It all began in November 1927...The area of Rennes situated to the north of the town seemed somewhat in the middle of nowhere when the first part of Sainte Jeanne d'Arc church was built between 1910 and 1913, giving its name to the whole district.
The district gradually spread northeast, and the need for schools nearer to family homes became increasingly important. The Congregation of the Immaculate Conception, founded at Saint Méen and active in Rennes at the Immaculate boarding school since 1874, wanted to meet this need and contribute to the Christian upbringing of the young; setting out to build a school in the middle of fields and meadows. However, the land giving on to rue Danton, number 37, had to be purchased in order to provide an access for the school.
The first school year began on 4 November 1927, because the work had not been completed until this date. 42 girls (including 19 boarders) and 9 boys were divided into four classes in what is currently the West building, the only building that existed at this time.
The number of staff began to increase on a regular basis, and in 1932, the school counted almost 200 pupils. "Your school is still very young", said the Archbishop of Rennes at the time, "it is only just beginning to grow, but I can tell that it has a great future in store." The constant increase in the number of pupils certainly caused many problems, as the premises were not large enough to accommodate them.
Thus, in 1933, extension work began in order to construct a building that would be perpendicular to the first one.
Between 1934 and 1940, with the number of pupils still increasing, a 3rd form or ninth grade class was introduced, and private classes in shorthand, typewriting and accounting were taught from 1938-39 along with home economics classes, which also developed around this time.
In 1940, the school was occupied by the German army, and the pupils attended the "Sainte Jeanne d'Arc" boarding school and the Immaculate boarding school, rue de la Visitation, and in 1943 the schools in Coesmes and Theil de Bretagne. At the start of the 1944-45 school year, the primary school pupils returned to the school, which was still partially requisitioned by the US army, then by the French army. As the boarders were not able to return to the school until 4 January 1945, the total number of pupils at this time was no greater than 225.
School life regained momentum, and as numbers gradually grew over the years, a business course was introduced in 1949. The school was converted at the rectory's request into a Technical school in 1955, largely contributing to this growth.
In 1959, the total number of pupils was 800 divided into 22 classes, and the premises remained the same as in 1935, except for the recreation room that had been set up, which was used for four primary classes.
In 1960, contracts signed with the State led to the rapid construction of new premises. Within two months, December 1960 and January 1961, six classes in prefabricated classrooms were ready to accommodate the 135 pupils from the Technical School. 1961-1962 saw the opening of six other classes in this section and two classes in the playschool section.
Setting up these classes in the Technical School led to the opening of a Business Office which the Head of Catholic Education had requested, and was open to all schools in the diocese.
In 1963, a preparatory section for the Brevet Supérieur de Technicien (Higher Education Diploma) in Management Assistance was introduced: six pupils who had successfully completed the B.S.E.C. (Higher Diploma in Business) had a year to prepare for the BTS (Advanced Vocational Diploma) in Management Assistance. The following year, the Ministry of National Education introduced new laws requiring two years of preparation for this examination. The B.S.E.C. examination was then replaced by the Baccalauréat G1 (Administrative techniques), which necessitated the creation of a Fifth-form or tenth grade technical class in 1965.
At the beginning of the 1964-1965 school year,
the cedars in the large playground had to be moved to make room for the new building which would house the supplementary courses, the pupils' dining hall and the boarders' individual rooms, and was thus able to accept the enrolment requests for the various sections of the school.
In 1967-68, four years after its foundation, Ste Jeanne d'Arc school counted more than a thousand pupils including a hundred boarders and over two hundred half-boarders. The increasing number of enrolment requests for the Administration Assistant B.T.S., the opening of a preparatory class for the BEP (National Vocational Qualification) in Health Professions and a class for the B.T.S. in Home Economics meant that new premises were required. From 1972 onwards, a new building would accommodate students in the two BTS courses, divided into eight classes.
Shortly afterwards, in 1974, a new search was conducted with a view to merging the "Assumption" and "Ste Jeanne d'Arc" schools. This led to a new organisation for both schools and the construction of a final building intended for the nursery school, which had now become autonomous at the request of the Academic Inspection services.
At the start of the 1974-75 school year, Ste Jeanne d'Arc school included a nursery school with four classes and a mixed primary school with twelve classes.
"Jeanne d'Arc" Technical School had four classes preparing for the B.E.P. in Social and Health Professions, nine classes preparing for the Baccalauréat G1 (Business Administration Techniques), six classes preparing for the Administration Assistant B.T.S. and two classes preparing for the B.T.S. in Home Economics.
In 1978, "Ste Jeanne d'Arc" school celebrated its fifty year anniversary. Has it fulfilled its mission? Has it provided the young people who were its pupils with a solid intellectual education? Has it contributed to their overall education by giving a meaning, a Christian meaning, to their lives? It is easier to congratulate the school for its examination success rate, satisfactory on the whole, rather than answer these questions. However, certain indicators would have us believe that all was not in vain, that the seed is there and will one day bear fruit.
In 1979, a preparatory course for the B.T.S. in Tourism was taught. Many admission applications were received, just as for the other B.T.S. courses. It was impossible to accept all of the applications, given the number of places available and the opportunities open to B.T.S. holders at that time.
The 1980-81 school year was the twenty-fifth year anniversary of "Jeanne d'Arc" Technical School, henceforth renamed Lycée Technique Privé "Jeanne d'Arc".
In 1955, the school counted seventy-one pupils divided into four classes. At the start of the 1981 school year, twenty-four classes accommodated 704 pupils, and two new courses were introduced: one a B.E.P. in Health Professions, the other a B.T.S. in Tourism.
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