1. Analytical summary

A regional support within an already established national framework

The EVAR-EVARS programme, established by the decree of 3 February 2025 and specified by the circular of 4 February 2025, came into effect at the start of the 2025 school year and enforces the legal obligation of at least three annual sessions per age group (art. L. 121-1 and L. 312-16 of the education code). The instruction is addressed to the general directors of ARS to clarify their support role in this deployment. It is set within a context that the annex documents from third-party sources: persistence of sexual violence, increase in STIs among those under 25 years old, decline in prevention and contraception, and an environment of digital misinformation (p. 3; annex p. 1-2). The target audiences are all students, from nursery to high school, with a focus on students with disabilities and priority territories (p. 5-6).

What the ARS can mobilise, and to what extent

The operational core hinges on a dividing line: teachers retain primary responsibility for the sessions; the ARS intervenes in support of the rectorates, without substituting for the National Education (p. 4-5). The instruction equips this support: support for approved associations, mobilization of the health service of health students (SSES), dialogue with the rectorate and the regional directorate for the rights of women, prioritization of priority education, QPV and rural and overseas territories, monitoring and control of compliance of funded actions, coordination with ESMS and the INTIMAGIR resource centres for disability, and integration of educational policies into the regional coordination committees for sexual health (CoReSS) (p. 5-7). Any intervention by an external partner requires a duo including a member of the National Education (p. 5).

2. Key points of the document

1️⃣ A clear line of responsibility: support, not substitution. The ARS acts in support of the academic authorities; teachers retain primary responsibility for the content and conduct of the sessions, with three annual sessions per homogeneous age group (p. 4-5).

2️⃣ The mandatory duo as a structuring rule. Any intervention by an external partner (approved association, health student) must be ensured by a duo including necessarily a member of the National Education, with preparation in advance and systematic coordination (p. 5).

3️⃣ An explicit territorial prioritization. The support from the ARS is primarily directed towards priority education, priority neighbourhoods of the urban policy (QPV), rural and overseas territories, in dialogue with the rectorate and the regional directorate for women's rights (p. 5-6).

4️⃣ A disability component with dedicated resources. The instruction links the school curriculum to support for emotional, relational, intimate and sexual life in ESMS (circular DGCS/SD3B/2021/147) and cites the regional resource centres INTIMAGIR as support for professionals (p. 6).

5️⃣ The CoReSS as a cornerstone of coordination. The integration of a representative from the academic team leading sexual education within the regional coordination committees for sexual health (CoReSS), or a rectorate-CoReSS partnership, is strongly encouraged to link educational policies and sexual health policies (p. 6-7).

3. Action points for local actors

Reminder of calibration (template misalignment).

This document does not provide ready-to-use facilitation tools. The points below therefore focus on institutional positioning, critical reading and partnership articulation — not on direct pedagogical actions, which fall under Éduscol EVAR-EVARS resources.

1️⃣ Position one's action within the line "support / non-substitution". Before proposing an intervention in a school setting, check that one's action supports the educational team and does not replace it, and immediately integrate the rule of the duo with a member of the National Education staff (p. 4-5).

2️⃣ Check its approval and neutrality. Any association intervening in the session must be approved by the National Education (national or academic, art. D. 551-1 and following) and must respect the principles of secularism and religious, political and commercial neutrality (p. 5). Check its registration on the lists published by the rectorate.

3️⃣ Get closer to the CoReSS and the rectorate as entry points. To identify partners and resources in a territory, rely on the CoReSS, presented as a framework for identifying resources and coordinating actors in sexual health (p. 6-7). Request the dialogue between the rectorate / ARS already planned.

4️⃣ Mobilise suitable disability resources. For a public with disabilities, coordinate the action with the relevant ESMS and request the regional INTIMAGIR resource centre, positioned to support professionals on intimate, emotional and sexual life (p. 6).

5️⃣ Rely on reliable sources and prevent misinformation. The instruction requests to disseminate information based on scientific knowledge and national recommendations and to raise awareness of the risks of misinformation (p. 5-6). Prioritise public reference resources (Éduscol EVAR-EVARS, OnSEXprime) rather than unverified content.

6️⃣ Anticipate the role of detection and guidance. The interventions contribute to the detection of vulnerability situations and to the guidance of young people towards suitable systems (p. 5). Prepare in advance, with the educational team, the conduct to be followed and the relays (see Section H).

Needs not covered / adaptations.

The document does not detail session contents, nor impact evaluation protocol, nor standard agreement model ARS-rectorate-association; it refers to the National Education for the organisation and funding of training. These elements are to be constructed locally, relying on the educational resources of Éduscol and existing partnership frameworks.

4. Additional references

Internal references — Health Practices

• SEXUAL HEALTH IN FRANCE: New findings and levers for global prevention -

- Véronique BARANSKA - Daniel OBERLé

External references — guides and frameworks post-2024 (verified URLs)

• Éduscol — "Implementing the EVAR/EVARS programme" (Ministry of National Education, 2025, resources published progressively 2025-2026). Educational booklets by level, progressivity markers, FAQ, family support. This is the educational tool that the instruction does not provide.eduscol.education.gouv.fr

• Circular from the Ministry of National Education — "Training all staff to combat sexist and sexual violence within the framework of implementing the EVAR-S programme" (MENE2622631C, system deployed from the start of the 2026 school year). Complementary on the training and prevention aspect of SV.education.gouv.fr

• National Council on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis (CNS) — "Opinion following recommendations on the sexual health of adolescent girls, boys, and young adults in the digital age" (adopted on 22 May 2025, 56 p.). Cited in the annex of the instruction; provided here for direct access to the analysis base on misinformation and digital issues.cns.sante.fr

5. Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

1. What is the exact role of the ARS in EVAR-EVARS?

A support role for the rectorates to facilitate the implementation of the programme, without replacing the competencies of the National Education: support for approved associations, mobilization of the SSES, territorial prioritization, compliance monitoring (p. 4-6).

