Nursery cycle 

The “Early Education” syllabus of the nursery cycle aims at: 

• preparing children for a happy, healthy, responsible, and successful life 
• developing children’s personality and abilities 

• supporting children’s learning potential 
• creating respect for others and the environment 
• respecting and appreciating children’s own cultural and social identity, its values and those of others 
• promoting a European spirit. 

Early Education is a fundamental part of life long education and learning and its central role is to support children’s development enabling them to be ethical and responsible members of society. Teaching and learning in the early years supports and monitors children’s physical and psychological wellbeing, including social, cognitive and emotional development and helps to prevent any difficulties that may arise by creating the best possible learning opportunities. 

Teaching and learning in the early years is holistic and different areas of development are not separated. In this document as well as in daily school life children, their experiences and actions are central. 

It is important to strengthen children’s healthy sense of self-esteem with the aid of positive learning experiences and to provide opportunities for diverse interaction with other people. The  children’s world of experiences should  be enriched and they should be guided to enable them to find new areas of interest. 

Children of four and five are taught in mix​ed groups. 

The spoken language in the nursery classes corresponds to each language section of the school. The SWALS (students without a language section) also follow courses in their mother tongue for 150 minutes per week. 

For further information, please consult the Early education curriculum. 

Primary cycle 

Primary school harmonised timetable: 

A fundamental principle of the European Schools is the teaching of mother tongue as first language (L1). 

This principle implies the pupil’s enrolment in the section of his/her mother tongue where such a section exists. 

In schools where the section corresponding to a pupil’s mother tongue does not exist, he/she will generally be enrolled in one of the vehicular language sections. He/she will attend the classes in his/her mother tongue organised for so-called SWALS (Students Without A Language Section) as L1. 

The syllabi are elaborated by national inspectors of the member states concerned and are are then approved by the Board of Governors of the European Schools, which is the supervisory authority. They take into account the national curricula of the respective member state and reflect the achievements that pupils would be expected to reach in their national systems, although it is not an exact match. 

The syllabi for L1 cover the five years of primary cycle. L1 is taught: 

• 480 minutes in P1/P2
• 405 minutes in P3/P4/P5

SWALS L1 is taught: 

• 150 minutes in P1/P2
• 225 minutes in P3/P4/P5

For more information concerning the L1 syllabus of your child, please consult the respective syllabus which can be found on the website of the Office of the Secretary-General.

With regard to mathematics, pupils require a foundation of facts, patterns and processes built up through repetition, practice and recall. Creativity is encouraged and extended through play, investigation, discovery and constructional activities. Particular emphasis is placed on the development of logical thinking and problem solving. Mathematical situations offered by the environment, technology and culture help pupils to realise the usefulness of mathematics. 

Our approach is to: 

• encourage a multi-sensory approach; visual, auditory and kinaesthetic 
• plan for progression building upon the mathematical knowledge of the pupils
• differentiate teaching to cater for all abilities
• use and teach mathematical language 
• emphasise mental calculation strategies
• use a wide range of resources including ICT
• demonstrate links between areas of mathematics
• develop discussion skills including active listening, positive response to the opinion of others, turntaking, confidence in putting forward an opinion, ability to explain clearly their point of view 
• encourage pupils to see misconceptions and errors as part of the learning process

The mathematics syllabus covers the five years of primary school. The subject is taught: 

• 240 minutes per week in P1/P2

• 315 minutes per week in P3/P4/P5

The teaching of the second language begins in the first year of the primary cycle. 

Its choice is a prerogative of the parents and is fundamental since the pupils follow a large part of their courses throughout their schooling in this language. 

It is recommanded that the second language (German, French, English), which is chosen in primary school, is a language with which the pupil is in contact, i.e. : 

• the second language spoken at home or 
• the language of the host country or 
• the language in which the child might have frequent and regular contacts (family, friends, holidays, …). 

Once the choice of the second language has been made, it remains valid for all schooling throughout the primary and secondary cycle. 

If you are in a particular situation with regard to the second language  and you wish to receive further information on the school’s second language policy, please contact the deputy director of the primary school. 

The syllabus, which is part of the harmonized syllabuses, covers the five years of the primary cycle. The second language is taught : 

• 150 minutes per week in P1 (from November on)
• 180 minutes per week in P2
• 225 minutes per week in P3/P4/P5. 

The art, music and physical education syllabi cover the five years of primary cycle. These subjects are taught: 

• 300 minutes per week in P1/P2 (three subjects combined)
• 180 minutes per week in P3/P4/P5 (three subjects combined)

Below you will find a brief introduction of each subject and the link to their official European school’s syllabi. 

Physical education 

The Physical Education programme (PE) is built on a holistic view of children which recognises the child’s level of physical, mental and social maturity. It aims to develop understanding of how physical activities affect health in a positive way and to emphasise the importance of suitable equipment and personal hygiene routines. Through PE, children should create a life-long interest in being physically active. PE should motivate and encourage children to do sport in their spare time. 

PE offers a broad range of possibilities for children to try and practise different activities. The development of social skills (like fair play, cooperation, tolerance, respect etc.) and cognitive skills (e.g. tactic, rules, body control, health and security aspects) are covered and given importance in PE teaching. 

PE is offered during PE-lessons in the gym, swimming pool and/or in outdoor areas. The PE-teacher is the class teacher or a specialist teacher. 

