The mobilization paid off. In the Marais district, the joint mobilization of parents, teachers, and the town hall prevented the closure of two classes that were threatened with closure.
During weeks, thirteen petitions, pushed by the parent representatives of 18 schools, circulated in the neighborhood: signed by more than 5 people, they contributed to the rescue of a classroom in Turenne kindergarten and one to theVirtues Elementary School.
For parents, this is a cause for satisfaction. But it's not a victory. They've won a battle, but they haven't won the war. A dozen schools in central Paris will indeed lose one class each next school year.
In any case, the worst has been avoided. At the end of March, the presentation of the new Parisian school map predicted the closure of no fewer than 178 classes by the start of the 2025 school year. This figure was later reduced, at the beginning of May, to 164 closures (for 23 openings). For the first four Parisian arrondissements, 13 of the 32 schools were targeted.
According to the rectorate, the reason is declining numbers. Certainly, the demographic decline is real in Paris: between 2021 and 2024, the capital lost 45 inhabitants. However, in central Paris, the population of the 000nd and 2th arrondissements increased between 4 and 2016.
And in terms of numbers, the Parisian primary school problem is very specific, particularly due to the diversity of its population: "With 20,7 students per class, the average numbers are slightly below the national average (21,9), but Paris is the city with the most schools in the priority education network (REP)," says Natalia Fernandez-Zydownik, mother of Alicia, 6, who attends CP at the Vertus elementary school (3rd). "However, according to the law, numbers in REP are supposed to be lower than those in regular classes. Pointing out lower numbers is rhetoric that seeks to pit Paris against the rest of France, and make the capital appear privileged."
But in Paris Centre, where, as elsewhere, teachers emphasize inclusion, children of residents of emergency shelters rub shoulders with those from "CSP +" (higher socioeconomic status). At the Vertus elementary school (3rd arrondissement), near the Arts-et-Métiers metro station, Ukrainian children who arrived during the year are integrated into regular classes. "The evaluations of the Vertus school are excellent. They demonstrate the positive effects of welcoming children newly arrived in France for the entire school community," points out Karine Barbagli, First Deputy in charge of School Affairs.
At the Turenne school (3rd arrondissement), on the street of the same name, a "deaf youth teaching center" allows deaf children to be educated in a mixed deaf/hearing class, with lessons taught by a hearing teacher and a specialized co-teacher. This is a unique system in Paris – and very rare in France. The school also welcomes hearing children born to deaf parents (like Louane in the film "La Famille Bélier") and offers sign language awareness workshops to hearing people. A fantastic initiative!
Another example: the Saint-Martin school (3rd), rue Saint-Martin, includes an "autistic unit" very well integrated into the general system. In this school, the closure of a regular class will disrupt the organization of the establishment and jeopardize the inclusion times, so necessary and beneficial, where autistic and non-autistic people share moments together. These special cases are not taken into account by the rectorate, which adheres to a blind accounting logic, with thresholds that govern the opening and closing of classes. When a threshold is reached, the mechanism starts moving, without regard for the realities on the ground.
Paris Centre is also rich in "bilingual" classes and "music timetable classes", the famous "CHAM", or the Academy of Languages, rue Cambon (2nd), which welcomes students from kindergarten, CP, CM2 and 6th grade for a week of teaching in English. For Marie Horville, secretary of the SNUIDP FO, whatever the classes, it is pure madness to want to close them: "It is obviously simpler and more effective to teach when the numbers are reduced, the example of other European countries shows us this", she insists.
At the Paris Centre town hall (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th), First Deputy Mayor Karine Barbagli, in charge of School Affairs, concludes: "Until now, we have managed to negotiate closures on a case-by-case basis, depending on the school's situation. But this year, there have been very few possible negotiations."
23.05.25
