During the last week of November 2019, Montgomery International School (EIM) implemented a strategy combining flexibility (thanks to small class sizes), quality (through the globally recognized International Baccalaureate curriculum), and safety (with lockdown measures introduced at the school well before the Belgian government’s national announcement).

EIM had already taken proactive lockdown measures before the Belgian government mandated it. The school cancelled all field trips to protect students, while others were still skeptical about the spread of the virus.
Quick communication with families and a dynamic rollout of an e-learning program led the administration to close the school ahead of others in Brussels.
“The EIM community is smaller than most, which already gives us a layer of protection,” says General Director David Gerone. “But examples from China and Italy made it clear we couldn’t waste time. As an independent school, we didn’t have to wait for government instructions. Also, our local municipality of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert had one of the strictest policies in Belgium.”

EIM staff were trained within a week to use Google Education Suite tools, just like the students who had already been using them in IT and design classes. The school continued teaching its entire curriculum online.
Perhaps most importantly, the EIM community chose to close out of solidarity — not only for their own families, but as part of their role in society. This is a core value promoted in the International Baccalaureate programme.

The Belgian government decided to reopen schools on May 18.
“We weren’t convinced,” explains Danielle Franzen, Secondary School Principal.
“First, everyone was extremely satisfied with how online learning was going, and at that point, infection rates were still rising. Also, we didn’t agree with the government’s approach of reopening some year groups before others. We want to offer all of our students the same standard of excellence.”

Belgium’s regulation of a maximum of 10 students per classroom wasn’t an issue for EIM, due to its low student-teacher ratio. Given the continued uncertainty in May, EIM decided not to reopen its doors just yet.

Still, to maintain high academic standards and university preparation, EIM’s leadership decided secondary students would sit their exams at the school at the end of June. In the primary section, extra classes were introduced in dance, cooking, sports, theatre, and yoga.

On the evening of May 27, the Belgian government made a complete U-turn and announced that all nursery and primary students could return to school for the last three weeks of the academic year.

The very next day, EIM’s leadership acted once again.
“We launched a consultation with all our families,” explains Miguel Toledano, Primary School Director, “and the following week, we were ready to welcome students back while continuing with online lessons. We wanted to respect the rights of families who wanted to return to school and those who preferred to stay at home.”

EIM ensured that all health and safety measures were in place and clearly explained to students in a calm, balanced, and caring way — as recommended by the IB philosophy.

During the summer, while the school continued growing and renovating its classic campus next to Square Montgomery, the EIM community prepared for the start of the new academic year in September.