Looking for Secondary School for my Daughter in Brussels

Hello,

We moved to Brussels with my family recently from Turkey. I need your help for my daughter enrollment to a Belgian school.
- My daughter is 16 years old.
- She has started a French high school (Ecole La Salle St Joseph) in Turkey 2 years ago. (1st year for French language, 2nd year is equivalent to 3th grade in Belgium. So she will be 4th grade
- Her French is at B1 level.
- She can speak Turkish and French (B1) only, no other languages
We started to live in Uccle
Could you please advice me good schools around uccle /Ixelles even other districts.
Thanks for your supports

Tuncay

Where is your work?
I would not recommend Uccle, not too multinational.

Dear
Thanks for your reply
I am working in Uccle Calevoet. We rented a flat at Churchill.
I suppose my daughter will be 4th secondary grade , she is B1 French knowledge and not other language (than Turkish)
I would thank for your advice beforehand
(So far some schools accepted to talk only but some said no for even to talk or give appointment)
Thks

NOT College Saint Pierre
Probably not Notre Dame des Champs
These 2 schools are the most academic and therefore will be the least sympathetic and simply too hard for someone with basic French. Also really huge schools.

Athenee Royal Uccle 1
Ma Campagne
Montjoie

A bit out of the area, but doable with change of tram, lovely small school in green area of Ixelles. College Saint-Francois. Additionally this school started English immersion recently from 3rd upwards, so there will be teachers you can communicate with in English, it might mean it's more open to an older student with basic French.

http://www.sv-sf.be/SFXL/

The following schools have classes for new arrivals, your daughter probably won't qualify officially for those classes as I don't think Turkey is seen as "developing" and I am guessing you are not an asylum seeker/refugee, the 2 reasons for being allowed in theses classes, but these schools might be more sympathetic.


A.R IXELLES     Rue de la Croix, 40
1050, IXELLES
02/626.96.30
CENTRE SCOLAIRE EPERONNIERS-MERCELIS     (implantation Mercelis)
Rue Mercelis, 36-38
1050, BRUXELLES
02/512.60.98
INSTITUT SAINT-JEAN BAPTISTE DE LA SALLE     Rue Moris, 19
1050 IXELLES
02/537.12.43
ATHÉNÉE ROYAL VICTOR HORTA     Rue de la Rhétorique, 16
1060 SAINT-GILLES
02/538.27.42
INSTITUT DES FILLES DE MARIE     Rue Théodore Verhaegen, 8
1060 SAINT-GILLES
02/537.99.80

Dear Thanks for your reply again,
No we are not asylum/refugee so I guess my daughter is not allowed for that schools.
I will contact with the schools that you proposed;
For me first option is to enroll my daughter to closer schools, however if you have other proposals (not so far from uccle but able to travel with public transport ,like ixelles or other close areas) I am open to check that schools also.
I'd like to thank beforehand your advises and suggestions to find best school for daughter
Regards

Hi Tuctuc71, I've been doing some research on the subject of classes for new arrivals (DASPA), and it turns out that there is a second category to which non-refugee children apply. These would be the "assimilé aux primo-arrivants" and they'd have to fulfill all criteria below:

1. Age 5-18
2. A foreigner
3. Be enrolled in a francophone school for less than a year
4. "Fail" a french language test (insufficient command)

(Source: Pages 5-6 from this document: https://www.gallilex.cfwb.be/document/pdf/46482_000.pdf)

As you'll see this applies to basically any non-francophone recently-arrived foreign child.

A list of schools offering DASPA for the last school year may be found here:

http://www.enseignement.be/index.php?pa … p;navi=894

Institut Saint-Jean Baptiste has their page up on the web offering this option:

http://isjb1060.be/daspa/

Hope it helps your search.

@Currylover, is ISJB a good school?

Please don't place your child in these DASPA schools. I already gave you advice above.

But what is the rationale for avoiding them across the board? Can we safely generalize that schools with DASPA options are of a lower standard?

Pretty much yes