Secondary education

Depending on the pupil’s language skills and his/her age on arrival in the Grand Duchy, there are a number of options.

To find out which schools offer which classes, please consult:

Classical secondary education

In the Luxembourgish school system, access to classical secondary education (enseignement secondaire classique, ESC) is in principle reserved for pupils with a good knowledge of mathematics, German and French. There are, however, a number of options for pupils who have a very good school record but lack the necessary language skills.

“ALLET” classes – German as a foreign language (7e ESC - 5e ESC)

These classes are for pupils who have completed primary school with a good level in French and maths but are relatively weak in German. They offer extra teaching in the German language, the aim being to enable pupils to join an ordinary 4e ESC class (4th year of secondary education).

  • Enrolment directly with the school for pupils having completed primary school in Luxembourg
  • Information at the Service de l’intégration et de l’accueil scolaires (SIA, School Integration and Welcoming Service) for newly arrived pupils

“Français Plus” classes (7e ESC - 5e ESC)

These classes are for pupils who have completed primary school with a good level in German and maths but are relatively weak in French. They offer extra teaching in the French language, the aim being to enable pupils to join an ordinary 4e ESC class (4th year of secondary education).

  • Enrolment directly with the school for pupils having completed primary school in Luxembourg
  • Information at the Service de l’intégration et de l’accueil scolaires (SIA, School Integration and Welcoming Service) for newly arrived pupils

LVF classes with French as main language (7e ESC - 5e ESC)

Unlike normal classes, where in most cases the subjects are taught in German, all subjects are taught in French in LVF classes (langue véhiculaire française, LVF) of the classical secondary education. The level required in German is that of pupils having completed primary school (école fondamentale) in Luxembourg, and German is taught to the same standard as in normal classes.

The classes are intended for pupils who have completed primary school in Luxembourg but prefer to learn in French.

From the 4e ESC class onwards, pupils join an ordinary class, in which non-language subjects are in any case taught in French.

  • Enrolment directly with the school for pupils having completed primary school in Luxembourg
  • Information at the Service de l’intégration et de l’accueil scolaires (SIA, School Integration and Welcoming Service) for newly arrived pupils

Gradual integration for 12- to 16-year-olds

The Lycée Aline Mayrisch offers gradual integration in classical secondary education in Luxembourg for young people between the ages of 12 and 16 who have been in primary and/or secondary education in another country.

Priority is given to personalised accompaniment in acquiring or improving language skills in Luxembourgish, French, German and/or English, the languages used for teaching.

The aim is to enable these young people to follow a “regular“ school career in the Grand Duchy’s secondary education system and to take advantage of the multilingualism.

  • Information and enrolment on the website of the Lycée Aline Mayrisch
  • Information at the Service de l’intégration et de l’accueil scolaires (SIA, School Integration and Welcoming Service) for newly arrived pupils

International Baccalaureate

The course leading to the International Baccalaureate (IB) certificate is a classic baccalaureate course available at 3,628 secondary schools in 190 countries throughout the world (as of 31 August 2023). The certificate awarded on successful completion of the course available at public schools in Luxembourg is recognised under Luxembourg law as being equivalent to the diploma awarded on successful completion of secondary studies (diplôme de fin d’études secondaires). The course is intended for young people recently arrived in the Grand Duchy and to young people who have opted for secondary education taught in either French or English who are capable of success in secondary education at a high level. The written examinations at the end of the course are marked externally, by a global network of 9,000 trained examiners.

English-speaking international education

The International School Michel Lucius (LML) offers English-speaking classes that lead to the British diplomas International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), Advanced Subsidiary level (AS-levels) and Advanced level (A-levels).

  • Enrolment directly with Lycée│International School Michel Lucius
  • Information with Service de l’intégration et de l’accueil scolaires (SIA, School Integration and Welcoming Service) for newly arrived pupils

European public education

Several international public schools operate according to the curricula, promotion criteria and timetables of the European Schools system. They are open to all pupils, without tuition fees. They offer European secondary education (seven years), in French-, English- and German-speaking sections leading up to the European Baccalaureate. These are:

The other sections, based on the mother tongues of the member countries of the European Union, are offered in European schools outside the public education system.

