Understanding PPPs

projets pédagogiques particuliers

Information for parents

Projets pédagogiques particuliers (PPP) allow public schools to evolve with the times and adapt to social, cultural and technological changes, in order to better meet the interests and needs of students, within a clear and rigorous framework.

When well designed, accessible and supported collectively, PPPs can strengthen motivation and perseverance in school, promote success and enrich the educational journey of all students. The active participation of parents, alongside the school personal, remains essential to ensure that these projects are fair, transparent and truly beneficial to the entire school community.

(we decided to use “PPP” because school boards use this French abbreviation in their publications)

What is a PPP?

In general, a PPP aims to complement the training offered to students through specific activities or approaches, without ever replacing mandatory learning. Often called profiles or concentrations, these projects may involve a different school organization and, in some cases, structured adjustments to the subject grid.

Each PPP is an initiative specific to a school, designed according to its reality, its students and its resources. Therefore, there is no single model applicable to all environments. The student continues their schooling in an educational context that may be more stimulating or better suited to their profile.

However, other types of programs or projects exist in the public network and fall under different frameworks. The Sports-studies and Arts-studies programs are subject to specific ministerial rules and are aimed at students engaged in a recognized sporting or artistic practice, often in connection with sports federations or specialized partners. The Programme d’éducation intermédiaire du Baccalauréat international (PEI) falls under a separate structure, recognised by an external body, with its own requirements. These programs therefore do not fall under the same criteria or responsibilities as profile or concentration projects.

Because a PPP relies on collaboration between the school team, students, parents and the community, it is essential that parents understand what a PPP is, how it develops and how decisions are made. Parental involvement is a component of the decision-making process and contributes to the development of projects that are better rooted in the needs of the community.
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MEQ Guiding Principles for a PPP

To be compliant according to the Quebec Ministry of Education (MEQ), a particular educational project must respect four inseparable guiding principles.

The PPP must be consistent with the school’s educational project. It is not an isolated addition, but a concrete application of the educational guidelines, priorities and objectives adopted by the school board.
The PPP must comply with all legal and regulatory frameworks, including the Education Act, the Basic school regulation for preschool, elementary and secondary education and the Regulation respecting free instructional material and certain financial contributions that may be required.
The PPP must be distinct from the basic ministerial offer. This distinction may take the form of enriched content, a different pedagogical approach, specific activities or, in some cases, a duly authorized local curriculum.
A PPP must be accessible and affordable. Admission requirements, school organization and fees must not compromise equal opportunities or unduly exclude certain students.

Examples of PPPs in secondary school

The projects presented below do not constitute an exhaustive list. Other specific educational projects, whether more targeted, more specialized or more general, can be developed according to the creativity of the communities and the interests of the students.

Arts and culture

Visual arts and plastic arts
Media Arts and Digital Creation
Theatre, cinema and performing arts
Music

Science, technology and innovation

Robotics, applied sciences and experimentation
Information technology, multimedia and digital technologies
Video game design and analysis

Environment and the outdoors

Outdoor activities and learning in natural environments
Environment and sustainable development
Agriculture

Sports and physical activity

Multisports
Team sports and individual sports
Health, physical activity and well-being

Civic and social engagement

Community engagement and volunteering
Citizenship and responsible influence
Entrepreneurship

Opening up to the world

Knowledge, challenges and the contemporary world
Journalism, communication and media
Intellectual curiosity and critical thinking

Accessibility and admission criteria

Access to certain projects has long relied on selection mechanisms, sometimes linked to academic results, but an evolution is underway. More and more actors in the education network are now prioritizing, when possible and desirable, projects that are accessible without selection, in order to promote equity, inclusion and equal opportunities for all students.

However, the accessibility of a particular educational project is not limited to admission criteria. A project should be able to be offered to the greatest possible number of students who wish to participate, without discrimination based on academic results or financial situation.

