On completion of lower secondary education, age 15, students have already selected a specific educational route and either:
At the end of the seconde general or technological class (age 16), students choosing a course of post-compulsory education have a choice between:
either
(The types of courses and curricula that prepare for the various Baccalauréats are very different but usually include common, elective (that is to say, compulsory options) and optional courses.)23
or
Cycles
This phase comprises the final class of compulsory education, the seconde, sometimes known as the 'determination cycle', plus the première and terminale; the latter two preparing students for one of the various types of Baccalauréat examination, taken at the end of the terminale. These final two years of (post-compulsory) upper secondary education are sometimes known as the 'terminal cycle'.26
Progression
The seconde plays a determining role in career choice. After this class, students study for a specific type of Baccalauréat examination; others whose standard of work is not deemed high enough may repeat the year; and, on rare occasions, some students may move to a different type of lycée after the seconde (e.g. from a general and technological lycée to a vocational lycée). During the second term of the seconde, the student and his/her parents formulate provisional career wishes. The headteacher, who is responsible for providing information to students and for orientation/guidance, the careers advisor and the principal teacher for the class may help them to come to a decision. During the third term, the family chooses between the Baccalauréat options available and produces a list of preferences in writing. Based on this list, on academic results and on any other available means of assessment, the class council formulates proposals as regards the student's future options. The family may appeal, should it disagree with the option recommended by the class council.26 (Class councils usually consist of the class teacher, two parents, two students and a careers counsellor. They meet at least three times a year and examine the teaching and learning in a class and the progress of each child.)85
Students normally progress automatically from the première (first year of their chosen Baccalauréat course) to the terminale (second and final year of Baccalauréat course and final year of upper secondary education), provided their progress is deemed satisfactory.
Having peaked at 31.5 students in 1988-89, the average class size in public-sector general and technological lycées (LEGTs) was around 29 in the school year 1996-97. In the private sector, this figure has remained stable at around 26 for the last ten years. In public- and private-sector vocational lycées (lycées professionnels), the average overall class size in 1996-97 was around 22. The latter class size figures do vary, however, dependent particularly on the course selected. For example, average class sizes on vocational service industry courses are invariably larger than those on technical or industrial courses.43
In September 1999, the average student:teacher ratio in the lycée professionnel was 16:1. This is an overall average. Ratios may vary considerably from region to region and school to school. In the LEGT in September 1999, the average student:teacher ratio was 23:1.131
There are no national regulations covering the maximum number of students in a class, except in a ZEP, where they are one teacher to 25 students.22
There are guideline maximum class sizes for vocational Baccalauréat courses. The table below provides details of the maximum recommended numbers for each type of vocational Baccalauréat course/class. If numbers exceed these levels, it is recommended that additional/second classes should be created for the subject concerned.
| Maximum recommended number of students | Subject |
| 25 | French, maths, foreign languages, business management (for the vocational Baccalauréat in catering) |
| 19 | classes providing mechanical and vocational teaching for the service industries; laboratory work classes for applied and physical science courses |
| 16 | classes providing vocational and professional teaching in the production sector (with the exception of car mechanics) |
| 13 | vocational and technical teaching in the catering and food industries |
| 11 | vocational and technical training for car mechanics |
During this phase, classes are taught by specialists and students are divided up into different classes according to the type of Baccalauréat or subjects they have chosen to specialise in.26
Under the recent proposals for the reform of the lycée, which have been gradually introduced since October 1999, the time teachers in the lycée spend on classroom teaching is gradually being reduced from 18 hours per week to a maximum of 15 hours each week. Teachers will, however, spend a further four hours on teamwork with colleagues or helping individual students.69
In the public sector, teachers are recruited through a system of competitive examination and are civil servants.22
A headteacher in a lycée (proviseur) does not have any teaching duties, although he/she is responsible for teaching throughout the establishment. Proviseurs are normally former teachers who have passed the headship examination.