The European Schools are supranational bodies governed by their own statutes and rules. They are not subject to the respective education ministries in their host countries, neither in relation to the curriculum nor in relation to organisational rules.

The current and future rules and regulations put in place by the Luxembourg Ministry of Education for the current Covid-19 situation are always thoroughly analysed and, whenever needed, discussed with the representatives of the Ministry of Education in order to assess their considerations correctly.

The practical implementation of new rules or of adapting existing rules at our schools is always based on the legal rules in place at that moment. In addition, the decisions made by the Ministry of Education for the national school system are followed, under the condition that they are relevant for our schools and that they address the specific settings of our schools (i.e. different organisation of studies, mixing of groups and language sections, coexistence of nursery, primary and secondary cycles in one school, facilities setups, …).

We are in very close and regular contact with the Ministry of Health and jointly assess any new or changed situation that might diverge from the national school regulations before deciding on implementing specific rules for our schools.

Ensuring the health and safety of students and our staff members is one of the main concerns of our school. In this context, the Director, in accordance with his power of leadership of the School (Article 1 of the Regulations of the European Schools (Ref.: 2014-03-D-14-en-8)), as the guarantor of health and safety within the School and in application of the directives of both the government bodies and the centralized management body of the European Schools, without being obliged to consult individually the parents of pupils beforehand, takes the necessary decisions to give the guarantees for the achievement of these objectives.

All major decisions in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic situation are always taken by the Director, after an internal consultation process with all the stakeholders represented in the School Advisory Council (which is a consultation, but not a decision body, representing the school’s management, parents’ representatives, staff representatives and pupils’ representatives)

We kindly remind all our parents that the acceptance of the internal regulations of the European Schools is one of the conditions for the enrolment of a pupil and you have explicitly accepted this condition at the time of your child’s first registration and then tacitly each time the registration is renewed.

Additional references:

• European School Luxembourg I : Official texts, rules & memoranda
• Office of the Secretary-General of the European Schools : Basic texts

The Luxembourg Government’s objective is to implement a gradual exit from confinement in phases while remaining cautious to avoid the onset of a second wave of the epidemic.

In general, this means that all members of society must absolutely continue to

• apply the basic barrier gestures and support them with other specific measures to reduce as far as possible the risk of uncontrolled spread of the virus – including in the workplace,
• protect vulnerable people in particular.

For more information, please check:  https://coronavirus.gouvernement.lu/en/citoyens.html

Both European Schools in Luxembourg extensively consulted internal and external stakeholders on possible actions and measures to be implemented internally, taking into account the current situation and health recommendations to deal with Covid-19.

It is decided that in order to respect the specificities of the European Schools, the well-being and educational needs of our pupils and students, as well as decisions taken at national level, while focusing on the preservation of the interests and safety of our pupils, students and other users of our facilities, all cycles and levels will resume teaching in situ as from the 03 September 2020.

Yes.

It should be stressed that the schooling of minors is compulsory and the measures implemented are obligatory and not voluntary. Thus, pupils who do not attend school will be registered as “unauthorized absence”, unless they receive a medical certificate stating that the pupil or his/her family must stay at home.

It should be emphasized that for these classes, no distance learning will be offered and no homework assignments will be provided for those who choose to stay at home without authorization.

• Regular occupancy of school facilities at 100% with compulsory mask wearing at all times.
• Prohibit all external adults, including parents, from entering the school premises.
• Wearing masks at all moment when on site, except for sports lessons and during lunch.
• Respect social distancing and hygiene standards.

• Incorporate the safety measures defined by the national authorities in order to reinforce the safety of the pupils and all the users of our school.
• Keep the risk of infection down and ensure the safety and health of the school community.
• Strengthen the pedagogical quality and the effectiveness of teaching and learning in this unique and particular context.

The school strictly complies with the measures and actions taken by the national authorities and relies on their judgement to manage the current situation.

Please, you as parents, lead the way and respect the restrictions and recommendations that we, as well as the relevant authorities, have communicated to you.

You should be aware that both schools have always, and even more so during this period, maintained very close cooperation with the competent authorities. This means that all relevant information will be shared directly with them. Similarly, they may dictate to the school to strengthen its measures and actions in order to avoid a possible spread of COVID-19.

