Flanders Picks 30 Schools to Lift Primary Education
The Flemish government has approved 30 primary schools to serve as “inspiratiescholen” (inspiration schools), selecting them from 76 candidates across Flanders to act as models of excellence in teaching and school management. Each school will receive approximately €70,000 in funding to hire additional staff and develop expertise that will be shared with other schools through structured learning networks.
Context: A Response to Declining Standards
The initiative, spearheaded by Flemish Minister of Education Zuhal Demir (N-VA), comes in direct response to concerning results from the international TIMSS study published in December 2024, which showed that Flemish 4th-grade students’ performance in science and mathematics had significantly declined. Demir described the findings as a “wake-up call” for Flemish education, as reported by VRT NWS.
The program is backed by a broader €30 million investment announced in May 2025, which also funds a new knowledge center (Leerpunt), pedagogical support services, and new curriculum development. The inspiration schools model is explicitly inspired by England’s Research Schools network, which has been operating for several years.
How the Program Works
Selected schools will follow a two-phase trajectory. Phase 1, running from September 2026 to August 2027, focuses on internal expertise development. Schools will deepen their knowledge of knowledge-rich curricula, effective didactics, and the new minimum goals (“minimumdoelen”) for primary education. Phase 2, from September 2027 to August 2029, involves sharing that expertise within “lerende netwerken” (learning networks), where each inspiration school will mentor approximately 10 other schools under the guidance of pedagogical support services.
According to the Flemish Government’s official page, the inspiration schools are expected to strengthen their evidence-based knowledge, apply it school-wide, share insights within learning networks, and open their schools for work placements from teacher training programs.
The 30 Selected Schools
The schools are spread across all of Flanders and distributed proportionally across the different educational networks. The Catholic education network (Katholiek Onderwijs Vlaanderen) will host 17 inspiration schools across 17 sub-regions, while the OVSG (city and municipal education) will have 5 schools. The GO! community education network and other networks make up the remainder.
The selected schools include institutions from all provinces, ranging from A-HA! School in Kontich and GO! Basisschool Atheneum Dendermonde in the east, to VBS Sint-Maria-Aalter in Aalter and VBS Ten Parke in Torhout in the west. Special education is also represented, with de Kade Vrije Basisschool voor Buitengewoon Onderwijs in Bruges among the selected schools.
Minister Demir’s Vision
“This is how we step by step strengthen the quality of Flemish education,” Demir said in the announcement published by VRT NWS. “Good practices should not remain locked within the walls of a school. With this, we are building a network of expertise that radiates across all of Flanders.”
The minister emphasized that the program is not about elite formation. “Every student, regardless of their home situation, must be able to make learning gains,” she stated during the initial announcement in May 2025. The schools selected are those that already demonstrate a combination of knowledge-rich curricula, clear routines, and a safe school environment with high expectations.
Funding and Support
Each inspiration school receives approximately €70,000—nearly €62,952 allocated for personnel costs and €6,295 for operating costs, according to the OVSG information page. The total budget for the period from September 2026 to August 2027 exceeds €2 million. The broader project is supported by a subsidy of up to €9,316,800 to the Leerpunt foundation, approved by the Flemish Government on June 13, 2025, covering the period through August 2030.
Analysis and Implications
The inspiration schools program represents a significant shift in Flemish education policy toward evidence-based, centrally guided improvement models. If successful, the program could reverse the declining trend in international assessments and eventually reach all primary schools in Flanders through the learning network model, which aims to add 300 schools per year.
However, challenges remain. Translating the English Research Schools model to Flanders may face cultural and structural differences across the region’s complex educational network system. Ensuring equitable distribution of benefits across socioeconomic backgrounds and managing teacher workload in participating schools will be critical factors in the program’s long-term success.
What’s Next
The 30 selected schools will begin their trajectory in September 2026. The first year will be dedicated to building internal capacity, with the learning networks launching in September 2027. The program is funded through 2030, and its effectiveness will be monitored through scientific evaluation. The question of whether the model will eventually expand to secondary education remains open.
As Demir put it, the inspiration schools are intended to be “locomotives”—pulling the entire Flemish education system forward toward higher standards and better outcomes for every student.