European Schools pressurized by demand for English lessons

By Martin Banks

Date: 15/07/04

THE European Schools in Brussels are facing impossible demands for places on their English classes.

While interest in German, and to a lesser extent French, classes declines, more pupils than ever are applying to study in English at the city's three schools which cater for children of people who work in the various EU institutions.

Demand has grown even more intense following the influx of pupils of officials from the ten accession countries on 1 May.

The European School in Ixelles has been forced to turn down requests from 50 pupils for places on their English language classes in the autumn.

The school's Swedish headmaster Peter Hilmersson said: "We have 22 English classes and each is full so we simply cannot accept any more children on them.

"We are having to tell parents to try and find places at the other European Schools or, failing that, at other schools."

He said the school also had to turn down about 40 pupils wanting places in English classes for the current academic year.

"I don't like doing it but I do not have much choice.

"The trend, clearly, is for English to become a more dominant language.

"More and more parents from non-English speaking countries want their children to learn the language.

"We have had about 50 pupils from new member states and this, too, has exaggerated the problem, though maybe not as much as we thought it would."

Hilmersson also says the school, which opened only five years ago, is "overcrowded".

The number of pupils will rise by 200 to 2,800 in the new term.

"We are all eagerly waiting for the fourth European School to open, hopefully, by 2007. When it does, some of these problems should ease somewhat."

At the European School in Woluwe, there are six English classes, each of which is full, but only one in German.

Demand is much the same at the other European School.

The British parent of a 13-year-old pupil at the Woluwe school said the situation was causing concern among parents.

He said: "We have heard that some of the pupils being enrolled in the English sections cannot speak a word of the language.

"While everyone appreciates that, post-enlargement, English has become the lingua franca of the EU, some parents are concerned that those children who are native English speakers might be held back, at least temporarily."

He added: "What is most interesting in all this is that it underlines that the French domination of Europe is about to come to an end."

The school's deputy headmaster, Frank McGurk, accepted there was disproportionate demand for English classes compared with other languages, particularly German.

He said: "The German class has only ten pupils in it and, certainly, it is true to say that German as a second language is suffering.

"But we are managing to cope with the situation and, at the present time, we should be able to accommodate any pupil applying for a place in the English classes."

He added: "Demand for English tends to reflect growing demand for places generally at the European Schools.

"We currently have just under 3,000 pupils and that is just about up to our limit.

"After recruitment from EU officials and other institutions such as NATO, it leaves little or no space for applications from elsewhere."

European schools in Brussels are facing unprecedented demand for places in their English classes, while interest in German and French classes declines.