Best schools in Brussels
Education in Brussels
Given the number of nationalities with flags outside the European Union headquarters, it’s quite surprising that there are so few international schools in Brussels. However, this is not a permanent place of work - rather, somewhere that politicians and their civil servants drop in and out of in the hopes of sealing a deal or at least forging useful alliances. Hopping on a plane or train, holding a meeting and then getting back to your own country for dinner tends to be the rule, rather than relocating the whole family operation to this small capital.
Another reason why there are not more international schools here could be the existence of the European schools in Brussels. They were originally founded to teach the children of EU staff and officials and have expanded as successive waves of bureaucrats arrive in Brussels. These schools are divided into language sections, teaching the same curriculum to students, mainly in their mother-tongues, but with a rule that they choose either English, French or German as their second language. The choice is wide with Danish, Hungarian, Italian, Polish and Spanish sections and if their mother-tongue is not covered, they can still enrol in the English, French and German departments.
With private schools in short supply, it would be natural for international families to investigate the possibilities of the local schools but, be warned - this is a minefield. First off, you are dealing with three separate school systems: Flemish, French and German speaking. To further complicate things, there are two types of schools in each community: community owned, subsidised public schools (run by the provinces and municipalities) and subsidised free schools (mainly run by bodies affiliated to the Catholic church). Almost all are co-ed and - usefully for the double-income, often stuck at work family - provide a cooked lunch and after-school supervision.
Nursery starts at 2-and-a-half, primary runs from 6 to 12 and secondary from 12 to 18. Secondary education has four sectors: general - for those heading to higher education; technical - which can lead straight into a profession or non-university higher education; art studies - leading to further education in an art institute; and professional - with a more practical emphasis, for those going straight into the workplace.
Choosing a school in Brussels
Due to the lack of buyers, the choices available for those who want an international education for their children are fairly limited. Almost all the international schools that do exist lie in a ragged arc outside Brussels and roughly 20 to 30 minutes’ drive from the centre - although the communes, which expats usually choose as home, are all closer to the schools: Ixelles, with its chic town houses and its neighbour, Watermael-Boitsfort, with its more countrified atmosphere, on the edge of the Sonian forest. Both have the advantage of being within walking distance of either the International School of Brussels or St John’s International School.
The impossible-to-pronounce (at least, for a non-Belgian) river Woluwe runs through Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, which was once an agricultural district but is now completely urbanised and home to diplomats and embassy staff. It is a quick hop from the European institutions, as well as being fairly close to the international schools. Etterbeck, marginally closer to the centre, is the other likely choice but still close enough to the schools to avoid a dawn start, when it comes to making it to school on time.
