Dear Parents,

As many of you are aware the Secondary school of the European system is going through a period of reorganisation and in this newsletter we would like to give you an overview based on the current proposals and the discussions we have had at INTERPARENTS. Further information on the reform is available from http://www.eursc.eu/index.php?l=3

Some of the pupils and parents have already been alerted when on the 24th of January you were to provide your children's subject choices for the years S1 to S3. This change in the choices is due to the “Organization of studies in the secondary cycle” which was approved last December for the years S1 to S3 and will be in force from 2014-15. Proposals for changes in years S4 to S7, including the BAC have not been approved yet and will be subject to an impact assessment, following the successful petition by parents last November and in view of concerns expressed by the maths inspector as well as by teachers and students. The current S2 students would be the first to take the BAC under the new system, once the whole package is approved, but all present and future students have an interest to safeguard the universal acceptance, high standards and reputation of the European Baccalaureate across university systems.

An important objective of the Reorganization of studies is to rationalise the offer of the European Schools and to reduce all courses with few pupils.

The highest number of courses with less than 11 pupils regards Language 1 (L1) courses. This is not surprising because it is a unique feature of the ES system that every pupil can receive tuition in his or her mother tongue, even if there is no language section in the school. The European Schools' mission is to provide mother-tongue education for students whose parents may be required to change their place of work or return to their country of origin. To this end, then the system should enable pupils to study a broad range of subjects in their mother tongue with qualified teachers.

The 2nd highest number of courses with less than 11 pupils regards Mathematics. This may seem surprising as normally Mathematics is offered in L1 to the whole class. The reason is that for Mathematics – and only for this subject – there exists horizontal differentiation, starting from S4. This means that pupils from one class can opt for two different levels of courses in Mathematics: 4 periods and 6 periods. The outcome of this specific arrangement is that, while for L1 the school has to organise 4 hours, for Mathematics 10 hours are currently required (Maths 4 and Maths 6), where maths 6 is often an entry requirement for some university subjects.

In the 3rd and 4th place were Religion and Ethics courses, where pupils are getting tuition in their L1. But the group which has opted for Religion is split further, as the system tries to offer tuition in each confession (Catholic, Protestant, etc.). Since tuition for Religion is offered in L1, pupils of the same confession but coming from different language sections cannot be mixed.

Against this background the planned re-organization of studies will proceed in the following three different stages:

Organisation of choices in S1-2-3: (already adopted)

• During year P5, students express their choices for a L3 in S1.

• During year S1, students state whether or not they intend to take the Latin course in S2. This course is not compulsory. It is created only if at least 7 students so request.

• During year S2, students state whether or not they intend to take the Latin or ICT course in S3.

The teaching of L3 (second foreign language) will start already in S1, comprising 2 hours per week. Increasing the number of periods will have a financial impact. In order to limit this impact, it has been decided at the same time to reduce by one period the teaching of L1. Currently one period in L1 is earmarked to be used by L1 teacher for “learn to learn” but this should now apply to all the subjects and not only to L1.

In S2 students state, whether they intend to opt for Latin or ICT in S3. For what concern the teaching of the new ICT option we cannot say much since the curriculum for the S3 has not been written yet.

For the teaching of Latin, the current S3 curriculum with 4 periods per week has been distributed over two years, i.e. into a two period curriculum in S2 and S3. However, this year is a transitional year, which means that current S2 pupils opting for Latin will have 4 periods per week, whereas current S1 pupils opting for Latin will have two periods per week in S2 and two periods in S3. In S4 Latin continues from S3 and cannot be started in S4 without the propaedeutic basis in S3, in line with the established curriculum. With less than 7 pupils up to S5 (less than 5 in S6/S7) the class will not be formed but pupils may be given the opportunity to join the same class in another section.

Furthermore, as in the case of S3 Human Science which is taught in L2, the same decision has been taken for Religion to be taught in L2. This would enable the school to put together pupils of the same confession from different language sections (but with the same L2). This poses now the question for the coming S3 pupils who will start Religion in L2 that they may need to switch back to L1 in S4, since the re-organisation has only been approved for the S1 to S3 so far.

Organisation of choices for S4-5 :

• In S3 each pupil will be requested to decide which courses opt for in order to complete his curriculum. Parents and pupils will have to be explained S6-S7 streams, so that S4-S5 options choice won’t prevent pupils from getting the desired stream :

• Pupils aiming at Economy stream would need to opt for ECO

• Pupils aiming at Scientific stream would need to keep all Sciences courses up to S5 and opt for the optional additional course of Mathematics

• Pupils aiming at Ling/Hum/Art stream could opt for correspondent options

• Pupils not having followed an option in S4-S5 and willing to get it in S6-S7 would need to successfully set an exam before entering in S6

• Compulsory courses are always created. Optional courses are created according to the rules (2011-01-D-33). Pupils having opted for courses which could not be created would be requested to opt for one of the created courses, when needed.

• Each school can freely organize the timetable of compulsory courses. Pupils follow the compulsory courses together: i.e. all pupils with the same L1 receive their L1 course at the same time

• Options are placed in parallel in the grid for the timetable. Different options would count a maximum of 56 periods when they would be all created. In order to fit all courses in a maximum of 40 periods per week (27 of which for compulsory courses), optional courses will be placed in two blocks of 4 periods and two block of 21 periods). Exemple : MUS et ICT

Organisation of choices for S6-7:

• During year S5, each student is invited to make choices from amongst the different possibilities presented above:

• Choice between MAT3 and MAT5, the courses being organised separately.

• Choice of a specialisation course of study/stream: SCIENCE, ECONOMICS or HUMANITIES.

• Choice from amongst the options offered in the course of study/stream selected.

• Possible choice of a subject in which an advanced course will be taken.

Adoption of Proposals for S4 to S7 has been postponed and made conditional on a comprehensive impact assessment following the reservations expressed by pupils, parents, teachers and the Maths inspector. Such an assessment should consider first and foremost the pedagogical effects of such a reform and, in particular, the effects of any proposal in relation to university admissions in all Member States need to be carefully examined.

Geraldina Santandrea

(Parents Representative for Interparents and for the DE PedCom)