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School for allophone children (children whose first language is not French)
School welcomes children whose mother tongue is not French. They are also called non-French-speaking children.
Key points of the sheet
- In France, all children aged 3 to 16 must go to school. This obligation also applies to non-French-speaking children.
- More than a third of children who go to school speak a language other than French at home.
- When starting school, a child who does not speak French well (or at all) takes a placement test. This test finds the child's level and directs them to a programme.
- UPE2A units are for newly arrived allophone pupils. UPE2A-NSA units, for pupils not in school before arriving, make it possible to extend UPE2A by one year.
- Depending on their level, the child can take adapted lessons. Surrounded by children and adults who speak French, they learn French quickly at school. Once they master French, they can take the same lessons as the other children.
Words to know
- non-French-speaking children (enfants non francophones)
- They are children whose mother tongue is not French.
- placement test (test de positionnement)
- It is a test when starting school to find the child's level in French.
- UPE2A (teaching units for newly arrived allophone pupils)
- They are units for newly arrived allophone pupils.
- UPE2A-NSA (units for allophone pupils not previously in school)
- They are for allophone pupils who did not go to school before arriving. They make it possible to extend UPE2A by one year.
- adapted lessons (cours adaptés)
- The child can take these lessons according to their level of French.
Test yourself: 3 questions
What share of schoolchildren speak a language other than French at home?
In French, the language of the exam: Quelle part des enfants à l'école parle une autre langue que le français à la maison ?
More than a third of children who go to school speak a language other than French at home.
What does a child who speaks little French take when starting school?
In French, the language of the exam: Que passe l'enfant qui parle mal français en entrant à l'école ?
When starting school, this child takes a placement test to find their level in French.
By how much do UPE2A-NSA units extend the UPE2A programme?
In French, the language of the exam: De combien les UPE2A-NSA prolongent-elles le dispositif UPE2A ?
UPE2A-NSA units give pupils who did not go to school before arriving one extra year of UPE2A.
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More in this topic (Parenthood)
Source
Sheet “L'école pour les enfants allophones” of the French Ministry of the Interior: formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. Content published under the Etalab Open Licence 2.0. This page is a plain-language adaptation made by Hexaciv, which is not an official site: if in doubt, the ministry's text is the one that counts.
Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026.