Do French nursery schools still adequately prepare children for writing? A report from the General Inspectorate of Education reveals alarming gaps in the classroom…
Parents of children in nursery or primary school have certainly noticed this at the start of the school year: the school lacks everything or almost everything and this often has repercussions on the lists of school supplies, which are growing longer. sometimes dangerously. An in-depth investigation by the General Inspectorate of Education, Sport and Research (IGESR), carried out last spring and whose report was published in July 2023, revealed a more unexpected lack. This study, which went almost unnoticed in the middle of the summer, nevertheless focuses on the crucial subject of the teaching of writing and the production of writings in middle section and CE2, two crucial years of the school career of students.
Writing, one of the fundamental pillars of learning, was well worth it. To understand the state of this teaching in France, the survey covered 207 classes spread across 25 academies in France, between September 2022 and May 2023. And the conclusions are food for thought.
In the middle section, students must acquire skills such as recognizing letters, making the first writing outlines by copying words and even the ability to write their own first name without a model. An essential step, from kindergarten onwards, to prepare for learning to write in primary school.
From kindergarten onwards, the layout of the classroom space plays a very important role in this introduction to writing. While a clearly identified “writing corner” is one of the essentials according to education inspectors, only 22% of the classes observed had this space according to the survey. Worse still: 50% of middle school classes do not reserve any specific space for graphics or writing activities. The rapporteurs insist on the need to distinguish between drawing, graphic activities and writing, both in spatial organization and in working materials.
Erasable collective supports such as slates and boards are preferred for practicing writing. But educators assure that personalized notebooks dedicated to these activities make it possible to monitor and encourage students’ individual progress. They offer them the opportunity to practice, reflect, and save their first attempts at writing for later feedback. However, once again, only 22% of classes use this type of notebook.
Do my children have a writing space and a personal notebook in kindergarten? So here are two questions that deserve to be asked of teachers during traditional back-to-school meetings. The primary school is also affected. To succeed in learning to write, students also need a variety of tools. This includes methodological sheets on sentence structure to guide composition, proofreading grids to improve the quality of the text, as well as a word bank and dictionaries for correction.
Fortunately, 74% of the CE2 classes visited during the study offered these support resources. Which still means that more than a quarter of classes do not make these tools available to students, which can hinder their progress.
In short, teaching writing from kindergarten is essential, but its effectiveness depends largely on the layout of the class, the distinction between graphic activities and writing, and the use of personalized supports. , and the availability of writing aids. This report highlights areas where improvement is needed to ensure that all pupils leave primary school with strong writing skills, a vital asset for their future.
