The Guide
Mon, 15 June 2026

Cities / Brussels / British Junior Academy of Brussels

British Junior Academy of Brussels

BJAB is the small, traditional British school in central Brussels with serious Belgian family appeal. Founded 1992, around 300 children, English National Curriculum, structured and academically demanding.

British Junior Academy of Brussels campus
British Junior Academy of Brussels, Central Brussels. Photograph · School

Curriculum
British
Fees, annual
EUR 11k–33k
Ages
3 to 16
Pupils
~300
Founded
1992

BJAB is the small, traditional British school in central Brussels with serious Belgian-family appeal. Founded 1992, around 300 children, English National Curriculum, structured and academically demanding.

It carries BSO accreditation and ISI inspection, which is unusual for a school of this size and matters for parents moving back to UK independent schools. The atmosphere is described as warm but firm, with high expectations on uniform, manners and academic effort.

Parents praise the pastoral relationships and the constructive parent-school communication. A notable share of the roll is Belgian families choosing BJAB over the local system, which gives the school a more rooted feel than the typical expat-circuit campus.

The cap is the size and the upper age. The DB lists ages 3 to 16 but the school's primary identity is the junior years. Subject and extracurricular range is narrower than at BSB or ISB. Families who want a smaller, traditional, English-style primary will find it suits. Families looking for a sprawling international campus will not.


Annual fees

Year level Age Fee
Kindergarten half day (age 3) 3 €10,819
Kindergarten full day (age 3) 3 €18,513
Reception (age 4) 4 €19,532
Years 1-2 (ages 5-7) 5 €22,776
Years 3-6 (ages 7-11) 7 €25,286
Years 7-8 (ages 11-13) 11 €27,982
Years 9-11 / IGCSE (ages 13-16) 13 €29,596
Year 12 (age 16-17) 16 €32,556

One-time fees

Item Age Fee
Refundable Deposit €500
Registration Fee (non-refundable) €500


  • Small-but-consistently-positive review pool. A directory aggregate sits high, with a 92 percent recommend rate from a small base of reviews.
  • In 2025, a parent looking at expat options was specifically recommended BJAB by other parents, citing intentionally small class sizes.
  • Parent reviews highlight a personalised, family-feel curriculum across the primary years (Reception to Year 8) with strong pastoral and academic balance.
  • Round Square membership and strong British-curriculum baseline pull in expat families on multi-year postings to Brussels.
  • Reviews note it is an established small school, not part of any large group, and that it stops at Year 8 so families plan secondary moves separately.

Positives

  • Small school feel. Personalised attention, strong teacher-pupil ratios and a family atmosphere are the dominant praise points.
  • Academic and pastoral balance. Parents praise high academic standards alongside attention to wellbeing.
  • Brussels expat fit. Often recommended in Brussels expat threads as a solid, well-run school for families new to the city.

Considerations

  • Limitation. Ends at Year 8; families need a secondary plan after that.

Leadership

Mr Francis Retter

As the Headteacher, I am proud to lead a team of dedicated and passionate educational specialists who are committed to providing an exceptional education for our students. With small class sizes and a total enrolment of around 300, we foster a warm and supportive family atmosphere, where children can thrive and reach their full potential.

Accreditations

  • British Schools Overseas (DfE) 01
  • COBIS Patron's Accreditation and Compliance 02
  • ISI 03

  • Median standardised score in Mathematics 2022 118
  • Median standardised score in English 2022 113

83 Boulevard Saint Michel, 1040 Etterbeek, Belgium

School website