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School’s proposal for the new timetable

Gregor Prajs
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School’s proposal for the new timetable

Mamer school published on its website their proposal for change of timetable:

Dear colleagues,
Dear parents,
Dear pupils,

In reference to the survey that was presented to all members of our school community in 2014, the time from
February through June 2015 was used to consider the results and discuss the possible effects on our school schedule.
Two proposals for change emerged as alternatives to the current schedule and we would like to share these with you
to get your opinion and open a discussion. Please find below the basic elements of these proposals:

Proposal n°1: current schedule (statu quo)
– Nursery: 1 long day (8:35-16:20), 4 short days (8:35-12:50)
– Primary: 2 long days (8:40-16h20/16:30), 3 short days (8:40-12:50/13:00)
– Secondary: 5 long days maximum (8:45-16:30)

Proposal n°2: earlier start
– Nursery: 1 long day (8:30-16:15), 4 short days (8:30-12:45)
– Primary: 2 long days (8.30-16:15/16:20), 3 short days (8:30-12:50)
– Secondary: 5 long days maximum (8:30-16:20)

Proposal n°3: earlier start and end (current schedule in Luxembourg)
-Nursery: 2 long days (8:30-15:55), 3 short days (8:30-12:50)
– Primary: 2 or 3 long days (8:30-16:00), 2 or 3 short days (8:30-12:50)
(Depending on the students’ age)
– Secondary: 5 long days maximum (8:30-16:05)

These 3 proposals respect the statutes and rules of the European Schools. The search for new solutions attempts to meet some simple objectives, which are sometimes difficult to reconcile:
– The search for the best possible learning environment
– The search for the best possible balance between school and private life
– The consideration of Luxemburgish school schedules in order to improve the integration of our students into the
immediate environment
– The consideration of material and logistic constraints (transportation, canteen, childcare).

Next steps:
– September 2015- December 2015: analysis of several proposals by the existing committees at school, organization of
precise simulations, external professional consultations (material constraints). An exceptional informational meeting
will be organized.
– January 2016: organization of a formal survey for all members of the school community.
– February 2016: final decision at the School’s administration board meeting for implementation as of September 1st,
2016, in case of change.
We remain at your disposal during the discussion of this important aspect of school life. We would like to underline
our commitment to ongoing communication with the members of the school community serving the interests of our
students. Please use the following email address for any suggestions you may have concerning these proposed
schedule changes: horaires@eursc-mamer.lu .The suggestions received will be analyzed by the school along with the
parents’ association APEEEL2 and considered in preparation for the formal survey planned for January 2016.
The Management of the European School Luxembourg II

Please find the whole document here: EE_LUX2_SCHEDULES_2016-2017_PROPOSALS_July2015

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Catastrophic timetable management at European school Mamer

Gregor Prajs
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Catastrophic timetable management at European school Mamer

Email that explains bad timetable management of European school Luxembourg II.

Dear Mr Tournemire, Mr Wedel and Mr Pelikan

We as parents, would like a further explanation of how you have organised secondary year 1.

First and foremost, the children have come into a new school from primary and immediately been subjected to a temporary timetable.  No satisfactory explanation of this was ever given.  We have been patient but confused as to why Lux I was able to have timetables ready to hand to children from the first day but Lux II was not.

timetable management
Timetable Management

Surely, 8 weeks is enough preparation needed to prepare timetables for all secondary pupils.  If Lux I were organised enough to have them ready, why did Lux II fail our children?

If there was a problem, why was this not identified long before the beginning of term so the timetable coordinators of Lux I could be called in to help before the start of the new term?

We, the parents and children, waited patiently for the permanent timetables to be made available.

We were assured at the parent meeting on Wednesday 16th September that there would only be a 5% change to the timetables.  We were also informed, more shockingly, that these timetables may need more tweaking.

We were not able to make further points to this because you had not allocated enough time for us as parents to ask our questions.  We were asked to wait.  We waited, only to be given a shock when these new permanent timetables were released.

The changes the pupils in class S1 ENA have been exposed to are shocking and quite frankly unacceptable.  These changes are:

  • 7 of 11 teachers changed, including the home/form teacher, Mr Morgan
  • The classroom has been changed
  • Many of the SWALS now have classes on their free afternoons
  • Without notice some children were moved from one class to another
  • The SWALS children have been segregated and discriminated against instead of integrated into the EUROPEAN school.
  • The new form teacher, Mrs/Dr Reilly, is demanding that the children call her Dr Reilly.  The children feel they will be punished if they forget this and accidentally call her Mrs Reilly.  If Mrs Reilly is so highly educated and demands a certain level of respect, surely she is  more suited to be the form teacher for year 4 upwards rather than newbies to secondary.

