Lille, Nancy, Paris… Some cities distribute free school supplies

A few days before the start of the school year, municipalities have chosen to offer families their children’s school supplies. A way to ease household expenses and give all students the same equipment.

It’s the end of the holidays for more than 12 million students: the new school year starts on Monday, September 2. As with every new school year, parents and children are worried about having completed the list of school supplies. But some cities have taken the lead and decided to distribute them for free. A well-received gesture that puts students on an equal footing before the new school year. Franceinfo takes you on a little tour of France of the initiative.

In Marseille, as in 2023

For the second year in a row, the city of Marseille has committed to distributing school kits for students. More than 90,000 children from 470 nursery and primary schools will receive their supplies on the first day of school, as reported by France Bleu Provence.

The kits were prepared in various warehouses in the city at the beginning of August and represent an aid of 85 euros per student, much appreciated by families. For kindergarten students, a water bottle, a box of tissues and an apron are added to the kit.

In Paris for the first time

In the capital, the 13,000 young students expected in CP class will receive a free back-to-school kit, a first for the city. Pens, felt-tip pens, erasers, slates, and colored pencils will be distributed in a natural cotton bag.

In Bordeaux for CP

The city of Bordeaux has invested more than 32,000 euros this year to provide a kit including pens, felt-tip pens, colored pencils, scissors, an eraser, a pencil sharpener, a slate and a small water bottle to the more than 2,000 students entering CP class. It will be distributed to the children on the first day of school.

Municipality estimates savings for parents “more than 50 euros per child”. This is a first for the town hall, which is highlighting a “commitment to schools and families’ purchasing power “, said Pierre Hurmic, the mayor of Bordeaux.

In Grenoble, up to CM2

This is also a first in the city of Grenoble. This year, the municipality is offering a kit to all children enrolled in the public sector up to CM2. A measure costing 150,000 euros, which Christine Garnier, deputy for schools at Grenoble city hall, welcomed on France Bleu Isère: “That’s what it’s for, to help families, especially those with the lowest incomes.“

CP pupils will also be offered a pencil case, made by a company in the Rhône by recycling the city’s advertising tarpaulins. An initiative welcomed by the green mayor, Éric Piolle.

In Nancy, “allow all families to access” free education

In the prefecture of Meurthe-et-Moselle, the 3,500 students enrolled in public elementary schools will also receive a kit. The total cost of the operation is 70,000 euros. “Public school is free, so it must be accessible to all families, and we know that the cost of going back to school is high.“, confided the socialist mayor Mathieu Klein to France Bleu Lorraine.

In Lille, for the 4th time

For the fourth consecutive year, school supplies will be free for children in primary and nursery schools in Lille. “This solidarity measure, implemented by the City of Lille since the start of the 2021 school year, responds to a dual challenge of social justice and ecological transition,” can be read on the website of the City of Lille.

These initiatives should provide relief to families. On average, a return to school costs 236 euros per child, according to a survey by the Confédération syndicale des familles.