BOS

BOS Democratic School

Enrolment procedure and fees

(BOS activities have been suspended)

This was our Enrolment procedure

  • We accept new applications year-round if there are places available.
  • Our selection criteria are based on age and language(s) spoken to have a balanced group of children.
  • We reserve a limited number of places for children who want to attend the BOS school part-time (2 or 3 days a week). This can be discussed with the parents at the admission meeting.
  • In order to guarantee the best possible support for all, the school (being aware of the limits of its support capacity) reserves the right to admit a limited number of children with special needs. Parents are asked to be transparent about their child’s special needs.

1. learn about the school’s approach

democratic education

Democratic schools are not like any other schools. Giving a lot of freedom to the children requires a lot of trust from the parents. We ask you to learn as much as possible about our educational approach so you understand what it means for your child to attend a democratic school.

We suggest the following resources accompany you in this research:

collective home education

Our school is a private school. It is not recognised, financed or subsidised by the Flemish Government, the French or German-speaking Community. The consequence is that children that attend this school are considered homeschooled by the government. We have children that are registered with the French-speaking Community and with the Flemish Community.

  • You can find more information about home education with the French-speaking Community on their official website.
  • You can find more information about home education with the Flemish Community on their official website and on the website of VHOV (association of flemish home educators) and Weefboom (another association dedicated to home education in Flanders). There is also a Facebook group where you can find plenty of information.

2. attend an info session

(We used to hold several info sessions throughout the year. In an info session, we’d show you around the school, explain as much as we could. )

3. request to receive the registration file

After the info session, you can fill in the registration form. Once we receive the filled-in form, we will send you the registration file containing the pedagogical charter, the school’s operating rules and a few other documents.

Please read these documents carefully as they explain in detail the approach of our school and the values we stand for.

4. schedule an admission meeting

If you would like to enrol your child(ren) at our school, you can contact us to schedule an admission meeting with a school staff member. During the meeting, we will discuss the pedagogy and the role of parents and children in our school. We ask that both parents and children are present at this meeting.

fees & volunteering hours (school year 2022-2023)

By registering your child, you are making a volunteer and financial commitment.

volunteer commitment

Enrolling your child(ren) at our school means being part of a living community that needs everyone’s support for its development and sustainability. To ensure the sustainability and development of our school, both economically and humanly, the team that brings the school to life on a daily basis needs the active support of parents and families at large.

We are asking parents for 100 hours of volunteer work per family. We only ask for 50 hours of volunteering for families with only one child attending 2 days a week. The volunteering hours can be distributed as you wish over the entire school year.

You can carry out the volunteering hours in the way you wish and in accordance with the needs of the school:

  • Organising a club, organising after-school daycare or daycare during a pedagogical day, accompanying the children during a special outing, helping out with practical tasks to improve the school environment, etc.
  • Take on the role(s) you have chosen in the different circles (support, visibility, pedagogy)

However, not all parents are in a position to make a concrete contribution. If parents cannot commit to the requested hours of volunteer work, it is possible to pay for the hours not worked at 10 euros per hour. Parents are asked to make the financial contribution at the time of registration.

* Volunteering hours do not include the various meetings around your child or involvement as a parent, like the café parents, individual meetings with the team, etc.

financial commitment

Since the school does not receive any state aid, the operating costs (rent, salaries, etc.) are covered by the tuition fees.

The fee system has been developed in accordance with the fundamental principles of BOS, which are, among others :

  • the quality of our educational project in a safe environment
  • the right to a fair and equitable salary for our staff
  • the effort to be as affordable as possible for families.

enrolment fee

The enrollment fee for the school is set at €175  (this is a minimum amount requested, but parents can donate more). This amount will be used to contribute financially to the opening of the school (extraordinary expenses, materials, reparations, etc.). Children already enrolled at BOS School do not have to pay this fee.

tuition fee

These are the tuition fees for the 2022-2023 school year.

  • For 4 days a week: €3000 per year (€300 per month x 10 months)
  • For 2 days a week: €1500 per year (150 € per month x 10 months)

fundraising & reductions

Please feel free to contact us if you are interested in enrolling your child(ren) at our school, but the financial commitment is difficult for you. We try to keep our fees as low as possible. However, we are fully aware that they are not feasible for every family. Our goal is to be a school that every child can attend if they wish to, so we are absolutely willing to look for a solution.

We invite anyone interested in making the BOS school more inclusive to contact us and join our fundraising circle!

If you have any questions regarding financial and volunteer commitments, please do not hesitate to contact us.