The school offers a truly international environment with 160 students and teachers from 40 different nationalities. The school has grown a lot in the past few years, and they are expecting 180 students next school year and 200 students within the next couple of years.
In this interview, Danielle Franzen - Head of School at Montgomery International School - explains what makes the school so special, the IB education, the recent exam results, and the future plans and challenges.
What makes Montgomery International School so unique?
It’s a combination of various factors, but one of them is the small class sizes. We place a maximum of 18 students per grade level, allowing teachers to give individual attention to each student. We welcome students from all over the world, with different language and academic levels, and teachers provide the necessary attention to each student, regardless of when they start in the school year.
Additionally, we are a true city school. We have easy access to public transportation, so we often take the students outside of their school environment. For example, for sports we go to local sports clubs. We also often visit museums and exhibits. This way, our students get to experience Brussels' city life instead of staying in the bubble of the school premises. We also encourage them to take on activities after school in local sports clubs and music schools; this is a great way to make friends and get to know the local community as well as to practice their French!
Montgomery International School achieved the best IB results in Brussels last year with an average score of 37 - what are the reasons for this and what are the advantages of an IB education?
This is the third pillar of what makes us unique. We have decided to focus on the IB system because it fosters academic excellence in a supportive and open-minded environment. It is also widely considered as an excellent preparation for university.
We offer the IB programmes from the early years of the primary section to the senior years of high school, allowing for a smooth transition between sections and, in particular, between the middle years and the Diploma programme, as our secondary faculty teach in both. The teachers know exactly how to prepare the students for the Diploma programme and the skills that need to be developed in the middle years, starting in Grade 6. This seamless transition has certainly contributed to our strong vertical alignment, which has led to our excellent DP results.
We can also offer an advanced bilingual programme from grades 2 to 12. In this programme, students take subjects in both English and French. At the end, they can obtain the Advanced Bilingual Diploma – which is a differentiating factor when they apply for university. Alternatively, we also offer the option of an English programme in which all the main courses are in English, while keeping a strong focus on French as a second language. We are proud of our exam results, especially since we are an inclusive school and we do not set specific entrance criteria.
These excellent results are mainly due to our competent, and dedicated team of teachers. We are very thorough during the recruitment process: we look for individuals with excellent teaching skills and a modern pedagogical approach. It is also extremely important that they fit in our collaborative team, as teachers work closely together to prepare and coordinate their courses, and we want them to model effective teamwork for our students. So far we have been very lucky - we truly have an amazing team!
Danielle Franzen
What is the future for the school, what are your plans?
In the last four years we have grown so much - the primary section, in particular, has taken off. Word of mouth works, which vouches for the quality and the happiness of the students and the parents. We added a new campus for the Diploma students in the last couple of years. In September 2023, we have a dedicated learning support teacher joining us, and we are also introducing an early years class starting for children aged from 4 and a half. We are looking forward to having smaller children among us.
For the next few years our plan is to continue to expand but we feel strongly about keeping a family-sized school as we believe our close-knit community is our strength.
What is the biggest challenge that your school faces in the future?
In Brussels, international schools are highly dependent on the expat communities, so the challenge is to limit the turnaround of students. On the other hand, we have a lot of expat families who decide to settle in Brussels, as well as Belgian nationals, which allows us a certain stability and is better for the children to develop long-term friendships. Our aim is to keep our high academic standards as well as our great passion and care for the students!
Montgomery International School
