Annexes to COM(2013)714 - European Schools system in 2012 - Main contents
Please note
This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2013)714 - European Schools system in 2012. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2013)714  |
| date | October 31, 2013 |
The conformity files were approved by the BoG in December 2012 for two other schools undergoing the accreditation procedure, namely Tallinn European Schooling (Estonia) and the European School of Copenhagen (Denmark), both due to open in September 2013.
Six national schools had been accredited in the previous years, located in: Parma (Italy), Dunshaughlin (Ireland), Heraklion ( Greece), Helsinki (Finland), Strasbourg (France) and Manosque (France). With the exception of Manosque, all the schools have signed the contribution agreement with the EU and are receiving financial contributions from the Commission. Between the school year 2009/2010 and January 2013 they have received a total amount of EUR 11 345 706.
4.2. Overcrowding / infrastructure
The overall number of enrolments of category I pupils continued to increase in 2012 and several schools face a serious overpopulation problem. The situation is particularly critical for the ES of Brussels II and III, and of Frankfurt.
In Brussels, the total number of pupils reached 10 606 at the beginning of the school year 2012/2013, which is 321 more than a year earlier. The pressure is especially on the schools in Woluwe and in Ixelles, where saturation problems lead to daily difficulties in the common facilities. In addition, it can already be seen that even the recently opened school in Laeken will reach its capacity limits quickly (increase of population of 44.5% in 2012). As a result a very restrictive enrolment policy is in force in the ES of Brussels. The need for a fifth school is confirmed for 2015, and the European Commission has continued to insist that Belgian authorities should make a proposal on the location of the new school in Brussels. Only the provision of a fifth school together with a proper structural revision of the distribution of the language sections between the ES of Brussels will properly alleviate the infrastructure problems and ensure a more efficient and economic allocation of resources. The Secretary-General of the ES was mandated by the Board of Governors in December 2012 to present a concrete proposal for the composition of the language sections in the fifth school for the next meeting.
In the course of 2012, the Commission addressed the issue of the fifth school with the Belgian authorities on several occasions. The Vice-President also wrote to the Prime Minister Di Rupo and the question was discussed at the EU-Belgium Task Force. In December 2012, the Belgian Government decided to create a restricted working group (composed of the representatives of the Belgian authorities, the Secretary General of the ES and the Commission) to evaluate the real needs for the fifth school in Brussels and enable taking the final decision on its potential location. The group produced a final report in the first half of 2013, which was transmitted to the Prime Minister. The document confirms the need for a fifth school and mentions its possible locations.
The ES of Frankfurt is also facing more and more severe overpopulation problems, with a high increase of category I pupils. As a result of the decision on the Banking Supervision, a further increase of staff in the European Central Bank is expected already at the beginning of 2013, and the already overcrowded school will have to accept quite a high number of new pupils. As it is an obligation of the host country to provide the infrastructure for the European school(s) on its territory, the Commission has addressed the issue with the German authorities and is now waiting for a proposal of concrete measures to be taken regarding an extension of the existing site and installation of additional prefabricate containers on the school's premises as a temporary solution.
4.3. Cost-sharing by the Member States
The magnitude of the European Union's financial contribution to the European Schools system (ESS) is dependent on the size of that of the Member States. In 2012 it was set at EUR 165.4M. However, the structural problem of the lack of seconded teachers has become even more severe in 2012 with 105 unfilled posts (out of which 47 Anglophone posts, 18 Francophone posts and 17 Germanophone posts) leading to a reduction of revenues of around EUR 4.04M.
The debate launched by the United Kingdom during its presidency of the ESS in 2011/2012 on the sharing of costs between the Member States, and the discussions within the working group created to deal with that matter, did not lead to any tangible results during the year. The issue of the cost-sharing is of utmost importance especially for the UK and Ireland, as they are requested to second many teachers due to high demand for courses in English. French and German speaking countries also experience similar challenges. Despite the efforts of the Commission and the UK to urge the other MS to find a constructive solution to the problem, there is no consensus on how to cover for the deficiencies in the system. The costs of the teachers recruited locally as a result of the lacking seconded teachers are in the current system paid in full by the EU financial contribution.
Furthermore, the UK decision neither to second any new teachers nor to replace those who leave their assignments puts the European Schools system in an extremely difficult situation both financially and in terms of practical recruitment. The Commission will continue its efforts to achieve concrete results in the sharing of costs between the Member States.
4.4. Category III school fees
An important aspect of the reform of the European Schools system decided by the Board of Governors (BoG) in April 2009 was to give more autonomy to type I European Schools concerning the pedagogical, administrative and financial aspect of the schools' operation. Thus, the schools' Administrative Boards have been delegated with the powers to set the levels of school fees for the category III pupils within the limits of a banded range. Following that decision the European Patent Office (EPO) asked for the definition of the banded range by the BoG in April 2011. Subsequently, a working group has been set up to propose a revision.
Within its mandate the "School Fees" Working Group discussed the increase of the school fees for category III pupils, and the reduction of school fees for siblings, and presented proposals to the BoG. At its meeting in December 2012 the BoG, after intense discussions, decided on a compromise option to increase the fees for category III pupils by 25% (+/- 5% according to each school's decision), for all children newly enrolled in that category as of September 2013. Moreover, the reduction of fees for the siblings was decreased to 20% for the first sibling and 40% for all the further siblings, as of the school year 2013/2014 for all new category III children. The Commission welcomes this decision as it will contribute to decreasing the gap between the cost generated by category III pupils and the income received from fees.