Real accessibility also encompasses additional fees and costs, scheduling, transportation constraints, and certain implicit expectations of students and families. In this respect, the school board must ensure that the financial contributions requested are reasonable and in accordance with the rules in force, and that measures exist to prevent a project from creating obstacles to participation or exacerbating inequalities between students.

When admission criteria are necessary, for example due to space or resource constraints, these must be clear, justified, fair and known in advance.

Budgetary measures

The Ministry of Education is planning specific budgetary measures to support the development of particular educational projects in secondary schools, in particular to reduce costs for families.

Schools and school boards are encouraged to use these resources to promote free or very affordable PPPs that are accessible to the greatest number of people.

Special needs students

Special educational projects must also be accessible to students with disabilities or learning difficulties, when this is compatible with the nature of the project, the student’s situation and the resources of the school.

For these students, the main challenge lies in the conditions put in place to allow for genuine participation in the project. The analysis must therefore focus on the support and adaptation measures planned, in order to respect their journey and promote equal opportunities.

A structured and collective approach

The implementation of a PPP follows a rigorous process, spread over approximately two years, which allows for in-depth reflection, real consultations and realistic planning. It promotes the involvement of stakeholders and the sustainability of the project.

This approach involves the school administration, teaching staff, students, parents, the school council and, if necessary, the school service centre and community partners.

The role of teachers is central, since they contribute directly to the design and implementation of such a project.

Leur engagement pédagogique, soutenu par la direction et en collaboration avec les élèves, leurs parents et le conseil d’établissement, constitue une condition essentielle de réussite du projet. This sometimes involves collaborating differently, changing professional practices, or even physically reorganizing the school. These adjustments require time, openness, and support.

The concrete role of parents in establishing a PPP

Parents are not simply observers in the implementation of a particular educational project. They are full participants in the process. Through their participation in the governing board, consultations, surveys or working committees, they contribute to defining the real needs of students, to evaluating the relevance of the project and to ensuring its fairness.

The Education Act explicitly recognizes this contribution, notably by entrusting the governing board, where parents hold seats, with the approval of the orientations, the subject grid and the financial contributions related to a PPP.

Establish a situational overview

The first step is to create a realistic and documented portrait of the environment. This analysis is based on various data, such as the needs expressed by students and parents, the existing educational offer, infrastructure constraints, the current organization of student groups and educational pathways in the school, the deprivation index, the school climate and the results in terms of success, graduation and perseverance.

This step benefits from being enriched by formal consultations, for example in the form of surveys, information meetings, discussion groups and working committees. We can also incorporate reflections from work related to the educational project.

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Le conseil d’établissement dispose de plusieurs leviers prévus par la
Loi sur l’instruction publique pour soutenir cette démarche.

Conduct a survey among the students;
Conduct a survey among the parents;
Set up a reflection or working committee;
Appeal to the PPO;
Invite parents to information sessions;
Take advantage of the review of the educational project to include a reflection on PPPs;
Ask the principal to develop an implementation strategy;
Provide the school board with an opinion on the relevance of the project;
Approve or reject the time allocated to subjects in the subject grid.

To develop a shared vision

Based on observations made about the reality of the school, parents, students, staff and partners are invited to reflect together on the project. This is a key moment to discuss the objectives of the PPP, the interests of the students and what is concretely possible in the environment. The results of the consultations and the data collected are presented, followed by discussions on the different forms the project could take, the rules to be respected, the potential costs, and ways to make the project accessible to the greatest number of people.

These discussions and reflections help to better understand the impacts of the project on the organization of the school, on the groups of students and on the work of the staff, but also on all the students. This step is necessary to identify the challenges, possible solutions and conditions needed for the project to be fair, affordable and sustainable over time. The more open, respectful and transparent the exchanges are, the more likely the project is to truly meet the needs of the students and to be supported collectively.

The implementation of a particular educational project must be analyzed taking into account its effects on all students in the school, including those who do not participate in it. The organization of groups, the distribution of resources, access to educational services and school life must remain equitable and consistent with the school’s educational project.

