School for my 3 children in brussels

You would have a long wait if you want a special school for your child, I'd estimate 2-3 years perhaps, places in type 8 are hard to come by. ADHD is quite controversial too, so unless you have a full diagnosis wither everything translated into French, I would not be optimistic.

If you use the search function, you can see tons of advice on how to look for schools here, rather than repeat the advice.

Your choice of school should be based on where you live.

Thank you very much schoolmum,

I read nearly all the posts and replies but what i could not find is which school or schools that can be near each other in order to drop the 3 kids in one place and go to my work at ulb.

Regarding my living place , i have not decided yet beacuse i guess i need to find out the schools first but i google and found ixelles , waterloo and anderlecht maybe.
I have not visited bruxelles yet and if you suggest a particular place which meets the school criteria i would be thankful

Samah.

Waterloo is not in Brussels,, 20km away,

No idea why you ve come up with anderlecht.

If you d used the search function as suggested you would have immediately discounted ixelles.

You ll have to decide a general area to live before school search can begin.

Schools are closed till end of August

BTW charente from the age of 8 take themselves to school of so you don't drop off you make sure they can get themselves to school easily from home.

I did based on what i ve found during my search . This site for example http://www.ixelles.irisnet.be/site/457- … ondamental

Can you please suggest an area for me to live and easy to arrive to ULB with the possibility to find schools for the 3 kids near by?

Your replies are appreciated.

Without a budget no not really. Look at public transport routes to work.
Look at secondary vacancies for eldest

Thank you very much. I will start looking for secondary school vacancy first.

1st secondary = 2005 birth
6th primary = 2006 birth
2nd primary = 2010 birth

If you are certain these are the classes you need, then 1st secondary is by central admissions. The vacancies are on this website, you might have to change region to "Brussels" and tick for "only schools with vacancies".

Not far from ULB is Watermael-Boitsfort, Auderghem and WSP, plus a tiny bit of Ixelles. I's be looking there to live, if you can afford say 1300 euro for a 3 bed apartment.

Not sure if you contact the schools direct at this point for secondary, I think you probably do, but they should guide you if you have to go through the centralised admissions. I'd only look at schools with places now.

In no particular order

College St Francois - rue des Merisiers 7, 1050 Ixelles - tiny school, might be just right for a child only here for 2 years, not too academic but it offers general education, I have a friend who regrets not choosing this school. No primary but Les Cedres, Ecole no7, Ecole no8 are the nearest primaries and usually have spaces.

St Julien-Parnasse, 1160 Auderghem. It specializes in sport, an ok academic school. Also has a primary, possibly has space.

AR Auderghem, 1160 Auderghem. Popular academic school, surprised there are places. They also have a campus in Watermael-Boitsfort, not so popular but in lovely area and small school. Also has a primary, usually has space.

AR Crommelynck, 1150 WSP. OK academic school, unfortunately surrounded by 2 very popular Catholic schools, it accepts children on AFS exchanges with no French at all, so might welcome an outside for 2 years.  The area is superb. Also has a primary but I'd look also at Joli-Bois primary nearby as it has type 8 children integrated into normal classes, in conjunction with the Joli-Bois special school next door. There will be places in all these schools.

AR Ixelles. The secondary is the least desired but nowhere near the worst school, better than the average Paris public college, but the advantage is the primary on the grounds has just opened, so will have very small classes and plenty of space. Might be a bit expensive to live in that area though.

That is probably your best bet for finding school places not too far from ULB.  I would look at  least 3 of these secondaries and go for the one you like the most.


http://www.inscription.cfwb.be/index.ph … page%5D=50

Schoolmum ,

You do not how helpful is your last reply to me. Also the link. You saved my life.

Thank you very much and you are right about the grades for the 3 chidren. We are actually staying in brussels for 2 years for me to finish my subspeciality and i was disparate to find school for them.

I appreciate your reply. Really i am.

Last question.
When should the school open and when do you advise me to contact them for the places ?

Schools open Friday 1st September.  Heads and secretaries will be in last week in all schools and in 2nd last week in some schools, more likely present in secondaries than primaries.

All those secondaries have more than 10 places so you can choose your favoured one. I have never been inside any.   From website and info from friend who visited all last year, St francois is very attractive.  St julienne is one to choose if you have a talented athlete especially gymnast as best gymnastics club in Brussels is on land formerly part of the school. It s walking distance to Ulb main campusin ixelles.

Just to check, you're not at erasme hospital as a medic? That would Change school choice completely.

Hello,
Thank you for your reply.
In fact i am in erasme hospital . I am coming for fellowship . Yes.
What would change with schools? Can you please clarify and explain to me ?

Regards and thank you in advance.

Erasme is not part of Ulb main campus so yes it would change completely as it s 15km from Ulb main campus on the very very edge of and er leche and my suggestions are useless.  Double check you will be 100% at the hospital

Few vacancies in general academic schools in that area, mainly technical places left.

College le tournesol has a small waiting list.

http://www.lestournesols.com/Les_Tourne … llege.html

If you would be happy wtf 30 minute metro ride from beaulieu / delta / hanka metro area, that is good for st julien parnasse  and St francois  schools.

I would suggest your family might be happier there than anderlecht unless you can get a place at college les tournesols.   The metro to erasme is direct and efficient.  It s metro line 5.

