Timeline
The French school year: from la rentrée to the grandes vacances
La rentrée in September, the Toussaint break, Christmas, winter and spring holidays, then the long summer: the French school calendar as a timeline.
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In short
The French school year starts with la rentrée in early September and has five holidays: la Toussaint (late October), Noël, les vacances d'hiver (February), les vacances de printemps (April) and les grandes vacances (July–August). Winter and spring dates differ by zone A, B and C.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
- début septembreLa rentrée des classes.Back to school.
- fin octobreLes vacances de la Toussaint (deux semaines).All Saints' holidays (two weeks).
- fin décembreLes vacances de Noël.Christmas holidays.
- févrierLes vacances d'hiver, différentes selon la zone.Winter holidays, different by zone.
- avrilLes vacances de printemps.Spring holidays.
- juinLe bac et le brevet.The bac and brevet exams.
- début juilletLes grandes vacances commencent.The summer holidays begin.
Key words
| French | English |
|---|---|
| la rentrée | back to school (and back to work) |
| les vacances scolaires | school holidays |
| la zone A / B / C | holiday zones |
| les grandes vacances | summer holidays |
| le trimestre | term |
| les fournitures scolaires | school supplies |
La rentrée is a big moment for the whole country, not just schools: politics, publishing (la rentrée littéraire) and offices all restart in September. Families buy les fournitures scolaires from a list sent by the school, and there's an allowance (l'allocation de rentrée scolaire) for many households.
- Parent
Tu as tout pour la rentrée ?
Have you got everything for back to school?
- Enfant
Il me manque un compas et une trousse.
I still need a compass and a pencil case.
- Parent
On ira au supermarché demain, tout est en promo !
We'll go to the supermarket tomorrow, everything's on offer!