Does your child have ADHD, dyslexia or another neurodevelopmental condition? Do you teach a pupil who needs adjustments? PPRE, PAI, PAP and PPS are the four main support plans in French schools. The acronyms look alike, but the rules differ: who applies, who decides and what can be put in place.
This guide sets out the rules in force at the start of the 2026 school year, then goes through useful classroom adjustments, condition by condition.
PPRE, PAI, PAP, PPS: four plans, four different approaches
Only the PPS goes through the MDPH (departmental disability centre). The other three are decided within the school itself.
PPRE · Personalised academic success programme
No MDPH needed · short term
For any pupil at risk of not mastering essential skills, with or without an identified disorder.
- Request: the teaching team; parents can flag difficulties.
- Decision: the head teacher (primary school) or principal (secondary school). The PPRE is presented to the family and the pupil.
- Duration: short, often between two school holidays, followed by a review.
- Content: one or two priority skills, worked on mainly in class.
PAI · Individual health care plan
Health · no MDPH needed
For a long-term health condition: asthma, epilepsy, but also psychological conditions such as school-related anxiety disorders.
- Request: the family, or the school with the family’s consent.
- Drafting: the school doctor (médecin de l’Éducation nationale) or a PMI doctor (mother and child health service), based on documents from the child’s own doctor.
- Duration: the pupil’s time at the school, updated at the start of each school year.
- Content: prescribed medication, emergency protocol, adjusted timetable, continuity of learning.
PAP · Personalised support plan (Plan d’accompagnement personnalisé)
No MDPH needed
For lasting school difficulties linked to a learning disorder (specific learning difficulties, known in France as “dys” disorders, ADHD…).
- Request: the family, at any time, or the teachers’ council (conseil des maîtres, primary school) or class council (conseil de classe, secondary school), with the parents’ consent.
- Opinion: once the disorder has been established, the school doctor gives an opinion.
- Drafting: the school management, the educational team and the family; in secondary school (collège, ages 11–15, and lycée, ages 15–18), the form tutor (professeur principal) coordinates.
- Duration: reviewed every year, it follows the pupil.
- Content: teaching adjustments only.
PPS · Personalised schooling plan (Projet personnalisé de scolarisation)
Through the MDPH
For a pupil whose disability is recognised by the MDPH and who needs compensatory support.
- Request: the family submits an MDPH application, together with the GEVA-Sco (standard school assessment form).
- Decision: the CDAPH (the MDPH’s disability rights committee), after assessment by the MDPH’s multidisciplinary team, which drafts the PPS.
- Follow-up: reviewed at least once a year; revised at each change of school stage or educational pathway.
- Content: AESH, adapted learning equipment, placement (e.g. ULIS, an inclusive education unit within a mainstream school), adjustments to schooling.
Key people and tools
Disability liaison teacher (enseignant référent)
The family’s point of contact for the PPS. They convene the ESS (schooling follow-up team) and liaise with the MDPH.
Educational team and ESS
The educational team (équipe éducative) prepares the first application. The schooling follow-up team (ESS) monitors the PPS every year.
GEVA-Sco
It describes the pupil’s schooling, strengths and difficulties to inform the MDPH.
AESH
Individual or shared support, as awarded by the CDAPH. Since 2024, the state also funds it during the lunch break.
Adapted learning equipment
Computers and software: lent following a CDAPH decision, or offered by a PAS as a first response.
ULIS
The pupil stays enrolled in their own class and joins the unit for small-group sessions.
School support hub (PAS)
A coordinating teacher and a medico-social educator provide a quick first response.
Inclusive pathway record (livret de parcours inclusif)
An online application that brings together the PPRE, PAP, PPS and GEVA-Sco. Families can view a summary.
Comparison table: PPRE, PAI, PAP, PPS
| Criterion | PPRE | PAI | PAP | PPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who is it for? | Pupil struggling at school | Long-term health condition | Lasting learning disorder | Disability recognised by the MDPH |
| Who applies? | The school, with the family informed | The family, or the school with the family’s consent | The family, or the teachers’ or class council | The family, through the MDPH |
| Opinion or decision | Head teacher or principal | School doctor or PMI doctor | Opinion of the school doctor | CDAPH |
| Who drafts it? | Teaching team, led by the school management | The doctor, with the family and the school management | School management and educational team, with the family | The MDPH’s multidisciplinary team |
| Duration, review | A few weeks, renewable | Updated at the start of each school year | Annual review | Reviewed by the ESS at least once a year |
| AESH, allocated equipment | No | No | No | Yes, by CDAPH decision |
| Exams: simplified procedure | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Which plan for which situation?
