The specialty “Physical education, sports practices and culture” opens for high school students in general education in the Sarthe. This specialty, which counts for the baccalaureate, was opened in 2021 by the Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sports. Only one establishment will offer it in 2022 in the department: the Saint-Charles-Sainte-Croix high school, a private establishment in Le Mans.
“An unequal situation” denounces the union of PE teachers
In detail, the rectorate asks high schools if they are interested in offering this specialty. The educational teams must then put together a file. In the Sarthe, no public high school has spoken. A regrettable situation for the union of PE teachers, SNEP. Antonin Bezannier, his departmental co-secretary, believes that this makes the situation unequal: “Students who do not have the financial means to enroll in these establishments will not be able to benefit from this speciality. Also, the boarding schools are not unlimited. So the students will not be able to place themselves in establishments far from home. “.
But why did no public institution position itself as soon as the specialty opened in 2021? The Le Mans Sud high school, for example, has already been offering sport-study for decades, an option that allows athletic students to adjust their schedule. 140 second-year students are concerned, for example. But for the specialty “Physical education, sports practices and culture”, the headmaster Catherine Vélain, wanted to take her time: “When I contacted the rectorate, the terms were still a little unclear. I wanted to have the exact content of the specialty.”
Circus art at the start of the 2022 school year
The principal intends to put together the file when applications are next opened, in October 2022. It is a bit late, believes Alexis Marganne. The secretary of the SNES-FSU at Le Mans sud high school would have liked to see this specialty which is a real plus for sports students, “_with two major advantages. Firstly, those who are gifted in sport can integrate it into the calculation of their baccalaureate So it’s a big help in getting their exam. And secondly, it makes it easier to apply for higher education, especially in STAPS (Sciences and Techniques of Physical and Sports Activities).”_
And, this specialty offers more than sports practice. It also includes lessons on health, culture or history. “The specialty can lead to courses in sociology or biology.”
Alexis Marganne also fears competition and that 3rd grade students do not shun the public establishment to favor the sports specialty of the Saint-Charles high school, “knowing that in addition, Le Mans sud is the most remote establishment in Le Mans, while Saint-Charles is rather better served by transport and closer to the city center of Le Mans.”
In the meantime, the Le Mans sud high school will offer the circus art specialty from September 2022. This specialty must be followed in first then in terminal for the pupils in general way. It counts for the baccalaureate in the same way as a math, SVT or literature specialty and counts for the test with a coefficient of 16.
–