Art education 

The objective of Art education in the European Schools is to develop expression: expression of feelings and emotions in the discovery of art, but also expression and practice in the use of different artistic media. Art education promotes free expression, taking initiative and the role of the individual in creativity; in his/her private or public life. 

The arts give opportunity for the discovery of creative ideas, feelings and experiences in music, gestures and movements. This discovery enriches the child and allows him/her to question his/her own interpretations and representations of the world, to allow him/her to move away from established frameworks; building cultural and aesthetic references. Arts education in European Schools considers art to be a powerful social and cultural tool that promotes trade and unites people in collective projects or artistic intercultural projects. The arts contribute to the overall development of the child in four areas: psychological, sociocultural, physical and cognitive. 

Music 

The central aim is to maintain and develop children’s enjoyment of music. Children enter primary school having had a range of enjoyable musical experiences. They should leave for secondary with their enjoyment undiminished. Indeed, it should be deepened as their musical knowledge, skills and understanding develop. 

The progamme for music is divided into three domains: 

• making music and performing
• listening and responding 
• composing

The main purpose of the Discovery of the World syllabus is to give pupils a frame of common references to develop an understanding of themselves and the wider world. Moreover, the Discovery of the World syllabus will prepare pupils for transition into Secondary education. 

The syllabus consists of five different areas of study (biological, historical , socio-cultural, geographical, and technological ), each of  these areas is further divided into specific topics for each year group. 

In accordance with the educational principles of the European school’s pedagogy, the applied  approach privileges a holistic development of the child and  of its active role in learning. The following teaching strategies are encouraged: 

• Discovery based learning – Guided discovery develops curiosity, creativity and critical thinking, leading to independent learning 

• Cross curricular links are strongly encouraged to promote the holistic development of the pupil 
• Promotion of a European perspective in line with the Principles and Objectives of the European Schools 
• A range of teaching methods to support various learning styles including differenciation, working cooperatively in groups or pairs; 
• Using field trips and the local environment (e.g. school environment, local historians, museums, parents etc.) as a resource; 
• Child centred but teacher led – Using the experiences of the pupils as an entry point for the topic at hand; 

• Applying, when suitable, learning outcomes to national references e.g. referring to national landscape, historical events, culture; 
• Incorporating ICT as a tool for researching and presenting information. 

The syllabus, which is part of the harmonised syllabuses, covers the five years of the primary cycle. Discovery of the world is taught : 

• 90 minutes per week in P1/P2
• 180 minutes per week in P3/P4/P5

European Hours constitute an enjoyable moment of discovery and of knowledge-sharing. Children of different nationalities learn interesting aspects of European culture by working together on common projects or by finding solutions to created or in class presented problems. 

Objectives 

• Develop a European identity. 

• Develop positive intercultural attitudes : respect, tolerance, cooperation, communication. 
• Deal with issues pertaining to intercultural understanding and communication. 
• Enable the pupils to know, appreciate and help each other. 
• Permit the social development of students. 
• Develop a sense of initiative, autonomy and solidarity. 

In practice 

Each group of children is assessed and evaluated by a teacher  with whom they work on an activityfor four or five sessions. 

By adhering to the European Hours philosophy which aims at  enhancing the collaborative spirit and the solidarity between the members of each group, the pedagogical effort focuses on communication and on collaboration, which constitute the process of cooperative work of the pupils. 

The content of the European Hours’ programme follows a progression based on the evolution of the pupils’ engagement in the activities. 

The syllabus, which is part of the harmonized syllabuses, covers three years of the primary cycle. European Hours are taught: 

• 90 minutes per week in P3/P4/P5

Religion classes taught in the European Schools are intended to provide a special educational environment. Through these classes, individual pupils acquire points of reference for their future lives, learn how to select from different options for their daily lives, and also how to organise themselves and to live in a way that is carefully thought out and responsible. 

Religion classes provide rigorous information on the articles of faith that belong to each religion. They stimulate initiatives which develop a consistent approach to values in order to prepare all pupils to become responsible citizens, capable of contributing to the development of societies that are democratic, supportive, pluralist and open to other cultures, and to access the wealth of cultural diversity, whilst encouraging the recognition and respect of the diversity of beliefs. 

Every religious denomination develops its own specific programme whilst respecting the fundamental aspects of the educational dynamic that the European Schools offer to their pupils. They are drawn up by competent religious authorities according to the criteria of all school curricula and are approved by the Joint Teaching Committee of the European Schools. It is up to the religious authorities of each denomination to propose their teachers of religion to the School authorities and to ensure their competence and qualifications. 

The programs cover the five years of the primary cycle. Religion/ethics courses are taught: 

• 60 minutes per week in P1/P2, 
• 90 minutes per week in P3/P4/P5. 

For further information, please consult the specific programmes of each denomination: 

• Ethics syllabus 
• Orthodoxe-religion syllabus 
• Protestant religion syllabus  
• Islamic religion syllabus  (only in French) 
• Catholic religion syllabus (only in French) 

In our school, the Other National Languages Irish, Swedish, Finnish and Maltese are available for all children who are enrolled in our school. 

• In the nursery, the ONL is taught 3 x 30 minutes per week. 
• In primary years 1-2, the ONL is taught 3 x 30 minutes per week. 
• In primary years 3-5, the ONL is taught 2 x 45 minutes per week. 

For further information, please consult the respective syllabuses.

Syllabuses (https://www.eursc.eu)