The French government pledged 3,000 substitute teachers for lycées, dropped planned rises in some higher-education fees and launched a national online survey of pupils.

What this evidence bears on

• Supports: The concessions so far are too small to fix shortages that have built up over years.

  • A reason for “Meet the demands: invest in schools now”

• Supports: The government is already making concessions and drafting proposals, so in practice talks are happening anyway.

  • A reply in “Restore order first, then negotiate”