In all the European countries, the organisation of the first stage of secondary education has been the object of major debate and structural reform throughout the twentieth century. The focus, which is clearly political, centres on the ideal proportion between a common education for all the children of a particular age and a first taste of differentiation. The countries concerned have made different choices, from separate courses to integrated systems, from primary to secondary, according to historical heritage and ideological contexts which are themselves varied, but it always remains a choice for society. Since the eighties, we have seen the growth of a certain scepticism with regard to the scope of political structures, particularly in terms of the democratisation of teaching. But once the question is raised of the individualisation of teaching which is nessary in the face of the growing heterogeneity of pupils in the "average school", it does not prove to be easier to ensure the evolution of teaching methods. Many countries are rallying to an increased decentralisation together with ex post verification of results obtained by a central power which sees its role considerably modifies. In fact, beyond the ideological divisions which remain considerable, we seem to have something of a rapprochement between the European countries' education systems.