks to encourage more in-depth activities, will be considered progressively after evaluation.
  
  
  
  

• Personalised and enhanced support:

  Integrated directly into the timetable and overall class monitoring, the pupil support system will take several forms to pursue a twofold objective: ensuring the consolidation of basic learning essential for success in secondary school and preventing the risk of dropping out.

  Two support schemes are planned: personalised support and enhanced support.

  As in primary school, personalised support, intended for all pupils, will involve reinforced supervision for two periods per week to facilitate pedagogical differentiation - remediation, consolidation or extension - and an inclusive classroom climate.

  The periods previously dedicated to “initial differentiation” will be specifically allocated to enhanced support for pupils facing persistent difficulties, particularly those entering first year secondary without a CEB certificate. This scheme focuses on consolidating the fundamental skills needed for success.

Enhanced guidance in second year secondary

In the 2^nd year of secondary school, career guidance becomes much more concrete than in the 1^st year, with the equivalent of 8 half-days per year (32 periods) devoted to short work placements, talks, company visits, workshops led by professionals or collective class projects. Two additional guidance days are also planned during the study-break days.

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  • A timetable adapted to new challenges
  
  
  
  

The reorganisation of the timetable aims to consolidate fundamental learning and digital skills:

• +1 period of mathematics (5 periods per week).


• +1 period of modern language 1 (4 periods per week).


• Modern language 2 remains, as is currently the case, an optional choice in third year secondary. This arrangement makes it possible to fully preserve the modern language offering (4 periods for each language) as currently organised in our schools.


• 1 period of MTTV to develop proficiency with technological tools.


• 2 periods of digital skills now also incorporating media education, to strengthen pupils' digital and civic culture, skills that have become essential.

Guidance at the heart of third year secondary

From third year secondary onwards, guidance will occupy a significant part of the curriculum and take on a certifying character. Its importance is reinforced by the allocation of 8 weekly periods of guidance activities to be taken across two different areas, each with 4 periods.

Three organisational pathways are planned for these guidance activities:

• The transition pathway


• The vocational pathway


• The mixed pathway, combining 4 periods in transition and 4 periods in vocational training, to maintain a dual openness.

Each school will have to guarantee access to at least two of these pathways. The implementation of this reform will be the subject of joint work with stakeholders on the ground to propose a realistic school organisation, suited to both schools and pupils.

In addition, a three-day work placement in a chosen field will complement this scheme, giving pupils the opportunity to discover a study or work environment first-hand.

At the end of the year, each pupil will present an oral defence of their guidance project before a panel, based on their portfolio, their work and their experiences. This assessment, like the validation of the 8 guidance periods, will carry the same weight as the external certifying assessments of the Certificate of Lower Secondary Education (C.E.S.I.).

Pass decision

The Class Council will decide on pupils' success, taking into account:

• Results in the common external certifying assessment of the C.E.S.I.


• Results obtained in the other subjects on the timetable.


• Achievements linked to the 8 periods of guidance activities and the guidance portfolio.

A pupil who has successfully completed their third year will continue their studies into fourth year secondary.
In case of failure, they will repeat third year, with the option of keeping their guidance choice or changing its arrangements.

Whatever guidance activities are chosen in the 3^rd year of secondary school within the 8 periods, the pupil retains the choice of pathway (transition or qualification track) in the 4^th year of secondary school.

1. Supporting teachers as part of the reform

The Pact, as negotiated with education stakeholders ten years ago, provided for a loss of 1,400 FTEs. Guidance activities will significantly reduce the impact for teachers in vocational education; work will also be done on reassigning teachers who lose teaching hours.

In addition, the training sessions on first year secondary organised by the Inter-Network Institute for Continuing Education will be held starting in January.

2. Timeline

• December 2025: presentation to the Government, in first reading, of the preliminary draft decree on the organisation of S1 and career development.


• March 2026: presentation to the Government, also in first reading, of the preliminary draft decree on the organisation of S2 and S3.


• Following approval of this note, institutional education stakeholders will be consulted to specify the implementation arrangements for the two different areas of 4 weekly periods of guidance activities.