News Digest: La Rentrée, Free Webinar & Frustrations Mount Over French Government Deadlock

“La Rentrée” is upon us as children across France started back at school yesterday (Monday, September 2nd). The new school year also brings a few changes, including the introduction of national assessments for all primary school years and the streaming of lower secondary school students according to ability for the cinquième and sixième years (ages 10-12). Some schools will also be trialling potential new rules, such as a ban on smartphones in secondary school or the introduction of school uniforms.

Another change, which has drawn far less criticism than the aforementioned ones, is the addition of pet and animal welfare classes to the Enseignement Moral et Civique (EMC) curriculum taught in primary schools.

Of course, there are also some strikes pencilled in on the calendar! Teaching unions have called for a strike of primary school teachers on September 10th, and there are possibly more teachers’ strikes coming at the end of September or early October.

If you have children in France, make sure you make a note of all the upcoming term times and holidays, depending on which school “zone” applies to your department:

French School Holidays – 2024/2025 Dates for Your Calendar

Frustrations appear to be mounting regarding Macron’s ongoing struggle to appoint a prime minister, and as France moves into its 9th week with a caretaker government, there’s increasing pressure on the president to find a solution.

Recently, Macron has met with possible candidates, including former prime minister Bernard Cazeneuve, who served under Francoise Hollande and right-wing minister Xavier Bertrand, but has ruled out the Nouveau Front Populaire nomination of Lucie Castets, much to the anger of the left-wing alliance. Macron has also sought advice from former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, but there is no indication that he has come closer to making a decision.

Meanwhile, the far-left party, La France Insoumise, has called on supporters to stage protests and demonstrations against Macron this Saturday, September 7th.

As always, we’ll keep you up to date with the latest.

Good news for those who use gas for cooking or heating in their household – for once, prices are going down! After seemingly neverending price hikes from energy providers, this will be welcome news for many households. The Commission de régulation de l’énergie (CRE) announced their benchmark prices for the month with a 1% reduction. It’s probably not going to make a huge difference to your monthly bills, but at least it’s moving in a more favourable direction!

Another change coming into action on September 1st is that medical laboratories across France are now able to issue screenings for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) without requiring a prescription. This means that people of all ages can monitor their sexual health without needing to visit their doctor or request a prescription.

This was already possible for HIV screening, but it’s now been extended to cover chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhoea, and hepatitis B as well. In addition to this, all tests are fully covered by state healthcare for all French residents under 26 years old.

We’re back with another advice-packed webinar next Monday, September 9th. I’ll be joined by legal, healthcare, wealth management, and removals experts to answer all your questions and advise you on how to avoid the mistakes we see so many people making!

This time, we’ll go beyond the basics and take a look at the nitty-gritty of making the move to France. If you want to understand how the French healthcare system works, whether or not you need a French Will, what an assurance vie is, or how to navigate post-Brexit customs, this webinar is for you!

Sign up now so you don’t miss out!

What You REALLY Need to Know About Moving to France

Monday 9th September
4pm UK / 5pm France / 11am USA (EDT)