Frequently Asked Questions

HOW DOES BIS HANDLE FOOD ALLERGIES AND SENSITIVITIES?

We at BIS are aware that food allergies and sensitivities can be life-threatening.

Hence, during the admission process we strongly encourage families of students with both food allergies and sensitivities or any particular medical conditions to mention it in the admission form and inform the school’s office and child’s teachers as well, so that we can ensure proper safety protocol is followed.

HOW ARE PARENTS MADE AWARE OF THE CHILDREN'S PROGRESS AND DAILY ACTIVITIES IN SCHOOL?

Teachers communicate with parents on a daily basis at drop-off and pick-up.

Parent- teacher meetings are scheduled on a regular basis during which we review and discuss our children’s progress.

Communication with parents is an important part of our program. We also connect with our parents through Managebac, a paperless solution for enhancing student and parent communications.

Managebac is an online planning, assessment and reporting platform where parents can track their children’s reports. The access to Managebac is given to parents at the time of enrolment.

HOW WILL NON ENGLISH-SPEAKING STUDENTS COPE UP IN AN ALL ENGLISH ENVIRONMENT AT BIS ?

At BIS many of our students arriving are not fluent with English language but our skilled teachers and our existing students support them in every way possible to make them feel at ease.

We also have an English Language Acquisition Programme for students from a non-English speaking background where special focus is given to these students in order to ensure a smooth and effective transition.

HOW DOES BIS USE TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT LEARNING?

In today’s digital era, we believe it is essential for every child to be adept at technology. In order to facilitate the right and ethical use of technology.

Using technology at the school level not only enables our students to develop vital technical skills demanded by employers today, but also enriches their overall learning experience.

Hence, from the PYP level they are introduced to computers, tablets, laptops etc. to support their learning requirements. But we are also particularly conscious that too much screen time should not be a cause of distraction for our children and hence, we maintain a good balance between books and software based learning.

DO YOU HAVE STUDENT SUPPORT PROGRAMMES?

Yes. Currently support programmes are provided in Mathematics and English. We also have private tutors that can support the student learning outside school hours, but on campus.

DOES BIS PROVIDE BUS SERVICES?

Yes. We work with a third party to provide bus service, with different routes covering many areas of Brussels and outskirts neighbourhoods.

WHERE DO BIS GRADUATES GO?

Our graduated students are successfully accepted at the best universities across the world ranging from top universities in the USA to UK, Canada, Australia and also across Europe and other popular universities across the world.

IS THERE A CAFETERIA AT BIS ?

Yes. There is a large cafeteria in the school premises. For more information check out the Student Life page on our website.

HOW LONG IS THE SCHOOL DAY?

Early Year Program (EYP)

08:20 – 15:50 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) 08:20 – 12:30 (Wednesday)

Primary Year Program (PYP)

08:20 – 15:50 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) 08:20 –  12:30 (Wednesday)

Middle Year Program (MYP)

08:20 – 15:50 (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,Thursday, Friday)

Diploma Program (DP)

08:20 – 15:50  (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,Thursday, Friday)

HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE CURRENTLY IN BIS ?

There are currently close to 350 students at BIS south campus

IS THE SCHOOL ACCREDITED?

B.I.S. is currently the ONLY international school in Brussels fully authorized to provide all three International Baccalaureate’s (IB) programmes.

B.I.S. was authorized by the IB in 2015 to offer the Middle Years Programme for Grades 7 to 10.

The following year, BIS was authorized by the IB to offer the Diploma Programme for grades 11 and 12.

In the year 2019, B.I.S. was authorized by the IB to offer the Primary Years Programme for Grades Pre-primary up till 6.

IS BIS A DIVERSE COMMUNITY?

Yes. We are proud of our diverse community and value and celebrate this diversity.

In addition to our own curriculum, where we teach about many countries and their culture, we invite our families to share their unique customs and introduce their language with their child’s classroom community, fostering an appreciation for traditions spanning across the globe.

DOES BIS HAVE FIELD TRIPS?

At BIS every year we organize a Ski Trip for our children and camps for our PYP and MYP children. We also have various field trips throughout the year. As well as Sports Camps and Ski trips.

HOW MANY NATIONALITIES DO YOU HAVE?

At B.I.S. we are proud of our community that hosts more than 45 nationalities from across the globe.

IS THERE A SPECIFIC ENROLMENT PERIOD?

Enrolment usually takes place in the month of February for the school year beginning from September the same year.

We do not have any restrictions on the enrolment period. However, we also offer rolling admissions.

This allows children to join a classroom at any point during the year if space is available.

DOES THE SCHOOL HAVE SECURED ENTRANCES?

Yes. At BIS security and safety of our children is our top priority hence, the school is gated and the entrance is supervised at all times.

HOW ARE STUDENTS ASSESSED?

At the time of admissions, we require 2 years of student reports from their previous schools if any and for children with special needs we require a special needs report before the enrolment.

We also have a test for children at the beginning of the school year to assess them on their language proficiency which will help us understand their level and provide appropriate support if required.

WHAT LANGUAGE COURSES ARE OFFERED?

French being one of the official languages in Belgium, at BIS we introduce students to French which is taught at all levels.

Our students learn Spanish as the third language.

WHAT ARE THE MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE?

We believe in giving as much personal attention to our children as we can and hence, we ensure around 20 students in each class.

DO YOU HAVE AFTER SCHOOL CARE AT BIS ?

Yes. Most of our children have working parents and hence, we realize an after-school care in the school would substantially help such families.

In order to facilitate their needs, we provide after school care for our EYP and PYP children until 17:30 pm on all school days.

This facility is also open to the MYP children if need be.

HOW DO I APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP?

All applications must be received from the official school scholarship form. One must contact the school office to receive the application package.

WHAT ARE THE HOURS OF OPERATION?

We are open Monday through Friday from 8.00am to 5.00pm except on public holidays.

HOW IS PARENT INVOLVEMENT ENCOURAGED AT BIS.?

Our BIS community consists of diverse families and parents are encouraged to actively get involved.

At BIS? we have an active Parent Teacher Association (PTA) who regularly meets to organize different events and fundraisers in school. Parents actively volunteer for the school for events, field trips, picnics etc.

We also have parents from various backgrounds who volunteer to educate our children about their culture and introduce them to their language thus helping children to learn and respect all cultures.

WHAT ARE THE EXTRA CURRICULARS?

We collaborate with STEAM4KIDS.BE in order to develop critical thinking skills in children along with specific subjects in science, mathematics, technology, engineering and arts.

Please contact us through email or call us for more information on the steam4kids.be site.

ARE THERE SPORTS FACILITIES IN YOUR CAMPUS?

Yes. We have a sports hall and also a large area for our outdoor sports activities.

We also use the nearby Sport Club for our Football training.

DOES BIS OFFER A SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM?

We encourage and support academic excellence and exceptional talents.

Hence, for such specially gifted students we do offer a limited number of scholarships through our scholarship programme for new students entering our Primary Years Programme.

These scholarships are offered especially for students whose families are experiencing clearly-demonstrated financial need in order to give them a chance at quality international education.

The students record and the family income are carefully reviewed by our scholarship committee and these scholarships offered are between 10% to a maximum of 20% of the annual tuition fee may be granted.

The scholarship may be renewed in subsequent school years, provided that the income and merit requirements are met. It can also be revoked at any time if changes in these requirements occur. The decision made by the scholarship committee would be the final decision.

Bogaerts International School

INTENTIONALLY INTERNATIONAL.
DIVERSE BY DESIGN.