Schoolmum,
Thank you again.
I asked a collegue and he said that this is the adress Route de Lennik 808, 1070 Bruxelles, Belgium.

I will be alone with the kids without my husband but i do not mind to spend some time on the public transport as long as there is a place for the yougest with type 8 mainly. To be honest he is smart but with the problems in the concentration he is lost and he does not learn anything. I really would like to help him as much as there are facilites.

Sorry that i wrote ulb i did not know that there are different places. I have not arrived yet to know as i am wqiting for the visa to be issued.

What would you advice me to search or do ?

Thanks alot .

Then i will go for julien parnasse  and St francois  schools as suggested.
Thanks alot.
I really appreciate your reply.

I have researched the travel times from around College les Tournesols (where there is a small waiting list - the best academic secondary I can find and it still has a waiting list in Anderlecht, all the other academic secondaries have waiting lists so big there will be no chance of a place). It is JACQUES BREL stop on metro line 5. It is 10 minutes to ERASME.  The added problem is there is less rental options in this area.

I have looked further north on this side of Brussels, you'd be looking at 30 minutes metro + bus journey to places like Ganshoren, Jette, to near schools with places. Nearer but takes just as long as HANKAR / DELTA area, as the metro is super fast.

Then I have looked at the journey time from HANKAR and DELTA and Beaulieu metros (St Julien is nearest to Delta), it is 30 minutes.

Then I have looked at the actual nearest "desirable" area to live, Uccle Stalle. The problem is it is cut off from Anderlecht by the canal and the train lines and there is a lot of industry along that route. There is a bus service which currently is only once every 30 minutes and stops at 10pm at night and not before 6am and compared to the metro line 5 which starts at 4.30 and finishes at 01.00 and has high frequency of between 7 and 10 minutes, this bus service to Uccle Stalle makes it not look great for getting to work. It is also 30 minutes by metro to CERIA then bus, but in April 2018, at least a direct bus service starts from ERASME to Uccle without the need to change metro / bus. So this area is much much nearer in kilometres, but not in time take to travel.

There are more inner city locations along metro line 5, but not with secondary schools with vacancies!!!! And will be harder to find places in primary.

I'd therefore say your best option is indeed HANKAR/DELTA/BEAULIEU. This area is where communes meet. There is Ixelles 1050, Auderghem 1160, WSP 1150, Watermael-Boitsfort 1170, so you have to be very aware of the fact that those metro stops border those 4 communes. There is however plenty of rental availability in terms of apartments in that area, unlike in Anderlecht, better than Uccle Stalle too - where there are no secondaries with vacancies either.

I would look at these primaries for HANKAR/DELTA/BEAULIEU
St Julien-parnasse 1160
Souverain-Cirquetudes 1160
Les Cedres (but be aware it's not awesome by reputation) 1170
Chant d'Oiseau 1150


The current STIB public transport map
http://www.stib-mivb.be/irj/go/km/docs/ … n_ACTU.pdf


The future STIB public transport map from April 2018
http://www.planbusstib.be/files/Plan_BU … _apres.pdf

School mum ,

you Rock !

My appreciation to every single word you wrote.

I will take your advice for sure.

Do you advice me to start looking for rent and rent  first or to wait until i get place in the schools ?

Thank you also for taking time and checking the metro and the time for transport.
Thank you agin for your replies.
I was lost until your detailed replies arrived.

Xoxo

Wait for confirmation of schools before signing any rental contract. However from. Looking for an apartment is likely to be 2 to 4 weeks so you can cautiously look for housing before schools open without signing for contract.

It seems a crazy distance to travel to work. If you has started to look a year in advance, you would have succeeded in getting school places in anderlecht and some parts of that commune are actually quite nice. However it is also overpopulated so getting academic school places are so much harder at short notice to eastern parts of Brussels I ve suggested instead where there are plenty of school places in all types of schools.

Thank you school mum.
Yes it is very short time but thanks to you you made it easier.

Have a nice evening and thanks agian.

School mum,
How are you doing?

Can i take your openion in this school ?
http://www.annemisonne.be/notre-projet/

It is private and i think it will be affordable for us . Do you know about it ?

I appreciate your reply.

Yes I be heard of Anne misonne.  It only has 25 students and I fear unlikely to have places. They do not advertise fees. I do not know why it has chosen to remain private as getting public status is relatively easy.

It does state it is there for children who do not fit into public mainstream and public special schools.

Thank you school mum,
I e mailed them and they gave me an idea about thier fees and they are fine for me.
And yes they do not have place at the moment but i ve put my son in the waiting list and we will see.
In france my son did not fit in the public school and they were always kind of complaining which increases my dissappointment because i cant change him to become""normal".

I hope i find the best place for my son with the affordable fees possible.

Thanks again for your reply. I appreciate it.

A public school in one country is not same in another country. You should look at public schools here

So you advice me to try public school first then see ? He also doesnot speak french. He speaks english more.
What do you advice me?

You said your children were at public school in France? The fact the youngest you say now speaks no French is probably the reason why he has been disruptive. I would consider looking at the linguistic environment before considering he has special needs. He won't be able to go to Anne Misonne without French, or at least I don't think they'd be happy at all. He needs a French rich environment.  The best place for that is French public school and lots of after school activities in French. Only after he has a fluent grasp of French, will you be able to know if he is special needs.