Dear pupil,

Dear parent,

This booklet is intended to help you in making the choice of subjects for years 4 and 5. You will find information about the subject choice process and courses offered.

Please read this booklet before the information evening on Tuesday, 12 December 2023. Detailed information regarding the organisation of the meeting is communicated in due time.

The subject coordinators and relevant teachers have prepared the subject descriptions and every effort has been made to ensure that the details are correct. Please check with the reference teacher(s) if you have any questions.

Together with this booklet you will receive the form for the choice of subjects, please return the form to your class teacher by Friday, January 12, 2024.

Mr ALCAZAR coordinates the choices for years 4 and 5. You are very welcome to contact him if you have any questions: daniel.alcazar@eursc.eu

Martin WEDEL

Headmaster

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In the 4th and 5th years, pupils will study the following compulsory subjects: [1]

In addition to the compulsory subjects, pupils must make a selection from the following optional subjects, in such a way that the total number of weekly periods lies between a minimum of 31 and a maximum of 35 for those who have chosen 4-period Mathematics and a minimum of 33 and maximum of 35 periods for those who have opted for the 6-period Mathematics course.

The curriculum allows a maximum of 35 periods to enable some pupils to take two 4-period options. However, 35 periods should be the exception rather than the rule, experience has shown the risks of an overloaded timetable.

With the exception of ONL, the creation of optional courses requires a minimum of 7 pupils. [2] If the group does not have the minimum number of pupils at the start of the school year, there is no guarantee that the course will be created, and pupils may have to make a new choice.

Only category I and category II pupils are entitled to the teaching of ONL, which can take place from nursery up to S7. Category III pupils may join existing courses, but courses cannot run exclusively for category III pupils.

The creation of ONL courses is subject to teacher availability. In principle, the school offers the following ONL courses:

• For pupils of Finnish origin, Swedish/ Finnish can be requested as Other National Language regardless of the language section the pupil is enrolled in.
• For pupils of Irish origin, Irish as Other National Language can be requested regardless of the language section the pupil is enrolled in.
• For pupils of Maltese origin, Maltese can be requested, regardless of the language section the pupil is enrolled in.

When the number of pupils are very small, they can be taught in joined groups of consecutive years. Please be aware that these are not beginners’ courses and follow on from the ONL courses in years 1, 2 and 3. Pupils choosing Other National Language (ONL) cannot choose Language 4. [3]

As some of the options may have to be timetabled concurrently, it might not be possible to provide all possible combinations of optional subjects, timetabling constraints may for instance make it impossible for a pupil to choose both Latin and Economics. When this happens, parents will be contacted to review the choice. In any case, it is desirable that the choice of options helps to form a coherent group of subjects for study. Within the limitations of the timetable, the school will try its best to satisfy the greatest possible number of demands.

Please see the section Subject descriptions for a brief overview of the Mathematics and optional courses.

[1] The European School Curriculum: Structure and Organisation of studies and courses in the European Schools (2019-04-D-13)

[2] The European School Curriculum: Structure and Organisation of studies and courses in the European Schools (2019-04-D-13)

[3] Language Policy of the European Schools (2019-01-D-35)

At the end of S3, there will be a window of two weeks for requesting a change to the initial choice, please see Important dates. Parents will be informed in due time when requests can be introduced. The school will try its best to accommodate your request, but no positive reply is guaranteed.

The choice of subjects is binding  for S4 and S5: pupils cannot change, add or drop a subject as from the start of the 4th year. However, a pupil can change from 6-period Mathematics to 4-period Mathematics

• at the end of the 1^st semester in the 4^th year and
• at the end of the 4^th

The reverse change (from 4 to 6-period Mathematics) is also possible, subject to a level test. In any case, the change is subject to approval by the Class Council.

Towards the first and second Semester end in S4, parents will be given the possibility to submit a request to change the Mathematics level. Parents will be informed in due time when requests can be introduced.

Please see the section Mathematics level test below for further information about the topics covered and test modalities.

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The following table shows the use of languages in years 4 and 5.

From secondary year 4 onwards, History, Geography and Economics courses must be taught in Language 2 (English, French or German) and may not be taught in Language 1. Special rules are established regarding the Language of tuition for Economics in the European Schools system. [4]

Art, Music, ICT and physical education are taught to mixed language groups in any language of the pupil’s curriculum. The Art and Music courses will normally be given in the language(s) of the teachers available. For some pupils this may therefore be in their mother tongue, for others in one of the working languages (not necessarily that of the pupil).

L4 in year 4 is a beginners’ course. Any of the official languages of the European Union may in principle be chosen as L4 subject to having sufficient pupils to create the course and within the organisational possibilities of the school. [5]

[4] Languages of tuition for Economics in the European Schools system (2012-05-D-23)

[5] Language Policy of the European Schools (2019-01-D-35)

If the threshold of seven pupils required for creating a group cannot be met, even after combining different groups vertically and horizontally, and the consequence would be that courses cannot be offered, it is within the autonomy of the school to find alternative solutions to facilitate the organisation of these courses.