Enrolling my child in secondary education

EN - FR

Description

You are free to enrol your minor child in the school of your choice. However, a decree, in force since 2011, aims to organise the enrolment process for the first common year of secondary education.

The registration decree has the following objectives in particular:

organise fair and transparent registration by establishing a centralised procedure,
ensure equal access to all institutions and equal treatment in the registration process for all families,
promote the fight against school failure, improve the performance of each child, fight against relegation mechanisms by supporting social, cultural and academic mixing.

To do this, primary schools will send you a single enrolment form, which you will have to hand in at the school of your first preference, and explain the enrolment procedure to be followed. Legislation relating to this subject is likely to be changed, so we advise you to refer directly to the referenced sources of information.

Ordinary secondary education (12 to 18 years old) is compulsory and prepares your child for further education up to the level of higher education, as well as providing opportunities for entry into working life.

Secondary education comprises 4 forms of education: general, technical, artistic and vocational.
as well as 2 sections :

transition (implies the prospect of higher education) ;
qualification (gives access to a job).

It is divided into 4 levels:

the 1st level - the so-called observation level (normally for pupils aged 12 to 14 - maximum 16 years old) ;
the 2nd level - the so-called guidance level (normally for pupils aged 14 to 16) ;
the 3rd level - the so-called level of determination (normally for pupils aged 16 to 18) ;
and finally, the 4th level, which is only vocational education and leads to the hospital nurse's certificate.

A Certificate of Upper Secondary Education (CESS) is awarded at the end of the 6th year of general, technical or artistic education, the 7th year of vocational education or the 1st year of the 4th level.

A Certificate of Qualification (CQ) is issued at the end of the 6th or the 7th year in Qualifcation Education.

Key points

The right to education is a fundamental right enshrined not only in Article 24 of the Belgian Constitution, but also in various international texts.
All minor children are subject to compulsory schooling for a period of thirteen years beginning with the school year which begins in the year in which they reach the age of 5 and ending no later than the day on which they turn 18.
Access to education is free of charge within the educational establishments of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation or subsidised by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.

Procedure

A precise procedure and deadlines must be respected for the enrolment of your child. These deadlines are specified on the "Registration" website referenced below.

The procedure concerns only new enrolments in the first year of the first common level of ordinary secondary education in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.