‘Children are losing eyes and teeth in France protests – police are out of control’

Anouk said the police response has been like nothing she has seen before (Picture: Reuters)

She said she had multiple reasons for joining the protest. One is to protect her students,while the other is to amplify their voice.

‘The students’ movement is not only about claiming their rights and asking for decent conditions; they are questioning the role of young people in this country while there is lots of unemployment,’ she added.

The issue of underfunding is still central to the cause. Anouk said she has seen leaking ceilings,class sizes of up to 38 pupils,and classrooms without enough tables and chairs for students.

She said: ‘They need help and they need to be encouraged,but how can you? 

‘That’s why teachers are joining the students; they are exhausted from pretending we are managing,and we are not.’ 

Anouk also thinks that demonstrators’ violence has been overrepresented and at times misinformed. ‘I’m not saying it doesn’t exist,but it’s a small percentage of what is happening.

Anouk said violent protest is a ‘small percentage’ of what’s happening in France (Picture: Reuters)

The teacher said the demonstrations are being misrepresented (Picture: Muhammed Said Tako/Anadolu via Getty Images)

‘It’s like when you are a football supporter [in the UK]; you don’t want to be associated with hooliganism,and I think that’s what’s being done with those kids. 

‘They are peaceful; they are asking for things with intelligence.  We cannot associate the movement with the occasional acts of violence.

‘All the kids we’ve seen are kids worried about their future who want to start a conversation with their government,and so far the government has not replied.’

Underfunding poses a serious threat to social mobility in France; a child born and schooled in a deprived neighbourhood there has less chance of escaping their socioeconomic background than in most other developed nations,according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 

The university admissions system,Parcoursup – which rates schools’ reputation and students’ grades – has also been the focus of some students’ frustrations.

According to Anouk,the move to part coursework-based assessment from 100% exam-based has also contributed to this,as overcrowded classrooms with fewer resources perform worse in continuous assessment than the previous ‘equalising’ exams.