The process, step by step
Setting up a PAP
Getting a PPS
Exam access arrangements: plan ahead from secondary school
Brevet (end-of-collège exam), CAP (vocational qualification), baccalauréat: exam access arrangements are not automatic. They are requested online through the Incluscol application, using forms that have been revised since the 2026 exam session (circular of 17 July 2025).
- Simplified procedure: the pupil has a PAP for a neurodevelopmental condition, a PAI or a PPS, and requests the arrangements already used in class. In principle, no new medical opinion is needed.
- Full procedure: no plan, arrangements that differ from those in the plan, or extra time of more than one third. A doctor appointed by the CDAPH gives an opinion.
- Timing: from 4e (Year 9, ages 13–14) for the brevet and from seconde (Year 11, ages 15–16) for the bac, according to the calendar of your local education authority (académie).
- Decision: the rector (head of the académie); for the Versailles académie, which includes Essonne, the joint examinations office (service interacadémique des examens et concours, SIEC).
- Examples: extra time, rest breaks with the time added back, a scribe, a computer, enlarged papers, a separate room.
The key principle: consistency with the school year. A computer or a scribe only makes sense if the pupil is already used to working with one.
Which adjustments to ask for, depending on the condition
Start from the needs you observe in the pupil rather than from the diagnosis alone. These suggestions draw on the French National Authority for Health (HAS), the national PAP template and guides from the Ministry of Education.
ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
Common needs: sustaining attention, starting and finishing a task, getting organised, channelling the need to move. Usual plan: PAP; PAI if medication is taken at school.
- Easy to set up Environment: a seat near the teacher, away from distractions, a clear desk.
- Easy to set up Instructions: one at a time, short, written on the board and rephrased by the pupil.
- Works well Organisation: routines, a displayed timetable, transitions announced in advance, colour coding by subject.
- Works well Classwork: tasks broken down, encouragement at each step, small jobs that let the pupil move around.
- Less effective on its own Assessments: according to the HAS, one-third extra time is “not systematically appropriate” for ADHD with no other condition; it prefers breaks, with the time added back. Nor does it recommend an AESH as a matter of course for mild or moderate ADHD with no other condition.
Dyslexia and dysorthographia (spelling disorder)
Common needs: slow, tiring reading, weak spelling, copying that takes great effort. Usual plan: PAP.
- Easy to set up Reading: instructions read aloud, no compulsory reading in front of the class, well-spaced materials in a sans-serif font.
- Easy to set up Writing: limit copying by providing photocopied or digital lesson notes, gap-fill texts.
- Works well Assessments: spelling assessed only when it is the objective; questions read before the text.
- Works well Modern languages: favour oral work for learning and assessment.
- Less effective on its own Computer: unless the pupil has learned to use the keyboard and software, it adds another difficulty. And, as the HAS points out, remedial therapy does not remove the need for adjustments.
Dyspraxia (developmental coordination disorder)
Common needs: slow, laborious handwriting, difficulties with geometry and with organising work on the page. Usual plan: PAP, or PPS if equipment needs to be allocated.
- Easy to set up Writing: less handwriting (photocopies, gap-fill exercises), colour markers, generous line spacing.
- Easy to set up Assessments: don’t penalise untidy presentation, accept oral answers.
- Works well Maths: geometry drawings not penalised, calculator and geometry software.
- Works well PE: sequences talked through, simplified movements, bibs in clearly distinct colours.
- Less effective on its own Computer: valuable in the long run, but it requires prior training, often with an occupational therapist (guide on adapted equipment from Éduscol, the Ministry of Education’s website for teachers).
Dyscalculia
Common needs: picturing quantities, memorising times tables, moving between digits and words, following the steps of a calculation. Usual plan: PAP.
- Easy to set up Tools: times tables, reference cards and number lines allowed, in class and in tests.
- Easy to set up Method: counting on fingers, hands-on materials, diagrams; coloured columns for setting out sums.
- Works well Assessments: fewer exercises, memory aids and a basic calculator allowed, credit given for the method.
- Less effective on its own Number dictation without visual support: the INSHEA (French national institute for special needs education) advises avoiding it, and distinguishing calculation errors from errors in writing the number.
Developmental language disorder (dysphasia)
Common needs: understanding long or implicit sentences, finding words, expressing themselves orally. Usual plan: PAP, or PPS if compensatory support is needed.
- Easy to set up Instructions: call the pupil by name, short sentences, one instruction at a time, a slower pace of speech.
- Easy to set up Supports: gestures, pictograms, key words written on the board.
- Works well Comprehension: closed or multiple-choice questions; lesson notes provided.
- Works well Expression: allow time, give the beginning of the word, don’t penalise limited oral participation.
- Less effective on its own Adjustments copied from another profile: switching from written to oral work, useful for a pupil with dyslexia, can hinder a pupil with DLD (developmental language disorder).
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
Common needs: predictability, explicit instructions, a bearable sensory environment, supported transitions. Usual plan: PPS when compensatory support is needed (AESH, ULIS…).
