REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL The European School System in 2011
Date: 2013-01-09
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU financing, European school, educational administration

EUROPEAN 
COMMISSION 

Brussels, 9.1.2013  
COM(2012) 797 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL 

The European School System in 2011 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

2.1. 

2.2. 

2.3. 

2.4. 

2.5. 

2.6. 

2.7. 

2.8. 

2.9. 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 

Situation in the schools ................................................................................................ 4 

Alicante ........................................................................................................................ 4 

Bergen .......................................................................................................................... 4 

Brussels ........................................................................................................................ 4 

Culham ......................................................................................................................... 5 

Frankfurt....................................................................................................................... 5 

Karlsruhe ...................................................................................................................... 5 

Luxembourg ................................................................................................................. 6 

Mol ............................................................................................................................... 6 

Munich ......................................................................................................................... 6 

2.10.  Varese........................................................................................................................... 6 

3. 

4. 

4.1. 

4.2. 

4.3. 

4.4. 

4.5. 

5. 

5.1. 

5.2. 

5.3. 

6. 

Budgetary developments and challenges ..................................................................... 7 

Political developments and challenges......................................................................... 8 

Opening up the system – accredited schools................................................................ 8 

Revision of the salary scale for seconded teachers/locally recruited teachers............. 9 

Over-crowding/infrastructure....................................................................................... 9 

Sharing costs between the Member States ................................................................. 10 

Legal cases ................................................................................................................. 11 

Educational and organisational development............................................................. 11 

The reform of the European baccalaureate ................................................................ 11 

Actions for pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN)........................................ 11 

Organisation of the lessons and year groups.............................................................. 12 

Future challenges ....................................................................................................... 12 

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REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL 

The European School System in 2011 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The  European  School  System  continued  to  function  in  a  difficult  economic  and  budgetary 
climate in Europe, which forced it to manage its expenditure whilst maintaining the quality of 
its teaching. 
In  April  2010,  the  Board  of  Governors  of  the  European  Schools  (BoG)  approved  the  2011 
budget  for  the  European  Schools  with  an  increased  contribution  from  the  EU  of  11% 
compared  with  the  previous  year.  The  reason  for  this  was,  in  particular,  the  increase  in  the 
number of pupils (+2.6%). The BoG agreed to this budget provided that the European Schools 
took measures to better control the development of the budget in the future.  
Further to discussions between the Council and the European Parliament, the overall budget 
for the European Union for 2011 was adopted with a contribution to the European Schools of 
EUR  164  million.  Although  this  was  less  than  that  in  the  budget  for  the  European  Schools 
adopted  by  the  BoG,  it  was  still  greater  than  the  contribution  in  2010,  which  was 
EUR 154 million. 
The  decision  of  the  Parliament  and  the  Council  to  adjust  the  budget  requested  by  the 
Commission1 for the European Schools forced the European Schools to take urgent measures 
to make savings, which gave rise to a wave of reactions from the Parents' Association and the 
Staff  Committee.  The  Commission  was  in  favour  of  these  measures  providing  they  did  not 
undermine the basic educational principles of the European Schools.  
The BoG adopted some important decisions concerning rationalisation in April 2011.  

Furthermore,  the  continued  increase  in  the  number  of  pupils,  combined  with  the  difficulties 
some Member States had with meeting their obligations with regard to infrastructure and the 
secondment of teachers were stark challenges for the European School System.  

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This situation is provided for in the Financial Regulation of the European schools (document 2011-07-
D-17-en-3, 
schools 
http://www.eursc.eu/fichiers/contenu_fichiers1/579/2011-07-D-17-en-3.pdf)  

published 

European 

website 

the 

the 

on 

of 

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2. 

