Brussels - More school questions - Ixelles?

[Portofino]

link to thread in the MN Local topic, as this place gets more traffic.

[natation]

Wunderland

4 types of schools in French system
Communal
Catholic/Protestant/Jewish
Direct French community controlled
non religious (method) semi-public

I have taken a central Ave Louise point, where rue Bailli crosses. Here is the complete list of schools 2km from this point, 36 of them in total.

You can live in any commune and go to school in a different commune.

Most school enrolments have already been done for next school year.

Catholic and method schools are generally most popular, an exception is the nearest communal school called Tenbosch, a miracle would get you are place there.

Communal Schools within 2km of rue Bailli / Ave Louise
1Groupe scolaire de Ten Bosch Rue Américaine 136 , 1050 IXELLES 0,472 km
2Ecole communale J.J. Michel Rue de Bordeaux 16 , 1060 SAINT-GILLES 0,817 km
3Groupe scolaire n°5 des Etangs Rue Alphonse De Witte 29-31 , 1050 IXELLES 0,863 km
4Eugene Flagey - du Coeur d'Ixelles Ecole communale n°4 Chaussée d'Ixelles 132 , 1050 IXELLES 0,873 km
5Ecole primaire et maternelle n°2 et 14 Rue Sans-Souci 130 , 1050 IXELLES 0,969 km
6Ecole primaire Catteau - Aurore Rue de l'Aurore 23-29 , 1000 BRUXELLES 1,056 km
7Ecole communale Peter Pan Rue de la Rhétorique 13 , 1060 SAINT-GILLES 1,13 km
8Ecole communale 1/2 Rue de la Perche 11 , 1060 SAINT-GILLES 1,445 km
9Ecole fondamentale Baron Louis Steens Rue Haute 255 , 1000 BRUXELLES 1,476 km
10Ecole préparatoire Robert Catteau RUE ERNEST ALLARD , 1000 BRUXELLES 1,495 km
11Ecole communale fondamentale Claire Joie Rue Beckers 129 , 1040 ETTERBEEK 1,521 km
12Ecole fondamentale Emile André Rue Haute 107 , 1000 BRUXELLES 1,619 km
13Ecole fondamentale du Longchamp Rue Edith Cavell 29 , 1180 UCCLE 1,636 km
14Ecole les Quatre Saisons Place de Bethléem, 4 , 1060 SAINT-GILLES 1,748 km
15Groupe scolaire Les Jardins d'Elise - Ecole n°12 d'Ixelles Rue Elise 100 , 1050 IXELLES 1,758 km
16Ecole préparatoire Henriette Dachsbeck Rue de la Paille 24 , 1000 BRUXELLES 1,76 km
17Ecole Ulenspiegel Place des Héros 5 , 1060 SAINT-GILLES 1,772 km
18Ecole communale n°3 Rue Timmermans 53-55 , 1190 FOREST 1,874 km
19Ecole primaire d'application Charles Buls Boulevard du Midi 86 , 1000 BRUXELLES 1,914 km

Catholic schools within 2km of rue Bailli / Ave Louise
1Ecole fondamentale libre Le Jardin des Ecoliers Rue de la Croix 37 , 1050 IXELLES 0,544 km
2Centre scolaire de Ma Campagne - Fondam. libre Rue Africaine 3 , 1050 IXELLES 0,573 km
3Ecole fond libre - Institut Saint-Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Rue Moris 19 , 1060 SAINT-GILLES 0,7 km
4Ecole fondamentale libre Sainte Trinité - Cardinal Mercier Rue du Nid 8 , 1050 IXELLES 0,854 km
5Ecole fondamentale libre - Institut Saint-Boniface-Parnasse Rue du Viaduc 82 , 1050 IXELLES 0,976 km
6Ecole fondamentale libre Sainte Trinité - Cardinal Mercier Avenue de la Couronne 105 , 1050 IXELLES 1,27 km
7Ecole fondamentale libre des Filles de Marie Rue Théodore Verhaegen 6 , 1060 SAINT-GILLES 1,315 km
8Ecole primaire libre Saint-André - Saint-Philippe Chaussée de Boondael, 216 , 1050 IXELLES 1,419 km
9Centre scolaire Sainte-Marie Rue Emile Feron 9 , 1060 SAINT-GILLES 1,718 km
10Communauté éducative Sainte-Geneviève Avenue Eudore Pirmez 45 , 1040 ETTERBEEK 1,81 km
11Institut Montjoie - Ecole fondamentale Avenue Montjoie 97 , 1180 UCCLE 1,859 km
12Ecole fondamentale libre Magellan Rue De Lenglentier 6-14 , 1000 BRUXELLES 1,897 km
13Ecole fondamentale libre Saint-Augustin Avenue Saint-Augustin 16 , 1190 FOREST 2,021 km

Jewish school within 2km of rue Bailli / Ave Louise
1Ecole fondamentale libre Beth Aviv Avenue Molière 123 , 1190 FOREST 1,661 km

Direct French Community controlled schools within 2km of rue Bailli / Ave Louise
1Ecole fondamentale annexée Victor Horta - Saint-Gilles Rue du Lycée 8 , 1060 SAINT-GILLES 1,126 km

Non Religious semi-public Schools / method schools within 2km of rue Bailli / Ave Louise
1Ecole fondamentale libre En Couleurs Rue Rodenbach 37 , 1190 FOREST 1,517 km
2Ecole fondamentale libre Nos Enfants Chaussée d'Alsemberg 346 , 1190 FOREST 1,971 km

[Portofino]

See, I said natation knows about schools

[natation]

Thank God I did not type all this.