- Easy to set up Organisation: visual timetable, changes announced in advance, a visible timer.
- Easy to set up Instructions: concrete, unambiguous language; written or illustrated instructions.
- Works well Environment: a structured space, less noise and visual stimulation, a quiet corner, ear defenders if needed.
- Works well Communication: the child’s usual mode of communication, tasks broken down into steps.
- Less effective on its own A rigid framework or support withdrawn too early: the HAS (2026) recommends a structured but flexible timetable, and fading visual supports with care.
Tics and Tourette syndrome
Common needs: motor or vocal tics that vary with tiredness and stress, sometimes interfering with writing. Plan: to be decided with the school doctor; PPS if the disability is recognised.
- Easy to set up Attitude: ignore the tics as far as possible and stay calm, as tension tends to increase them.
- Easy to set up Environment: a seat facing the teacher, away from the door; the option of stepping out for a few minutes somewhere private.
- Works well Assessments: a separate room, oral or computer-based if tics interfere with writing.
- Works well Class: inform classmates, only with the pupil’s agreement.
- Less effective on its own Asking the pupil to hold back their tics: this effort of control can interfere with attention.
Anxiety and anxiety-based school refusal
Common needs: feeling safe, preparing ahead for oral work and assessments, sometimes returning to class after absences. Possible plan: PAI, which also covers school-related anxiety disorders; a PPRE can be added.
- Easy to set up Points of reference: an identified key adult, with a short regular check-in.
- Easy to set up Environment: a seat near the door, the option of withdrawing for a few minutes while remaining visible.
- Works well Returning to class: a gradual return, a familiar welcome routine, no assessment on the day of return.
- Works well Assessments: extra time or assessment in two parts; oral work only with the pupil’s agreement.
- Less effective on its own Forcing attendance: a guidance sheet from the Bas-Rhin departmental education office (DSDEN, 2024) advises against it, in favour of modest goals chosen with the pupil.
Good practices that make a difference
A few adjustments, properly applied
The PAP circular encourages focusing on what is essential rather than ticking too many boxes.
Consistency between teachers
The same cues in every subject, coordinated by the form tutor.
Involve the pupil
They take part in the ESS and their plan is explained to them. An adjustment that is understood is more readily used.
Pass it on at every stage
The plan follows the pupil from primary school to lycée, thanks to the inclusive pathway record.
Review every year
Needs change. Add new measures, but also remove what is no longer useful.
Discretion, without stigmatising
Share the needs, not the diagnosis. No health information displayed in the classroom.
Don’t wait for the paperwork
For ADHD, the HAS recommends adjustments as soon as difficulties are identified, even before a PAP is in place.
Think ahead to exams
The tools used in class are the ones that can be requested for the brevet or the bac.
Common pitfalls
In practice, we often see:
- a long list of ticked items, but few actually applied;
- a plan that doesn’t follow the pupil to secondary school, or that supply teachers are unaware of;
- exam arrangements that were never used in class;
- a PAP requested in order to obtain an AESH, which falls under the PPS;
- months of waiting for the MDPH with no adjustments in the meantime.
Élan Minds: helping families and schools put support in place
The pitfalls described above come up often: adjustments written into a PAP but hard to apply day to day, information lost from one teacher or one year to the next, families who don’t always know what to ask for, or whom to ask. That is why Centre Élan is developing Élan Minds, an app coming soon, designed around three needs:
Strengthening the link with the family
Make it easier to share the pupil’s needs and the adjustments that help them between the family, the school and the professionals who support them.
Helping teachers
Adapt a lesson, a handout or a presentation to the pupil’s profile, from primary school to the baccalauréat, and turn it into summary sheets, mind maps and exercises.
Making support plans easier to put in place
Prepare a ready-to-use adjustments sheet, linked to the PAP, so that the agreed support is put into practice in class and in learning.
Frequently asked questions about the PAP, PPS, PAI and PPRE
Do you need a diagnosis to get a PAP?
A doctor needs to establish the disorder, supported by assessments if necessary, followed by the opinion of the school doctor. In the meantime, the teacher can already offer simple adaptations.
Can a PAP, a PPS and a PAI be combined?
A PAP and a PPS cannot be combined: the PPS includes all the adjustments. A PAI can be combined with a PPRE, a PAP or a PPS, for example if medication has to be taken at school.
Can a PAP get my child an AESH?
No. A support assistant, allocated equipment or a ULIS placement are decided by the CDAPH, and therefore require a PPS. The PAS can offer initial support, but this is not an AESH.
Does the PAP apply automatically to the brevet and the bac?
No. You need to apply on Incluscol, preferably in the year before the exam. With a PAP, a PAI or a PPS, the simplified procedure applies if the arrangements requested match those used during the year.