2. Who actually leads the sessions?

Primarily the teachers, who retain primary responsibility. They can be accompanied by health, social and educational psychologists from the National Education, and by approved external partners (p. 4-5).

3. Can an association intervene alone in class?

No. Any intervention by an external partner must be done in tandem with a member of the National Education, after prior preparation with the educational team (p. 5).

4. How many sessions are planned, and since when has it been mandatory ?

At least three sessions per year and per homogeneous age group. Sexual education has been a mandatory subject since 2001 (art. L. 121-1 and L. 312-16); the current EVAR-EVARS programme came into effect at the start of the 2025 school year (p. 3-4).

5. How is disability taken into account?

The ARS ensures an adapted implementation for students with disabilities, encourages ESMS to coordinate their support with the school programme (circular DGCS/SD3B/2021/147) and can mobilize the INTIMAGIR resource centres (p. 6).

6. Which audiences and territories are priorities?

The establishments of priority education and specific territories: priority neighbourhoods of the urban policy (QPV), rural and overseas territories, as well as the most vulnerable populations (p. 5-6).

7. What is the CoReSS for here?

The regional coordination committee for sexual health is presented as a privileged framework for identifying the resources of a territory, sharing expertise and coordinating actors; the instruction encourages a rectorate-CoReSS partnership (p. 6-7).

6. Rewriting in FALC (Easy to read and understand)

What does this document talk about?

• At the school, there are classes on emotional life and sexuality.

• These classes are called EVAR in primary school. They are called EVARS in middle and high school.

• There are at least 3 classes per year for each age group.

• This document explains the role of ARS. An ARS is the regional health agency. It organises health in a region.

What should the ARS do?

• The ARS helps the school. But the ARS does not replace teachers.

• The teachers remain responsible for the classes.

• The ARS can help associations. These associations must have an agreement from the school.

• An association never comes alone. An adult from the school is always with it.

• The ARS helps first the places that need it the most. For example: the poor neighbourhoods, the countryside and the overseas territories.

• The ARS has also helped students with disabilities.

The important ideas

• These classes help to respect one's body and the bodies of others.

• These courses talk about consent. Consent means saying yes or not freely.

• These courses help to identify children in danger. They direct towards help.

• One must provide true information. One must not believe the false information on the Internet.

7. Cross-sectional analysis — values of Health Practices

Literacy — The programme aims for reliable and accessible information, with an age-appropriate vocabulary; the instruction itself remains a dense administrative text, not suitable for low literacy audiences (p. 3-4; annex p. 2).

Empowerment — The stated objective is to enable young people to make informed and responsible choices and to develop psychosocial skills; the direct involvement of beneficiaries in the design is not described in this text (p. 4; annex p. 2).

Participation — Co-construction mechanisms are mentioned on the partners' side (prior preparation, pairs, initiatives aimed at families via CoReSS), but no co-construction with young people is formalised (p. 5-7).

Community health — The collective and territorial dimension is central: regional support, prioritisation of territories, coordination of sexual health actors (p. 5-7).

Ethics — The principles of neutrality, secularism, and respect for the intimacy and pace of students are established; cultural or social biases are not specifically addressed (p. 4-5).

Human rights — The approach claims equality of dignity, gender equality and inclusion of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities (p. 3 ; annex p. 1, p. 3).

Intersectorality — Explicitly recommended: health (ARS), education (rectorates), women's rights, medico-social (ESMS, INTIMAGIR), higher education (SSES) (p. 5-7).

Partnership — Models are formalised: rectorate-CoReSS partnership, integration of an academic representative in CoReSS, mandatory pairing School / external partner (p. 5-7).

Fight against discrimination — The document explicitly targets the fight against VSS, discrimination and anti-LGBT+ hate, relying on dedicated national plans (p. 5-6 ; annex p. 3).

8. Assessment of the reliability of the resource

Scientific relevance

High at the institutional level. The source is primary and official (DGS), the legal framework is correctly referenced (decree and circular from February 2025, articles of the education and public health code) and corroborated by external research. The annex is based on recognised and recent sources (CIIVISE 2023, CSF 2023, ENVIE-INED 2023, HIV/STI report 2024, INCa, CNS). Caveat: the numerical data is cited, not produced by the document, and some are evolving (HPV coverage 2024, incidences 2023-2024) — to be re-verified at the source. The text is not a peer-reviewed scientific document but a guidance act.

Operational relevance

Average for a field actor. The document is directly useful to the ARS and their institutional partners to position themselves, but it does not offer any facilitation tools or ready-to-use protocols (template misalignment). Its operational value for the field mainly lies in the clarification of roles, rules (pairing, approval, prioritisation) and entry points (CoReSS, INTIMAGIR, SSES). The concrete pedagogical tools can be found in the Éduscol EVAR-EVARS resources.

9. Strategic hashtags

#HealthPractices #SexualHealth #EVARS #SexualityEducation #VSSPrevention #SchoolHealth #GenderEquality #Children'sRights