Where in Bxl is it easier to find a place in a school (maternelle)

There are usually places at cardinal mercier rue mid and Montjoie rue Stanley

I have heard Montessori is a very reputed nursery you should look online !

Thank you. I will try again for cardinal mercier but they said las time that my daughter needs to come in "en cours d'annee" because of when she was born and that I will not get a place. They told me to try again next year for September.
Thank you.
Sandra

What is the month and year of birth of your child?
Given your latest statement, it is probably this which is stopping you getting a place for school year 2017-18. Are you looking for an acceuil place or M1 place? I suspect it is the former.

If you are looking for an acceuil place and your child is born later than 03 2015, then you have a seriously reduced chance of a place and indeed you must wait till next school year. However usually Montjoie will still have places for children born later than 03 15.

Ok Schoolmum no need to be so harsh, I was just referring to a good name that I had heard of throughout my many years in Belgium.
and I did not realise there are many different Montessori schools I was referring to this one Montessori House Belgium Asbl, based right outside waterloo. This is the one my neighbour had her daughter enrolled in and he was very happy anyway I'm not sure this is relevant to the age of your child. Good luck

Hello and thanks again.
yes indeed you are correct: She was born May 2015 and I was looking for a place in "classe d'accueil".
I guess there are many things I do not know or understand and I am finding out by making mistakes. I would have made a different choice for "creche" had I known this is how it would turn out.
Anyhow, I will keep on asking and trying and I will see what happens.
Thanks for the tips.
Cheers,
Sandra

Hi Jon,
thank you. I have heard equally good things-this is true. The funny thing is I actually did try for some private schools in the beginning just in case nothing else panned out and guess what: even for those I did not get in ! Including Montessori but the one in Brussels (which actually in the end is way too expensive for me anyway).
So: sometimes not even private schools are an option.
There are a lot of children for few places I guess.
Cheers,
Sandra

Hi there again,

schools tend to have a single accueil or M0 class or even mix that age group with M1 children. Schools around Flagey all have 2 or 3 M1/M2/M3 classes but a single M0 class.  Therefore if you take 25 as the average class size, there are 25 M0 places and 50-75 M1/M2/M3 places. It means only 1/2 to 1/3 of children get places in M0 and 1/2 to 2/3 of children cannot start school till M1. It means there are 2 to 3 times more M1 places than M0 places.

Children can only join M0 once they are 2.5 years old. It means in September 2017, the only children starting M0 are those born January or February 2015.

Some schools only accept children for M0 who are born 1-2 2015 and do not take children after 1st September 2017 intake, as they fill up the entire M0 class with those children born January and February already 2.5 on 1st September.

Some schools allow you to start the day your child turns 2.5 years, so in your case your child could start M0 no earlier than January 2018. However, if the M0 class has already filled before January, there will be no place for your child. This is what the head of Cardinal Mercier has told you. You will therefore just have to keep trying there if you want a place, as at the moment I would guess there are more than 25 children older than your child inscribed to start before yours. If a child does not turn up for school for one reason or another, then the head will be able to offer a place. I would go and ask the head what number your child is on the waiting list.

The most popular and biggest schools near Flagey are Tenbosch, St Andre and Catteau-Aurore. I am guessing you have applied to all of them and it's again a case that the M0 classes have filled with children older than yours.

Have you tried Flagey and Etangs communals? The former is very small so that may be a problem, Etangs you may have more choice.

Montjoie Rue Stanley is the only maternelle only school in that area and is walking distance of Flagey. This is where I would be looking first right now, as maternelle only schools are less popular, due to older siblings in primaire and parents not wanting to go between 2 schools. It usually has places. I'd be surprised if they don't have place for a May 2015 born child. It takes children as soon as they are 2.5 years.

As for September 2018, well you stand an excellent change of an M1 place, so long as you apply early. IF you do indeed get an M0 place, it might not be the school of your choice but the school with a place. Remember there are 2 to 3 times more M1 places available. So consider if you want to change schools, applying again from September 2017.

