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From research in France and South Africa, the authors suggest that social exclusion at school is similar from three perspectives: socio-economic exclusion, the historical and political creation of inferior status, and the ethnic or racial dimension of the social condition. In importing the notion of decency in school in both countries, the authors point to the convergence between the exposure of a powerless school and the concept of school as a service to the community in South Africa, where care is the main reference among teachers; they expose the intrusive side of school and the concept of being cut off from the local environment in France, where the normative vision of teachers restricts their accountability and makes families or society accountable instead. The school seen as a decent institution draws attention to the treatment of social exclusion and extends this kind of questioning to contemporary institutions.