SITUATION IN THE SCHOOLS 

The  total  number  of  pupils  at  the  14  European  Schools  is  rising  continually,  going  from 
22 778  in  2010  to  23  367  in  2011.  The  majority  (63%)  of  pupils  in  the  European  School 
System are enrolled at one of the European Schools in Brussels (44%) or Luxembourg (19%). 
Category I pupils2, who are mainly the children of members of staff of the European Union 
and the European Schools, and the European Patent Office in the case of the European School 
in  Munich,  make  up  74%  (17  396)  of  the  total  number  of  pupils,  although  some  small 
European  Schools  have  only  a  few  pupils  from  this  category.  Category  II  pupils3  make  up 
5.12% of the total number of pupils. This group suffered the consequences of the economic 
crisis  since  fewer  agreements  were  signed  with  the  European  Schools  for  pupils  in  this 
category. Finally, category III4 consists of pupils whose parents have to pay school fees and 
accounts for 4 774 pupils (20%). 

2.1. 

Alicante 

The  number  of  pupils  at  the  school  in  Alicante  is  stable  with  1  034  enrolled  in 
September 2011. 48% of these pupils are category I and are mainly the children of members 
of staff of the OHIM (Office of Harmonization in the Internal Market). As is often the case at 
the  European  Schools,  the  language  section  of  the  host  country  has  the  most  pupils.  In  this 
particular case, the Spanish section has 37% of all pupils. 

2.2. 

Bergen 

The number of pupils at the Bergen school decreased slightly from 608 pupils in 2010/2011 to 
581 in 2011/2012, with 109 category I pupils (18%) and 472 category III pupils (81%).  

Infrastructure works were carried out in 2011, notably the renovation of the sports hall and the 
air-conditioning system.  

2.3. 

Brussels 

The overcrowding continued to worsen at the European Schools in Brussels. The increase in 
the number of applications for enrolment led to an increase in the total number of pupils at the 
four  European  Schools  in  Brussels,  from  9  847  in  2010/2011  to  10 285  for  the  year 
2011/2012. 

Brussels I registered an increase of almost 60 pupils between the 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 
school years, going from 3 074 to 3 131 pupils. Security (badge system, video surveillance) is 
still  a  priority  at  this  European  School  owing  to  the  size  of  the  campus  and  its  14  separate 
buildings.  

2 

3 
4 

The rules governing admission to the European schools are given in the Digest of the Decisions of the 
BoG  of  the  European  Schools  (document  published  on  the  website  of  the  European  schools 
http://www.eursc.eu/fichiers/contenu_fichiers2/1794/2011-04-D-4-en-1.pdf) 
See footnote 2. 
See footnote 2. 

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Brussels  II  is  now  the  largest  of  the  four  European  Schools  in  Brussels  with  3  176  pupils 
enrolled  for  the  school  year  2011/2012.  This  very  high  number  of  pupils  sets  daily 
organisational challenges. Work started on the new bus-park and it will be opened officially in 
2012.  This  will  mean  better  security  in  the  playground,  where  around  50  school  buses 
currently park twice a day. 

The number of pupils at Brussels III also increased, to 2 919 pupils in September 2011. As is 
the case at Brussels I and II, overcrowding leads to practical problems with using communal 
areas. 

Brussels IV recorded another significant increase in the number of pupils (31%), from 809 to 
1 059 pupils. In view of the lack of classrooms on the temporary site at Berkendael, mobile 
classrooms were installed for seven additional classes. 

2.4. 

Culham 

Following  the  decision  of  the  BoG  of  April  2007,  the  Culham  European  School  will  close 
progressively  by  2017  owing  to  the  move  of  the  Joint  European  Torus  (JET)  to  Cadarache 
(France). Therefore, there was no new reception class in September 2011.  

Furthermore,  the  British  authorities  presented  a  new  project  to  open  a  national  school  ('free 
school') on the site, which will replace the 'academy' project that was initially planned. The 
'free school' is set to open in 2012 and will grow progressively with new year groups opening 
as and when they cease to be available at the European School. 

The  European  School  and  the  new  'free  school'  will  share  the  Culham  site  until  June  2017. 
Educational,  administrative  and  financial  matters  will  all  be  entirely  separate  but  the  two 
schools  will  have  to  share  the  infrastructure  and  the  operational  charges  related  to  the  site. 
The  Commission  supports  this  project,  which  will  enable  school  life  to  continue  on  the 
Culham site after 2017.  

