KawiParents' guide · school
A glossary of Luxembourg schools, for parents.
Précoce, Spillschoul, cycle 1, maison relais, chèque-service accueil: letters from the commune and the school use about twenty words nobody explains to parents who moved here from abroad. Here they are, each in two or three sentences, with its official source. For the preparation itself, see how to get ready for school when you don’t speak Luxembourgish.
School, from age 3 to 11
- Enseignement fondamental
- Luxembourg's public school from age 3 to 11. It spans nine years split into four learning cycles, and the commune enrols your child. Source (in French): MENJE
- Cycle 1
- The first three years: one optional year of précoce, then two compulsory years of preschool. Children don't learn to read yet, and the classroom language is Luxembourgish. Source (in French): MENJE
- Précoce
- Early education, for children who are 3 before 1 September. It is free and optional, and often a child's first contact with Luxembourgish. In detail: précoce, enrolment and the first months. Source (in French): MENJE
- Spillschoul
- The everyday name for preschool, literally "play school": the two compulsory years of cycle 1, from age 4 to 6. How it maps onto kindergarten and other systems: the Spillschoul compared with other schools. Source (in French): MENJE
- Cycles 2, 3 and 4
- The six years of primary school, from age 6 to 11, in three two-year cycles. Reading and writing start in cycle 2. Source (in French): MENJE
- Compulsory schooling
- School is compulsory for every child living in Luxembourg who is 4 before 1 September, whatever the parents' status: no child can be turned away. Précoce, a year earlier, remains a choice. Source (in French): MENJE, welcoming pupils
- Enrolment
- It is done with your commune of residence, which assigns your child to the local school. For the first day itself, keep the list of what to prepare for the first morning at hand. Source (in French): Guichet.lu
Languages and learning
- School languages
- Luxembourgish is the language of cycle 1, German becomes the teaching language in cycle 2, and written French arrives in cycle 3. The full order, and what it means at home: Luxembourgish or German before school starts. Source (in French): MENJE
- Literacy (alphabétisation)
- Learning to read and write, in cycle 2. It used to be in German; with the ALPHA reform, parents can choose French, and the question is asked during cycle 1.2. The timeline: choosing French for learning to read. Source (in French): MENJE
- Curriculum (plan d’études)
- The official text setting out what a child should be able to do at the end of each cycle. A public version is online at plandetudes.lu. Source (in French): plandetudes.lu
- Reports (bilans)
- The interim report, at the end of each term, tracks progress; the end-of-cycle report certifies what has been learned before the next cycle. A meeting with the teacher takes place three times a year, at the end of each term. Source (in French): MENJE
- Public European schools
- Six public international schools, free and open to all, that follow the European Schools curriculum. They are the other public route besides your commune's school: local or international school, how to choose. Source (in French): MENJE
When you arrive from another country
- SIA
- The Service de l'intégration et de l'accueil scolaires, at the Ministry of Education. It informs and guides newly arrived families about their children's schooling. Source (in French): MENJE
- Intercultural mediator
- A free interpreter for conversations between your family and the school, in more than 45 languages: first enrolment, meetings with the teacher. Requests are made online, at least seven working days ahead. Source (in French): MENJE
Your bearings, depending on where you come from
In Luxembourg, school becomes compulsory when a child is 4 before 1 September. Here is where your child stands compared with the system you know; the year-by-year match is on the Spillschoul page, age by age.
| You come from | Compulsory school | The equivalent of précoce and Spillschoul | For languages |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | From age 3: a year earlier than here. | Précoce: petite section. Spillschoul: moyenne and grande sections. | French arrives orally in cycle 2 and in writing in cycle 3. With the ALPHA reform, you can choose French for learning to read. |
| Belgium | From age 5: a year later than here. | Précoce: 1re maternelle. Spillschoul: 2e and 3e maternelles. | For a French-speaking family, the same bearings as for France. |
| Portugal | At 6. Preschool is guaranteed from age 4, but optional. | Précoce and Spillschoul: pré-escolar. | In précoce and Spillschoul classes with many Portuguese-speaking children, the school can bring in a Portuguese-language helper, 2 hours a week. From cycle 2 to 4, complementary Portuguese classes, 2 hours a week outside school hours. |
| United Kingdom (England) | The term after a child turns 5. Most children start Reception at 4. | Précoce: nursery. Spillschoul: Reception, then the age of Year 1, but without learning to read. | English is not a language of Luxembourg's basic schools. Public European schools have English-speaking sections: what that choice of school changes. |
| Germany | As a rule, in the year the child turns 6. Kindergarten is optional. | Précoce and Spillschoul: Kindergarten. Cycle 2: Grundschule. | Literacy is taught in German in cycle 2, unless you choose French: an advantage. In cycle 1, the classroom language is still Luxembourgish. |
Sources : Service-public.fr, Belgium.be, Direção-Geral da Educação, GOV.UK, KMK, MENJE, Portuguese classes.
Childcare, before and around school
- SEA
- Service d'éducation et d'accueil, the official term covering nurseries, maisons relais and day centres. Every one must hold an approval from the ministry. Source (in French): MENJE
- Crèche and mini-crèche
- A crèche (nursery) cares for children who are not at school yet, from birth. A mini-crèche is a smaller setting, with up to 11 children at a time. Source (in French): MENJE
- Maison relais
- Care for school children outside class hours. For children of compulsory school age it is free during school periods, Monday to Friday from 7 am to 7 pm, lunch included. Children in précoce are not covered by this. Source (in French): MENJE
- Assistant parental
- An approved childminder who looks after up to five children at a time at home, on top of their own. Source (in French): MENJE
- Chèque-service accueil
- The State's contribution to childcare costs in approved settings. A reform of the scheme was presented by the ministry on 12 January 2026. Source (in French): MENJE
- Free hours and multilingual education
- Children aged 1 to 4 who are not at school yet are entitled to 20 free hours a week, 46 weeks a year, in a nursery or mini-crèche, whatever the family income. These settings follow a multilingual education programme, in Luxembourgish and French. Source (in French): free hours, multilingual education
The Luxembourgish language
- LOD and ZLS
- The Lëtzebuerger Online Dictionnaire, lod.lu, is the official dictionary, with an audio recording of every word; it is run by the Zenter fir d'Lëtzebuerger Sprooch, the public language institute. It is the reference voice of our first words to listen to with your child, and the starting point for bringing Luxembourgish to a child who can’t read yet. Source (in French): LOD, ZLS
School words first, then classroom words.
Kawi lets your child hear words they will meet in class, with the official pronunciation from LOD.lu, through play, from age 3.
Your questions
What is cycle 1 in Luxembourg?+
The first three years of basic education: précoce, optional, from age 3, then two years of preschool, the Spillschoul, compulsory from age 4. Children don't learn to read yet, and the classroom language is Luxembourgish.
At what age is school compulsory in Luxembourg?+
From age 4, when a child turns 4 before 1 September, for every child living in the country, whatever the parents' status. Précoce, a year earlier, is optional.
Is the maison relais free?+
Yes for children of compulsory school age, during school periods, Monday to Friday from 7 am to 7 pm, lunch included. Not for children in précoce.