Reception and academic support for foreign children

Has your family recently moved to Luxembourg or is in the process of doing so? To facilitate the integration of newly arrived students (less than 24 months), the Ministry of Education offers a comprehensive school welcome and integration program for parents and students.

Which school should foreign students choose?

Have you just arrived in Luxembourg and don't know which school to enroll your child or teenager in? With so many different types of education available, are you unsure which one to choose? Is the language of instruction a problem for your child?

The school dilemma for families in Luxembourg

You are not alone in facing this choice of schooling. Many newly arrived families have faced the same problem. Every year, many families immigrate to Luxembourg and look for suitable schooling for their children. Overall, nearly 50% of the population is of foreign origin. All of them have found themselves in the same situation. What choice should they make for their children's schooling?

Schooling options for integrating into Luxembourg

Some foreign students who arrive in Luxembourg attend international schools. There isa widerange of options , from early years education for children aged 3 and above to higher education for students aged 18 or 19. There are public and private schools, with different educational systems.

Other foreign students enroll in schools that follow the Luxembourg school system. Primary schools offer public education from the age of 4. However, parents can decide to enroll their child in "early" education if they have reached the age of 3 by September 1 of the current school year. Students then attend Luxembourg high schools from the ages of 12 to 19.

This choice is fundamental for families, but also for the Luxembourg authorities. Indeed, schooling in the Luxembourg system promotes the integration of newcomers into society. This helps to preserve the country's social balance. Children who enter the Luxembourg school system benefit from concrete support measures.

Find out the key facts about education and schools in Luxembourg.

Support measures for foreign children

To help foreign families, several public institutions welcome students who have recently arrived in Luxembourg and their families. The aim is to help them navigate the wide range of educational options available.

Specialized reception and integration classes offer young arrivals an environment conducive to their integration and learning. They benefit from support measures

Reception classes for children who have recently arrived in Luxembourg

If necessary,schools and high schools offer newly arrived foreign students welcome classes in the form of specific teaching interventions.

These interventions aim to facilitate communication in the school or professional environment. In particular,they enable foreign students to improve their participation in various classes and other educational activities. These measures develop their self-confidence and facilitate their integration.

Language support for foreign children

Foreign children who do not yet have a good command of the languages used in their school environment can benefit from additional language courses free of charge.

Luxembourg schools are welcoming more and more children who do not speak the languages used in the school environment. However, in public schools, oral communication is in Luxembourgish from the first year of kindergarten. German and French are then gradually introduced from the first year of primary school.

In the interests of integration and socialization, it is therefore essential that newly arrived children master these different languages very quickly.

Thanks to the free language support offered, your children will be able to learn the new languages they need to integrate very quickly. These private or small group language classes enable children to integrate more easily into their new school environment.

The support hours replace other lessons taught in class. The number of hours provided depends on your child's progress.

In addition, the Luxembourg school system offers an increasing number of international schools where other European languages are promoted.

Integration classes for students who have recently arrived in Luxembourg

If your child comes from a school system that is completely different from the one in Luxembourg and needs extra support, they can join integration classes.

Students in integration classes stay there for a maximum of six terms.

Integration classes offer specific schooling for children. The aim is to enable students to catch up on any delays so that they can join the Luxembourg education system corresponding to their age at the start of the next school year.

The teaching in integration classes focuses on learning the languages used in Luxembourg schools, mathematics, and reading in the Latin alphabet. Once foreign students have reached the required level, they join the traditional education system.

Why not introduce your child to foreign languages through comic books? Head to Contern for the International Comic Book Festival.

SIA: welcoming and supporting foreign students

Expatriate families in Luxembourg can now call on the School Integration and Reception Service (SIA). This organization simplifies the process of choosing a new school system and schools for their children.

Reception, guidance, integration, and academic support

Under the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth, this service is responsible for providing information to new arrivals in Luxembourg.

This information covers the Luxembourg school system beyond primary or elementary school, support systems, school enrollment, and, where necessary, intercultural mediation. Intercultural mediators assist foreign parents and students with their educational needs.

Information meeting with the SIA

Have you just arrived as an expatriate and don't know which school system to choose in Luxembourg? You can request an information meeting with the SIA. By consulting the SIA, you will obtain all the useful information you need about the school system in Luxembourg.

You will also learn about the different educational options available to your child. You will also gain a better understanding of the reception and integration system available to new expatriates in Luxembourg.

School guidance proposals for new students

If you wish, you can ask the SIA to compile a complete school file for your child. Based on the information in the file, the SIA will be able to suggest one or more possible school options for your child in Luxembourg.

This personal file includes the child's previous school reports, as well as a report on their skills and the family's plans for the future. It will follow the student for the next two years, if the parents so wish, from the moment the student definitively attends a regular class. This system will facilitate their monitoring within the chosen school system and, more generally, their integration in Luxembourg.

School project for your child in Luxembourg

Based on the chosen orientation, your newly arrived child will then receive genuine support during the two years following their integration into a regular class.

The selected school or high school will work with the SIA to develop a personalized educational plan tailored to your child's needs. The school will implement a number of concrete measures to support the student in their social, educational, and personal development.

Schooling for newly arrived students in Luxembourg

Depending on their needs, children in Luxembourg are enrolled in:

• a regular class, while benefiting from support measures or additional welcome classes, particularly in languages (home class and welcome classes for primary school)
• integration classes, which complement this system for new students who need extra support during their first years of schooling

For more information, visit the Ministry of Education website or Guichet.lu.

Mengstudien.lu, for more information on higher education

Young people wishing to pursue higher education in Luxembourg or abroad can find all kinds of practical information about higher education and career guidance on the Mengstudien.lu website.

The website was set up by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research.

For more information on education in Luxembourg, click here!