Nicole Belloubet promises “flexibility” in setting up level groups in college

The creation of these level groups had aroused the anger of the teaching unions, pointing out a risk of “sorting” of students and a lack of resources to put them in place.

“My concern is to do everything to make this commitment possible and make it applicable on the ground.” The Minister of National Education declared, Thursday March 7 in an interview with Worldthat she was going “introduce some flexibility” in the establishment of level groups in middle school in French and mathematics, while preserving moments “as a whole class”. “I ask teachers to work with their students in groups throughout the school year” in French and mathematics, she says, without ever mentioning the expression “level groups”.

This flexibility will concern “college principals”. “So it will be up to the head of the establishment to see at what times during the year it is necessary to bring the students together as a whole class, in order to re-examine the composition of the groups”she continues, without further details.

In December, Gabriel Attal, then Minister of National Education, announced the creation of level groups at the start of the 2024 school year in 6th and 5th grade for French and mathematics, and in September 2025 in 4th and 3rd grade, to help raise the level of students. But the creation of these groups aroused the anger of the teaching unions, pointing out a risk of “sorting” students and a lack of resources to implement them.

“It is not up to me, from the ministry, to dictate the timetable in each establishment”underlines Nicole Belloubet, who in fact softens Gabriel Attal’s initial speech, while refusing to change it. “I believe in the autonomy of establishments, and I trust the educational teams”, she continues. But, she tempers, “trust does not exclude responsibilities. There will be work with the inspection bodies to see if what has been imagined by the teams responds well to the order of the constitution of groups, regardless of the name we gives them as long as they help the students progress”.