For telephone numbers of these schools, use the French Community education website where all schools are listed by commune. Do always click on individual pages for each school, some have maternelle annexes connected to main schools which do not show on the main lists, only on individual pages.

www.enseignement.be/index.php?page=25932&navi=2908

A few tips :
from parents who have visited St Gilles schools, might be a good idea to look elsewhere, significant that when the rest of Brussels has full secondaries, St Gilles does not ;

schools you may have no chance of places - Tenbosch, St André, En Couleurs, Nos Enfants ;

there is a cheap private bilingual French / English maternelle called Tutti Frutti, always seems to have places, but if you choose here, think carefully about transfer to primaire as you get no priority for primaire places and all the primaires in the area have attached maternelles, most places will be prioritised for maternelle children for the attached maternelle ;

Belgian Waffle or someone with a name like that has her child in Jardin des Ecoliers, worth a PM?

I know parents of children in St Augustin (Forest), Beth Aviv (Forest) and Jardin des Ecoliers (Ixelles) if you want decide you need some contacts. I know more parents with children in schools in Etterbeek and the Woluwes and a few in Uccle.

Look at hubby's work address, look at properties along public transport routes, not necessarily nearest area for easiest access. Metros run fastest, trams run faster than buses but still pretty slow crossing east to west, only tram routes 3,4 and 7 are fast really.

Ixelles is very popular with young families, especially the north end, but parking is a major issue. It's very expensive in some parts of Ixelles, will get better value in Forest and Etterbeek for example.

[malteserinbelgium]

a colleague of mine sends his kid to Tutti Frutti & they are pleased. And the fact it's bilingual has helped the child a lot.

[Wunderland]

Wow - thanks so much for all that information! Hubbie was running around most of yesterday with this list in hand and got very desperate as waiting lists were down to the 80s (Alice ended up being number 83, 85 etc, on waiting list). But he was lucky this morning with Ecole n° 4 - Groupe scolaire Eugène Flagey du Coeur d'Ixelles - they seemed there nice according to him. He is adamant to find a maternelle near his work, and to live near his work at least in the beginning. I told him to still put her name on other lists, but I am glad we have at least somewhere to start with. I will go flat hunting tomorrow...

[natation]

mmm Eugene Flagey, not known as a particularly good school, a well trusted contact said the head admitted that there is a difficulty with attendance there because the children are from backgrounds where early schooling is not appreciated.If possible, try alternatives, "des etangs", Jardin des ecoliers, Ma Campagne.

[Portofino]

For a year of Maternelle it surely won't matter THAT much though? It will be much easier to look again for next year once you have your bearings.....

[natation]

No for one year it won't matter, but I wouldn't stray too far from where you would really like your child to go to school when looking for accommodation, nor too far from a school with a place. Can't remember which year OP is looking for a school place, but the higher up the school, the less chance of getting that desired place in maternelle, as more parents put their children into school, plus parents are less likely to give up places as the most desirable schools, in the case of a school with a high number expat children at least some will leave and re-locate. So it's still a risky business hoping to get into another school the year after. Unfortunately, out of all the contacts I have had over the last couple of years in schools in Brussels, Ixelles has turned out to be the most difficult commune to find a school place, as a generalisation.

[Wunderland]

Oh, thanks a lot. Will keep trying then. We will just put her on the lists. I am looking at flats/houses tomorrow in Uccle and Forest too. And one in Auderghem - but that seems quite far out.

[natation]

Try to keep to looking for accommodation along public transport routes, if you are working on Ave Louise. An area may be further in distance but quicker on public transport. Try if possible to avoid a route which involves a bus. The metro is quickest but is only at top of Ave Louise and it's a long road. You do have trams 92 and 97 from the top of Louise which connect with some parts of Uccle and Forest. 94 tram goes from the top end of Louise to the very bottom, then goes through onwards to Watermael-Boitsfort and finally to Auderghem and Woluwe St Pierre. Watermael-Boitsfort near the 94 tram would be a good place for a fastish connection to Louise, it would be around 20 minutes, and there are more schools considered desirable there than in Ixelles and also more chance of a decent school with a place. Tram 81 is another tram crossing Louise going through St Gilles, to Ixelle and Etterbeek.

[Portofino]

Got your PM too Wunderland. I will get round to updating the list! We haven't done anything for a while....

[Chupper]

Hi, notation, I am new to mumsnet. I've read some messages of you, helped me a lot. Do you know about école st. Trinité in ixelles? Is it a good school or not? Cause it is near to my house and we prefer to choose a local school for our son. Tks.

[natation]

La Trinité - well not the richest neighbourhood, but if it's your local school and it's just for maternelle, I'm sure it's fine. I know someone who has heir child in Claire-Joie in maternelle who is quite happy. Most sought after school in that area is St-André-St Phillipe. Rest of schools around there, well that's the reason why I do tell people when considering Ixelles, that schools are very iffy there, with a few exceptions and those are very difficult to get in to.

[Chupper]

Really good advice! At first, we preferred St André-St Phillipe, but they didn't accept inscription until December. The list was always full. But later I will try this school and another one ---st. Joseph boondael. Do you have other recommendations near the south ixelles and boifort.

[natation]

If you live next to Sainte Trinité then I think it's an awful long way to go to St Joseph-Boondael, especially since you'll be passing fine schools on the way, if he long term and secondary school admissions remain the same, you can give up any hope of a place in a good secondary by not choosing a primary near to home.
St André-St Philippe and St Joseph-Boondael schools have a single enrolment morning per year, due to their popularity.

I couldn't recommend any other schools, without knowing where you live.

[Sunset5]

Hello there, is anyone here? I saw the previous messages date 2012, so I'm wondering if my questions have any chance being answered?
Thanks for any feedback

[scaryteacher]

start a new thread?