In addition, the school management reserves the right to take appropriate action towards pupils, students or other users of its campus, including parents, when deemed necessary.

For more information, please check: national COVID-19 web site (procedure of declaring absence)

Throughout our existence, both European Schools in Luxembourg have always, and even more so during this period, maintained very close cooperation with the competent national authorities, which is both a rewarding and beneficial position in terms of effectiveness.

We can thus assure you that the schools will follow all known or foreseen actions in which the competent national authorities consider it necessary and appropriate for us to be involved.

Please check back regularly to see what information we are communicating to you through our regular media.

Schools will not report or confirm any suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 unless specifically requested to do so by national authorities.

For more information, please check: national COVID-19 web site, memorandum (contagious disease)

The school will comply with the instructions and guidelines issued by the national authorities as the situation evolves.

In any case, pupils or users who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 are immediately removed from the school. The closure of specific classes or all in situ teaching lessons may be required. Information will be provided in due course.

In addition, the school management reserves the right to take appropriate action towards pupils, students or other users of its campus, including parents, when deemed necessary.

For more information, please check: national COVID-19 web site, memorandum (contagious disease)

The school follows the recommendations received at the national level and at this stage does not oblige people to submit to isolation. However, people are invited to participate in the monitoring organized by the Luxembourg government and submit themselves to a test when they return from holidays.

If you need to directly report a case of Covid-19 positive for one or more of your children, please use only the following e-mail address: LIST-LUX-COVID19-PUPIL-REPORT@eursc.eu and do not to copy anyone else. This will ensure effective and efficient processing, in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations, and will avoid additional loops in internal communication.

The first school day for all pupils will be Thursday 03 September 2020 according to the timetables indicated in the memorandum for parents.

Yes.

The pupils’s and students’ timetables will be adjusted based on specific needs related to recess times and lunch breaks.

No.

Parents are not allowed to guide their children onto the school premises or to enter the gate(s).

It is essential for safety and health to keep any contours and interactions to a strict minimum.

For more information, please check: Calendar and timetables 

This is a new process specifically set up to comply with the current situation.

The use of a gate giving direct access to the schoolyard and to different building entrances allows to spread out the number of pupils across the building without overcrowding the corridors and staircases.

The dimension of the gate and locations of the entrances allow us to guarantee a quicker entry while respecting the social distance and ensuring that any eventual viral load remains within minimal and acceptable limits.

Teachers and support staff will be on campus before classes resume to enable them to prepare for the resumption of classes and the arrival of pupils.

Specific teaching materials have been developed to be used to explain the situation to pupils and to provide instructions on social distancing and hygiene in an age-appropriate manner. Of course, the importance of the protection of other persons will be a topic of discussion by highlighting the responsibility of each individual for the protection of others.

In addition, the first school days will be used to work on the implementation of the new procedures and the new settings. This period will be mainly devoted to the children in order to prepare them adequately to the new context and to ensure that they are well prepared to face the new surrounding challenges.

For further information, please check: video (externally stored content, prepared by our colleagues in European School Luxembourg II)

Yes.

The school uses all the internal and external human resources necessary to ensure a significant and meaningful presence of adults in the pathways and areas through which pupils evolve.

Teachers and/or support staff will always follow and monitor their group throughout the whole school day. In addition, all corridors used by the groups concerned will be monitored by support staff to allow coordination between groups and to avoid mixing of groups when moving around the building.

The presence of the security service will be reinforced at the entrances to ensure access control.

The flow circulation has been regulated inside school, in order to reduce the contact in corridors and common areas. The pupils and students will be invited to change classes as fast as possible and remain at the outdoors as far as the weather conditions allowed.

The use of study rooms, libraries, common areas and catering premises has been regulated and special protocols have been introduced.

Physical surveillance to those areas and recreation zone has significally raised to ensure the compliance of the pupils and students with the barrier gestures and safety instructions.

No.

Meetings with external third parties are not allowed on the school premises until the end of the school year.

Meetings with internal staff will be maintained only if essential and after authorization by the school management, subject to compliance with the specific security measures in force.

It goes without saying that the secretariat can be reachable through the usual e-mail addresses and telephone numbers.

