Safeguarding international schools in France: country guide

A private school in France either has a contract with the State or it does not. Schools without a contract, called hors contrat, choose their own methods, programmes and books (Education Code, Article L442-3). Check which kind you are, because the rules differ.

Every private school must declare its opening to the State education authority. That authority passes the file to the mayor, the prefect and the public prosecutor, who can object to protect children and young people (Article L441-1).

For schools without a contract, State control covers staff titles, compulsory schooling, public order and child protection, including school bullying (Article L442-2). Each year the school sends the rector a list of its staff in the first half of November (Article D442-22-1).

Accreditation by an outside body does not replace the State declaration and controls above. The UK government's list of accredited British Schools Overseas names one school in France.

Yes. Article 434-3 of the Penal Code punishes anyone who knows of ill-treatment, deprivation or sexual abuse of a child and does not tell the judicial or administrative authorities. The penalty is three years in prison and a 45,000 euro fine, or five years and 75,000 euros if the child is under 15.

The duty covers anyone who knows, teachers included, and a child means anyone under 18. People bound by professional secrecy are excepted unless the law says otherwise, so ask counsel which of your staff that covers. A good-faith report to the authorities cannot lead to civil, criminal or disciplinary liability (Article 226-14).

A second rule sits in the Code of Social Action and Families. People who help with child protection must pass worrying information about a child to the president of the departmental council without delay (Article L226-2-1). Under Article L226-3, public and private establishments that may meet children at risk take part.

The department's unit that receives these reports is the CRIP (cellule de recueil des informations préoccupantes). After an assessment, it can refer a case to the judicial authority. The government's public service site says anyone can also write to the prosecutor directly in grave cases.

Whether a case is a crime is a legal question for counsel. See mandatory reporting laws for international schools.

A decree of 16 June 2025 added two duties to the Education Code. They apply to private schools with a State contract and without one.

Article R442-6-1 says the head must tell the State education authority without delay about violence against pupils or staff. The same goes for any serious fact that puts their safety or physical or moral integrity at risk.

A ministerial order sets how these reports are made (Article R442-6-1). Ask your education authority which channel it expects.

Article R442-6-2 asks every school to run an internal scheme for collecting and handling reports of harm to pupils and staff. It covers boarders and pupils on overnight trips, and names violence, harassment, sexist acts, threats and intimidation.

Schools must also act against bullying and tell pupils and parents about the risks each year (Article L111-6). Bullying of a pupil by anyone who studies or works at the school is a criminal offence (Penal Code, Article 222-33-2-3).

If a child is in immediate danger, call 112 or the police on 17 now. Then follow your school's child protection procedure and tell your DSL the same day. Put these numbers where staff and students can see them.

French law requires every place that regularly receives children to display the contact details of the national child protection phone service, which is the 119 line (Article L226-8).

• 112: the European emergency number, free and open 24 hours.
• 17: the police. 114: text message for people who cannot speak by phone.
• 119: the national child protection line, listed by Child Helpline International as open every day around the clock, in French. The public service site says calls are free.
• Your departmental CRIP: the number depends on your area, so look it up and write it into your policy.

The French texts reviewed for this guide do not name a DSL. They put duties on each adult, on the head and on the school. The DSL role comes from accreditation and good-practice standards, such as the expectations the International Task Force on Child Protection (ITFCP) publishes for accrediting bodies.

The first gap is who must act. Under Article 434-3, each adult who knows of abuse has a personal duty, and telling the DSL may not meet it. Write that nobody is ever stopped from going to the authorities, and ask counsel to check the wording.

The second gap is the threshold. The Penal Code speaks of knowledge, while social action law speaks of children in danger or at risk. Ask staff to report the first sign, and let the DSL and counsel decide which route fits.

The third gap is age. Article 227-25 punishes an adult who commits a sexual offence against a child under 15. Article 227-27 covers a child aged 15 to 17 when the adult has authority or abuses their position.

Ban any sexual or romantic contact between staff and students, whatever the local age. Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) is guidance for schools in England and has no legal force in France. Many international schools model their policy on KCSIE, which works if the policy also names the French duties.

France applies the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) together with Law 78-17 of 6 January 1978. The regulator is the CNIL, the national data protection authority.

The sources reviewed for this guide set no rule that safeguarding records must stay in France. GDPR does limit transfers outside the EU and EEA. A transfer usually needs an adequacy decision or safeguards such as standard contractual clauses.

Sending records to a head office, a cloud host or a software supplier abroad counts as a transfer. Ask each supplier where the data sits and who can read it. See information sharing in international schools.

A safeguarding file may also record suspected crimes. GDPR Article 10 allows processing of data on criminal offences only under official control or where law authorises it. Ask counsel how your records are classed.

Expect calls to the 119 line, the police and the departmental council to be in French. Name one confident French speaker on the safeguarding team. Post the helplines in French and in the languages your families use.

End Corporal Punishment lists it as banned in all settings in France, including schools. Its country report cites Article 371-1 of the Civil Code and Ministry circulars on school discipline. Cover this in induction for staff from countries where it is still allowed.

French law bars people with certain convictions from heading or working in any school, public or private (Article L911-5). The criminal record extract called bulletin number 3 goes only to the person it concerns (Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 777). Ask counsel what you may require from each candidate.

For staff who worked abroad, also ask for a police certificate from each country where they lived. Private school heads must meet conditions on nationality, age, qualifications and experience, and teachers on age and qualifications (Article L914-3), with exceptions possible (Article L914-4). See safer recruitment for international schools.

Start with these seven steps.

• Find out if your school has a State contract, and which authorities cover it.
• Agree with your Head how serious incidents reach the State education authority, using the channel the ministerial order sets.
• Write one reporting route naming the DSL, the Head, the 119 line, your departmental CRIP and the local numbers.
• Build the internal scheme for reports of harm that Article R442-6-2 asks for.
• Display the 119 details where children and staff can see them.
• Collect a criminal record extract or home-country certificate for every adult who works with children.
• Ask your data protection lead where records sit, then book time with local counsel and write down the advice.

No. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, so confirm the current wording with local counsel and the relevant education authority.

The legal points were checked on 19 October 2026 against the consolidated French codes and government pages. Most sources are in French, so have a French speaker check the wording that matters most.

Rules for private schools changed in 2025 and may change again, so check for newer decrees and orders before you rely on this guide.