If your child gets no M0 place and has to wait till September 2018, then they will be 3 years 4 months old.

Have you considered a pre-gardiennat from September 2017? These are creches which go from 18 months to 3.5 years, so cover the eldest children of normal crèche age and M0 age. They are means tested and you don't pay if your child is ill either. There are several in Ixelles and Etterbeek. Some communes have none so you are fortunate where you live. I would be applying for a place in a pre-gardiennat too. It is likely to be cheaper than your crèche (unless you are at a subsidized one) and will guarantee you a place between NOW and September 2018.

There is a pre-gardiennat right at Flagey, opposite the building of Etangs school, plus 5 other pre-gardiennats withing 15 minutes walk. Your child is only 2 years old now and could stay there until September 2018. I would be phoning up and trying to visit ASAP and changing from crèche. http://www.ixelles.irisnet.be/site/428- … -communaux

Hi-thanks a million !
I understand the bigger picture a lot better now-you have done the schools job for them actually since I have been asking a lot of questions but getting very little info as an answer.
OK so-I have registered for 3 pregardiennats in fact.  I did not get a place in the Etangs d'Ixelles either (I called several times once a friend of mine got in but no luck in getting in). I live very close to the schools you mentioned as being very popular - I am sort of in the middle between Catteau Aurore (and I am 22nd on waiting list) and Saint Andre (19 on waiting list). I am 2nd on the waiting list of Lutgardis but I do not speak Dutch at home and they told me I have 0 chances of getting in.
Anyhow, we are also considering moving out of Ixelles since my colleagues in Uccle just basically lined up early in the morning in front of their school of choice and got a place on the same day. In contrast with their situation I have been anguishing over this since the end of 2015. The colleagues in Woluwe Saint Lambert also had a very easy time and when I tell my story they seem to think I am just too picky about the schools I find or I did not call in time or something like that.
After your explanation I might then just try for M1 in September although the Ixelles phone call system will still be the same one and I suppose all the M0 will automatically pass to M1 but anyhow...one must keep hoping to find a "local" school.
I need to find a solution for the creche situation in the meantime and maybe I will focus on that.
Thanks a lot.
Have a great weekend.
Sandra

You should apply now for Montjoie Rue Stanley and also Jardins d'Elise if you are between Catteau-Aurore and St Andre.  I'd be confident of a place in either of these places still.

Ixelles does not have one single phone system, the communal schools do it one way, the Catholic ones all do individual enrolments and Catteau-Aurore being in Brussels has the notorious single phone line.

Your friends are not well informed because the area of Ixelles north of the R21 simply does not have enough schools for the number of children living there.

Keep chasing the pre-gardiennat places.

Look at Agnes, BICS and Stepping stones, all 3 are private schools in that area, one or both will definitely take your money and you can start at Agnes at age 2, not 2.5, plus their M0 class is also inspected by Kind en Gezin so it is tax deductible, bringing the effective price down from about 7k normal price, though you won't see the benefit for almost 2 years later through your tax. Stepping Stones is quite small, so might have no garderie though.  At about 7k for all 3 of these schools, they are cheaper than the Montessori House Brussels you mention.

I forgot to mention that a new school opened 2 years ago not far from Flagey, the fundamentale section of Athenee Royal d'Ixelles on Rue de la Croix.

This school is looking for children, having an open day on Saturday 20th May I believe, it is moving to Montessori methodology, a first for public schools in Brussels.

http://arixelles.be/?pg=fondamentale

Lovely-thank you !!!!
I also got a place in a school in etterbeek but this one you mentioned would be a lot closer.
When we went to etterbeek it was so strange-no phone calling nothing like that: just show up and register (!)
I will be forever confused in Belgium...

Thanks a lot !!!
I will definitely try this one )))
Sandra

Dear School mom,
I cannot thank you enough. We registered Sophia today in petit Ari-so relieved !!!!!!!
This school hunt has taken most of my neuronal effort and time since I started end of 2015.
Thank you so very much. Just know that you have made a positive difference for us-so glad I posted my question.
Have a great weekend in spite of the weather
Sandra