ABSTRACT
The reform of the secondary sector began quietly almost at the very outset of the Fifth Republic with the Berthoin reforms. These decreed that all pupils would transfer to a true secondary system and that no one should be left behind at primary school. The major innovation of the Berthoin reforms was the introduction of an observation stage which was to last two years. In order to achieve this all pupils were to move from the primary school and go either into a lycee or a College d'enseignement general (CEG). The creation of the new type of school, the College d'enseignement secondaire (CES) took place under the Minister of Education Christian Fouchet in a decree dated 3 August 1963. The CES was supposed to cater for all children aged eleven to fifteen and for the first time this age group was educated in an institution that was independent of both the primary school and the lycee.
