| Almost 50 years of history |
 | | ES Luxembourg - New Theater |
The European Schools are official educational establishments controlled jointly by the governments of the Member States of the European Union. In all these countries they are legally regarded as public institutions.†
Originally, they were governed by the Intergovernmental Protocol incorporating the èStatute of the European Schoolí, signed by the six founder Member States in Luxembourg on 12 April 1957 and ratified by the national authorities of the signatory countries. The present Convention defining the Statute of the European Schools, which has replaced the previous agreements, entered into force in October 2002. Following the latest wave of EU enlargement on 1 May 2004, the accession to the Convention of the ten new Member States is in progress.
The mission of the European Schools is to provide a multilingual, multicultural and multidenominational education for nursery, primary and secondary level pupils.
There are currently thirteen Schools (Alicante, Brussels I (Uccle), Brussels II (Woluwé), Brussels III (Ixelles), Frankfurt am Main, Mol, Bergen, Karlsruhe, Munich, Varese, Culham, Luxembourg I & Luxembourg II), in seven countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Spain and Luxembourg), with a total of approximately 20,000 pupils on roll.
Almost 40,000 former pupils have obtained the Europan Baccalaureate in one of the European Schools.
[Source: European Schools website] | Objectives of the European Schools |
 | | To foster tolerance, cooperation and communication |
- To give pupils confidence in their own cultural identity - the bedrock for their development as European citizens;
- to give a sound education, based on a broad range of subjects, from nursery level to university entrance;
- to develop high standards in speaking and writing both the mother tongue and two or more foreign languages;
- to develop mathematical and scientific skills throughout the whole period of schooling;
- to encourage a European and global perspective in the study of history and geography, rather than a narrower, nationalistic one;
- 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 in their choice of subjects and in career/university decisions in the later years of the secondary school;
- to foster tolerance, cooperation, communication and concern for others throughout the school community;
- to provide high-quality teaching through the recruitment of well-qualified and experienced staff by the respective countries' Ministries of Education.
[Source: European Schools website]| The European Baccalaureate |
The secondary school course is validated by the European Baccalaureate at the end of year 7. The certificate awarded is fully recognized in all the European Union countries, as well as in a number of others. Those awarded the certificate enjoy the same rights and advantages as other holders of school-leaving certificates in their respective countries, including the same right as nationals with equivalent qualifications to seek admission to any university or institution of higher education in the fifteen European Union countries.
The Examining Board, which oversees the examinations in all the language sections, is chaired by a university professor and is composed of examiners from each of the European Union countries. They are appointed annually by the Board of Governors and must meet the requirements laid down in their home countries for appointment to examining boards of the same level.
The Baccalaureate examination assesses performance in the subjects taught in years 6 and 7, and to qualify for admission students must have completed at least the last two years of the secondary course at the European School.
The assessment of each candidate consists of two elements:
1. a preliminary mark based on course-work, oral participation in class and tests set throughout year 7, to which a total of 40 marks (40%) are allotted.
2. (At the end of year 7)
a) 5 written examination, including basic language (mother tongue), first foreign language and mathematics, which are compulsory choices for all candidates, to which a total of 36 marks (36%) are allotted.
b) 4 oral examinations, including basic language (mother tongue) and first foreign language, which are compulsory choices, as is history or geography if a written examination has not been taken in the subject, to which a total of 24 marks (24%) are allotted.
The pass mark is 60 marks out of 100 (60%)
Close scrutiny by the Examining Board, with examination scripts marked twice (three times if necessary), ensures that high standards are maintained and that the certificate is awarded only to candidates who have the knowledge and skills required to go on to higher education.
[Source: European Schools website]
| |
