The European Schools are co-educational free public schools providing nursery, primary and secondary education. They are established to provide free education for children of personnel of the European Institutions. Other children may be admitted subject to the availability of places and with the payment of a yearly fee. All full-time teachers are appointed by their national governments, after completing a selection procedure.
The aims of the schools were expressed in the words of Jean Monnet in 1953:
"Educated side by side, untroubled from infancy by divisive prejudices, acquainted with all that is great and good in the different cultures, it will be borne in upon them as they mature that they belong together. Without ceasing to look to their own lands with love and pride, they will become in mind Europeans, schooled and ready to complete and consolidate the work of their fathers before them, to bring into being a united and thriving Europe."
The European Schools project began in October 1953 in Luxembourg, on the initiative of officials of the European Coal and Steel Community, with the support of the Community's institutions and the Luxembourg Government. The first European school was established in a suburb of Luxembourg in that year, for the children of the officials of the European Coal and Steel Community.
It was an experiment to standardize teaching standards amongst countries. Different governments and Ministries of Education co-operated in matters of curricula, appointment of teachers, inspection and recognition of levels attained. The success of this educational experiment encouraged the European Economic Community and Euratom to press for the establishment of other European Schools at their various centres.
In April 1957 the future of this and later European schools was secured by the Statute of the European School, a treaty signed by the Member States of the Community. The signing of Protocol made the Luxembourg School the first official European School. The first European Baccalaureate was held there in July 1959 and the qualification was recognised as fulfilling basic entrance requirements by all universities of the member states. The United Kingdom acceded to that Statute in 1972. The present Convention defining the Statute of the European Schools dates from 1994. The schools are thus established by intergovernmental decree.
The curriculum is common to all fourteen schools and is centrally controlled by the Board of Inspectors and the Board of Governors. There is a strong common core throughout the secondary school. But, at the exclusion of children with special needs, and, without an alternative for other non academic children. i.e., no technical education is available. It can be considered a breeding ground for future civil servants of the communities.
Children may choose to do two of the following in year 3: Latin, Music or Art
All modern foreign languages are taught using the direct method where the lessons are taught in the language being learned. These foreign languages lessons are shared with pupils from other language streams. The idea is to encourage the pupils to use the language they are learning as a means of crossing the communication barrier between themselves and pupils from other language streams (although in practice, the pupils often communicate using the national language of the host country of the European School or some other widely-spread language such as English). In later years of the secondary school, History and Geography are also taught in the first foreign language.
Many of the pupils find themselves in a foreign country, so are surrounded by a foreign language. Some pick it up through language immersion, hence, some lessons are taught in the national language of the host country.[1]
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Main article: European Baccalaureate |
The European Baccalaureate is taken at the end of the seventh year of secondary education. It is awarded only by the currently thirteen European Schools and should be distinguished from the International Baccalaureate (IB) and the baccalaureate of various national systems. Details of this examination are set out in the Annex of the Statute of the European School and in the Regulations for the European Baccalaureate, available from the schools.
The European Baccalaureate requires students to take 11 subjects, all of which are weighted equally for the final mark (given as a percentage, where 60% is a pass).
The European Baccalaureate is administered and directly supervised by an external examining board appointed annually by the Board of Governors. The examining board consists of up to three representatives of each member state, who must satisfy the conditions governing the appointment of equivalent examining boards in their respective countries. It is presided over by a senior university educator appointed by each member state in turn, assisted by a member of the Board of Inspectors of the schools.
Article 5 (2) of the Statute provides that holders of the Baccalaureate shall:
The Baccalaureate is a two year course and assesses the performance of students in the subjects taught in secondary Years 6-7.
The first awards of the European Baccalaureate were made in 1959.
Parents' Associations play a specific role in the institutional arrangements. They are defending and promoting the interests of Parents and pupils in the Board of each School. Through an association which federates all Associations, INTERPARENTS, they participate to the Board of Governors, the supreme body of the Institution. They are also part of the GUDEE Groupe Unitaire pour la Défense des Ecoles Européennes, which groups Parents’ Associations, Trade-Unions and other groups having an interest in the system.
Parents’ Associations also operates three services on behalf of the School Community : Transports (School bus), Cantine (School restaurant) and After-School Activities (Sports and cultural activities).
CoSup stands for Conseil Supérieur des Elèves and represents all the Pupils Committees (PCs) of the European Schools. Each Pupils Committee has at least one member representing its ideas in the CoSup meetings, and thus CoSup is the sole representing body of the pupils in all global committees of the European School system (even if the Pupils Committees themselves are not directly elected by the pupils). CoSup represents the common aims, policies and visions of the Pupils Committees. These common interests are mainly concerned with decisions taken by the Board of Governors, which influence the school life. The CoSup supports the PCs with their in every possible way including co-operation and integration between the various Pupils Committees and acts as a link to the Teaching Committee, where it can voice the opinions and ideas on behalf of the PCs. The CoSup also aims to unify the European Schools by creating activities for all the schools. The financial section of the CoSup, FoCom (Fonds Common) can furthermore aid the PCs financially if such a need is required.
CoSup became officially recognised by the European Schools Board of Governors on the 31st of January 2006. CoSup members were anticipating this moment for at least two years. In fact, the whole project has been created and adopted during the 2004-2005 school year during a special meeting with all the presidents of all the Pupils Committee. After its recognition all directors have been given guidelines one how to elect the Pupils Representatives, giving the Pupils a unique way to exercice voting rights. The only other similar European School political simulation is the Model European Council, although CoSup involves real decision making and their decisions may even affect actual proposals.
CoSup at the moment has 27 members including the presidency. All members are elected by class representatives at each of the twelve schools. CoSup members are under the obligation to report back to their PCs on the progress of all matters and subjects, thus being a real simulation of politics and committees, providing a unique experience to its members and participants.
European Schools are usually built in close proximity to a European Institution. There are now 14 European Schools. There are already five European Schools in Belgium (4 in Brussels and one in Mol.) and they are discussing building a fifth school in Brussels in an undetermined future.
As of October 1 2007, the student population of the European Schools stood at 21 021 — of which 1 944 were in the nursery schools, 7 837 in the primary schools and 11 240 in the secondary schools.