Lycée Blomet


The École normale catholique, also officially known as the lycée Blomet, is a private school founded in 1906 by teacher Louise Desrez. Since 1933, it has been located at 5 rue Blomet, in the 15th arrondissement of Paris.

History

Foundation (1906-1952)

The École normale catholique was born in the context of anti-clericalism which marked the start of the 20th Century in France. The law of 7 July 1904 introduced by Émile Combes meant the dissolution of Catholic religious houses, forcing them to move to other European countries. In this atmosphere, there also came the 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State, leading Mlle Desrez, teacher, and friend of Madeleine Daniélou, to decide in 1906 to create a normal school to fill the gap in girls' education and to teach Christian teachers. It was located at 90 rue de Rennes, initially for primary education, but its development led to growth, and the ENC moved to 159 rue de Sèvres.
From its origin, Louise Desrez surrounded herself with teachers and trainees, mostly from the Institut catholique de Paris or the Collège Stanislas de Paris. In 1922, Mlle Marguerite Eymard succeeded Mlle Desrez, after working as her assistant. Due to the precarious lease on the building in rue de Sèvres, the construction of a new building was decided upon. Jean Verdier, archbishop of Paris inaugurated the new school on 20 December 1934. The ENC also built an annexe on rue Olivier-de-Serres in 1939: the école Saint-Jean was born.

The Jesuit era (Since 1952)

In 1952, the headteacher, Mlle Marguerite, appealed to the Society of Jesus, to ensure the sustainability of their work. The ENC specifically worked with the Society of Jesus Christ, a Jesuit teaching congregation who already ran the écoles Chevreul in Lyon and Marseille and who practiced Ignatian pedagogy. Mlle Deshaires took over the running of the school.
In 1988, the establishment, then equipped with a college and a lycée, started to offer classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles in literature. In 2003, the Society of Jesus Christ joined with the Sisters of the Company of Mary, Our Lady.
In September 2015, a new law stream in was opened in partnership with the université Panthéon-Assas, mostly preparing students for the ENS Cachan but also for civil service entrance examinations, and allowing them to access law studies at university.

Administration

Headteacher

School

École Blomet

The école Blomet has around 400 students, girls and boys split into 4 kindergarten and 10 primary classes.

École Saint-Jean

There is also a separate site on rue Olivier-de-Serres, the école Saint-Jean is still part of the ENC. The school has close to 350 students in 13 classes.

College

The 700 college students at the establishment are in 6 classes for each level, 24 classes in total.

Lycée

The lycée has close to 500 students in 15 classes with 5 classes per level. The baccalauréat général is run with 5 first-year and 5 final-year groups literature, economic and social and science.

Classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles

The preparatory classes of the ENC are composed of around 200 students in 3 streams:
The preparatory classes at Blomet since 2017 have moved to a new location at 3 rue Barthélémy, in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. It is attracting a growing number of students, and is in an attractive location close to the Breteuil, and preparing for literary or D1 classes.