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Brussels International Catholic School - Secondary

Belgium, Brussels

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The school at a glance
Instructs in English, French
Fees €13,000 - 21,300
Ages 12 - 18 years
Pupil numbers 255
Type Co-educational
Opened 2004
Bus Service No
Part of
Brussels International Catholic School
Academic offering
Curriculum Cambridge (Secondary), Cambridge IGCSE
Taught languages English, French, Latin
Strengths Performing Arts, STEM, Languages
Clubs Arts and Creative, Cultural and Language, Social and Hobbies
Stages Secondary School
Introduction

Brussels International Catholic School (BICS) is an independent Catholic, Cambridge-based K–12 school in Brussels, Belgium, serving ages 3 to 18. The campus network comprises Pre-Primary, Primary, and Secondary sites in Etterbeek, each within a five‑minute walk, sharing facilities to support a cohesive learning community. Pre-Primary and Primary offer an English–French bilingual programme; Secondary instruction is in English. The Cambridge International Curriculum governs learning: Cambridge Primary in the early years, IGCSE at the end of Year 11, and A Levels in Years 12–13; the school is a Cambridge Examination Centre. Founded in 2004 and under the guardianship of the Institute of Christ the King, BICS welcomes families of other faiths. The Wallonia-Brussels Federation recognises the school for schooling obligations. Distinctive features include music and theatre—as choirs, regular performances, and plainchant—alongside a broad extracurricular life, a science laboratory, and international travel studies that broaden global horizons. Garderie after-school care supports working families.

This campus is part of Brussels International Catholic School

Froissartstraat 57/59, 1040 Etterbeek, Belgium

The Essentials

Brussels International Catholic School - Secondary has 255 pupils, instruction in English, French.

Location
In the heart of Brussels, close to the European Institutions.

Stages
Pre-primary, Primary, and Secondary.

Type
Independent bilingual school; Cambridge International Curriculum; Pre-primary and Primary are English/French bilingual; language of instruction in Secondary is English.

Pupil Nationality Mix
683 students enrolled; 55 nationalities represented.

Country affiliation
Belgium (Wallonia-Brussels Federation recognises the education provided by BICS as fulfilling the schooling obligation).

Religious affiliation
Catholic
Diving Deeper

Uniform Requirement
The school has uniforms. The uniform is supplied by Uniformes-scolaires.be. For girls: white polo, navy blue sweater, grey skirt, rigid black shoes without laces; navy school coat (optional); summer dress (optional); apron. For boys: white polo, navy blue sweater, grey trousers, rigid black shoes without laces; navy school coat (optional); apron. Sneakers are not allowed.

Food Options
Three lunchtime options: a hot meal provided by the school catering service with a varied weekly menu; a cold meal provided by BoxBunny (orders placed online); or a home-packed picnic. There are two daily snack breaks with snacks brought from home, and lunch lasts 30 minutes followed by 30 minutes of recreation.

Governance and Ownership
The Brussels International Catholic School is a group of independent schools.
Fees

Annual tuition at Brussels International Catholic School - Secondary ranges from EUR 13,000 to EUR 21,300 for 2026/27.

Application / Acceptance Fees

- A non-reimbursable admission/acceptance fee of EUR 500 is charged to confirm an offered place.

Tuition fees (annual and per-term amounts)

- Pre‑Primary (Kindergarten): EUR 11,700 per year.
- Per term (if divided into three equal instalments): EUR 3,900 per term.

- Primary School: EUR 12,000 per year.
- Per term (if divided into three equal instalments): EUR 4,000 per term.

- Secondary School (private registration rates):
- Years 8–11: EUR 13,000 per year (approx. EUR 4,333.33 per term if divided into three equal instalments).
- A‑Level (Years 12–13): EUR 14,000 per year (approx. EUR 4,666.67 per term if divided into three equal instalments).

- Secondary School (professional / employer-funded registration rates):
- Years 8–11: EUR 20,300 per year.
- A‑Level (Years 12–13): EUR 21,300 per year.

Sibling discount (private registrations only)

- An automatic sibling reduction applies to private registrations: 10% for the second child, 20% for the third child and 30% for the fourth child.

Billing schedule and payment terms

- Fees are shown on an annual basis (academic year September–June). Billing procedures and installment options are managed by the school bursar; families should contact the bursar for invoicing schedules and payment deadlines (bursar@bicschool.be). Banking details for bank transfer payment are provided for each school.

- Banking details (examples supplied for fee payment by bank transfer):
- BICS Pre‑primary — BNP Paribas Fortis — IBAN: BE19 0018 4374 8112 — BIC: GEBA BE BB.
- BICS Primary — BNP Paribas Fortis — IBAN: BE36 2100 4736 8081 — BIC: GEBABEBB.
- BICS Secondary — BNP Paribas Fortis — IBAN: BE19 0017 3672 8012 — BIC: GEBABEBB.

Boarding / Accommodation

- The school operates pre‑primary, primary and secondary day schools at separate addresses; no boarding provision is listed for the BICS schools.

