International schools in the Vlaamse Rand (Flemish periphery) around Brussels

In and around Brussels, there are 4 European and approximately 20 international schools that can accommodate over 15,000 students.1 Most of these schools are located in the south-east of Brussels or in the south-eastern Vlaamse Rand, in other words, precisely where the highest concentration of foreign residents is found. The target audience for these schools consists of the children of so-called expats, the foreign employees of international companies or organisations. It is difficult to establish the size and evolution of these schools, or their impact on their environment, because little research and basic data is available on the subject. Moreover, these are private schools that do not publicise any official data such as that related to student numbers. The number of Brussels children that attend an international or European school is estimated at 4%, but no estimate is available for the Vlaamse Rand.

European versus international schools

European schools were established by the EU and were originally intended for the children of staff linked to the European institutions. They are given priority and benefit from more favourable admissions rules. It is extremely difficult for others to gain admission to a European school given that these schools are also facing issues of overcapacity. In 2012, a new European school opened in Laeken and it reached its maximum capacity of 2,500 students almost immediately. The objective of establishing this fourth European school in a completely different district on the other side of the city was also to encourage EU families to settle in other areas in the Region.2 In the search for a location for a fifth European school, it was insisted that the latter be located 'in the vicinity of EU staff’s main working and residential areas', which means that the issue of achieving a more effective distribution of these highly educated residents across the Region has been put on the back burner.3

The European schools profile themselves as schools that offer multilingual education. Children are taught in their native language, but in first stage education they are also introduced to a second language and to a third language in the second year. Students that successfully complete their education at the European school obtain the European Baccalaureate. This gives them access to universities throughout Europe.

All European schools are located on the territory of the Brussels-Capital Region, but international schools are found in the Brussels municipalities as well as surrounding municipalities, more specifically in Kraainem, Overijse, Sint-Genesius-Rode, Tervuren, Wezembeek-Oppem and Zaventem. International schools have also been established in Lasne, Waterloo, Braine l’Alleud, Wavre, Court-Saint-Etienne and Leuven.

International schools in the Vlaamse Rand are located precisely in the municipalities that are home to larger groups of (highly educated) foreign migrants, and in turn, these schools attract new foreign residents. Several factors play a role in expats’ choice of their place of residence. Proximity to work and an attractive living environment are high on their list of priorities, but the presence of a suitable school is also a major decisive factor.4 In their choice of school, foreign parents allow themselves to be guided by information provided by social and professional networks, which also increases the concentrations of certain nationalities in municipalities in the Vlaamse Rand. Where there is a greater presence of highly educated foreigners, one also finds the schools and vice-versa, many expats appear to live close to the schools, where there is a greater number of these particular expats. Thus, there is, for example, a striking number of Dutch residents in Overijse, Germans in Wezembeek-Oppem and Brits in Tervuren.

The child’s early educational circumstances are also taken into account when choosing a school. What school did the child previously attend? In which language? And what school offers the best options to allow the child to pick up the thread when he or she returns to the education system in the home country? Naturally, not all foreign residents choose international schools. Due to its fine reputation, many expats in the Vlaamse Rand opt for the Dutch-language education system for their children. Practical factors play a role in this decision: not only is there a greater chance of finding a local school in the neighbourhood, but the cost is incomparable as well. The argument related to integration and the social role in the choice for a local school and learning Dutch also applies to expats that live here for a longer period. The capacity issue that Brussels and other metropolises are facing results in additional obstacles for local education circuits. Foreign parents must often collect information and organise their children’s school registration far in advance. In contrast, international schools offer flexible options for admission throughout the school year.

Choice and curriculum

The international schools do not fall under the school curriculum of the Flemish Community. They are private schools, independently funded or subsidised by their home country. A number of international schools offer programmes that are more or less compatible with the curriculum offered in the home country. Expats that only spend a short period of time here tend to choose these schools to limit the children’s requirement to adjust here and then again back at home. In addition, there are international schools that follow the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme or the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) at secondary level.5 Most of these schools provide a high-quality education and offer guarantees for successful transition to the best universities and colleges of higher education. The teaching staff are also selected according to very high standards. Not all international schools are highly focused on prestige. There is a notable number of Montessori schools in the international schools in the Vlaamse Rand. Montessori education is based on a method, named after the Italian doctor Maria Montessori, which focuses on the individual child’s abilities and personal development. These are usually small-scale schools that are concerned with ecological aspects and also emphasise the choice for multilingual English-French education..

Expensive private schools

Official and subsidised education in Belgium is basically free. This is not the case at international schools. In contrast, their registration fees are exceptionally high, between 13,000 and 25,000 euros. These school fees are often part of the expat package deal in the employment contract concluded between the employee/parent and the employer. Depending on the negotiation margin and the economic crisis, school fees are paid in whole or part, or just for one child. The international schools are viewed as exclusive, prestigious elite schools, although the Montessori schools offer a fairly alternative educational approach.