2.5. 

Frankfurt 

With  an  increase  of  nearly  5%  compared  with  the  previous  year,  the  Frankfurt  European 
School has one of the highest rates of growth in pupil numbers owing to staff increases at the 
European  Central  Bank.  In  September  2011,  1  136  pupils  were  enrolled  at  this  European 
School, 780 of whom were category I. This school is overcrowded and the German authorities 
have been asked to provide additional infrastructure. However, it is not yet clear whether the 
Federal State of Hesse or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will bear the cost of this. The school 
is organising various festivities to celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2012.  

2.6. 

Karlsruhe 

The  number  of  pupils  enrolled  at  the  European  School  of  Karlsruhe  has  been  decreasing 
steadily  for  several  years,  going  from  979  in  2008  to  933  in  September  2011,  with  173 
category I pupils (18.5%), 267 category II pupils and more than half (493) from category III.  

This school provides an example of local cofinancing, as it receives a grant from the town of 
Karlsruhe (EUR 165 000 in 2011) which it used to second an economist and an assistant from 
the municipality to work at the European School. The federal state of Baden-Würtemberg also 
provides financial support for the school, amounting to EUR 732 200 in 2011. 

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2.7. 

Luxembourg 

Luxembourg  I  is  situated  in  Luxembourg-Kirchberg  and  became  home  to  Luxembourg  II, 
which will move to its permanent site at Bertrange/Mamer at the start of the 2012/2013 school 
year.  

In  2011,  with  around  4  500  pupils  enrolled  (3  579  at  Luxembourg  1  and  957  at 
Luxembourg II),  the  site  was  overcrowded,  which  led  to  a  restrictive  enrolment  policy  for 
children whose parents are not on the staff of the European Union.  

The  Luxembourg  authorities  are  making  a  significant  effort  to  make  school  bussing  easier. 
This  is  partly  organised  by  the  Luxembourg  authorities  and  the  school,  and  partly  by  the 
School  Bus  Association  (ATSEE)  of  Luxembourg  I.  In  addition,  a  mobility  plan  has  been 
drawn  up  for  the  Luxembourg  II  school  at  Bertrange/Mamer  in  partnership  with  the 
Luxembourg authorities. Preparations are underway for the opening of Luxembourg II on its 
permanent site at Mamer in 2012.  

2.8.  Mol 

The  number  of  pupils  at  the  Mol  school  is  fairly  stable  with  767  pupils  enrolled  at  the 
beginning of the 2011/2012 school year, of whom 618 (80%) are category III and 138 (18%) 
are category I. The Dutch and English sections are the largest whereas the German section has 
just 72 pupils across all age groups.  

2.9.  Munich 

The number of pupils at the European School of Munich has been increasing significantly for 
several  years  owing  to  the  increase  in  staff  at  the  European  Patents  Office,  whose  children 
make up the majority of the pupils. A restrictive enrolment policy will continue to apply until 
the extension to the school has been completed, due for 2016. 

2.10.  Varese 

With  1  366  pupils  enrolled  for  the  2011/2012  school  year,  the  size  of  this  school  remains 
stable.  Just  over  half  of  the  pupils  are  from  category  I.  The  number  of  category  II  pupils 
decreased between 2008 (235) and 2011 (177) owing to the economic situation. 

The  promised  transfer  of  EUR  400  000  from  the  Italian  authorities  to  the  school  to  finance 
additional infrastructure has still not been made despite confirmation given by the Permanent 
Representative of Italy to the EU to Vice-President Šefčovič.  

The Varese school celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011. 

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3. 

BUDGETARY DEVELOPMENTS AND CHALLENGES 

The number of pupils enrolled in the European Schools System increased by 2.6% between 
2010 and 2011 from 22 778 to 23 367. Category I, with 17 396 pupils, accounts for almost 
75%  of  the  total  number  of  pupils.  With  just  over  5%  of  pupils,  category  II  suffered  the 
consequences  of  the  economic  crisis  (fewer  agreements  signed  with  the  European  Schools). 
Finally, category III accounts for 4 774 pupils, or just over 20%. 

