French Lycée in Brussels

French Lycée in Brussels
Address
9, Avenue du Lycée Français Brussels, 1180 Belgium
Information
Funding type	Public and private
Established	c.1907
Gender	M/F
Age	4 to 18
Language	French
Website	http://www.lyceefrancais-jmonnet.be/index.php

The Lycée Français Jean Monnet de Bruxelles (literally, the "Jean Monnet French High School of Brussels"), or LFB, is a school located in Uccle, Brussels, Belgium. A member of the Agency for French Education Abroad, the LFB follows the French study curriculum and has students from nursery school up to the French baccalauréat. The school hosts over 2,400 students from many nationalities.

The French Chamber of Commerce in Brussels founded the French School in Belgium on 22 November 1907. The school was founded under the patronage of Wladimir d'Ormesson, the minister of France in Brussels. Charles Rolland presided over the school's executive committee. He was also president of the Chamber of Commerce. A bronze plate by Charles Samuel, a famous Belgian sculptor, is dedicated to him.

At that time, the school ran primary education (where 25 subjects were taught, including Dutch) and a middle section (the equivalent of high school), it provided English and German classes, along with hygiene, calligraphy, accounting, law and stenography. The superior section (what would be referred to in France as the "Lycée") opened in 1910 for the modern section and in 1924 for the classic section. The founding booklet stated that it would prepare students to "all exams, to every school, and to all jobs in France and Belgium".

The school closed down from 1914 until 1918 as teachers were summoned to the war front. Its buildings were used to take care of wounded French soldiers, before the Germans invaders occupied the school. In 1918, the school reopened but suffered from financial difficulties. When Marshal Foch visited the school in 1920, 200 students attended the school of which only two were at "baccalauréat" level.

In 1934, the school separated itself from the commerce chamber and became an autonomous association under Belgian law. Paul Claudel, the French ambassador, founded the association. Members of this association were mainly male (188 men for 9 women), 60% of whom were Belgian nationals. Civil servants made up just 8% of members.

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