While, at least apparently, this issue seems to be at a dead end, caught between the principled stance (in reality, with a political goal) of the mayors, who through their Azur association chaired by Henri Colomars, will protest in front of the Prefecture on June 5th, and that of the professional union, which will precede them a day earlier on June 4th by organizing a meeting at the Théâtre de Verdure, a municipality has just announced a project to support the organization of extracurricular activities, which is at the center of the controversy.
Biot is joining Broc, Mouans-Sartoux, and Valbonne, who did not wait to implement this reform from the first of the two allocated years.
Should we think that the “petrified forest” is beginning to move?
Guilaine Debras, Mayor of Biot, and her municipal team have prioritized the implementation of this reform at the start of her term, creating a project that places the child at the heart of discussions.
This project allows respecting the natural learning and rest rhythms of the child and establishes a territorial educational project (PEDT) offering young residents of Biot an educational pathway in harmony with school projects.
The project was developed with the objectives of fostering the learning of ‘living together’ and responsibility, establishing openness to the world, society, and environmental respect, promoting the integration of all children, and developing partnerships with families.
The new educational rhythms are guided by the following key principles:
lighten the school day for children, maintain but not extend the midday break, ensure regularity in the working rhythm throughout the week.
The educational project of the City of Biot was conceived in consultation with teachers, parent-teacher associations, the Academy of Nice, and different partners to coherently coordinate the various times of a child’s day, leveraging local resources to ensure educational continuity since learning also takes place outside the classroom.
The new educational rhythms in Biot will therefore consist of 24 hours of classes per week, spread over four and a half days, including Wednesday morning. Teaching will consist of 5 hours and 25 minutes per day, with an hour of extracurricular activity offered to children four days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday).
To ensure a stable environment for young residents of Biot, while the national framework compensates municipalities for only 3 hours of extracurricular activities per week, the Municipality has opted for regularity: it offers a balanced week, adding a 4th hour of extracurricular activity to the weekly schedule.
Optional and requiring prior registration, the activities will be structured and enriching for children around themes of sport, art, culture, environment, and citizenship, and will benefit from quality supervision by teachers, animation professionals, and external contributors.
Since the child is at the center of the system, it is up to them to choose their activity from the start of September to foster their responsibility, open-mindedness, rather than a rush to activism. The system will be continuously evaluated with all stakeholders involved in the education of children in Biot.
To limit the financial impact on family budgets, the contribution rates have been revised downward for school-related services such as morning and evening care, free Wednesday lunchtime care, and transport to the leisure center.
For many families, the implementation of the reform will result in a reduction in their contribution.
