Finding public schools in Woluwe Saint Lambert

Hello,

Alas, as regularly explained to newcomers, English is not an official Belgian language. So apart from some very expensive private schools giving all the courses in English, you will not find anything.

There are schools that have language immersion programs for some of the courses. This could help despite this, there are courses given only in French or Flemish.

Now the language barrier is much less difficult for a child than for an adult. Trust your children, put them in a conventional school, they will adapt to a speed that will amaze you.

You will have a lot of difficulty learning French / Flemish as they ...

Trust and support them without you stressing the decrease of their results at the beginning.

Dear phipiemar,

Thank you for you kind words.

Sometimes even a parent needs to be remained that indeed, the most important things is just the support and love for your children.

Kind regards,
Gordana

Hi Gordana

My family is the same situation as yours, and I am wondering if you've made progress in your search for public schools that respond positively to students who are not native speakers of French.

Dear frigout,

we did enroll our boys in Public School in Brussels. The school wasnt making such a big deal about the situation, but it is still early to see what will happen with teachers.
But strangely enough, we did found out that is really common that Belgium children in the school don't speak English, so there is also an issue of communicating with their school friends. 

To my surprise, both boys are positive about the experience so fare and trying their best in giving situation. From the experience of other parents in a similar situation, first mounts are the hardest, and then it gets easier.

Be positive and believe in your kids.

Kind regards,
Gordana

Thanks, Gordana! That keeps me hopeful!
Could you share with us the names of the schools where you enrolled your children? Also, were you offered the possibility of an exemption from the Dutch language classes? If not, are they being able to follow the Dutch lessons?

Sure, School is Athenee Royal WSL.

There was no offer about an exemption for Dutch, but I will try it now that you mention it.

Regards
Gordana

Frigout, how old are your children? What languages do you speak? Where will your work be?


Please please do NOT consider AR Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. Consider anywhere but there. Especially for secondary. I've helped many families who've left that school and never found a family who have stayed.

Hi Currylover

Thanks for the willingness to help and the direct questions.

My children go to a bilingual school and speak English, Portuguese and Spanish and are learning French. They are at a basic level in French. My boy is 10 and will be halfway through 5th grade in June 2020 when we arrive from the Southern Hemisphere. My girl will be 13 and halfway through 8th grade / 2nd secondaire, smack in the middle of the cycle (not at all an ideal transfer window).

I will work from home and occasionally in office space in the Rue Belliard area.

Leafy neighborhoods like WSL would be towards the end of our list, as we are a very urban family and will likely settle amidst the noise, dirt and pollution. Our top choice would be the core of postal code 1000 and and the immediate vicinity where we've stayed a few times. The Sablon area is our idea of home.

Any thoughts on Dachsbeck for primaire and Catteau for secondaire? Do the kids even stand a chance of finding a spot arriving in June and in the middle of their cycles?

Those are supposed to be demanding schools from what I've been researching.

Any thoughts much appreciated

Why Dachsbeek and Catteau? Bizarre choices?  Catteau will laugh in your face I'm afraid and I fear your child will need to see a counsellor quite quickly even if you succeeded.

Try Saint Boniface for secondaire and you really will have to charm the school.  Alternatively Sacre-Coeur de Linfthout or Dames de Marie.  Be aware however no secondaire is likely to be able to confirm 100% they have any secondaire places until end June 2020.

Assuming your  will be 13 year old is born in 2007 and will go into S2 in September 2020?

Assuming your will be 10 year old is born in 2010? Lower to S5 as will need 2 years in French to pass the CEB - your older one won't have to have the CEB, your younger one will.

Do NOT live in 1000 post code, just don't do it.

For primaire. you MUST choose a school that is top 3 in order of proximity of type to home - that can be a complicated thing to understand at first but is essential for the younger one to get into secondaire. For example, if you got the older one into Saint Boniface, to get the younger one in, you'd need to choose a Catholic/Commual/AR/free non religious primaire no further than 3rd nearest from home and also ensure Saint Boniface/SC de Lindthout/DDM secondaire is in the top 3 nearest Catholic secondaire list.

Appreciate the blunt advice  Will look into those schools. It's really awful that we can't apply for schools until we have a declaration of arrival. Or can we?

Also... you'd advise against 1000 because of the much-maligned and overwhelmed Commune services, I suppose?

You can apply for schools at any time. However with secondaire, the academic ones in particular like to throw out up to 60% of their students, the numbers depend upon how many pass their exams/year at end June and how many are allowed to repeat the year and how many are thrown out at that point. So an oversubscribed secondaire may be unable to confirm enrolment of a student in S2 until they now how many of their own S1 students advance to S2, how many choose to leave (it's actually illegal for an S1 student to be held back in S1 but it does happen legally with parental consent still when advised by school).

For primaire, it's usually easier for schools to be able to confirm enrolments of a new child is P5 and the P4 students re-enrol around Easter time and the school has a better idea of how many spaces in P5 there might be.

I really do mean it to not consider living in 1000 post code, yes as you might have left Belgium before enrolled successfully in 1000 and it can cause major problems if you have kids. In any case what advantages are there to living in overpriced tiny apartments?  There are plenty of other urban areas in Brussels, 1060, 1070, 1080, 1030, 1040.

That's great insight about the application windows, thanks again.

About
"I really do mean it to not consider living in 1000 post code, yes as you might have left Belgium before enrolled successfully in 1000 and it can cause major problems if you have kids"

scary thought being without a residence permit for years on end.. we don't want that.

That's a bit of an exaggeration but I do read many comments of people waiting a year or more in 1000 to register. Then you need to return for various documents when you have kids. I could not imagine queuing at 6am just for a parental travel permission for example.

BTW WSL is not all a leafy suburb and given your work, I'd actually look immediately to around Merode metro and a bit north, where 1040 Etterbeek, 1030 Schaerbeek and 1200 WSL all meet.  Having though a little more on your situation. Be careful, some streets in 1000 in this area too! You could also consider south of Merode metro a bit which is all 1040 Etterbeek.

I'd be targetting Sacre-Coeur de Lindthout primaire and secondaire, plus Ecole du Bonheur primaire + Dames de Marie secondaire (all one campus 2 names) due to the higher mixed social and nationality populations in these schools with quite a good record of integrating new arrivals. The area is very urban, the downside is housing costs and that's it really.  Just ensure if you choose these 2 schools and are lucky enough to land places, that your home places the schools in top 3 nearest Catholic primaire+secondaire, though if you did get your elder child into the secondaire, then geographical proximity will not be important as you get the sibling priority if you choose the same school for secondaire. In any case, the area around these 2 schools you should find ticks your requirements. Other schools in the area are going to be fine too, just these 2 would be at top of my list.

Hi I am in similar situation with 11 year and 6 year kid.

My 11 year son is in 6th standard as per Indian education system. Did the school ask your kids to back year ( minus 1 from current) due to no French or Dutch language.

Regards,

Pranav

I would choose to hold back an 11 year old and put them into P5 so it gives them 2 years to get enough fluency to pass the CEB exam at the end of P6. This exam is relatively easy for the average French speaking student who's done all 6 years of primaire, for a child just learning French aged 11, it's an enormous stress you would wish to reduce stress around this exam by placing them back to P5.

Hi thanks for your response.

He is currently in 6 standard as per Indian (age 11).  I am planning for next year. Does it mean it would be 2 year back ?

What if he gets admission directly standard 7 in Brussels? What challengers he will face ? And how school treats such a request?

Regards,

Pranav