Die Entwicklung integrierter familienunterstützender - Qualiflex.lu

France - 2. Overview of programmes and concepts
welcome session for the new parents to address their concerns and answer
questions. One common tool is the cahier d’élève or ‘student notebook’ that
children carry between parents and teachers on a regular basis.
2.2.3 Bridging Families, schools and communities
An area is designated as a ‘Zone d’éducation prioritaire’ (ZEP) when it includes
a high proportion of children deemed to be socio-economically disadvantaged,
according to a variety of criteria outlined by the Ministry of Education.
Each ZEP is entitled to receive additional funding and resources from
the state for its junior high schools and its elementary and nursery schools.
These financial resources may be used, for example, to lower staff-child
rations, hire social workers and other support staff, fund staff bonuses and
invest in pedagogical materials. Usually, a ZEP is affiliated with a larger
network of schools, known as REP.
REP is a ‘Network of Priority Education’ (Réseau d’éducation prioritaire)
that groups together schools serving disadvantaged populations within a
broad geographical area, and provides them with technical support, pooled
resources and opportunities to exchange innovative practices. Each network
is directed by an education inspector and governed by a Council which defines
and oversees the ‘contract for success’ of schools in the REP. ‘Contract
for success’ outlines the pedagogical requirements of a ZEP within the
framework of the national goals defined by the Ministry of Education.
The REP-ZEP coordinator is an experienced teacher whose role is to
help coordinate the objectives and activities within a zone and help decide
how to allocate resources and work with local partners involved in ZEP.
REP-ZEP coordinators are often actively involved in bridging the activities
that meet objectives of both ZEP and the ‘politique de la ville’ (Urban and
housing policies).
Increasingly, priority education policy is linked to urban development
policies. As part of the politique de la ville, mayors of big cities have signed
seven-year contracts with the national government to improve the living
conditions of families and foster social integration in disadvantaged urban
areas. Mayors develop the objectives, budget, time frame, tailoring the contracts
to local economic and social conditions. The politique de la ville encourages
cities to develop their plans to coincide with the educational objectives
of the ZEP’ “contracts for success”. In this context, schools are able to implement
outreach programmes with parents and residents in their community
with the additional resources from urban policy. A city, for instance, can use
the grant to support a drop-in-child-care centre run by immigrant women in
a public housing project.
The schools in Zones d’éducation prioritaire are granted by the Ministry of
Education the status of Pôle d’excellence scolaire when they form partnerships
with cultural, educational and other local institutions. The aim is to support
creative projects and field trips to visit partner institutions, such as museums.
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