In the Shanghai Declaration, the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) put forward the necessity to include social development, social justice, equity, health, sustainability and environmental issues in ALL policies (World Health Organization, 2016). Providing citizens with the means to act upon the conditions which affect their life, whether they be material, psychosocial and even political, can contribute to reducing health inequities and also counterbalance the effects of the social gradient (Marmot, 2010). Health promotion is among the key strategies (Ridde, 2007) to address this priority yet challenging issue, on the basis of integrated strategies which involve schools (St Leger, 2004). In France, one of the translations of health promotion strategies into school practices is in the form of health and citizenship educational pathways , which were created to prepare children and young people to face societal challenges, prepare them to act as responsible citizens, as well as promote their own health. “éducations à” (which translates “education to”) are now integrated in the school curriculum as transversal subjects, which include, but are not limited to, health education, sustainable development education, and citizenship education. Such “educations to..” supposedly aim to address “vivid societal issues” (Legardez, 2004), which by definition cannot be answered in an unequivocal manner as they are controversial, and call for ethical/political debates, and of course a critical reflection on social norms and how social norms are created. Lange and Victor even argue that engaging in such an approach with pupils is a crucial issue for democracy (Lange & Victor, 2006). However, teachers must “teach” such multifaceted subject in French schools, which strains their teaching practices on multiple levels. The presentation will contemplate a threefold focus on the challenges created by such “education to” within teaching practices in France: 1- the type of messages which need/can/should be conveyed by teachers on such controversial subjects, and the type of knowledge to draw from to do so; 2- the challenges teachers are faced with from a pedagogical point of view; 3- the stakes relating to teachers’ professional identity, exploring how to juggle between being a holder of knowledge which is transmitted to a pupil, a promoter of critical thinking and debate, and also a citizen with their own point of view.

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