Schola Europaea

Principles and objectives

Aims of the European Schools

The words which express the essential aims of the European Schools have been sealed, in parchment, into the foundation stones of all the schools:
“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.”

Objectives

to give pupils confidence in their own cultural identity – the bedrock for their development as European citizens;

to provide a broad education of high quality, from nursery level to university-entrance;

to develop high standards in the mother tongue and in foreign languages;

to develop mathematical and scientific skills throughout the whole period of schooling;

to encourage a European and global perspective overall and particularly in the study of the human sciences;

to encourage creativity in music and the plastic arts and an appreciation of all that is best in a common European artistic heritage;

to develop physical skills and instil in pupils an appreciation of the need for healthy living through participation in sporting and recreational activities;

to offer pupils professional guidance on their choice of subjects and on career/university decisions in the later years of the secondary school;

to foster tolerance, co-operation, communication and concern for others throughout the school community and beyond;

to cultivate pupils’ personal, social and academic development and to prepare them for the next stage of education.

Principles

In the light of the above objectives, education in the schools is organised on the basis of the following principles :

Basic instruction is given in the official languages of the European Union. This principle allows the primacy of the pupil’s mother tongue (L1) to be safeguarded.

Consequently, each school comprises several language sections. The curricula and syllabuses (except in the case of mother tongue) are the same in all sections.

In the schools where the creation of a separate language section is not justified, They are governed by an intergovernmental Protocol. The Convention defining the Statute of the European Schools, which replaces the earlier agreements dating back to 1957 and 1984, entered into force in October 2002 after ratification by the fifteen Member States of the European Union.

Following enlargement on 1 May 2004, the accession to the Convention of the ten new Member States is under way.

To foster the unity of the school and encourage genuine multi-cultural education, there is a strong emphasis on the learning, understanding and use of foreign languages. This is developed in a variety of ways:

the study of a first foreign language (English, French or German), known as L II, is compulsory throughout the school, from the first primary class;

all pupils must study a second foreign language (L III), starting in the second year of secondary school. Any language available in the school may be chosen;

pupils may choose to study a third foreign language (L IV) from the fourth class of secondary school. Any language available in the school may be chosen;

language classes are composed of mixed nationalities and are taught by native speakers;

a weekly "European Hour" in the primary school brings together children from all sections for cultural, artistic and games activities;

in the secondary school, classes in art, music and physical education are always composed of mixed nationalities;

from the third class of secondary school, history and geography are studied in the pupil’s first foreign language, also called "the working language" (English, French or German). Economics, which may be taken as an option from the fourth class of the secondary school, is also studied in a working language. From the third class, therefore, all social science subjects are taught to groups of mixed nationalities;

finally, everyday interaction in the playground, the corridors and the recreation rooms enhances the acquisition of other languages and the realisation that using them is not only vital but natural.

The conscience and convictions of individuals are respected. Religious education or education in non-confessional ethics is an integral part of the curriculum.