Like all education systems, Luxembourg has its rules. Children must be three years old by 1 September to start the early years section, parents must make a special request to pull children out of school to attend a family event, teachers may decide that a child has to repeat a school year, and children must attend the school in their commune. The list goes on.

Some rules are uncontestable, while it is possible to be granted an exception to some rules, provided parents follow the correct procedures. Social media posts are inundated with parents sharing their personal experiences, often leading to a string of conflicting advice. Here, a team of experts from the education ministry answer your questions on key school rules, your rights and the correct procedures to follow.

Under which circumstances are children, in general, required to retake a school year?

The curriculum (plan d’études de l’enseignement fondamental) defines the set of skills that a pupil must achieve in each learning cycle in order to successfully continue their education in the subsequent cycle. (A cycle consists of two school years, e.g. Cycle 4 includes the former fifth and sixth school years.)

Throughout the cycle, pupils are continuously assessed, allowing teachers to adjust learning situations and tailor instruction to meet individual needs. This ensures that as many pupils as possible reach the required skills base. If these differentiation measures are not sufficient, the teacher may also receive support from specialised teachers for pupils with special educational needs (instituteur spécialisé dans la scolarisation des élèves à besoins éducatifs spécifiques, I-EBS) or the support teams for pupils with special educational needs (équipes de soutien des élèves à besoins éducatifs spécifiques, ESEB).

Should the student fail to attain the required set of skills defined by the curriculum despite the implementation of differentiation measures, the educational team decides whether an additional year would positively impact the pupil’s development and skills.

Who decides? Can the parents contest the decision?

The decision is made by the educational team of a cycle, which assesses whether an additional year (extension of the cycle – Allongement de Cycle) would positively impact the pupil’s development and skills. Throughout the cycle, parents are kept informed about their child’s progress through regular meetings with the class teacher.

If the educational team decide that a pupil should repeat a year, the parents are consulted before the final decision is communicated to them. If the parents disagree with the decision, they have the right to file an appeal within 15 days. The appeal is reviewed by the regional director, who makes a final decision within a month.

Education Minister Claude Meisch © Photo credit: Gerry Huberty

What happens if the child is still struggling after doing the year again?

If a child is struggling to reach the required skills defined in the curriculum, his situation is assessed individually to identify the underlying causes and determine the most appropriate support measures. Support is provided as soon as the teacher identifies the difficulties. To help pupils meet the learning objectives within the given timeframe, educational teams implement a variety of differentiated strategies, including:

Tailored support within the classroom, offering adapted instruction to assist pupils who are having difficulties, while also stimulating those who show particular strengths.

Flexible grouping across different classes, where pupils are temporarily regrouped based on their needs, interests, or skill levels.

Allowing pupils to attend lessons in a different cycle if it better matches their developmental stage or learning needs.

Follow-up support planned at the end of a learning cycle, to be carried out in the next cycle if necessary, depending on the individual needs of the pupil.

In addition, assistance is available at different levels:

School level: The I-EBS provides direct support within the school.

Regional level: The ESEB team, with its specialised staff, offers additional assistance.

National level: Eight specialised competence centres help children with specific needs develop their skills.

Depending on the child’s requirements, they may receive integrated support while remaining in their regular class, be placed in a combination of specialised and regular classes, or attend fully specialised classes.

These measures ensure that each child receives the appropriate support as early as possible to help them succeed in their learning journey.

Is there a limit to the number of times a child can retake a school year?

According to legal regulations, a child can spend a maximum of three years in a cycle and eight years in Cycles 2 to 4. This means that, in principle, a child can get an extension of a cycle up to twice within these cycles. Additionally, an extra cycle extension can be proposed in Cycle 1.

Under which circumstances can a child move up a year? Who initiates this request and can the parents decide to keep their child in his/her current class?

Based on the decision of the educational team, recorded in the end-of-cycle report, a pupil who has achieved the required skills base after a year of instruction may advance to the next cycle.

If the educational team decides that skipping a year would be in the best interest of the child, the parents are consulted before the final decision is communicated to them. If the parents disagree with the decision, they have the right to file an appeal within 15 days. The appeal is reviewed by the regional director, who makes a final decision within a month.

Parents have the right to file an appeal if a teacher decided that a pupil should retake or skip a year © Photo credit: Guy Jallay

Many parents claim their child has to resit the year because of a lack of understanding of German. Do you expect Project Alpha will help alleviate this?