A PPP should not lead to an impoverishment of the educational offer for other students nor create a lasting segmentation between different pathways within the same school. This analysis is an integral part of the role of the school board when it assesses the relevance and conditions for implementing a project.

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Plan the project

Planning begins when the school board approves the overall direction of the project. It is then that the management, in collaboration with the teaching staff and other stakeholders, develops the details of the project. This includes defining educational content, organizing the subject grid, allocating teaching time, and developing assessment methods. It is also necessary to plan the human, material and financial resources required, the implementation timelines, the communications with families, the admission criteria and the approvals to be obtained.

Depending on the type of project, some additional steps may be necessary, such as obtaining authorizations from the school service centre or the minister, particularly when a local study program needs to be created, with content and skills to be developed and evaluation methods to be defined.

The fees charged to parents

A specific educational project is not automatically fee-based. If fees are required, they must strictly comply with the legal framework. The teaching of compulsory subjects, the normal duties of teaching staff and basic educational services can never be subject to fees.

When fees are required, the school can only ask parents for reimbursement of the actual cost of certain services or materials specifically required for the PPP, when they do not fall under free schooling. The school board must approve these costs and measures must also be put in place to ensure that the financial accessibility of the project is not compromised.

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The role of the governing board

The governing board (GB) is a central player.

The school principal, together with the teachers, prepares a proposal for a general orientation of a specific educational project (art. 89). The Governing Board must approve this general direction of the project before it can proceed (art. 85).
The principal, together with the teachers, then proposes the subject grid, that is to say the time allotted to each subject in the timetable. The GB must approve it (art. 86 and 89) ensuring that the time allotted allows students to achieve the mandatory objectives, learn all the required content and comply with the rules for the sanction of studies (art. 86).
The GB also approves certain educational activities when these modify the school’s entry or exit times, or require travel outside (art. 87).
The fees charged to parents under a PPP must also be approved by the GB. These fees must correspond to the actual cost of the services or equipment required and cannot exceed that cost (art. 75.0.1).

All decisions related to the PPP must be taken in the fundamental interest of the students (art. 64 ) and in compliance with the rules in force, in particular those related to the task of teachers.

If the school board rejects a proposal, the administration must review it with the teachers or staff concerned before resubmitting it to the school board.

When a PPP requires a local curriculum, it is approved by the principal on the proposal of the teachers (art. 96.15). The GB must then be informed of this decision (art. 96.13 para. 4).

Implementing the PPP

Implementation marks the transition to action. It begins with promoting the project to students and families, launching the registration process, distributing groups, organizing materials and logistics, and setting up staff. If demand exceeds capacity, clear and fair admission criteria must be defined and communicated to students and their parents.

At this stage, several services of the school board can be called upon to support the school: educational services to ensure the educational compliance of the project, human resources to plan the allocation of staff or hire specialists, school organization to adjust the master schedule and locals and the school transportation service to anticipate the logistical impacts.

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Evaluate and adjust

Once the project is underway, evaluation becomes an essential tool to ensure its quality and sustainability. It allows us to verify whether the objectives are met, to measure the satisfaction of students, parents and staff, and to identify areas for improvement. We must be particularly interested in student participation, the impact on the school climate, the effectiveness of partnerships, staff workload, resource management, and the consistency between the project’s intentions and its concrete implementation.

The results of the evaluation must be shared and discussed collectively to allow for continuous adjustments. This helps to strengthen commitment to the project, maintain the mobilization of the school personal and offer a stable and sustainable educational offering over the years.

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Useful resources

Quebec Ministry of Education (MEQ – in French only – most content applies to school boards and governing boards)

Fédération des centres de services scolaires du Québec (FCSSQ – In French only, but applies to school boards and governing boards)

Projets pédagogiques particuliers : des outils incontournables

Projets pédagogiques particuliers, or PPPs, are an integral part of the Quebec school system. (we decided to use “PPP” because school boards use this French abbreviation in their publications) They allow public schools to respond to the diversity of students’ interests in a structured, fair and supervised manner, in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

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