Biggest day of protests in France this year as workers join school pupils on the streets

More than one in four lycées - which are schools for 15 to 18 year-olds - were affected by protests in France yesterday.

French pupils were joined in protests by workers, including many teachers, who agreed to stop working for the day - this is also called a strike.

France's interior ministry said that half a million people had turned out on the streets, with their count making it the biggest day of protests across the country this year.

Many French pupils have been protesting since September, unhappy about what they feel are overcrowded classrooms, a lack of teachers and not enough money for schools.

Yesterday the pupils were joined by a group of unions, who represent adults who work, as part of marches and rallies aimed at sending a message to the French government.

They were protesting for higher pay and more money for public services - like schools, hospitals, and public transport.

The vice-president of the Unef student union, Alice De Brito, spoke to the BBC about the aims of the protest.

"Now it's not only about [investing in] public services in education and higher education, it's about all of the public services in France."

The unions put the number of people taking part at over 1.5 million, more than the figure given by the interior ministry.

The marches were mostly peaceful, with less trouble than during the last big day of protests, but some unrest was reported in several cities.

France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said he would hold a "social conference" with unions and employers next Monday, which he says will "provide answers to questions surrounding purchasing power and wages".

The government has said that it will make some class sizes in lycées smaller, and has promised pupils that it will change the unpopular platform that they use to apply to university by 2028.