4.5. Legal cases
In 2012 there were no new cases concerning the European Schools system presented to the Court of Justice. In February, the Court issued a judgment in favour of the Commission on the appeal brought against the United Kingdom (C-545/09) concerning the exclusion of the teachers seconded to the European Schools by the UK from the salary adjustments awarded to teachers employed in national schools for the duration of their contract. The Commission is insisting that the UK complies with the judgement and steps are being sought for its correct implementation.
4.6. Internal audit
Within the framework of a Service Level Agreement (SLA) concluded between the Board of Governors and the Internal Audit Service (IAS) of the Commission in 2007, the IAS has been regularly preparing the audit action plans for the European Schools. In 2012 the IAS conducted a risk assessment exercise the results of which served as a basis to draft the strategic audit plan for the European Schools 2013-2015. A number of important issues have been identified, that will require a close follow-up from the European Schools system. The Commission will be following it closely in order to ensure that the audit recommendations are being taken into serious consideration by the concerned parties.
5. Pedagogical and organisational developments and challenges
5.1. The European baccalaureate reform
The impeccable organisation of the European baccalaureate exam is a key element to the credibility of the diploma. The 2009 reform of the European Schools system had as one of its aims making the European baccalaureate exams more efficient and less costly. In addition to previously taken decisions on the simplified arrangements for the organisation of the exams, in April 2012 the Board of Governors (BoG) decided on the new structure of the question papers that will enter into force as of 2015 baccalaureate session.
During the 2012 European baccalaureate session some organisational problems occurred during the mathematics exams, leading to numerous negative reactions from pupils and parents. Consequently, the Chairman of the Examining Board of the European Baccalaureate 2012 asked an expert from the Institute of Education at London University to produce a report that lead to the decision that the final scores of the mathematics tests would be adjusted and that the exam could be repeated in September by those who wished to do so.
The Commission regrets that this type of organisational problems occurred, as they undermine the reputation and credibility of the diploma. At the Commission's request a special point was added to the agenda of the Joint Teaching Committee meeting in October 2012, where the Secretary-General of the ES explained that special steps had been taken as recommended in the report by the expert. The Commission also requested the Secretary General of the ES to analyse the situation in detail and propose concrete measures that will allow avoiding such problems in the future. Moreover, the Commission deems it necessary to clarify the legal framework to define explicitly the procedures in case of this kind of problems. The issue was also discussed at the BoG meeting in December 2012 and the follow-up of the recommendations regarding the Baccalaureate 2012 will be presented to the BoG in 2013.
5.2. Actions for pupils with Special Education Needs (SEN)
The integration of pupils with special needs in the European Schools is an issue of great importance for the Commission. For another year an increase of SEN pupils was observed in the European Schools in 2012 (702 pupils in the school year 2012/2013 compared to 640 in 2011/2012 and 619 in 2010/2011)[8]. This increase shows the considerable development of the SEN policy.
Efforts have been made to group together the pupils with the same special needs, and to better manage the SEN budget. The total cost of SEN support in the 2012 financial year amounted to EUR 4 121 172.
At its meeting in December 2012 the Board of Governors approved the new Policy on the Provision of Educational Support in the European Schools[9], a document harmonising all the objectives and principles of educational support across the schools. It replaces all the previous documents concerning SEN support and will enter into force in September 2013.
5.3. Organisation of studies in the secondary cycle
As part of the modernisation of the European Schools system and the efforts to make it more efficient, at its meeting in April 2012 the Board of Governors gave a mandate to the SG to propose a revision of the organisation of studies in the secondary cycle. A working group has been created to that effect and its aim is to propose measures allowing not only a more efficient organisation of studies in the secondary cycle but also to minimise the number of early school leavers. Concrete proposals will be presented to the BoG for decision in 2013.
6. Future challenges
In the continued difficult financial climate, the main challenge for the European Schools system in the forthcoming years will be to keep providing a high quality education to its pupils whilst making every effort to modernise the structure and rationalise the system.
The reorganisation of studies in the secondary cycle will be one of the main issues at stake in 2013. Making the system more efficient, while maintaining the attractiveness and high quality of the European Schools' curricula, is a challenge that must now be faced.
The Commission is continuously concerned by the difficulties that certain Member States seem to have in meeting their obligations, both in seconding the teachers and in terms of infrastructure. It will therefore strive to find a consensus on the cost-sharing issue, so that there is a balance of burden between the Member States.
Taking into account the evident needs for opening a fifth European School in Brussels, the Commission will persist in requesting the Belgian authorities to propose a concrete location close to the EU staff offices/places of residence that would meet the infrastructural needs and the expectations of parents for whom a European School is often the sole option for educating their children.
[1] Statistical figures on the population of the ES are given in the Report of the Secretary-General of the ES "Facts and Figures on the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year in the European Schools" ( http://www.eursc.eu/fichiers/contenu_fichiers2/1842/2012-10-D-15-en-1.pdf)
[2] The rules governing admission to the European Schools are given in the Digest of Decisions of the BoG of the European Schools ( http://www.eursc.eu/fichiers/contenu_fichiers2/1794/2011-04-D-4-en-1.pdf)
[3] Régie des Bâtiments: The Belgian federal agency in charge of official buildings.
[4] Policy on enrolment in the Brussels ES for 2012-2013 school year, document 2011-10-D-33-en-D (http://www.eursc.eu/index.php?id=248&l=2)
[5] Due to the move of the Joint European Torus (JET) to Cadarache (France).
[6] See footnote 1.
[7] Financial data given in the Annual Report of the Financial Controller of the European Schools, document 2013-02-D-6-en-1
[8] Figures given in "Statistics on the integration of SEN pupils into the European Schools in the year 2012", document 2013-01-D-28-en-2
[9] Document 2012-05-D-14-en-5