The average annual cost per pupil for all European Schools was approximately EUR 11 918 in 
2011. The economic climate has led to a reduction in contributions from the Member States, 
some  of  which  are  seconding  fewer  teachers.  So,  in  September  2011,  88  seconded  teaching 
posts were not filled by the Member States, 24 more than in the previous year. As a result, the 
share of the funding from the European budget has increased. 

Budgetary contributions (not including surpluses carried over and use of contingency funds): 

2011 (total: EUR 275 318 397) 

European Schools - 2011 Budget

Member States
EUR 56 197 583
20%

Commission 
EUR163 975 427 
60% 

EPO
EUR 18 778 658
7%

Category II school fees
EUR 14 258 680
5%

Catgory III school fees
EUR 16 530 565
6%

Other
EUR 5 577 484

2% 

2010 (total: EUR 265 383 975) 

European Schools - 2010 Budget

Commission
EUR 155 393 053
59%

Member States
EUR 55 717 090
21%

EPO
EUR 18 926 539
7%

Category II school fees
EUR 13 283 884
5%

Category III school fees 
EUR 16 914 580
6%

Other
EUR 5 148 829
2%

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The draft budget for 2011 of EUR 171 million, supported by the Commission, was adopted by 
the  BoG  in  April  2010.  The  BoG's  approval  of  this  amount  was  however  dependent  on 
savings  being  made,  such  as  by  revising  the  pay  scale  for  seconded  staff  at  the  European 
Schools,  reorganising  the  lessons  and  options,  and  clarifying  the  use  of  funds  for  SEN 
(Special Educational Needs) pupils. The Commission entered EUR 171 million into the draft 
budget that was forwarded to the budgetary authority (Council and European Parliament).  

In December 2010, the budgetary authority set the contribution from the European budget for 
2011 at EUR 164 million. The Commission informed the Office of the Secretary-General of 
the  European  Schools  and  asked  the  European  Schools  to  make  urgent  savings  in  order  to 
comply  with  the  budgetary  framework.  At  the  Administrative  Board  meetings  at  the 
beginning of 2011, it also asked the European Schools to indicate specifically which savings 
they  would  be  able  to  make.  In  April  2011,  the  BoG  adopted  some  important  decisions 
concerning rationalisation, in particular with regard to lessons and options in addition to the 
internal organisation, for example reducing free periods for careers coordinators, and revising 
the calculation method for the coordination time dedicated to assisting learning, SEN pupils 
and SWALS pupils5. The pay scale for seconded teaching staff and locally recruited teaching 
staff  was  also  revised  to  align  it  with  the  Staff  Regulations  for  Officials  of  the  European 
Union applicable since the 2004 reform. 

4. 

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS AND CHALLENGES 

4.1. 

Opening up the system – accredited schools 

Opening the European Schools System up to the national systems is one of the main aspects 
of the reform adopted by the BoG of the European Schools in April 2009 in Stockholm. This 
means  accrediting  national  schools  so  they  can  offer  a  European  education  leading  to  the 
European  Baccalaureate.  These  European  Schools,  known  as  Type  II  make  it  possible  to 
educate  the  children  of  staff  of  the  European  Union  based  at  EU  sites  where  there  are  no 
European  Schools.  These  accredited  schools  are  financed  as  part  of  the  national  system  but 
can receive a financial contribution from the budget of the European Union on a prorata basis 
for  the  children  of  staff  of  the  Union  who  are  educated  there.  On  8  December  2010,  the 
Commission adopted a decision concerning the financial contribution from the EU.  

Applications for schools to be accredited are made on the initiative of the Member States. The 
accreditation  procedure  is  reflected  in  the  signature  of  an  agreement  between  the  legal 
representative of the school and the Secretary-General of the European Schools representing 
the Board of Governors of the European Schools.  

Of  the  six  national  schools  approved  by  the  BoG,  five  signed  a  contribution  agreement  in 
2011 and received the first payments from the Commission for the school years 2009/2010, 
2010/2011  and  2011/2012.  The  contribution  from  the  EU  for  these  three  school  years  is 
EUR 7 419 967. 

