These heads of establishments are preparing for a busy and uncertain return to school

“We can’t say that morale is at its highest among colleagues.” Igor Garncarzyk boarded the National Education ship twenty years ago, and the FSU general secretary of management personnel is certain of it: “We are in a state of frenzied wait-and-see attitude never seen before.” In the absence of a new government and Without a full minister at the helm, school principals are struggling to find a clear horizon on the eve of the students’ return to school on Monday, September 2.

Marie Tamboura, mmember of the national executive of SNPDEN-Unsa, is pmain course at Cesaria-Evora college in Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis). “Whether it’s about timetables or welcoming students, we are ready for the start of the school year. What I’m wondering about is what I’m going to tell them about the future.”worries this head of establishment. Because middle and high school students will undoubtedly ask her many questions. Will the brevet be compulsory for entry into the second year? ? Will they soon have to leave their smartphone at the entrance to the establishment? ? The ban on mobile phones, tested in 200 colleges, could become the rule from January.

While waiting to find out who their future Minister of National Education will be, school heads are already fearing that their workload will increase again. “We have been in a steamroller for years, with a ‘Blanquer acceleration'”believes Bruno Bobkiewicz, general secretary of SNPDEN-Unsa, recalling that the former Minister of National Education (2017-2022) was at the origin of numerous reforms, at school and at high school. “Since then, there have been new priorities all the time. We’re loading the boat without asking ourselves what might be taken away from us.”deplores this union leader.

Marie Tamboura places the tipping point at the time of the health crisis: “The files have piled up particularly since Covid-19.” According to her, the heads of establishments do “faced with shortened timeframes between requests and implementation.” All the professionals contacted by franceinfo share this observation. “THE “Political time is not school time”, underlines Emilie*, principal in a college in Isère. In particular, she believes that the teachers’ pact was put in place too quickly to convince teachers.

Some missions have also become more complex. The introduction of brand new needs groups in 6th and 5th grade, starting this fall, gave her team a hard time, says Marie Tamboura. “Building timetables “It took a month of non-stop work, ten days more than usual.” to her assistant, she assures.

A task that is all the more difficult for heads of establishments who say they are “less and less agreement on the substance”like Bruno Bobkiewicz. “Since 2017, almost every year, I have found myself implementing reforms that do not go in the direction of progress in the education system”says Nicolas Bonnet, headmaster at the Henri-Brulle vocational high school in Libourne (Gironde), and member of the national executive of SNPDEN-Unsa. He cites the reform of the vocational high school which, among other things, confirms the advancement of the baccalaureate in May. “This year, our final year students are losing a month of work, This is an aberration that will not allow them to achieve a better academic level.”according to him.

These management staff point to a form of disconnection between the ministry and the reality of their establishments. “We are not suffering from a lack of recognition, but from a lack of understanding of our daily lives”notes Marie Tamboura, who nevertheless considers herself “supported by the institution”in particular the academies and their rectors. Bruno Bobkiewicz abounds : “There is no desire to harm us, it is the consequence of a rhythm.” But for Igor Garncarzyk, the heads of establishments “are not expensive” in view of the number of hours and missions carried out. According to the ministry, these management staff earn between 48,000 and 62,000 euros gross per year.

An intern the previous year, Christophe* was assistant to the headmaster of his high school. He believes he has “spent more weeks at 60-70 hours than at 35 hours”but suggests that his lack of experience played a role. A study by the National Union of High Schools, Colleges, Schools and Higher Education (Snalc) (PDF)published in 2023, reveals that 83% of respondents said they worked more than 48 hours per week. “When you do this kind of work, somewhere, you have to accept it. You know that you’re going to overflow, even if you have to stay within reason.”adds the one who is now a permanent employee.

On another level, relations with parents are becoming strained, notes Bruno Bobkiewicz. “They are less and less hesitant to contest, whether it is a grade or a sanction given to their child, even going as far as going to court”underlines the general secretary of SNPDEN-Unsa. A report from the National Education Ombudsman, published in mid-July (PDF)confirms that complaints from parents are increasing significantly (+12% between 2022 and 2023).

Headmasters and principals must also manage families’ concerns about the lack of teachers. Especially since more than 3,000 positions have not been filled in the teaching competitions (primary and secondary) and there is a shortage of replacements, particularly when teachers are not replaced during the year.

Even within their establishments, these principals will also sometimes have to face criticism from the teachers they supervise. “The former sometimes have difficulty recognizing the educational legitimacy of the head of the establishment”notes Jean-Rémi Girard, president of Snalc. According to a survey by the Autonomous Secular Solidarity (PDF)published in 2022, “nearly half of the staff surveyed perceive poor quality of the teacher/management relationship, an increase of 14% compared to the previous survey.” The list of daily contacts for school principals also includes administrative teams. And, as with teaching teams, they are less and less complete, say the principals and headmasters interviewed by franceinfo. “Managers and secretaries are becoming a rare commodity”illustrates Emilie* after ten years of career.

Faced with these cumulative difficulties, teachers are increasingly less likely to consider the role of head of establishment. “We fill all the positions through competition, but we lose candidates from year to year”, reports Bruno Bobkiewicz. Even more serious than this loss of attractiveness, management staff “burned out or alcoholics are now a reality of the profession”assures Jean-Rémi Girard. But the absence of figures on this subject complicates the correct measurement of the phenomenon.