Multilingual development in the European Schools

The aim of this paper is to illustrate some of the research on language and education conducted at the Centre for Research on Brussels and other Multilingual Capital Cities (BRIO) and the Centre of Linguistics (CLIN) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). In keeping with the theme of the conference the focus will be on the European Schools. The European Schools have been explicitly designed as institutes of multilingual and multicultural education to cater for linguistically diverse populations. In terms of the number of schools and the number of pupils on roll, the European Schools may be only a minor phenomenon in the linguistic and educational landscape of Europe (as will be shown below) but their impact extends far beyond that of their numbers, particularly in Brussels, which hosts four European Schools, and where their impact is also felt among the wider public.