For more information, please check: schools’ website

All pupils must enter the school campus through the gate indicated in the instructions received from the school management.

The main entrance to the building will no longer be used for this purpose. Teachers and/or support staff, for all levels and classes concerned, will stand by the designated gates and expect pupils to meet them at predefined meeting points set up for each level and class. Information about the specific gates will be communicated by an SMS communication.

Parents are not allowed to guide their children within the school grounds or to come within 2 m of the gate. Teachers and/or support staff will always follow and monitor the class groups.

Once inside the campus, pupils will not be allowed access to any playgrounds, but will reach directly their class along with their teacher and/or support staff using a designated entrance and staircase. Each path will be used exclusively by the same groups of classes through the whole school day.

At the end of the school day, all pupils gather under the monitoring of the teachers and/or support staff near the gate, indicated in the instructions received from the school management, at predefined meeting points set up for each level and class.

Separate gates or exits for public transport and language sections will be designated for Primary pupils. 2 separate exits by language sections will be defined for Nursery pupils. Secondary students will exit by the main hall and 1 additional gate, as well as by the public transport gate.

Parents are not allowed to pick up their children within the school grounds or to come within 2 m. of the gate.

Yes.

Details will be updated soon.

Yes.

Details will be updated soon.

ISA support will continue to take place, but will also have to be adapted to the modified school situation.

 

Details will be updated soon.

Yes.

Details will be updated soon. For more information, please check: APEEEL1 web site

Yes.

Details will be updated soon.

School transport will be scheduled in accordance to the schedules of the school.

For more information, please check: ATSEE web site and City of Luxembourg

Dispensers of hydro-alcoholic solution are available. However, the vials of hydro-alcoholic solution are only accessible to adults. In case of necessity students can use it under strict adult supervision and if the possibility to wash their hands with soap and water is not possible.

No.

At the moment the libraries are closed. New procedures and special protocols will be introduced soon to allow pupils and students to borrow books and provide access and use of these areas.

• When they arrive in the classroom
• Before going out to the playground
• After the recess period
• Before and after science and sports lessons
• Before and after eating
• After accessing the sanitary facilities
• Before leaving the school grounds

Pupils, teachers and support staff are asked to strictly follow the guidelines for good hand hygiene. Pupils’ access to the toilets will also be monitored by teachers and support staff through the whole school day.

The teacher and/or support staff may require pupils to wash their hands in class as often as deemed necessary.

Teachers and support staff will be on campus before classes resume to enable them to prepare for the resumption of classes and the arrival of pupils.

Specific teaching materials have been developed to be used to explain the situation to pupils and to provide instructions on social distancing and hygiene in an age-appropriate manner. Of course, the importance of the protection of other persons will be a topic of discussion by highlighting the responsibility of each individual for the protection of others.

In addition, the first school days will be used to work on the implementation of the new procedures and the new settings. This period will be mainly devoted to the children in order to prepare them adequately to the new context and to ensure that they are well prepared to face the new surrounding challenges.

For further information, please check: video (externally stored content, prepared by our colleagues in European School Luxembourg II)

Handwashing under the supervision of the teacher is the principle privileged to ensure the compliance to guidelines and avoid group mixing and line-ups.

Furthermore, the large number of students accessing the school site each morning does not allow for adequate and safe hand disinfection management before entering the classrooms.

Pupils, teachers and support staff are asked to strictly follow the guidelines for good hand hygiene.

Yes.

The staircases and corridors concerned will be cleaned in a hygienic manner directly after the pupils have passed through each morning and before they exit again to access for the schoolyard.

Hand washing in the classroom under the supervision of the teachers and/or support staff is privileged. For this reason, the sinks in each classroom have been adequately equipped (soap and paper towels).

With regard to the return of pupils from the washroom to the classroom, the teacher reserves the right to require them to wash their hands again in the classroom.

Washrooms will be cleaned in a hygienic manner several times through the school day and verified that are adequately equipped (soap and paper towels).

Yes.

In order to avoid line-ups and frequent contact with door handles, all commonly used doors are kept open during the school period. This applies to classroom doors, washroom doors and access doors to the building as far as those located inside the school campus.

