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French education security and staffing shortages

Updated 4 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-09-07 08:45 UTC → 2026-09-10 15:06 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The French Ministry of Education has introduced new security measures for the 2026-2027 school year to protect teaching staff following previous violent incidents. These measures include financial support for renovating school infrastructure and the planned creation of 300 new positions for nurses, social workers, and psychologists by 2026. However, education unions have criticized the government’s approach, arguing that security policies fail to address the underlying school climate and highlighting critical funding and staffing shortages. As the new school year begins, resource gaps have led to active protests and significant operational disruptions. In the Lyon metropolitan area, the Collectif des lycées en éducation prioritaire (CLEP) has organized strikes, while in Sommières, a lack of teachers forced the closure of a grade 11 class at Lucie-Aubrac high school. A recent survey by the teachers' union SNES-FSU indicates that the staffing crisis remains severe, with approximately 69% of French middle and high schools reporting shortages at the start of the academic year. The report finds that 53% of these institutions are missing at least one teacher. Beyond teaching staff, the deficit extends to school psychologists, supervisors, and assistants for students with disabilities (AESH). Union representatives have described this shortage of specialized personnel as a “crisis of inclusive education.” While the 69% figure is slightly lower than the 73% reported in 2025, the situation remains highly degraded, with significant impacts reported in the Toulouse, Aix-Marseille, and Nantes academies. Unions including FSU and CGT Éduc’action have further denounced poor working conditions. In Charente-Maritime, chronic shortages persist in mathematics, French, German, and physics despite declining student numbers. Unions also highlighted inadequate infrastructure, noting that poor insulation in buildings like Lycée Léonce-Vieljeux causes classroom temperatures to reach between 28 and 34 degrees Celsius.

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