Situation in Brussels European Schools - Informal report from the last Groupe de suivi meeting

Dear parents,

On 27 June 2017, the Secretary-General of the European Schools convened a Groupe de Suivi (GdS) meeting of School Directors, parents' and teachers' representatives, as well as of the European Commission and the Belgian authorities' (Régie des bâtiments) delegates. This was an extraordinary meeting of the informal group following the situation of European Schools in Brussels. The meeting addressed long-term strategies for the management of students' overpopulation on the basis of two key simulations. Both simulations were structured along the existing four Schools' locations (in Uccle, Woluwe, Ixelles and Laeken) without any consideration for the existing Berkendael site or for the possible new location of the 5th European School in Evere, for which a political decision of the Belgian Council of Ministers is expected by the end of this year.

Both simulations suggest a profound reshuffle of existing enrolment policies and of the composition of the school communities as of a subsequent school year. They underline the importance of establishing two or three upper Secondary schools with a commensurate reduction of the classes offered in the other locations to Primary and S1-S3 classes. In both scenarios the Ixelles school was presented as a (mainly) Primary school, thus feeding other locations with upper Secondary students.

Among the positive aspects of such a new approach, the following arguments were presented by the Secretary-General:
1. More options to be offered for S4-S7 students with a clear reduction of the number of small classes
2. Continuity for large Nursery, Primary and lower Secondary levels
3. Continuity of most teachers' secondment within the same European School.

It should be highlighted that this first meeting was not intended to prepare any conclusions but to kick-off a common reflection across the board. The simulations presented in the meeting were considered as a working tool for further analysis. Having said that, parents and other representatives expressed a wide agreement on the following key issues:

1. The current simulations cannot be used as a consultation or a decision-making tool, before the Berkendael and Evere locations are taken on board;
2. A proper impact assessment should be conducted beforehand, which should be prepared and studied carefully with involvement of all stakeholders, before any recommendations are presented to the December 2017 Board of Governors; the impact assessment should address, in particular, political, budgetary, organisational, infrastructure-related and pedagogical issues;
3. Any further studies or new papers should take into account inter-alia, of (non-exhaustive list):
a. The cost balance (less options v. more expenditure for restructuring equipment and other material conditions, for example the labs, the canteen, the physical education equipment, ...)
b. The future impact of Brexit and the reasonable wishes of parents within the EN sections
c. The logistical problems associated with the organisation of the lessons' planning, including the planning of final exams for a very large number of students in the upper Secondary Schools
d. The reasonable interests of L2 DE classes
e. The attractiveness of European Schools for seconded teachers, especially those whose career development after secondment requires strong pre-BAC and BAC-related involvement experience
f. The possible deterioration of school environment in a large Primary School
g. The capacity of Primary and lower Secondary schools to accommodate a huge increase of those categories of pupils in terms of playground and other facilities)
h. The impact on APEEE operations, including the need for re-organisation of bus lines, canteen operations etc.
i. The Schools' Mobility Plans and other geographical and transport/traffic-related parameters, before any final decision on the location of Primary-feeding Schools is taken.

Participants agreed to meet again by the end of September 2017 to analyse key arguments and decide on the way forward. Parents' Associations of all Brussels Schools as well as other stakeholders' groups will be coordinating their positions and will deliver draft position papers as a basis for the final impact assessment with a view to providing long-term sustainable scenarios for the future of Brussels European Schools. The preparatory discussions will lead to a final assessment of the situation by the Board of Governors in December 2017.

You will be kept informed of any developments on a regular basis.

On behalf of the APEEE Administrative Board, I wish you and your families a very nice, well-deserved summer holiday.

Yours,
Tassos PAPADOPOULOS
President of the APEEE Board