Other costs and typical extras

- Uniforms: a school uniform is required; the supplier for school uniforms is Uniformes‑scolaires.be and detailed lists of required items for pre‑primary, primary and secondary pupils are published (blazers, ties, jumper, shirts, sports kit, satchels, coats etc.). Prices for individual uniform items are set by the supplier.

- Additional costs that families commonly meet (not listed as fixed amounts on the published fee pages) may include exam fees (IGCSE / A‑Level), school trips, instrument or private music lessons, optional extracurricular activities, after‑school care (garderie) and incidental supplies. For chargeable extras and exact amounts contact the bursar or the relevant school office.

Refund and cancellation notes

- The admission/acceptance fee of EUR 500 is non‑reimbursable. For tuition refunds, adjustments or any refund conditions, the school's bursar handles billing issues and refund arrangements directly; families should consult the bursar for specific cases.

Fee payment options

- The published payment method is payment in EUR by bank transfer to the school's IBAN (BNP Paribas Fortis details are provided for each school). For billing procedures, installment options, direct‑debit or card payments (if available), contact the school bursar (bursar@bicschool.be).

Contact for billing and clarifications

- Bursar / Finance contact: bursar@bicschool.be (billing procedures and invoice queries). Specific school contacts:
- Pre‑Primary: +32 (0)2 640 35 36 / preprimary@bicschool.be.
- Primary: +32 (0)2 230 02 18 / primary@bicschool.be.
- Secondary: +32 (0)2 343 85 40 / secondary@bicschool.be.

If you need this in a different presentation (for example termly columns or single‑page fee text for a database entry), those per‑term figures can be produced directly from the annual figures above by dividing the annual fee by the chosen number of instalments.
Academics

Brussels International Catholic School - Secondary teaches Cambridge (Secondary), Cambridge IGCSE for students aged 12 to 18.

Curriculum
Cambridge International Curriculum; Pre-primary and Primary are English/French bilingual; Secondary instruction is English; Students take the Cambridge IGCSE exams at the end of Year 11 and the Cambridge A Levels at the end of Year 13.

Student Teacher Ratio
683 students and 69 teachers; approximately 9.9 students per teacher.

Exam Results
The Cambridge IGCSE and A Level exams are recognised internationally; 100% of students pass to universities.

Higher Education Progression
99% of students go on to further studies; universities include Oxford, London School of Economics, Imperial College, KU Leuven, Maastricht, Louvain, and Brussels ULB.
Wellbeing

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
Personal, social and emotional growth is nurtured. In Reception, the programme emphasises personal, social and emotional development as part of the English-French bilingual approach, alongside language, physical development, numeracy, literacy and understanding of the world.

Special Educational Needs (SEN)
The mission states the school asks much of the gifted and we encourage the weak, indicating support for students who encounter difficulties.

English as an Additional Language (EAL)
Pre-primary and Primary are English/French bilingual; the language of instruction in Secondary is English.

Mental Wellbeing
Mental wellbeing is supported through the focus on personal, social and emotional growth in the early years. The mission describes education within a Christian community that aims for a joyful, free and self-disciplined life of faith and virtue, supporting wellbeing and strong relationships.
Parent Experience

History
Founded in 2004 as a successor of the Institute of Saints Peter and Paul, a small Catholic school founded in 1971. The Brussels International Catholic School consists of three independent schools—Pre-Primary, Primary, and Secondary—located in Etterbeek within a five-minute walk of one another, with a property next to the Secondary school for additional facilities. The schools are under the guardianship of the Institute of Christ the King and are Roman Catholic, welcoming families of other faiths or none. The Pre-Primary and Primary offer a bilingual programme in French and English, while the Secondary teaches in English; students sit Cambridge IGCSE in Year 11 and Cambridge A Levels in Years 12-13 (Sixth Form) since 2014.

Community
The BICS Community is described as an extended family; new parents and students are warmly welcomed and helped to settle in. Expatriate families often move, while local families also participate, with students progressing through Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary to gain competence in English and French and to benefit from the academic programme. The team provides ongoing support for integration into BICS and Belgium. The community includes events such as music and theatre, end-of-year shows, and graduation ceremonies.

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
Christmas time, Parents/Teachers meetings, and Family Dinners are listed as part of BICS Community activities.
Facilities

Facilities Overview
Brussels International Catholic School has three campuses: Pre-Primary, Primary, and Secondary, in central Brussels near the European Institutions. The campuses are no more than a five-minute walk apart, enabling easy movement between levels. The Secondary program is taught in English, while the Pre-Primary and Primary levels follow an English–French bilingual programme. The schools share connected facilities across the three sites to support a cohesive learning community.

Sports Facilities
The Primary campus has a gymnasium and a playground. The Secondary campus features a laboratory and a playground, with first-floor classroom spaces to support learning activities.

Academic Facilities
The Secondary campus includes a laboratory for science work. Primary classrooms are located on the first floor. The school delivers a bilingual English–French programme at Pre-Primary and Primary, with English-language instruction in the Secondary; Cambridge assessments are used for secondary students (IGCSE in Year 11 and A Levels in Year 13). The school is recognised as a Cambridge University Examination Centre.

