The citizen convention on children's time released its report this Sunday after six months of work by 130 members. It puts forward 20 proposals to restructure school rhythms for primary and secondary students. Teachers have mixed reactions to these recommendations.
After six months of debates, expert hearings, and exchanges with schoolchildren, middle schoolers, and high schoolers, the citizen convention on 'children's time' presented its conclusions on November 23, 2025. Made up of 130 citizens aged 19 to 83, selected to reflect the population's diversity, this initiative aimed to better structure the various times in children's daily lives, an objective set by the previous Bayrou government.
In total, 20 proposals were retained for primary and secondary students. Among the main recommendations are the return to a five-day school week from elementary school, later class starts, not before 9 a.m., in middle and high school, and reducing class duration to 45 minutes. These recommendations, intended to review school rhythm organization, will soon be submitted to the executive, presented to parliament in January, and shared with local elected officials ahead of the March municipal elections.
Teachers are mixed in their response to this report. 'We must stop saying that students' days are exhausting,' one declares, highlighting a debate on the actual burden of school schedules. Although the source text mentions November 22, publications confirm November 23 as the release date.