If only 5% of changes were expected why has our class been exposed to more than 50% of changes.   Were these changes just made to just the English section?   If so, why were we told at the meeting that the number of changes would be minimal?  These are not minimal changes.

Bad timetable management

These children have moved from Primary to Secondary and have now been exposed to even more changes.  Now they have been exposed to even more unacceptable changes.

The positive changes you have promised have certainly not been applied to class 1ENA.  We demand an explanation.  This really is not up for negotiation, as we have been more than patient with the school.

We demand a meeting between us, the APEEE, Mr Tournemire, Mr Wedel and Mr Pelikan, and that at a minimum Mr Morgan be re-instated as the form teacher.

We want a meeting this week, at the earliest opportunity but not Friday, to discuss these changes which have been imposed.  The parents in 1ENA are outraged by the treatment of our children.

Many thanks

European Schools: Regrouping of Siblings

Gregor Prajs
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European Schools: Regrouping of Siblings

We have taken a first step towards the re-establishment of the principle of regrouping siblings within the European Schools. By its decisions adopted at the end of August (only decision 15/23 has been published to date), the European Schools’ Complaints Board upheld the appeals introduced by parents.

The 2015-2016 enrollment policy for the Brussels schools provided for the regrouping of siblings only when they were in the same school cycle (i.e., nursery/primary or secondary). As a result, having a brother or sister in secondary school was not taken into account when examining requests for enrolments in nursery or primary classes. The Complaints Board judged that the new rule was an undue restriction to the established principle of the regrouping of siblings and that its consequences were disproportionate compared to the stated aims. It, therefore, declared it illegal.
It consequently annulled the contested enrolment decisions and instructed the central enrolment authority to examine the requests again without taking account of the illegal rule. That resulted in the young children concerned being enrolled in the same schools as their elder brothers or sisters.

That is wonderful news, but in the short term, it is only of benefit to the small number of families who appealed. We will therefore need to keep up the pressure if we want the principle to apply to all families concerned next year. If you haven’t yet done so we encourage you to support those efforts by signing the petition launched before the summer holidays: https://15968.lapetition.be (URL disabled since petition is no longer available). The
petition remains relevant despite the Complaint Board’s positive decisions. The European Schools’ Governing Board will have to take account of the Complaint Board’s decisions when adopting the enrolment policy for the 2016-2017 school year. Nevertheless, it could be tempted to try to place limits on the regrouping of siblings again.

Let’s not forget that each time that a new school has been opened restrictions have been placed on parents’ choices so as to fill it.

Starting school at 10:00 could have huge health benefits for teenagers

Gregor Prajs
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Starting school at 10:00 could have huge health benefits for teenagers

Research suggests that society pays too little attention to our “body clock” – and adolescents in particular have a late-running biological rhythm.

This means insisting on an early start can cause sleep deprivation, which in turn can affect learning and health.

A sleep expert made the argument at the British Science Festival in Bradford.

Dr Paul Kelley said that adolescents effectively lose up to two hours of sleep per day, which is “a huge society issue”.

He and colleagues from Oxford are leading a project called Teensleep, which is currently recruiting 100 schools from around the UK to take part in what Dr Kelley called “the world’s largest randomised control trial”, due to commence in 2016.

Read more here.

Survey on earlier start of the school day

Gregor Prajs
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Parents sent an email to the school administration

Dear Mr de Tournemire,

First we would like to thank you for the meeting of May the 6th. We listened to you attentively and noted that no decision on an earlier start of the school day has been taken or will be taken without properly consulting the parents. In your presentation you said that the earlier school start was motivated by the parents’ response to the 2014 survey and that you will discuss the matter with the Luxembourgish authorities in September.

Herewith we share with you the results of surveys run through the class representatives in the last few weeks. The parents were invited to reply if they agree with an earlier school start with a yes or no.  As you can see the vast majority of parents are against an earlier school start. As many language sections and all the levels (maternelle, primary and secondary) are involved, we strongly believe that the results are a good representation of the parents’ opinion.Results of survey timetable

We expect therefore that the opinion of the majority of parents in changing the current starting time of our school planning is respected. Therefore we invite you to drop the proposal of an earlier school start or, if you believe that the result is not representative, to run now a survey so that all parents can express their opinion with the simple question: ‘Do you want the school to start earlier?’

We appreciate all the efforts you are making to direct the school in such a way so as to accommodate the stakeholders’ wishes, but in this instance the majority of parents believes that such an approach is taken against their wishes.

We look forward to receiving your decision on the way regarding this very serious for us all decision.

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