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SWALS: Students Without A Language Section, usually enrolled in one of the procedural languages 

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The  six  accredited  schools  are:  the  'Scuola  per  l’Europa'  in  Parma  (Italy),  located  near  the 
EFSA  agency  (European  Food  Safety  Authority);  the  'Centre  for  European  Schooling'  at 
Dunshaughlin  (Ireland),  located  near  the  Commission's  Food  and  Veterinary  Office;  the 
'School  of  European  Education'  in  Heraklion  (Greece),  located  near  the  ENSIA  agency 
(European Network and Information Security Agency); the 'European Schooling' in Helsinki 
(Finland), near the ECHA agency (European Chemicals Agency); the 'Ecole Européenne de 
Strasbourg'  (France),  situated  near  the  European  Institutions  (European  Parliament  and 
Ombudsman);  and  finally,  the 
'Ecole  Internationale  Provence-Alpes-Côte  d’Azur'  in 
Manosque (France), located near the Cadarache ITER Research Centre. 

Three  other  schools  are  currently  going  through  the  approval  procedure:  the  'Ecole 
d'Enseignement Européen' in the Hague (Netherlands), which is due to open in August 2012; 
Tallinn European Schooling (Estonia); the "European School of Copenhagen"(Denmark).  
Furthermore,  opening  up  the  system  also  makes  it  possible,  as  a  pilot  project,  to  accredit 
schools at which no children of staff of the European Union are enrolled but which follow the 
European  syllabus  and  in  this  way  become  European  Schools  of  a  type  known  as  Type  III. 
Germany has submitted a file for a school that will open in September 2012 in Bad Vilbel.  

4.2. 

Revision of the salary scale for seconded teachers/locally recruited teachers 

The Staff Regulations for Members of the Seconded Staff of the European Schools is similar 
to those for the staff of the European Institutions. The Staff Regulations for Members of the 
Seconded  Staff  of  the  European  Schools  were  not  adapted  following  the  reform  of  the  EU 
Staff Regulations in 2004, and in particular the revision of the basic salary tables. The BoG 
therefore adopted a revised basic salary table in December 2010 to bring it into line with the 
EU Staff Regulations.  

These  new  provisions  apply  to  those  who  join  the  European  School  System  from 
1 September 2011. The Staff Regulations for Members of the Seconded Staff of the European 
Schools was amended accordingly.  

4.3. 

Over-crowding/infrastructure 

The constant increase in enrolment applications from category I pupils is leading to the need 
for  additional  space.  Some  of  the  European  Schools  are  faced  with  serious  overcrowding, 
which  causes  practical  problems  on  a  day-to-day  basis.  This  is  the  case  in  the  schools  in 
Brussels, Luxembourg, Frankfurt and Varese.  

In view of the increase in the number of children of EU staff and the foreseeable increase in 
the  number  of  pupils  in  the  coming  years,  the  BoG  decided  on  20  April  2010  to  ask  the 
Belgian  authorities  to  propose  a  site  for  a  5th  European  School  in  Brussels.  The  estimated 
figures show that, despite Laeken opening in September 2012, a 5th European School will be 
needed in Brussels from 2015. 

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The Secretary-General of the European Schools wrote to the Belgian authorities several times 
in  2011  asking  for  proposals  for  sites  that  might  be  suitable  for  a  5th  European  School  in 
Brussels.  Throughout  2011,  the  Commission  urged  the  Belgian  authorities  to  open 
negotiations on the location of the 5th European School and insisted that it should be near the 
main areas in which staff live and where the offices of the European Institutions are located. 
When  the  Belgian  Prime  Minister  Elio  Di  Rupo  was  appointed  in  December  2011,  Vice-
President Šefčovič wrote to him asking to start negotiations with a view to proposing sites for 
the  5th  European  School.  Meetings  were  held  with  the  Belgian  authorities,  followed  by  a 
second  letter  from  the  Vice-President  to  the  Prime  Minister,  but  there  has  not  yet  been  an 
official reply containing a proposal.  

