A teacher has been attacked in a preschool class in Aubervilliers, a suburb of the French capital, Paris, by a man citing so-called Islamic State, BBC News reports.

The attacker shouted: "It's Daesh [Islamic State]. It's a warning", stabbing the teacher with a box cutter or scissors before fleeing.

The life of the teacher, 45, who was alone in the room, is not in danger.

France remains on high alert after the terrorist attacks in Paris on 13 November that left 130 people dead.

The Islamic State's French-language magazine Dar-al-Islam recently urged followers to kill teachers in France, describing them as "enemies of Allah" for teaching secularism, Agence France-Presse news agency reports.

Security has been strengthened at schools since the Paris attacks.

Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem travelled to the Aubervilliers school on Monday, December 14 calling the attack an "act of great gravity" that was "unacceptable".

Last week, she said the terrorist threat was "real and permanent", adding: "All public places must be protected, particularly schools."