Extra Curricular Facilities
Extracurricular activities were suspended recently due to health restrictions; in the past, the school offered Computer Studies, Chess, Maths Remediation, Maths Club, Italian, Golf, Cricket, and Rugby. Music and Theatre form a central part of life at BICS, with choir, orchestral activity, regular music classes in Years 8 and 9, and an annual dramatic production; many students participate in choral music and plainchant, and some join a volunteer choir. The Belgian Maths Olympics is a regular activity with BICS students reaching the finals in various years. Travel Studies (Greece & Italy), Ski Trips, and Sailing Trips are also part of the extracurricular program.
Extra-Curricular Activities

Academic & Intellectual
The Brussels International Catholic School operates three independent campuses (Pre-Primary, Primary, and Secondary) with bilingual instruction in French and English in the early years and English as the language of instruction in the secondary level. It follows the Cambridge Primary Programme, and students sit Cambridge IGCSE examinations at the end of Year 11 and Cambridge A Levels at the end of Year 13. The curriculum balances mathematics, natural sciences, history and geography, and languages, including Latin, English and French. Pupils have consistently achieved strong examination results and access to universities worldwide.

Arts & Creative
Arts are integrated into regular curriculum and a broad extracurricular program includes music and theatre. Extracurricular offerings include Chess, Cricket, Computer Studies, Cooking, Dutch, Elocution, Fencing, Golf, Italian, Musical Comedy, Piano, Rugby, Spanish, Tennis, Violin, Guitar, Cello, and Suzuki Piano, among others. The school hosts an End‑of‑Year Show to showcase artistic talents, and provides theatre and other performing arts opportunities as part of the Life at BICS program.

Cultural & Language
Classes are taught in French and English, with pre-primary offering a 50/50 bilingual programme and the secondary curriculum delivered in English. Dutch, Italian and Spanish are available as extracurricular language options. The community emphasises multilingual development within an international setting and welcomes families of various faiths within its Catholic framework.

Social & Hobbies
The Extracurricular Activities program features a wide range of activities including chess, cricket, computer studies, cooking, Dutch, elocution, fencing, golf, Italian, musical theatre, piano, rugby, Spanish, tennis, violin, guitar, cello, and more. The program also includes science, art and craft, literacy, and Zumba Kids, along with homework support. Seasonal trips such as ski trips and the Year 6 Euro Space Centre excursion foster teamwork and social engagement outside the classroom.

Community & Service
BICS Community is described as an extended family that welcomes expatriate and local families and supports English and French language development. The community hosts events such as the End‑of‑Year Show, Christmas Fayre, Family Dinners, and other social occasions to foster intercultural connection. The school emphasizes family involvement and international collaboration through these gatherings.

Leadership & Professional
The kindergarten mission states a goal to help children grow into responsible, honest individuals who are inspired to leadership and able to serve others with generosity. This emphasis on leadership development is embedded in the school's Catholic, bilingual educational approach. The Cambridge curriculum and its holistic activities provide opportunities for students to practice leadership and collaboration in varied settings.

Lifestyle & Wellbeing
Garderie after-school care is available until 18:00 (17:00 on Wednesdays) to support working families, with a range of meal options and snacks provided. The school day structure and after-school provisions promote balance and well-being, and the Catholic environment underscores a community‑oriented ethos that welcomes families of diverse faiths. The program also includes wellness‑oriented activities such as Zumba Kids and a broad slate of sports and arts to support physical and mental well-being.
Languages

Language Provision
Languages taught include English and French as core languages; Latin is also taught as part of language and literature. In Pre-Primary and Primary, the bilingual approach uses both English and French for instruction. In Secondary, instruction is in English. The curriculum includes language and literature in English and French, and Cambridge examinations (IGCSE in Year 11 and A Levels in Years 12–13) are offered.

Bilingual Teaching
Pre-Primary and Primary schools offer a bilingual programme in French and English. Classes are taught in French and English. The pre-primary programme begins at age 2.5 years and is taught 50% French and 50% English. The language of instruction in the Secondary is English; The Primary follows the Cambridge Primary Programme (CPP) and a curriculum approved by Belgian authorities.
Reputation

Awards
null

Accreditations
Cambridge University Examination Centre; European Council of International Schools (ECIS) accreditation; Wallonia-Brussels Federation recognises the schooling; the school is recognized as a Cambridge Examination Centre.
Admissions

Admissions
1. Submit form. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis throughout the year, space permitting, and the admissions process considers each child's current level and aptitude. Complete and submit the application form to begin the process. The admissions team reviews applications as they are received.

2. Visit. We will set an appointment for an in-person or telephone interview with the Headmaster. If you are locally-based and applying for Reception or Year 1, we would like to meet your child for an assessment of their level. This assessment is not a test and requires no prior preparation. If attending in Brussels is not possible, this step is optional and class grouping decisions are finalised upon arrival at school.

3. Confirm offer. Once you accept an offer of a place, confirm enrolment by paying the non-reimbursable admission fee of 500 Euros. A space in the class cannot be guaranteed without this confirmation. The school secretariat will provide practical information to help with entrance, and the bursar handles billing and tuition queries.
School Events
The school has not added events
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