Multilingual education

As private schools, the international schools are not bound by the Law of 30 July 1963 relating to the use of languages in education. Only official schools and those subsidised by the state and recognised establishments must comply with the language legislation. As a result international schools can provide education in any (foreign) language they want.6 Education provided in a different language or multilingual education is an important common characteristic among international schools and represents a major power of attraction. Many foreign parents are multilingual themselves and view multilingual education as a major added value.7 Most international schools teach the majority of the curriculum in English, supplemented with French or another language. A number of schools also teach Dutch. The extensive range of languages on offer in these schools represents considerable appeal for Belgian residents in the Vlaamse Rand. Overall, there is an increase in the number of nationalities in the international schools. In other words, the international schools are becoming more international.8

The impact of the international schools

The effects of the international schools on their environment was primarily highlighted due to the high housing prices and social displacement to which they apparently give rise.9 The preference of the wealthy middle class for a green living environment has resulted in people relocating from the Brussels-Capital Region to the Vlaamse Rand for years. Expats also often prefer homes in the greener Vlaamse Rand. This means that many students at European and international schools in Brussels live close by in one of its municipalities.10 The international schools are not solely responsible for shortages on the property market and higher housing prices in Brussels and the Vlaamse Rand. There has been talk of housing pressure for years. Furthermore, the fear about the effect of the international schools on the Vlaamse Rand’s Flemish character has also been expressed.11

Further research

Hardly any basic research is available on the international schools. These are private schools that do not fall under the supervision of the Flemish Ministry for Education or under the French Community, and therefore very little statistical data is available. The only data comes from publications by the schools themselves or from information provided on the schools’ websites. This produces a very incomplete picture in terms of size, project or nature of the data, partly due to the very diverse nature of the schools. Their impact on their environments is still unknown today. Given that significant numbers of students are involved, which may continue to rise due to Brussels’ international role, and that the issue is closely linked to the internationalisation and increasing polarisation of the community, further research is recommended.

Footnotes

1 It involves approximate data based on figures provided by the Round table on Dutch-language education in Brussels (RTCB-Nota, De specificiteit van het Vlaamse onderwijs in het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, 2007), supplemented with student capacity for the new European school in Laeken.

2 The European schools were created in 1957 to provide the children of European civil servants with multilingual education. In Brussels, they are located in Uccle, Woluwe, Ixelles and Laeken and offer a total of over 10,000 places for students. Gewestelijk plan voor duurzame ontwikkeling, Cahier van het ATO/ADT, 2011, pp. 143, en Verbindingsbureau Brussel en Europa, Expats in Brussel, Wie zijn zij?

3 Raad van de Europese Unie, Verslag van de Commissie aan het Europees Parlement en de Raad. Het systeem van de Europese scholen in 2011, Brussel, 9 januari 2013, pp. 9-10 en 12.

4 his is one of the reasons why the search for a suitable location for a fourth European school in Brussels also led to discussions in the Flemish Parliament. The proximity of an international or European school is considered to be a decisive factor in the choice of a place of residence for expats and it was feared that the establishment of a new school on the outskirts of the Brussels-Capital Region would result in an influx in the Vlaamse Rand of new migrants who speak other languages. Vergadering Commissie voor Brussel en de Vlaamse Rand, 27 maart 2003, en Commissie voor Wonen, Stedelijk Beleid, Inburgering en Gelijke Kansen, Vergadering, 13 maart 2008.

5 The International Baccalaureate (IB) is the most well-known international curriculum, which is revered all over the world. it is divided into the Primary Years Programme (PYP, 3-12 years), Middle Years Programme (MYP, 12-16 years) and the Diploma Programme (DP, 16-18 years). The IGCSE is the international version of the British General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and applies to students between the ages of 12 and 16. It results in a completed diploma, which can be continued with the Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE, for students between the ages of 16 and 18), which offers access to higher education and universities.

6 Linguistic freedom is defined in Article 30 of the Constitution. The rule 'education language = local language' applies to official and subsidised education. Education in municipalities with linguistic facilities can be considered an exception to this rule.

7 The power of attraction exerted by multilingual education is referred to in: Janssens Rudi, Taalkennis van integratie van expats in de Rand rond Brussel, in: Degadt Jan, De Metsenaere Machteld, Devlieger Mieke, Janssens Rudi, Mares Ann en Van Wynsberghe Caroline (red.), De internationalisering van de Vlaamse Rand rond Brussel, ASP, 2012, pp. 72-90 en Housen Alex, Multilingual Development in the European Schools, in De Groof Roel (ed.), Brussels and Europe, Bruxelles et l’Europe, ASP, 2008, p. 455.

8 Bart Claes, Internationale Scholen worden internationaler, in: Randkrant, pp. 4-5.

9 Vermeyen Anouk, De woningmarkt in de rand rond Brussel: evoluties en knelpunten, Leuven, licentiaatsverhandeling KULeuven, 2007. The eventual impact of the arrival of a fourth European school in Laeken was addressed as well as the detrimental effects in Wemmel, Meise and Grimbergen. This led to a debate, in which Flemish politicians advocated for a better distribution of the schools and a say in the choice of locations for European schools as a result of the alleged effect on the housing market. Vergadering Commissie voor Brussel en de Vlaamse Rand, 27 maart 2003, en Commissie voor Wonen, Stedelijk Beleid, Inburgering en Gelijke Kansen, Vergadering, 13 maart 2008.

10 A study by Anouk Vermeyen revealed that the vast majority of students at the European schools in Uccle and Ixelles live in the Vlaamse Rand.

11 This aspect also emerged in the aforementioned discussions in the Commission for Brussels and the Vlaamse Rand (Commissie voor Brussel en de Vlaamse Rand) and in Daniël Derudder (2009), De Vlaamse Rand: socio-economisch profiel en een blik op het Vlaams karakter, Studiedienst van de Vlaamse Regering, SVR-Rapport 2009/5.

Links

• Portaalsite PLOTEUS
• Map met alle internationale scholen en hun adressen, Greater Brussels, International Schools