Secondary cycle

The Secondary School is housed in its own building designed to accommodate up to 1600 students. The building includes different classroom spaces appropriate for teaching all subjects, except for physical education classes which are held in the neighboring Sports Complex. The Secondary School is headed by an Adjunct Director.

A student may only be admitted to start the first year of Secondary School if he has completed the requirements set by his own country to advance into an equivalent grade level. An equivalency table is provided in the annex, General Rules for European Schools. Students who have successfully completed the 5th year of Primary School at ours or another European School will be allowed to matriculate into the first year of Secondary School.

Starting in the first year of the Secondary School cycle, all students choose a second foreign language (L3) to study. In the second year of Secondary School, Latin is offered as an option. By the third year of Secondary School, humanities courses and Religion or Morals/Ethics classes are taught in the student’s first foreign language (L2). Students who chose to study Latin in their second year continue those classes. For the other students, a computer science class (ICT) is offered.

The 4th and 5th years of Secondary School form the second cycle. By this time, general science classes are subdivided into physics, biology, or chemistry. Students may also choose between regular and advanced mathematics. Other course options include economics, a third foreign language (L4) and ancient Greek.

The sixth and seventh years of Secondary School form the third cycle and work together as preparation for the Baccalaureate. There is still a mandatory core curriculum that includes first language, first foreign language (L2), math, one of the sciences, philosophy, physical education, history, and geography. Students may also choose from a wide array of elective classes that are offered for two periods, four periods, or at an advanced level.

Students are regularly evaluated, with report cards being sent home three or four times each year. Assessments are based on both class work and exam results. Official exams, however, are not given during the Observation Cycle of Secondary School. At the end of the school year, specific criteria set by the Board of Governors are used to determine a student’s eligibility to pass into the next grade level.

The core curriculum consists of the following compulsory subjects, some of which can be taken at different levels of complexity:

• At least two language subjects (the dominant language and another one)
• Mathematics, either 3 periods/week or 5 periods/week
• One scientific subject, either Biology 2 periods/week or any other 4-period scientific subject in Biology, Chemistry or Physics
• History and Geography, either 2 periods/week or 4 periods/week, which are taught through a different language from the dominant one, either in French, English or German.
• Philosophy, either 2 periods/week or 4 periods/week
• Physical Education
• Morals/Ethics or Religion

In addition to the core curriculum, pupils have a wide range of options and complementary subjects they can choose from to complete their program, which must total a minimum of 31 periods per week and a maximum of 35.