School curriculum
Here’s an overview of the French education system. For equivalences with other systems, please consult the table of equivalences between the French, Khmer, English and Belgian systems.
Cycle 1 (early learning cycle)
The first years of school are crucial in teaching children to live together. Children can be enrolled in the very early years as early as 2 years old. The French kindergarten is one of the few in the world to offer a programme established by the Ministry of Education and which is compulsory from the age of 3. The main objective of kindergarten is to enable each child to have a successful first school experience and to establish, through play, the fundamental bases for their future learning of reading, writing and mathematics. Through the discovery of letters, the manipulation of syllables and phonemes, and regular speaking, children are trained to understand and use increasingly sophisticated oral language.
It is also about encouraging the development of social-emotional skills, creativity, collaboration and empathy.
There are 3 class levels in kindergarten which constitute cycle 1, the cycle of early learning:
- The petite section from 3 to 4 years
- Moyenne section from 4 to 5 years old
- Grande section from 5 to 6 years old
The elementary school
The primary programme provides the child with the fundamental principles and tools of knowledge. The teaching provided enables them to exercise and develop their intelligence, sensitivity, manual, physical and artistic skills. During the 5 years of primary schools, children develop their knowledge in French, mathematics, history, geography, science as well as their aptitudes in artistic and sports activities, thus enabling them to successfully attend secondary school while promoting the development of their maturity and autonomy.
The 5 levels of the primary school are:
– CP (cours préparatoire) from 6 to 7 years old
– CE1 (cours élémentaire 1) from 7 to 8 years old
– CE2 (cours élémentaire 2) from 8 to 9 years old
– CM1 (cours moyen 1) from 9 to 10 years old
– CM2 (cours moyen 2) from 10 to 11 years old
Secondary school – Collège
The education provided in the collège aims to give children an excellent general culture, to open their horizons to different cultures and languages. They learn critical thinking and the art of reasoning in order to become responsible, enlightened, autonomous and fulfilled citizens.
Since the beginning of the school year in 2023, the whole school has been equipped with direct teaching.
In collaboration with the Lycée Français René Descartes, the students participate in exchanges via school trips to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh; this is an opportunity for them to meet, study together and visit their future high school.
The EFSR’s application for accreditation for cycle 4 is planned for the start of the 2023/2024 school year; to this end, we are currently developing our educational offer for secondary school.
-6tht (ages 11 to 12)
-5th = Grade 7 (12 to 13 years old)
-4th = Grade 8 (from 13 to 14 years old)
-3th = Grade 9 (from 14 to 15 years old)
Secondary school – Lycée
Due to the size and number of students at the EFSR, the Lycée is currently offered through the CNED. French, Math, Sciences, History and Languages tutors of our school are then responsible for accompanying the students in their distance learnings for all the compulsory subjects of their year. In collaboration with the Lycée Descartes in Phnom Penh, we encourage Lycée students in Siem Reap to continue their studies at the Descartes boarding school for the final years of their education.