Teachers and support staff will be on campus before classes resume to enable them to prepare for the resumption of classes and the arrival of pupils/students.

Specific teaching materials have been developed to be used to explain the situation to pupils, reminding them to avoid touching their face, mouth and nose and always sneeze using a handkerchief or their elbow out of respect for others.

In addition, the first school days will be used to work on the implementation of the new procedures and the new settings.

For further information, please check: video (externally stored content, prepared by our colleagues in European School Luxembourg II) 

Yes.

Still please ensure that the homemade mask has been to adapt to the morphology of your child and covers efficiently the mouth and the nose.

Yes.

The mask must be used in all areas and premises of the school and especially also in the classrooms. This is also the case in private offices when the 2 m. distance principle cannot be respected.

Nursery pupils are not obliged to wear masks, as recommended by the competent local authorities.

Parents are asked to provide at least one backup mask to their children and which they need to carry with them. In an exceptional situation, the school will provide a surgical type of mask to the pupil or student. It is to be mentioned that this type of masks is not fully adapted to the morphology of the children.

No.

The masks provided by the competent authorities allow to be kept around the neck of the pupils when they are not used.In case you prefer that your child use a ‘homemade’ or other specific mask, you can provide a small individual zip bag.

Yes.

During arrival at the first day, your child will receive 2 cloth masks known as ‘Buff’ (except for those P2 and P5 children who already received theirs in May/June 2020). Masks are also provided to the teaching and support staff.

All masks are provided by the national authorities.

We are kindly reminding you that it is on the responsibility of the parents to ensure that the pupil has the necessary and adequate materiel and equipment upon arriving to school.

Therefore, no pupil without his/her masks will be allowed to access the school campus.

If a pupil fails to comply with the regulations in force, teachers and/or support staff take the necessary measures (explain to the class/pupil the consequences for others and for themselves).

In case of repeated breaches, the school reserves the right to take all necessary measures.

Fabric masks are recommended to prevent onward transmission in the general population in public areas, particularly where distancing is not possible, and in areas of community transmission. Masks may help to protect others, because wearers may be infected before symptoms of illness appear.

The school management has conducted an intensive dialogue with the competent authorities at national level in order to consider the best approach to keep the level of contamination, low within its infrastructures while allowing the follow-up of the school curriculum as planned. Thus, this decision has been subjected to intense reflection and analysis during those close consultations over the past few months and, to our knowledge, no reservations have been formulated.

These reflections do also integrate the most recent WHO advice on the use of masks for children and the risk-based approach for children between 6 and 11 years of age.

Symptoms vary from moderate to severe respiratory infection, accompanied by fever, coughing, breathing difficulties and fatigue.

Loss of sense of smell (anosmia) and/or taste, as well as skin rashes, are other symptoms of the disease.

Seniors and people with pre-existing chronic illnesses are more vulnerable and at risk of complications.

The incubation period, the time between contamination and the appearance of the first symptoms of COVID-19 infection, is maximum 14 days.

For further information, please check: official national web site

No.

However, spot checks may be conducted. Please check your child’s body temperature before sending him/her to school. The usual procedure concerning the obligation not to send a sick child to school remains in force.

In addition, the school management reserves the right to take appropriate action towards pupils, students or other users of its campus, including parents, when deemed necessary.

From more information, please check: memorandum (sick leaves, contagious disease)

With a view to assisting the tracing carried out by the Health Directorate, the school keeps lists of the pupils and users present on the site each day with details of the premises in which they have attended and with which group they have been in contact.

• Daily cleaning of the school’ premises
• No shaking hands
• No hugging or kissing
• Avoid if it is possible touching door handles and handrails
• Always washing hands after touching the mask
• Always washing hands

No.

School nurses will only deal with accidents and health emergencies. They will of course stay in contact with the classes to provide pupils and staff with further guidance on the new regulations and, of course, they will contact parents when necessary.

If there is any doubt about the symptoms related to COVID-19, parents should contact the attending doctor directly for consultation. No consultation or additional clarification on their child’s state of health will be carried out or provided by the school’s nurses.

Parents are required to contact their family doctor for further assistance.

No.

In addition, please note that the remaining medical visits have been postponed by the national authorities.

