Enrolling my child in basic education (nursery or primary)

EN - FR

Description

Basic education includes :

nursery education for children aged, on 30 September, at least 2 years and 6 months and who are not yet in primary education
primary education for children who reach the age of 6 years in the calendar year in which they enter 1st year and who are not yet in secondary education

You are free to enrol your minor child in the school of your choice, subsidised and organised by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, provided that you accept the educational and pedagogical projects and that your child meets the conditions required to be a regular pupil.

Enrolment in an institution is taken :

at the latest on the first school working day in September for pupils on compulsory education;
throughout the year for pupils not subject to compulsory education.

Basic education institutions organised by towns and municipalities are obliged to enrol any pupil who so requests no later than the first school working day in September if he or she is domiciled in the territory of the municipality or if the school is the nearest municipal school to the pupil's home.

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 that 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.