Flanders in Belgium and Europe Northern part of Belgium More than six million inhabitants Capital: Brussels Flanders = Flemish Region + Flemish Community Minister for education is responsible for education policy from nursery to university level inclusive

Immigrants by nationality More than 8% of residents in Belgium are foreigners Moroccans are the biggest group ( ), followed by Italians ( ) and Turks ( ). Then come French and Dutch citizens In Brussels, almost 56,5% of the population is of foreign origin. The two largest foreign groups come from France or Morocco. The first language of roughly half of the inhabitants of Brussels is not an official one of the Capital Region. Nevertheless, about three out of four residents also have the Belgian nationality Belgium does not collect statistics by ethnic background!

Education in Flanders: brief overview Compulsory education from 6 to 18 yo Freedom of choice and organisation of education 3 educational networks: GO!, publicly and privately run (all publicly funded: 40% of the Flemish budget) Big emphasis on school autonomy and parents and pupils participation

Structure of education

School population in full-time education per level of education ( school year)

Problem Flanders has a high ranking in the OECD Pisa-report, but also has the biggest gap between the weakest and the strongest pupils E.G: for mathematics, immigrant pupils score almost the weakest, native pupils score the best “The waterfall principle” It’s hard to get immigrant pupils to school, and to keep them there

2002: Act on equal opportunities in education (GOK) - This act adresses disadvantaged pupils at large, not only pupils from a different ethno- cultural background - Measures taken: – Right to enrolment in school of choice – Establishment of local consultation platforms – Additional needs provision – Cost control in education – Focus on (minority) language teaching – Increased attendance of pre-schoolers – Reception classed for newcomers

Right of enrolment in school of choice Irrespective of descent, origin, religion, sex, nationality, ethnicity or colour of skin, provided that the general admission requirements are met Legality of residence is no admission criterion Enrolment cannot be refused on the grounds that the pupil or parents are found to be irregular residents

Establishment of local consultation platforms (LOP) The LOP joins school boards, educational institutional bodies, parents, pupils, centers for pupil guidance and partners from the ethno-socio-cultural civil society in a consultation platform. Mediates when a pupil is rejected the right to enroll

Additional needs for schools with disadvantaged pupils Financing is partly based on social profile of pupils, by 4 indicators: level of education of the parents / home language / family income / neighbourhood in which they live (survey in primary and secondary school) For a period of 3 consecutive school years, to be used for: a) prevention and remedying of development and learning advantages b) language skills education c) intercultural education d) progression and orientation e) socio-emotional development f) pupil and parent participation

Cost control Access to nursery, primary and secondary education: free of charge School materials in nursery and primary education: – for developmental objectives and attainment targets: free of charge – 'double maximum invoice' from 1 September 2008 – informing parents on list of costs (e.g. for meals)

Cost control - School materials in secondary education: - certain costs for educational activities and teaching aids – list of costs in school regulations – pupils and parents have a say beforehand

Language teaching Mastering the school language  increases equal opportunities in education Language competences are important – both Dutch and foreign languages Language policy supported by all teachers

Minority language teaching Supportive model: 20% of available lessons are used for teaching in another language Bi-cultural model: up to 50% of available lessons are used for teaching in another language Parents’ consultation and written consent of the pupil to attend these courses are required

Attendance of pre-schoolers Problem: children not attending nursery school – At risk of falling behind in learning or language skills – Pre-schooler participation is needed in order to guarantee equal opportunities in education Various policy measures: – Awareness-raising, increasing the number of pre-school entry classes, care staff member, communication with parents and community organisations, obligation to spend 1 year in pre-school before enrolling in primary school

Immigrant pupils Reception classes for non-Dutch speaking newcomers: – Newcomers: a) aged under 18 b) not of Belgian or Dutch nationality c) not born in Belgium or the Netherlands d) not have Dutch as their mother tongue e) not have sufficiently mastered the class language to be able to follow lessons easily f) have not yet completed a full academic year in education at a school with Dutch as their mother tongue. - In nursery and primary education: not more than 12 periods/week - In secondary education: separate classes concentrated on learning Dutch

Challenges Content and Language Integrated Learning is not very popular (only a few projects in the bigger cities) Participation of immigrant parents and pupils in official structures is very low The Flemish education system does not impose a curriculum, but sets out final attainment targets and developmental objectives (e.g: race, gender equality). However, these are not always attained by the schools. Different approach between French and Flemish community: – Flanders focuses on disadvantaged pupils at large / French community has a general positive discrimination policy with specific measures aiming at migrant children – The notion of newcomers in the French Community is rather limited and based on rather legalistic elements: asylum-seekers, stateless persons, native of developing country, etc. / The Flemish concept of newcomer is mainly based on nationality and language – What about Brussels?

Klasse: communication with teachers, parents and pupils Main objectives: Clear information on child-rearing and education (democratic, for everyone: teachers, parents and pupils, adapted to the target group, in collaboration with other media) Creating support for equal opportunities for all Promoting actions for all target groups (broadening, innovating) More and better participation for teachers, parents and pupils, especially those who are more difficult to reach Active citizenship Well-being and prevention of problem behaviour

Klasse: a crossmedia publication Offline: 4 magazines (Klasse for Teachers, Klasse for Parents, Maks! and Yeti), distributed for free, linked by covering similar topics Online: Websites for each target group E-letters for pupils, parents, teachers and school management teams Cards linked to actions and advantages: Teacher card Student card TV.Klasse Video coverage online, with focus on pedagogical issues, subtitled for immigrant parents

Klasse: for equal chances in education E-letter Klasse XTR-strong: compiles examples of good practice and ethno-cultural background or low language abilities De Eerste Lijn: step-by-step plan and communication for well-being, participation and prevention of problem behaviour, for teachers and parents School entry letter with Klasse for Parents in Arabic, Turkish, French, English, German, Spanish, Polish, Croatian and Russian Focus on equal chances in all our online and offline publications

Contact Kris Vanhemelryck KLASSE (Agency for Educational Communication) Koning Albert II-laan Brussels Belgium