  • Enrolment directly with the school for pupils having completed primary school in Luxembourg
  • Information with Service de l’intégration et de l’accueil scolaires (SIA, School Integration and Welcoming Service) for newly arrived pupils

General secondary education

The general secondary education classes (enseignement secondaire général, ESG) are for pupils who have an intermediate or good level in maths, German and French. There are several options taking into account different linguistic knowledge levels.

“ALLET” classes – German as a foreign language (7e ESG - 5e ESG)

These classes are for pupils who have completed primary school with an intermediate level in French and maths but are relatively weak in German. They offer extra teaching in the German language, the aim being to enable pupils to join an ordinary 4e ESG class (4th year of secondary education).

  • Enrolment directly with the school for pupils having completed primary school in Luxembourg
  • Information with Service de l’intégration et de l’accueil scolaires (SIA, School Integration and Welcoming Service) for newly arrived pupils

“Français Plus” classes (7e ESG - 5e ESG)

These classes are for pupils who have completed primary school with an intermediate level in German and maths but are relatively weak in French. They offer extra teaching in the French language, the aim being to enable pupils to join an ordinary 4e ESG class (4th year of secondary education).

  • Enrolment directly with the school for pupils having completed primary school in Luxembourg
  • Information with Service de l’intégration et de l’accueil scolaires (SIA, School Integration and Welcoming Service) for newly arrived pupils

Classes taught in French (7e ESG, 6e ESG, 5e ESG)

In French vehicular language classes (langue véhiculaire française, LVF), all subjects are taught in French, unlike regular classes, where subjects are, for the most part, taught in German. The level required in German is the same as that of a pupil having completed primary school in Luxembourg, and German is taught to the same level as in normal classes.

This offer is intended for those children who have completed primary school in the Grand Duchy but prefer to learn in French.

From the 4e ESG class (4th year of general secondary education) onwards, pupils join either a normal class or an RLS class (see below).

  • Enrolment directly with the school for pupils having completed primary school in Luxembourg
  • Information with Service de l’intégration et de l’accueil scolaires (SIA, School Integration and Welcoming Service) for newly arrived pupils

Integration classes and classes for newly arrived children

An integration class (classe d’insertion) is a class in the lower cycle (7e ESG, 6e ESG, 5e ESG classes – first three years) of general secondary education for those pupils who have achieved a very good academic level in their country of origin but have little knowledge of the languages taught in the Grand Duchy. They are taught French or German intensively (determined according to their level in the different languages). They are also taught the other subjects of the syllabus of the lower cycle of general secondary education.

To be admitted to an integration class, a pupil must pass the admission test.

A class for newly arrived pupils (classe d’accueil, for young people between 12 and 15 years), or CLI1/CLI2, is a transition class for newly arrived children without the required language skills to join a regular class. Here they are taught French intensively and are introduced to Luxembourgish. The class council (conseil de classe) assesses each pupil’s skills and decides on the best time for him/her to join the most appropriate class, depending on his/her language skills and general level.

Integration classes for young adults (classes d’accueil pour jeunes adultes – CLIJA for 16- to 17-year-olds and CLIJAA for 18- to 22-year-olds) are classes for young adults newly arrived in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. These classes provide basic training in French which opens up access to general secondary education and to social and economic autonomy.

"Diversified" integration classes for young adults from 18 to 22 are offered in the following schools:

For further infromation, please contact the Service de l’intégration et de l’accueil scolaires (SIA, School Integration and Welcoming Service) for newly arrived pupils or the respective school.

Classes with a specific language regime

The upper level of general secondary education (students aged 15 and more) includes classes with a specific language regime (classes à régime linguistique spécifique, RLS) for pupils having difficulties with German or French. An RLS class is a class where all subjects, except languages, are taught either in French (francophone classes) or in English (anglophone classes). The curriculum is the same as for regular classes. In some classes, German is taught as a foreign language. In other subjects, the curriculum remains the same.

The RLS classes lead to different certificates/diploma:

  • diplôme de fin d’études secondaires (secondary school leaving diploma)
  • diplôme de technicien (DT, technician’s diploma)
  • diplôme d’aptitude professionnelle (DAP, vocational aptitude diploma)
  • certificat de compétence professionnelle (CCP, certificate of professional competence)

You will find further information on RLS classes in the brochure The classes with a specific language regime (PDF).

 

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