Cities / Brussels / Roots and Wings School
Roots and Wings School
A small alternative school in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, founded by a child psychotherapist for families wanting individualised, project-based learning rather than a big international institution.
In brief
A small alternative school in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, founded by a child psychotherapist for families wanting individualised, project-based learning rather than a big international institution.
Project and theme-based teaching, identified learning styles, and lots of art, music and outdoor time. Around 80 to 100 children. The setting near Parc Parmentier is green and quiet, and the community is consistently described as warm, diverse and parent-involved. Fees are well below the big Brussels names, which matters for families paying themselves rather than on a corporate package.
This is not the school for families who want IB results tables, a wide secondary subject list or a competitive sports programme. It is the school for families with younger children who want close attention, a calm classroom and a strong creative arts strand. Families needing a recognised secondary qualification typically transfer out by Year 7 or 8, so plan that step early.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Preschool | 3 | €12,300 |
| Reception & Primary | 5 | €14,500 |
| Secondary | 12 | €14,500 |
Reviews
A small alternative school in Parc Parmentier, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, founded in 2009 and run on a project-based, individualised model. Classes cap at roughly ten, the whole roll sits around sixty across twenty-plus nationalities, and the day reads more like a homely setting than a traditional school. Parents talk warmly about the pastoral feel and the green setting. The trade in scale and external framework is the other half of the picture.
Positives
- Small, individualised classes. Classes of roughly eight to ten with teaching adapted to each child. Parents describe a personal, attentive approach where children are known by every staff member.
- Park-set, homely atmosphere. The Parc Parmentier setting and small roll give the school a calm, village feel. Outdoor time, art, music and movement feature heavily in the week.
- English immersion for non-native speakers. Parents describe non-English speakers picking up the language quickly, helped by the small group size and informal teacher-pupil contact.
- Fees lower than the big international names. Annual fees of roughly EUR 12,300 to 14,500 sit well below the larger English-medium schools in Brussels, which is part of the appeal for some families.
Considerations
- Scale and external assessment. External assessment runs through Belgian ministry standards rather than an IB, IGCSE or A-level framework. With around sixty pupils across the whole age range, peer-group depth and specialist secondary provision are limited compared with larger Brussels options.
- Public review pool. The independent footprint is small. Most of what circulates publicly is short, positive and shaped around the school's testimonials, which makes pattern-spotting harder than at a larger campus.