My child is very anxious at school: what should I ask for?
Talk to the teacher and to the school doctor or school nurse. A PAI can be put in place for persistent school-related anxiety disorders, supplemented if necessary by a PPRE.
Sources
- Circulaire n° 2015-016 du 22 janvier 2015 relative au plan d’accompagnement personnalisé [Circular no. 2015-016 of 22 January 2015 on the personalised support plan], BO (Official Bulletin of the Ministry of Education) no. 5 of 29 January 2015, and its national template.
- Circulaire du 10 février 2021, Projet d’accueil individualisé pour raison de santé [Circular of 10 February 2021 on the individual health care plan], BO no. 9 of 4 March 2021.
- education.gouv.fr, La mise en place d’un projet d’accueil individualisé [Setting up an individual health care plan], updated 4 April 2025.
- Mon Parcours Handicap, PPRE, PAI, PAP, PPS: les possibilités d’appui à la scolarisation [official French disability information website: “PPRE, PAI, PAP, PPS – the options for school support”], updated 6 May 2026.
- Mon Parcours Handicap, Qu’est-ce que le PPRE? [What is the PPRE?], updated 20 January 2026.
- Mon Parcours Handicap, Qu’est-ce que le GEVA-sco? [What is the GEVA-Sco?], updated 23 December 2025.
- Mon Parcours Handicap, Enseignant référent et équipe de suivi de la scolarisation [Disability liaison teacher and schooling follow-up team], updated 19 August 2025.
- Circulaire du 1er septembre 2025, Déploiement des pôles d’appui à la scolarité [Circular of 1 September 2025 on rolling out school support hubs], BO no. 33 of 4 September 2025.
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- French Senate, written question no. 06253, answer from the Ministry of Education, Official Journal (Senate) of 8 January 2026.
- education.gouv.fr, Être accompagnant des élèves en situation de handicap (AESH) [Being a support assistant for pupils with disabilities (AESH)], updated 5 October 2025.
- National Assembly, question no. 12638 (AESH and the lunch break, law of 27 May 2024), answer published in the Official Journal of 14 April 2026.
- Circulaire n° 2015-129 du 21 août 2015 relative aux ULIS [Circular no. 2015-129 of 21 August 2015 on ULIS units], BO no. 31 of 27 August 2015.
- Décret n° 2020-1523 du 4 décembre 2020 (aménagements d’examens et PAP) [Decree no. 2020-1523 of 4 December 2020 on exam access arrangements and the PAP], BO no. 48 of 17 December 2020.
- Circulaire du 8 décembre 2020 sur l’organisation des examens pour les candidats en situation de handicap [Circular of 8 December 2020 on organising exams for candidates with disabilities], BO no. 47 of 10 December 2020.
- Circulaire du 17 juillet 2025 (formulaires de demande d’aménagements, session 2026) [Circular of 17 July 2025 on the request forms for exam access arrangements, 2026 session], BO no. 31 of 21 August 2025.
- Éduscol, Incluscol, application des demandes d’aménagements d’examen [Incluscol, the online application for exam access arrangement requests], accessed October 2026.
- education.gouv.fr, De nouveaux barèmes pour la maîtrise de la langue aux examens de la session 2027 [New marking scales for command of the language in the 2027 exams], September 2026.
- HAS, TDAH: diagnostic et interventions thérapeutiques auprès des enfants et adolescents [ADHD: diagnosis and therapeutic interventions for children and adolescents], guideline of July 2024.
- HAS, Parcours de santé d’un enfant avec troubles spécifiques du langage et des apprentissages [Care pathway for a child with specific language and learning disorders], January 2018.
- HAS, TSA: interventions et parcours de vie du nourrisson, de l’enfant et de l’adolescent [ASD: interventions and life course of infants, children and adolescents], guideline of January 2026.
- Éduscol, Guide de bonnes pratiques, matériel pédagogique adapté [Good practice guide: adapted learning equipment], June 2025.
- Éduscol, Enseigner à des élèves à besoins éducatifs particuliers [Teaching pupils with special educational needs].
- Réseau Canopé, Cap école inclusive [French public network for teaching resources: “Inclusive school” platform], adaptation sheets by need.
- Var departmental group on specific language and learning disorders (TSLA, Nice education authority), information sheets on dyslexia, dyspraxia and dysphasia, published online in June 2021.
- INSHEA, Aménagements pour un élève dyscalculique [Adjustments for a pupil with dyscalculia].
- Autisme Info Service, Besoins éducatifs spécifiques [Specific educational needs], updated 18 June 2026.
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- DSDEN du Bas-Rhin, Refus scolaire anxieux: PPRE, PAI, adaptations et aménagements [Anxiety-based school refusal: PPRE, PAI, adaptations and adjustments], January 2024.