There can be various reasons why a child is required to extend their cycle. In this context, the ministry of education, children, and youth continues to take the necessary steps to reduce the number of extensions. We are confident that, among other initiatives, project Alpha – Zesumme wuessen will make a significant contribution toward achieving this goal.

[Project Alpha is a programme which will allow parents to decide if their child learns to read and write in French or German. Pupils will be split into language groups for literacy and maths lessons and will be combined for all other subjects, with the teacher giving explanations in Luxembourgish and the pupils completing their exercises in their chosen language – German or French. Read more here.]

Would it be beneficial for pupils who will be in Cycle 2.1 in 2026-2027 and who struggle in German to retake the first year of primary when Project Alpha starts so that they can join a French class instead, in 2027-2028? Will it be possible for parents to make this request?

No, it would not be beneficial for pupils who have already begun learning to read and write in one language to switch to another later on. Project Alpha – Zesumme wuessen is centred on the language of literacy acquisition, and changing that language after the process has started offers no advantage. In fact, it could hinder the child’s development and lead to confusion.

For this reason, once a child has started literacy in German, parents will not have the option to request that their child repeat the first year of primary school in order to join a French literacy class the following year.

To support this process, special emphasis is placed during Cycle 1 on supporting each child’s language development and assessing their competences and linguistic background. This enables the educational team to provide informed guidance to parents and to work together in choosing the option that is best for the child.

How easy is it for a child who starts in a local school to later switch to a public international school? Are there many spaces for this situation?

It is possible for a child to switch from a local school to a public international school. In fact, numerous pupils make this transition every year. However, public international schools currently face high demand, making it difficult to accommodate all applicants. To address this, the government is expanding the number of schools, with three new public international schools to be opened in the next years . At the same time, traditional public primary schools are being adapted to better meet evolving needs, including the planned national expansion of the Alpha – Zesumme wuessen project.

Michel Lucius is one of the public international schools in Luxembourg City © Photo credit: Guy Wolff

If a child completes primary school in a local school, do they have the same chance of a place in a public international secondary school? Or are the children who were in the primary section of the public international school given a priority?

Children who are already enrolled in the primary section of a public international school are given priority when moving on to the secondary level within the same school, as they are already considered students of that school.

However, pupils from public national primary schools can also apply and be admitted to public international secondary schools. This is especially true for the German-speaking sections, as the learning path followed in the national system generally aligns well with the requirements of these sections, which also tend to have more available places due to lower enrolment.

Children must be three years old before 1 September to start précoce. Are there any exceptions to this rule for children born in September?

According to legal regulations, a child must turn three before 1 September to be eligible for early childhood education (éducation précoce) at the start of the school year in mid-September. Since this requirement is set by law, there are no exceptions for children born in the first half of September.

A child born on 1 September starts school a year later than a child born on 31 August due to the cut-off date © Photo credit: Pierre Matgé

Is it possible for a child who turns three years old between 1 September and 31 December to start précoce in January?

To ensure a smooth transition from home to school, the organisation of the early childhood education (éducation précoce), managed by the respective municipality, allows for greater flexibility.

While admission typically takes place at the beginning of the school year, municipal authorities may also offer enrolment during the year for children who have turned three by that time.

Is it possible for a child to attend a school in a different commune to where they live?

Parents can request to enrol their child in a school located in a different commune from their place of residence. To do so, they must submit a written and well-justified request to the mayor and aldermen of the desired commune by 1 May of the year before the school year in question. It is then up to the local authorities to decide whether or not to approve the request.

According to the law, valid reasons for such a request include:

The child is cared for by a family member up to and including the third degree of kinship.

The child is cared for by a third party providing officially approved childcare services.

The child is cared for by a state-approved socio-educational organisation.

One of the parents works near the school in the desired commune.

What are the rules about taking a child out of school during term time for holidays or an important family event? Which procedures should parents follow?

Exemptions from attending school can be granted, upon request, for important family events, cultural activities, sports activities, charitable activities, or civic duties. The written and justified request must be submitted by the person(s) holding parental authority at least three working days before the requested absence begins.

Exemptions are granted as follows:

By the class teacher for a duration of up to one day.

By the president of the school committee for a duration of up to five consecutive days, if the total number of exemptions does not exceed 15 days in a single school year.

By the minister for absences lasting more than five consecutive days or when the total number of exemptions exceeds 15 days in a single school year.

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