Board of Governors decide in best interests of ES Culham

The Board of Governors, representing the 27 member states of the EU, the Commission and the European Schools Authority confirmed that the closure plan would be incremental starting in September 2010 with no admission into M1, the first class of the Nursery School. This not only gives the UK and European negotiators the optimum conditions to work towards an agreement for a new school by ensuring that the current European School at Culham continues to operate successful with a critical mass of teachers and staff.

Notwithstanding a successful transformation into a new European Academy at Culham, the BoG decision means that all current nursery and primary children will be able  to complete their first cycle of primary education, while all pupils in P4 and higher classes will have a guaranteed opportunity of completing their European Baccalaureate qualification by July 2017.

The same BoG meeting also agreed to peg the school fees for Category 3 families to recent increases in inflation and not to subject these contributions to the 17% increase in the value of the Euro against the British Pound.  At a time of recession and financial uncertainty for many, a major increase in school fees would could have undermined pupil numbers and confidence in the school.

The mood in the school is buoyant. There has been a healthy 2% increase in pupil numbers, a 100% European Baccalaureate pass-rate in 2008 with Culham outscoring all the other European Schools and EU member states are continuing to second teachers to Culham for September 2009.

Stakeholders are now looking forward to meeting Lord Michael Jay, the Chair of the prospective Academy Trust, at the school.  He will be introducing himself and outlining the next steps in the process for the creation of the Academy. For more information on this, please visit  http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/academies/.