British School of Brussels

Focus

Broadening minds and horizons

Day fees

$20,300–$46,000

Pupils

1,326

Ages

1–18

Academics

50 per cent of GCSE results are 7–9 grades.

32 per cent of A-Level results are A* or A grades.

Average IB score is 35.

Spear’s Review

Established in 1969, BSB is an international school with 1,350 students from 70 nationalities aged 1 to 18. For older pupils, the school offers A-Levels, the IB and vocational courses in business, sports and hospitality.

The primary curriculum is a skills-based, inquiry-driven approach adapted from the UK national curriculum. The school aims to ‘develop confident, caring and courageous people who engage actively, ethically and purposefully with the world’.

School Profile

The British School of Brussels is an all-through, inclusive international school comprising approximately 1,400 students from 70 nationalities aged 1-18 years. The school meets the needs of internationally mobile and expatriate families in Belgium as well as local families who want an international education for their children. Our students are exposed every day to a multitude of languages and cultures and within which they thrive. 

British School of Brussels campus

All students follow a British-based curriculum up to age 16, which is adapted to our European context and international cohort. BSB is the only school in Belgium to offer three pre-university routes: A Levels, the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, and BTEC vocational courses. We are immensely proud of our consistently outstanding academic results, which are among the best in the world. Our diverse pathways provide all our students with an opportunity to excel. 

While academic results are important, one of our main aims is to create a values-driven community which promotes a healthy, vibrant, and progressive culture of care, collaboration, and respect. We are proud to develop active global citizens. We want to inspire and motivate responsible, engaged students who have respect for themselves and each other and engage actively, ethically, and purposefully with the world around us. Our governance, leadership, staff, curriculum, and facilities all work in support of this philosophy. 

We offer a diverse and extensive range of extra-curricular activities through a world leading Enrichment programme, offering around 200 extra-curricular activities.

Ultimately, BSB is a family; a community which offers support and care for each other while helping each person achieve their goals to the best of their ability and become the best possible version of themself.

Principal and CEO

Melanie Warnes joined BSB as principal in 2016. She brings a high level of leadership expertise and experience to the role, having been a school leader for more than 20 years and more recently as CEO of a group of seven schools. She also has extensive international experience in teacher training and development.

It’s the ‘hearts and minds’ aspect of working in education that really excites Warnes, including unpicking the culture of successful workplaces and organisations, establishing a value-centred approach to school leadership and exploring the power of working in a truly collaborative manner.

Admissions

According to the school:

BSB is a non-selective school in the sense that it does not require a particular level of academic attainment for admission. Instead, the school looks at a prospective student’s attitude to learning through evidence from present and past schools and by meeting with, and interviewing, applicant students and their families. The school will also consider a student’s capacity to succeed at BSB. This may apply where prior experience may not have led to a positive attitude to learning. 

BSB requires an online application form, previous school reports from the past 12 months, a passport scan and a student recommendation form. The latter should be completed by the current school and sent to BSB confidentially. In cases of additional educational needs, the school asks for relevant diagnostic reports. The second stage of the application procedure is an online pre-joining interview. During this interview, students are expected to demonstrate a positive attitude to learning and a commitment to the values and ethos of BSB as exemplified in the school's guiding statements (as appropriate depending on their age). 

In the case of additional educational needs, prospective students are assessed by BSB’s AEN department to determine supportability. For those students wishing to join the bilingual programme, a language assessment in French and English is conducted to determine eligibility. In Secondary School, there will be very specific discussions concerning examination subjects and option choices for those students joining Year 10, 11 and 12. Some subjects at Year 12 age have minimum requirements, to be demonstrated either through I/GCSE results or, for those students without I/GCSE grades, a bespoke placement test conducted by BSB.

University and college places

2 per cent advance to Oxford or Cambridge.

0.5 per cent advance to Ivy League schools.

Accessibility

Brussels; 20 minutes

Location

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