Please regularly check the information we provide through our regular media

The school management has closely liaised with the national authorities in order to implement a large-scale test for its teaching staff. In the first days of the new school year, all teaching staff will be invited to participate in a test (Luxembourg large scale testing).

Pupils from the European Schools, residing in Luxembourg, will be invited to be tested under the same modalities as pupils from public schools. Relevant national authorities are in charge of the organization and distribution of the invitations to the concerned families. The school is currently negotiating a similar option for non-resident pupils.

The school emphasizes the importance of participating in this process, therefore, large-scale testing will be actively promoted to the school users. For legal reasons, participation to this large-scale testing cannot be forced and no proof of a negative result will be requested.

The testing process is voluntary and the national authorities will be responsible for inviting to the test, for contacting and for communicating the test results to the persons or local authorities concerned.

Daily school trips will be possible if no overnight sleeping is included.

The first school days of each class group will be used to work on the implementation of the new procedures and the new settings.

Teachers will go through all the points and explain the reasons of such decisions to all pupils.

For further information, please check: video (externally stored content, prepared by our colleagues in European School Luxembourg II) 

Yes.

Details will follow soon.

Yes.

• Pupils are invited to have the necessary material in order to follow up with the lesson.
• They are asked to keep their personal stuff and class materiel at the desk, inside the classroom.
• They are asked not to share any personal material with others (pencils, ruler, etc.).
• On their arrival, the teachers will assign them a place in the room, which they must keep until the end of the school day.
• They are not allowed to get up or go out without their teacher’s permission. This also concerns permission to the washrooms.
• They are not allowed to the teacher’s desk to let their notes/exercises. These should be left to a predefined area in the classroom as the teacher instructed.
• Partnership and group work is not allowed unless the distance of 2 m is respected. It is therefore up to the teacher to decide whether group work is possible without disrupting the lesson (noisy situation).

Yes, except for Nursery pupils.

Of course, if for any reason you deem necessary for your child to wear it to class as well, this will be acknowledged and honored.

No.

Basically, ISA students follow normal lessons and are integrated as well as possible into everyday school life.

For ISA students who, due to their special needs, also need physical support, the school is in contact with the Luxembourg authorities to receive individual recommendations.

The parents of these children will be informed by the school as soon as possible.

Yes. But these activities should be limited as ball games will easily exhaust pupils as the use of the masks is also mandatory during the recess time.

Details will follow soon.

All usual activities are permitted. The wearing of masks is compulsory.

Yes.

Special protocols were implanted from both the school and catering provider to guarantee compliance with COVID-19 recommendations. Specific hygienic and social distancing measures have been put in place.

Yes (in Nursery and Primary).

The school recognizes the importance of a balanced daily repartition of mealtimes, so snacks and afternoon snacks will be maintained. The practical arrangements will be covered by the teachers.

For the moment, parents are not allowed to bring food or drinks for birthdays. Parents are nevertheless encourage to inform the class teacher about the birthday so that they can arrange a small celebration in class (like singing a birthday song).

No.

There is no new procedure for sick leave.

All sick leave must be announced in advance in accordance with our usual procedures.

For further information, please check: memorandum

No.

The existing Individualized support plan (PAI) does not automatically uphold recommendations concerning the integration of the pupil and his/her family into a vulnerable category.

Always in case of reasonable doubt, please contact your family doctor for further instructions. If a new medical certificate is issued, the same guidelines as for pupils in vulnerable categories will be followed.

The school closely follows the developments and recommendations of the competent authorities. In the event that a pupil or member of staff is concerned by a category of risk, all necessary means will be implemented to guarantee their safety. Arrangements will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

For further information, please check: STM web site, official national web site

Yes.

The school endeavours by all means to replace the class teacher in due time to ensure that lessons are held.

Yes.

In this specific case, the class teacher will provide the necessary material to the pupil in order to carry out the school homework through the usual tools (SMS, teams).

No.

The general applicable guidelines are determined by the Luxembourg “Conseil Supérieur des Maladies Infectieuses”.

Absence from the school is justified only through medical certificate issued by the attending doctor due to a medical condition directly concerning a pupil or student. In any other case, the absence will be considered as an unjustified absence and handled according to the regulations defined in the memorandum for parents.

