English School for 3 year old near Woluwe

Why do you put your child in a language that is not a Belgian language?

If you want your child be integrated in Belgium, put it in a conventional school or he will learn French or Flemish. English you can still teach him at home. And there are even schools that make immersion in either language.

With that behavior you are creating the usual ghetto that many foreigners are staying in their linguistic community. So that you will miss out on the wealth that can bring the discovery of a new country, new tradtions, languages, etc ...

kavind wrote:

Hi,

We might move from India to Brussels before this month end at least for 6 months along with our 3 year old son.

1. Is it easy or difficult to get admission for a 3 year old in an English school close to Woluwe that too starting from around Oct mid to Nov mid?
2. Can I apply for school admission only after finding the house and registering in Kommune?
3. The ones I browsed and read about are "Roots and Wings Preschool" and "British Junior Academy of Brussels". I found the roots and wings preschool impressive. I would like to have suggestions and reviews on the above 2 and more English schools before I write to them. Please share your inputs in terms of reviews, best schools, fee structure etc.
4. I know our son will need some time to adapt to a new environment , weather etc. So Its really important to choose the one where he will get good attention and support to settle down. What is the usual student-teacher ratio in English schools?

Thank you!

1. It is very easy to get admission to an English school in Brussels. There are 3 Woluwes, which one are you referring to? All English schools are private and therefore businesses and therefore will take your money and give your 3 year old a place, as they will make a profit from your child.
2. You can do whatever you want, regarding admission to a private school, it is totally unconnected with choosing a house or a district to live in.
3. There 53 private schools in Belgium, around 35 of them in Brussels, you have named just 2 of them which is rather puzzling.
4. The student-teacher ratio can be anywhere from 1-5 to 1-25, you pay for what you get, when you choose a private business.

Local schooling here is excellent and full of English speakers and Indians who are quite savvy and adding an extra dimension to their children's linguistic skills, leaving the extra 10-35k spare to support English extra-curriculars or in their pockets.

@phipiemar I would prefer to continue in English speaking school in order to not make language an hurdle for the child's current progress and then put him in a French/Dutch learning as an extra class so that he can learn another language and culture. I guess the commune might offer such language classes for both child and adult right?

@Currylover thanks for the detailed response. I am looking for something close to st.lambert area in Woluwe. I think the two I mentioned are close by. Do you know or suggest any other in the same area? Can you also brief me about the public schooling system? How long would it take to get admission. I guess that will not be exclusively English but would like to get an idea on how it works. Isn't it free of cost?

kavind wrote:

@phipiemar I would prefer to continue in English speaking school in order to not make language an hurdle for the child's current progress and then put him in a French/Dutch learning as an extra class so that he can learn another language and culture. I guess the commune might offer such language classes for both child and adult right?

@Currylover thanks for the detailed response. I am looking for something close to st.lambert area in Woluwe. I think the two I mentioned are close by. Do you know or suggest any other in the same area? Can you also brief me about the public schooling system? How long would it take to get admission. I guess that will not be exclusively English but would like to get an idea on how it works. Isn't it free of cost?

My 18 year old has just gone to a university in English, having been schooled in French. I do not see the fact my child was educated in French as a disadvantage, in fact it has been an advantage.

No the communes do not offer French classes for children who do not have French. You will find French courses for children quite limited. For adults there are many but children cannot attend them.

Here is the map of all the private schools in Belgium, listed on each pin is the website and languages and cost.
https://batchgeo.com/map/0777fe5f939fe0 … 91ceee1066

You can enter the public school system at age 2.5 years. In the 2 Woluwes inside Brussels it is relatively easy to get a school place, just not as easy as the private school system as numbers are limited per class, but you can usually find places mid year. There are no public schools in English in Brussels region, before the age of 13. Schools are in French or Dutch. Public schools are all free, except for about 10 schools out of 500 odd in Brussels where there are top-up fees of no more than 1.5k per year, gives you the guarantee not to be with poor kids and nothing more.

Hi @Currylover, Incase of public schools, what is the admission procedure? Would that be possible only after I make the house contract, and receive my residence card from commune or some similar activity ? Or is it same as the private schools as walk in and get admission based on vacancy? Thanks!

You just provide identity with public schools.

Ok thanks

That's right it is enough to prove his identity but that does not mean that there be room for the child.

Check out this website, unfortunately in French, if there is availability. Simply indicate your postcode into the large rectangle and choose "maternal" in the small. This will give you a list of all nearby schools and their availability.

http://www.placesecolesmaternellesetpri … no_cache=1

phipiemar wrote:

That's right it is enough to prove his identity but that does not mean that there be room for the child.

Check out this website, unfortunately in French, if there is availability. Simply indicate your postcode into the large rectangle and choose "maternal" in the small. This will give you a list of all nearby schools and their availability.

http://www.placesecolesmaternellesetpri … no_cache=1

That website should be helpful. Unfortunately it is rarely updated, some schools never input their vacancies, some schools never change the vacancies they have.

The French schools, with the exception of entry into secondary, have no centralized enrolment procedure. There are a few small scale centralized enrolment procedures for a handful of schools which are only relevant for entry into maternelle or primaire at a certain time of year, the rest of the year not relevant.  Otherwise, and in the majority of cases, you contact every single French maternelle (that is for 2.5 to 6 years). WSL, WSP, Auderghem and Watermael-Boitsfort have French schools with places at all times, though not in every school.

Currylover,

You consider that this website is rarely updated, it's your opinion. But I absolutely do not agree.

So unless you had formal evidence to share, I will continue to provide this information.

If I look under my commune alone, not a single place is apparently available in several age groups in any school at all in the commune. However, in 10 minutes, I would be able to phone up half of the schools and find there are places. In fact the schools in my commune rarely feature on it, yet there are always places.

I do spend quite some time finding places for new arrivals, it is in my experience that it is a useful tool but not one to rely on, simply because it is not reflective of reality in the areas I look on behalf of others.

The best method for finding school places is to phone and sometimes phone several times.