3rd Edition of Free National Summer School Begins

Luxembourg's Ministry of National Education, Children and Youth announced the third edition of the Summer School, an optional and free remedial lessons offered in public schools at the end of the summer school holidays, taking place from Monday 29 August to Friday 9 September 2022.

During these three weeks, students in primary and secondary education can refresh their knowledge, consolidate what they have learned or catch up on content in the main disciplines.

Set up in 2020 to fill the educational gaps linked to the COVID-19 crisis, the Summer School has meanwhile become important in the school support offered by the Luxembourg education system. It makes it possible to take into account the heterogeneity of the needs of the pupils and thus to prepare a return to school with equal opportunities.

"In order to guarantee the best chance of success, we want to give every child and young person an opportunity to rework subjects from the previous school year and to prepare well for the new school year. With the Summer School, which has been ongoing for three years, we have developed an additional initiative to reduce social inequalities among students in Luxembourg", underlined Minister Claude Meisch during a visit to Summer School at the Deich primary school in Dudelange on Wednesday 31 August 2022.

Thematic files for the Summer School

The Summer School learning sessions are based on the 46 thematic files developed by the Service for the Coordination of Educational and Technological Research and Innovation (Service de coordination de la recherche et de l'innovation pédagogiques et technologiques - SCRIPT) for each subject (German, French and Maths in primary; German, French, English and Maths in secondary) and each class.

These files have been accessible, via the student's IAM, on the distance learning platform www.schouldoheem.lu, since 15 July 2022. They also include model corrections and can be used independently or accompanied by parents, at any time during school holidays.

Since the thematic files went online on 15 July 2022, www.schouldoheem.lu has recorded nearly 31,000 visitors, more than 36,200 visits and 37,200 downloads of thematic files (as of 30 August 2022). This represents significant growth compared to Summer School 2021, when 33,850 file downloads were made during the same period.

Summer School attendance in figures

This year, there were 5,650 registrations for Summer School (4,280 in primary education and 1,370 in secondary education) compared to 7,270 registrations in 2021 and 5,900 registrations the year before, in 2020.

By observing the evolution of the number of registrations, it seems, on the one hand, that the Summer School has taken its place in the school landscape; on the other hand, that parents and pupils preferred the thematic files, which they can also use when traveling abroad or at home, in face-to-face lessons. What could explain the mobility found after the pandemic, more departures on vacation abroad, etc.

Like last year, the German language course is the most frequented in basic education; mathematics is the most requested course in secondary education, closely followed by the French course.

A quality framework

In basic education, tutoring is provided by 295 volunteers, including 49 teachers, 165 temporary replacements (holders of the baccalaureate, having followed the training of temporary replacements for basic education) and 81 people belonging or having belonged to the national pool "supervised studies" set up in the context of the COVID-19 crisis (also baccalaureate holders).

In secondary education, students are supervised by 168 volunteers, including 25 teachers and 143 students (baccalaureate holders). Students must first complete online training organised by the National Education Training Institute and the SCRIPT.