School

A school community is a collection of schools that have joined forces through cooperation in specific areas (logistics, purchasing, education provision, ...).

Flemish situation
In Flanders, the establishment of a school financially encouraged by the Department of Education as a school from a certain number of pupils receive extra resources, eg. around coordination and ICT . Thus they hope to work hand in the rationalization of the educational landscape.

A school board ( governing body ) must obtain the approval of important decisions the school. It is, among other things, establishment of new disciplines . The daily management of the school will remain at the level of the individual school. A school is no merger of the schools involved: each school can retain their individuality and their own accents.

A school is only set within the same educational level (eg. Education). For example, a school that is both base - as secondary offering, part of 2 schools. Theoretically, this can be cross-network, but, in practice, most scholengemeenschappen network-related (more than 95% in 2004).

The school is led by an CODI, Coordinating Director. Several agencies at the level of the school are also arranged at the level of the school. There usually exists a board of directors and a meeting of the organizing bodies. The school has an equivalent to the level of the school which will be named "advisory board". The LOC ( Local Negotiation Committee ), which is composed of teachers and administrators is called then OCSG (Negotiation of the school).

In 2004, Flanders has 355 schools of secondary education, which includes the largest 32 schools with over 8,000 students. The smallest comprising only 2 schools with about 900 students.

For teachers, the existence of the school is important. With falling pupil numbers and accompanying job losses, is the redeployment of teachers first look at the level of the school. So it can to prevent a teacher is transferred to another school in the school community.

So far the impact of the school on the parents is quite limited. Their registration is a registration in the school. A student can not be transferred to another school so. The school can, of course, recommend a change.