Summer holidays have come to an end. As of September, the responsibility for after-school childminding and afternoon activities as well as bus transport has been successfully transferred to EuroKids, a non-profit company founded by the Parents’ Association in cooperation with the ECB. This represents a major improvement in operating and managing the services. Further information on EuroKids is available here.

The Parents’ Association Board still has a crucial role in the provision of services on a strategic level but will be relieved of the daily operational issues. The volunteering parents can focus on vital pedagogical matters and various cultural and sports projects. All parents are welcome to contribute ideas or dedicate some time to their implementation and strengthening the school community for our children. The PA is also a great place to expand your network, make new friends and have fun! If you would like to get involved, please contact us.

Parents’ Village and Sports Hall

The “parents’ village”, located across the street from the school, has seen major construction works in the last weeks and more to come with the completion of the planned one-field sports hall by the end of this year. “The additional level on containers 4 and 5, provides for increased range of activities for children and additional capacity for childminding, but more importantly more smiles for the children visiting the parents’ village”, says George Betts, new General Manager of EuroKids. There will be more than 660 places in childminding this school year, co-financed by the ECB.

School Development/New School Premises

The number of pupils at the school has slightly increased to 1,511 in comparison to the previous year. Since a feasibility study has confirmed that the current ESF premises are too small to host a school community forecasted to reach 2,244 pupils by 2025, Germany, as host country to the ESF, has taken concrete steps to provide temporary extension of the modular building and is investigating the relocation and possible new building infrastructure for the ESF. It’s a long term project and the completion of a new building will take at least 5-7 years. There is currently no confirmation of a possible future site from the responsible German authorities.

Study on Social Value related to Schooling and ECB’s Investments in Childcare

As part of the preparatory work for the future premises project, the ECB has contracted a study on the social value related to the European School Frankfurt and the ECB’s investments into childcare and after-school childminding offers, with the main purpose of identifying the financial and non-financial effects of the ESF and the ECB crèches for the ECB, the city of Frankfurt and the wider Rhine-Main area. We believe the study results will be helpful in the future planning process with the various stakeholders in Brussels, Berlin, Wiesbaden and Frankfurt. The study will encompass interviews with representatives of German authorities and international companies located in Frankfurt, financial data on the ESF and crèches as well as other relevant statistical data for the Rhine-Main and Frankfurt area. In addition, ECB parents whose children attend the ESF or the crèches will receive an invitation to participate in an online survey next week. The delivery of the study results is envisaged for the end of this year.

Academic Record

The results of the 2017 European Baccalaureate continue to demonstrate the high level of the ESF educational offer with an average ESF result of 81.80% compared to 81.37% in 2016 and 82% in 2015. Congratulations to all bacheliers!

Transport

School transport remains a critical issue. EuroKids offers six bus lines. The morning lines are almost fully booked but the capacity of the smaller buses can still be expanded, if required. Although the school bus offer is intended to reduce the stress level for families on the daily way to school/work, the traffic volume will still reach peak levels between 8 and 8.30 in the morning as well as in the afternoon when the Primary school ends. The first school days, with many newcomers, are be particularly demanding. The ESF management and the Parents’ Association kindly ask you to consider using public transport rather than coming by car. The PA is also looking into further improving the carpooling opportunities.

We wish all parents and children a good start into the new school year!