L'elementary School, often called primary school, constitutes a crucial and fundamental moment in a child's life. Indeed, it is during this period that he will acquire the knowledge base as well as the essential skills for his future education and personal development.

But what exactly are the objectives pursued by primary schools? What is the purpose of the learning offered to children through the different cycles And classes of primary education? It is on these questions that this article aims to take stock.

Mastery of fundamental knowledge and common knowledge base

At the heart of primary school lies a central objective: to allow each student to access common core of fundamental skills and knowledge. This foundation aims to provide all students with all the essential knowledge for their future academic success.

Among this fundamental knowledge, we generally identify:

• mastery of elementary arithmetic principles and operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc.)
• understanding and manipulating language (reading, writing, spelling, grammar, etc.)
• the discovery and appropriation of universes specific to sciences (life and Earth sciences, physics-chemistry, etc.), history-geography or even artistic teaching (visual arts, music, etc.)

Alongside this assimilation of fundamental knowledge, primary school also pursues another essential objective: the development of skills.

Develop student skills through learning

Indeed, national education does not only aim to give students a sum of knowledge but also to develop their ability to use this knowledge in diverse and varied situations. This is how primary school prepares each child to face the challenges and demands of the 21st century, based on a few key skills to master the tasks which will be asked:

• Adaptability: be able to adapt to new or changing contexts and situations throughout one's life and schooling.
• Reason: be able to mobilize knowledge for a specific purpose, with a view to understanding or solving a problem.
• Work in groups : learn to cooperate and collaborate with peers to carry out collective work.
• Communicate : develop oral and written communication skills to be able to express your point of view, ideas or project.
• Be independent : know how to manage your time, organize your thoughts and actions to accomplish tasks effectively.

These skills, which go beyond the simple academic framework, are worked on over the years and cycles, thanks to different projects, group work, individualized exercises and other varied educational methods put in place by the teaching team.

Distribution of the educational curriculum over the three cycles of primary school

The progressive evolution of learning in elementary school is structured around three distinct cycles, each having a specific purpose:

1. Primary learning cycle: This cycle previously corresponded to the CP and CE1 classes. It serves in particular to consolidate and deepen fundamental learning, such as reading and writing, as well as to gradually discover new areas.
2. Fundamental learning cycle: Previously made up of CE2, CM1 and CM2 classes, it aims to further structure key knowledge and skills in all subjects. The student must then be able to solve more complex problems, analyze documents, synthesize information and create personal works.
3. Consolidation cycle: Corresponding today to 6th grade classes, this cycle allows students to improve their mastery of fundamental knowledge covered during previous cycles, with a view to better preparation for entry into 5th grade class (first stage of middle school) .

It is important to emphasize that during all these cycles, the monitoring and evaluation of the progress of each student is done through writing diagnostic and formative assessments, the results of which are shared with parents during individual or collective meetings.

Promote civic and inclusive education

Finally, primary school also has the function of welcoming all children and leading them to be responsible citizens, aware of the rights and duties incumbent on them in society. To do this, it relies on several axes:

• L'education to citizenship, particularly through collective projects and participation in various decision-making bodies within the school (Council of Delegates, etc.)
• L'education in respect for others, for example through the fight against discrimination or the promotion of cooperation and mutual aid between students.
• THE development openness to the world and to different cultures.

Thus, primary school also aims at an essential goal by developing civic and social responsibility in students, so that they become fully aware of their rights and duties as citizens and people who respect others in a multicultural and democratic.

To conclude provisionally, we can say that elementary school is based on precise and ambitious educational foundations, which make it much more than a simple place for traditional learning. Through the mastery of fundamental knowledge, the development of varied skills and the promotion of inclusive and civic education, primary school plays a determining role in the construction of the personality of each child and in their openness to the world that surrounds them. surrounded.