Does your child have priority when applying or registering in a Dutch-language school in Brussels? On this page you will find information about priority for:
Siblings and children of staff
Where does this priority apply?
- nursery and primary education
- 1st year A and B of secondary education
- special elementary education
- special secondary education
Who has priority?
First, siblings who are also children of staff have priority, then other siblings, and finally other children of staff.
Siblings
Do you already have a child in a Dutch-speaking school in Brussels and do you want to register a sibling in the same school? Then you have priority at that school.
This applies to:
- brothers and sisters (sharing the same parents) living at the same address or not
- half-brothers and half-sisters (having one shared parent) living at the same address or not
- children who live at the same address but do not have a common parent or parents
Children of school staff
Do you work at a Dutch-speaking school in Brussels? Then you have priority if you register your child in the school where you work. You qualify for this priority if you have a contract of more than 104 days.
What documents?
To prove your priority, you need these documents:
- Family composition certificate
- or identity card
- of the sibling who already attends the school
- and/or of the staff member of the school
How to register?
The procedure for siblings and children of staff differs depending on the level of education:
- In nursery and primary education and in special education: siblings and children of staff register before all other children.
- In the 1st year of secondary school: siblings and children of staff apply for a place online, together with all other children. They do have priority over the other children.
More information about the registration procedure:
Pupils with at least one Dutch-speaking parent
Where does this priority apply?
- nursery and primary education (65%)
- 1st year A and B of secondary education (65%)
- 2nd to 7th years of secondary education (55%)
- special elementary education (55%)
- special secondary education (55%)
Who has priority?
Pupils with at least 1 parent who is sufficiently proficient in Dutch. They are given priority for 65% of the total number of places in nursery, primary and the 1st year of secondary education.
In the higher years of secondary education and in special elementary and secondary education, these pupils have priority for 55% of the places.
What documents?
To prove that you as a parent speak enough Dutch, you need two types of documents:
- Proof of your knowledge of Dutch. This can be provided through one of the following documents:
- a Dutch-language diploma of at least secondary education
- a Dutch-language certificate of the second year of the third stage of secondary education or an equivalent Dutch-language study certificate
- proof that the parent has at least a level B2 in Dutch: a certificate of study from a school or a level certificate from Huis van het Nederlands (Dutch Language House)
- a SELOR certificate of 'sufficient knowledge' of Dutch, or higher
- proof that the parent has regularly attended Dutch-language primary and secondary education for 9 years (a certificate from the schools)
- Proof of the relationship between the parent and the pupil to whom the application relates, via one of these documents:
- a copy of the Kids-ID
- or a copy of the birth certificate
- or a family composition certificate (excerpt from the population, aliens or waiting registers)
How to register?
The procedure for pupils with at least one Dutch-speaking parent differs by educational level:
- In nursery and primary education and in special education (with an application procedure): these pupils apply, together with all other children. They do have priority in the allocation of places.
- In the 1st year A and B of secondary education: these pupils apply, together with all other children. They do have priority in the allocation of places. Please note: you cannot combine this priority with priority for pupils who have attended Dutch-language elementary education from the start of compulsory education. If you qualify for both priority Dutch groups (Dutch-speaking parent and Dutch-speaking primary elementary education), you have to choose one of them when you apply. If you receive notification that your chosen priority has been rejected, then you can still choose the other priority Dutch group. Please update this in your file and select the other priority Dutch group by 21 April 2023 (4pm). If you would like to change your file after this date, contact the help desk of LOP Brussel Secundair Onderwijs.
- In the higher years of secondary education and in special education (without an application procedure): these pupils must register during the registration period in which they have priority. After that, they no longer have priority.
More information about the registration procedure:
Pupils who have attended Dutch-language elementary education from the start of compulsory education
Where does this priority apply?
This priority only applies to the 1st year of secondary education.
Who has priority?
Pupils who have always attended classes in a Dutch-language elementary school in Flanders or Brussels from the start of compulsory education are given priority for 15% of the places. More information about compulsory education (in Dutch).
What documents?
You do not need any documents to prove this priority.
How to register?
In the 1st year A and B of secondary education, you apply for a place for your child during the application period. In the application, you indicate whether you belong to the priority group. Please note that you cannot combine this priority with the priority for pupils with at least one Dutch-speaking parent. If you qualify for both priority Dutch groups (Dutch-speaking parent and Dutch-speaking primary elementary education), you have to choose one of them when you apply. If you receive notification that your chosen priority has been rejected, then you can still choose the other priority Dutch group. Please update this in your file and select the other priority Dutch group by 21 April 2023 (4pm). If you would like to change your file after this date, contact the help desk of LOP Brussel Secundair Onderwijs.
Learn more about the registration procedure:
Pupils with a GOK or non-GOK profile
Where does this priority apply?
- nursery and primary education
- 1st year A and B of secondary education
Who has priority?
GOK stands for 'gelijke onderwijskansen' (equal educational opportunities). In some schools, there is priority for pupils with a GOK profile ('GOK pupils'). In other schools, there is priority for pupils with a non-GOK profile ('non-GOK pupils').
Your child is a ‘GOK pupil’ if
- the mother does not have a certificate of secondary education
- or the family received a school allowance in 2021-2022 or 2022-2023
Your child is a ‘non-GOK pupil’ if
- the mother has at least a certificate of secondary education
- and the family didn’t receive a school allowance in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023
Where do you have priority?
There is priority for 'GOK pupils' in schools where there are fewer GOK pupils than average in Dutch-speaking education in Brussels. GOK pupils have priority here up to a maximum of 20% of the total number of places. Non-GOK pupils do not have priority here.
There is priority for 'non-GOK pupils' in schools where there are more GOK pupils than average in Dutch-speaking education in Brussels. Non-GOK pupils have priority here up to a maximum of 20% of the total number of places. GOK pupils do not have priority here.
Would you like to know if there is priority for GOK or non-GOK pupils in the schools you want to apply to? In the overview of available places, you can see how many available places there are for your priority group (GOK or non-GOK).
What documents?
You need these documents to get the priority:
- GOK pupil: one of these documents:
- proof that the family received a school allowance ('Groeipakket') in the 2021-2022 school year or in the 2022-2023 school year
- a declaration of honour by the mother that she does not have a certificate of secondary education, a certificate of study from the 6th year of vocational secondary education, or an equivalent certificate of study
- Non-GOK pupil: you do not need any documents.
How to register?
Both in nursery and primary education and in the 1st year A and B of secondary education, you apply for a place for your child during the application period. In the application, you indicate whether you belong to the priority group GOK or the priority group non-GOK. You can only be eligible for one of the two priority groups GOK (equal educational opportunity) and non-GOK (non-equal educational opportunity).
More information about the registration procedure:
Pupils from the same special education campus
Where does this priority apply?
This priority only applies to the 1st year of special secondary education.
Who has priority?
Does your child already attend special elementary education? And would you like to register them in special secondary education next school year, in the same campus? Then you have priority.
What documents?
You do not need any documents to prove this priority.
How to register?
Pupils from the same campus must indicate that they come from the same campus when applying or registering.
Learn more about the registration procedure:
