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European School

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The European Schools are co-educational day schools providing nursery, primary and secondary education. They were established to provide free education for children of personnel of the European Institutions. Other children may be admitted subject to the availability of places. All full-time teachers are appointed by their national governments.

History

The first European School was established in Luxembourg in 1953 for the children of the officials of the European Coal and Steel Community. In 1957 the future of this and later schools was secured by the Statute of the European School, a treaty signed by the Member States of the Community. 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 agreement.

Curriculum

The curriculum is common to all twelve 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.

The following subjects are compulsory for Years 1-7 of the secondary school (equivalent to Years 7-13 in UK):

  • First language (mother tongue)
  • First foreign language
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • History
  • Geography
  • Ethics/religion
  • Physical education

Art and music are compulsory in years 1-2, the study of a second foreign language in years 2-5 and philosophy in years 6-7.

There is a small range of options for years 4-5 including economics, Latin and a third foreign language, and a greater range of choices in years 6-7.

Science is taught as an integrated course in Years 1-3 and as three separate subjects in Years 4-5.

The European Baccalaureate

The European Baccalaureate is taken at the end of the seventh year of secondary education. It is awarded only by the currently twelve 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 is administered and directly supervised by an external examining board appointed annually by the Board if 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:

  • enjoy, in the Member State of which they are nationals, all the benefits attaching to the possession of the diploma or certificate awarded at the end of secondary school education in that country; and
  • be entitled to seek admission to any university in the territory of any Member State on the same terms as nationals of that Member State with equivalent qualifications

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.

The Aim

The aims of the schools were expressed in the words of Jean Monnet in 1953:

"Educated side by side, untroubled from in fancy 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."

Schools

There are now 12 European Schools:

A second European School is opening in Luxembourg as well as a fourth in Brussels. As of the October 12th 2003, the student population of the European Schools stood at 19,267.

External links

Source

  • Department for Education and Skills