While most repeating students stay in their original high school and take remedial classes in their weakest subjects to prepare for the exam, a few students living in large French cities choose to turn to private institutions not under contract with the National Education system to prepare for retaking the baccalaureate.
These private high schools or private courses are often nicknamed "bac cram schools"; one can find many references to this topic on the internet through excerpts from Claude Zidi's film "The Underachievers".
These establishments represent an option when the student who failed the baccalaureate is not allowed to repeat in their original school. However, the fees for these private courses are prohibitive, ranging from two thousand to fifteen thousand euros for a school year.
"Bac cram schools" (even though these institutions hate this term) claim to restore the student's confidence, offer classes in general subjects as well as language courses in small groups. They promise parents to put their child's schooling back on track and to provide teachers with a pedagogy adapted to each student. Moreover, they highlight their establishment's reputation through their students' baccalaureate success rate.
Several dubious practices have called into question the pedagogical effectiveness of these establishments. These "bac cram schools" are not required to follow the National Education curriculum, and most teachers do not have the diploma required by the National Education system. They exclude students with very low levels when presenting for the final exam. Some exploit parents' distress to dangle a hypothetical success at the baccalaureate, but others at least have the honesty to merely promise to do everything possible to restore the child's taste for school.
Even if these schools are an alternative for students who are failing at school and absolutely want to get their diploma, one can frankly question the quality of the teaching offered.
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