[ Don't tell my son, or he'll want to move ... But perhaps in France the schools do more hours each day?
Yes, they probably do.
for example in primary school pulpils have about 30 hours per week
in secondary school about the same ( 30 hours ) and in high school from 32 to 35 hours per week. I was talking to a friend of mine this morning and she said that some students have more than 35 hours per week when they choose optional subjects.
They deserve holidays, don't they?
