The European Schools Groupe de Suivi or “Steering Committee” (composed of representatives from the General Secretariat, the European schools, parents, the Commission, the Belgian Government and the Régie des Bâtiments) and the Central Enrolment Authority (“ACI”) met during October 2015 to discuss infrastructure in the European Schools and to prepare the Guidelines for the Enrolment policy for 2016-2017. EEB4 was represented at all of these meetings by members of the CA.
Some key points under discussion:
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A major issue under discussion at the moment is how to deal with the overcrowding of the Brussels Schools. Proposals include opening Berkendael as an Annex to Uccle. This also affects our school: our maternelle is already full and with Laeken set to accommodate an Estonian section, space is becoming an issue in all levels of the school. This also impacts on the APEEE run services. The canteen has a maximum capacity and has already had to increase the number of services this year. The site can also only accommodate a fixed number of buses at any one time – another logistical constraint. And periscolaire relies on classrooms and facilities (such as sports halls) being available to accommodate activities. These issues are therefore, all being followed closely.
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Last year the enrolment policy changed the historical “sibling rule”, where siblings were guaranteed a place in the school of their siblings, to a more limited sibling rule, where the principle was kept in place for secondary students as one group, and for primary and nursery, as a second group. The rationale for this was to address overcrowding in the three other schools. However, this proved to be a very controversial issue and the Complaints Committee ruled that the full siblings rule should be reinstated, which was welcomed by the APEEEs of all the Brussels schools.
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