Two mothers who wanted to attract more Dutch-speaking families to enroll in a primary school in Molenbeek through a school mix campaign last year, will continue their project this year. “We were convinced of the vision and approach of the school, but saw few Dutch speakers.”
“Extended due to success,” Helena Desiron wrote on Facebook three days ago. The school mix campaign she set up with Sofie Robberechts last year turned out to be a bull’s eye. When both mothers visited the school last year, they were convinced of the vision and approach, but saw few Dutch speakers. To achieve a more balanced mix, they started an action for primary school Ket&Co.
“And that paid off,” said the mothers. “Of the eighteen places that were provided for Dutch-speaking children in the reception class, twelve places were eventually filled. A good result.”
And it’s not just the numbers that were positive, the mothers emphasize. “We also achieved our goals in terms of content. In this way we were able to offer parents the certainty of a place in the reception class and we ensured that they immediately had a network, even before school had started. The current parents are also pleased that more Dutch-speaking children are: this way they also come into contact with Dutch more often.”
Plan Long Term
To repeat that success and create a ‘super mix’ again, the mothers will also be looking for Dutch-speaking children for the reception class of ketjes born in 2021 this year. Together with the organization ‘School in Clearance’, which wants to turn schools into neighborhood schools where children grow up with peers from all walks of life, they try to inform potential parents as much as possible about their school. We can use the expertise we built up last year again this year.
Both mothers plan to support the initiative in the longer term. In the meantime, there are three parents who practically support the action. “We heard from an experience expert that it is especially difficult in the first years. Afterwards, brothers and sisters of children also start to register and a school becomes better known. But we will certainly continue to monitor the project during the first three years.”
This article is originally published on bruzz.be