Certificates issued by family doctors or specialists for a close family member indicating a risk of likely transmission through the pupil or student are not eligible.

The factors related to the current health crisis are constantly evolving, therefore the school management will closely follow the recommendations of the competent bodies and adapt its regulations accordingly when required.

Alongside measures implemented, the school management invites all its staff, as well as parents of pupils, to consider consulting their family doctor if they have any doubts about their state of health and potential vulnerability arising from the current health situation. Those concerned are requested to submit a medical certificate and notify the school management to enable internal procedures to be initiated.

The school draws the attention of those concerned to the fact that the health crisis is constantly evolving, and the school management will closely follow the recommendations of the competent bodies and adapt its policy accordingly.

Yes.

Teachers will ensure a regular opening of the windows for at least 10 minutes per class or lesson.

Furthermore, all facilities are ventilated either during the night or early in the morning.

Yes.

The schools received specific instructions from the national authorities and technical adjustments have been made when this was necessary.

Classrooms and equipment are cleaned daily in accordance with the relevant regulations and requirements.

Toilets are cleaned at least twice a day. Dispensers for liquid soap and disposable towels are regularly filled in the sanitary areas and classrooms. The same applies as for disinfectant solution dispensers.

All common areas are cleaned intensively at the end of each day. In addition, the stairs and corridors used to access classrooms in the morning will be cleaned thoroughly directly after pupils pass through each morning and before they leave again to access the school yard.

The school premises are cleaned with the usual and appropriate products. No daily disinfection is foreseen by the national authorities.

However, in specific circumstances and to the extent that the school deems it necessary, disinfection may take place.

In addition, it is possible that the competent authorities may request disinfection of a specific area as a result of new developments or measures, which will be respected by the school.

Particular attention is paid to surfaces in contact with hands, such as: door handles, windows, stairs and handrails, switches, tables, telephones, keyboards, photocopiers, etc.

School trips and outings have been cancelled by the director as it is his responsibility to ensure the health and well-being of pupils and staff during these trips. The school is handling parent’s financial contributions to trips and outing in order to book and pay for trip expenses, arranged by the trip and outing coordinators and validated by the director. In the current situation, the school is working hard, and in the interest of parents, to reduce the financial implications for parents to an absolute minimum, involving legal aspects and a lot of negotiation with travel partners. This process is still ongoing and as soon as the School is able to settle one specific school trip, the final financial settlement will be established and parents will be informed and reimbursed, based on this calculation.

Ensuring the health and safety of students and their carers in the context of the pandemic that we have gone through in recent months and that we continue to go through at present is one of the main concerns of our school.

In this context, the Director, in accordance with his power of managing the School (Article 1 of the General Rules of the European Schools (Ref.: 2014-03-D-14-en-8)), as the guarantor of health and safety in the School and in application of the directives of both government bodies and the centralised management body of the European Schools, has decided, without being obliged to consult the parents of pupils beforehand, to cancel all school trips and excursions.

These cancellations have been imposed both by external directives and by a case of force majeure for which the spread of the Coronavirus is an external element, independent of our will, irresistible and unpredictable for us.

The School, as a legal entity, not qualified as a consumer natural person and as a co-contractor with various service providers in the context of the realization of these trips, has made as many steps as possible with the various service providers in order to try to reduce the financial impact related to these cancellations, having thus managed to significantly reduce this impact, without being able to guarantee the total absence of it for each of the trips.

In accordance with the directives of the Office of the Secretary General of the European Schools dated 5 May 2020 and in application of the Financial Regulations of the European Schools (Ref.: 2017-12-D-21-en-1), establishing the distribution of the budget of the European Schools, in which school trips are not included, the outstanding balance of the costs relating to the cancellation of trips cannot be borne by the School and will remain the responsibility of the parents.

Thus, in the event of total or partial reimbursement of the balance of the costs relating to the cancellation of the trip by the service providers, the reimbursement to the parents will only take place after the final statement of costs has been drawn up by the School.

For precautionary reasons, school daily trips will be limited only within Luxembourg territory and this until further notice. Whether or not such excursions are carried out will be subject to the discretion of the school management.

School trips requiring accommodation are no longer authorized for the moment.