Christophe Kerrero was appointed rector of Paris in July 2020 by Pap Ndiaye’s predecessor, Jean-Michel Blanquer, where he was previously chief of staff. Since the spring of 2021, Paris has changed the configuration of the platform for assigning high school students via the Net (Affelnet) to restore academic and social diversity in the capital.
The 2022-2023 school year was marked by the sensational entry of the Henri-IV and Louis-Le-Grand high schools on the Affelnet platform. Have parents’ concerns eased?
No one tells us about it! That tells you if it’s a success. The main thing for us is that we had 8.4% of scholarship holders at these two establishments, and that they are now 17.4%. We have made sure that these high schools are more representative of the reality of Parisian colleges. Academic excellence has been preserved, since the pupils of 2nde had better results in the placement tests at the beginning of the school year.
You have greatly reformed access to high school in Paris, by transforming Affelnet. What is the next step ?
Our biggest challenge is the attractiveness of the professional path. We have made a considerable effort, increasing the pass rate by 3.9 points, i.e. 22% of students oriented to pro or CAP at the end of 3e.
Competition between high schools has also had a perverse effect for a long time: the most vulnerable students were sent to 2ndes general at the lower level, with the idea of then switching them to 1D STMG (sciences and technologies of management and management). We are now trying to ensure that bothndes general and technological are of the same quality. For this, it is also necessary to deploy the classes of the technological path in more attractive high schools. A 1D STMG will open at Lycée Henri-IV (5e arrondissement), after the one which opened this fall at Victor-Hugo (3e).
It’s a small revolution!
With all the efforts that we are making in favor of co-education, we do not want establishments to be able to transfer students again to other high schools in 1D.
Another revolution is the announced closure of seven Parisian high schools, six professionals and a general…
We close establishments, but not formations, which are transferred. Our Affelnet reform has delivered spectacular results in two years, with a 39% drop in social segregation in public high schools in Paris in 2022 compared to 2019. But there are still high schools where it is difficult, including Bergson (19e district) where we are going to transfer the workforce from Brassens (19e), which hosts dual music and dance courses and has an IPS (social position index) of 154, a record. From a handicap, we make a solution, by moving a sector of excellence that will promote Bergson’s image. No one remembers that years ago, the Lycée Balzac (17e) was much avoided! We have set up international sections there and this has benefited the entire school community.
You have 56.34% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.