The  European  School  Luxembourg  II,  with  a  capacity  of  3000  pupils,  will  move  to  its 
permanent site in Bertrange/Mamer ready for September 2012. Opening this large school with 
modern  equipment  will  considerably  improve  daily  life  for  both  schools,  which  have  been 
sharing a single site up to now.  

The European School Brussels IV, which will be able to accommodate around 2800 pupils, 
will  also  move  to  its  permanent  site  -  in  Laeken  -  in  September  2012.  The  renovation  and 
building work on this site, which is a significant architectural project, is progressing according 
to plan.  

The  pupils  at  Brussels  IV,  who  are  temporarily  housed  on  the  Berkendael  site,  will  be 
transferred to Laeken in September 2012. The school is making a lot of effort both in terms of 
practicalities  and  of  involving  the  pupils  so  that  this  change  will  take  place  under  the  best 
possible conditions. 

4.4. 

Sharing costs between the Member States 

In  2011,  at  EUR  164  million,  the  financial  contribution  from  the  European  Union  to  the 
European School System corresponded to almost 60% of the total budget.  

The  contribution  from  the  EU  is  a  balancing  subsidy  and  depends  on  the  size  of  the 
contribution from the Member States in terms of seconded teachers, who continue to receive 
their national salary. For several years the number of seconded teaching posts not filled by the 
Members States has been increasing, as a result of which the financial contribution from the 
European  Union  has  increased.  Vice-President  Šefčovič  spoke  to  the  Education,  Youth  and 
Culture Council and wrote to the Member States in September 2011 to remind them to meet 
their obligations in this regard.  

When  it  held  the  Presidency  of  the  European  School  System  in  2011/2012,  the 
United Kingdom decided to reopen the debate on the cost-share between the Member States 
and to make this question a priority during the year of its presidency. The United Kingdom 
and Ireland want to review the number of teachers they have to second, which they consider 
to  be  particularly  high  owing  to  the  large  number  of  applications  for  teaching  in  English. 
Indeed,  as  a  result  of  the  budgetary  difficulties  faced  by  all  the  Member  States,  it  is 
increasingly  difficult  for  them  to  second  teachers  to  the  European  Schools.  This  places  an 
additional  financial  burden  on  the  European  Union,  which  has  to  finance  locally  recruited 
teachers.  

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The Secretariat-General of the European Schools prepared a position paper that was presented 
to the BoG meeting in December 2011. The Specific Working Group that was set up to deal 
with this matter will have to analyse the situation and propose solutions. 

4.5. 

Legal cases 

Two judgments were issued following appeals to the Court of Justice. 
The first appeal was brought by the Commission against the United Kingdom (C-545/09). The 
Commission  considered  that  the  United  Kingdom  was  not  meeting  its  statutory  obligations 
and  was  in  breach  of  the  Convention  defining  the  Statute  of  the  European  Schools  by 
excluding teachers seconded to the European Schools from the salary adjustments (career and 
promotion options) awarded to teachers employed in national schools for the duration of their 
secondment. This was the first appeal under Article 26 of the Convention defining the Statute 
of the European Schools. In February 2012, the Court, on the advice of its Advocate-General, 
found in favour of the Commission. 
The  second  matter  concerned  a  preliminary  ruling  of  the  Board  of  Appeal  of  the  European 
Schools  on  adjusting  the  salaries  of  the  English  teachers  in  line  with  fluctuations  in  the 
exchange rate. The Court declared that it lacked jurisdiction as the Board of Appeal is not a 
national body but is part of an international organisation. 
Finally, an appeal, on which a ruling was expected in 2011, is still awaiting judgment. It is the 
case  of  a  teacher  recruited  locally  who  lodged  an  appeal  with  a  Belgian  national  tribunal 
asking  for  a  holiday  allowance  to  be  paid  before  2004.  The  payment  itself  was  deemed 
admissible  but  a  judgment  has  not  yet  been  issued  on  the  question  of  retroactivity.  This 
judgment could mean major expenditure for the budget of the European Schools. 

5. 

EDUCATIONAL AND ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

5.1. 

The reform of the European baccalaureate 

As  part  of  the  2009  reform  and  the  opening  up  of  the  European  School  System,  the  BoG 
wanted to simplify and reduce the cost of the European baccalaureate whilst maintaining its 
high standard. The BoG meeting in April 2011 adopted decisions that aimed to simplify the 
organisation of the exam, to reduce its cost and to review its content. Also, in December 2011, 
the  BoG  adopted  changes  to  the  procedures  for  correcting  exam  papers  for  the  European 
baccalaureate (in particular anonymity) and the type, number and weighting of the written and 
oral examinations.  

These  procedures  will  have  to  be  integrated  into  the  Regulations  for  the  European 
Baccalaureate and the Implementing Regulation before entering into force in September 2014.  

5.2. 

Actions for pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) 

During the 2010/2011 school year, there were 619 pupils with SEN in the European School 
System, which is an increase on previous years (477 in 2008/2009, 574 in 2009/2010). The 
decisions of the April 2011 BoG to create a new staff category 'SEN Assistant' and to group 
together  pupils  with  the  same  type  of  difficulties  for  SEN  support  lessons  have  made  it 
possible to rationalise the use of the resources dedicated to SEN pupils and to limit the total 
cost of SEN support to EUR 4 526 927 in 2011, EUR 180 988 less than in 2010.  

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5.3. 

Organisation of the lessons and year groups 

The adoption of the 2011 budget was dependent on measures being introduced to control the 
rising costs. As a result, at its April 2011 meeting, the BoG adopted new measures to clarify 
and detail the rules for organising lessons and options6 (in particular class sizes for language 
lessons, ONL7 lessons and SWALS).  

These  decisions  made  it  possible  to  organise  the  teaching  more  efficiently  and  to  make  the 
savings needed in the current budgetary climate. 

6. 

FUTURE CHALLENGES 

Controlling the budget whilst maintaining the quality of the teaching, and sharing the cost of 
the European Schools fairly between the Member States are major challenges for the coming 
years to guarantee the future of the European School System. 

The  European  Schools  will  have  to  continue  controlling  their  budget  and  making  savings 
whilst  guaranteeing  the  quality  of  the  teaching  they  are  providing.  The  Commission  is  as 
concerned as everyone else involved in the European School System that the main educational 
elements should be preserved and that pupils should be guaranteed a level of education that 
gives them access to the higher education of their choice after the baccalaureate. 

The Member States will have to find solutions if an agreement is to be reached on a cost share 
that  rebalances  the  burden  between  them.  The  Commission  will  continue  to  work  towards 
finding a sustainable solution. 

The  Commission  will  also  continue  to  urge  the  Belgian  authorities  to  provide  a  site  for  a 
5th European School in Brussels by 2015 in order to be able to respond to rising pupil numbers 
and to satisfy the constantly increasing number of applications for enrolment. The discussions 
on  the  opening  of  the  European  School  at  Laeken  showed  the  impact  of  the  location  of  the 
school on the work-life balance of EU staff members who do not always have the option of 
educating their children in local schools. The 5th European School will therefore have to be 
close to the main areas in which staff of the European Institutions live and where the offices 
are located.  

Finally,  the  developments  in  opening  up  the  European  School  System  will  allow  national 
schools  to  offer  the  European  School  syllabus  leading  to  the  European  baccalaureate.  In 
addition, the financial contribution from the European Union for children whose parents are 
on  the  staff  of  the  EU  should  encourage  the  Member  States  to  request  accreditation  for 
national schools, enabling many pupils to benefit from the European School syllabus and the 
European baccalaureate which is recognised in all Member States.  

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Document  .  2011-04-D-7-en-3  (Decisions  taken  at  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Governors  of  12-14 
Schools: 
April 
http://www.eursc.eu/fichiers/contenu_fichiers2/1664/2011-04-D-7-en-3.pdf 
ONL: Other National Language (Irish, Maltese, Finnish/Swedish)  

the  website 

IX(B)(4)) 

published 

European 

2011 

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