From the 2023-24 school year, Buckminster College is offering the Springbok programme for children aged 11-15. This programme is designed to be taken alongside regular school enrolment at another institution, and is extendable semester by semester as long as the student remains within the Springbok age range.

The Springbok programme involves part-time ‘school secondment’, with 20 regular school days being replaced by Springbok days each semester. Twelve of these days take the form of immersive, full boarding stays in Bruges (four ‘Residential Sessions’ per semester) and eight days are organised online (‘Remote Wednesdays’).

To participate in the Springbok programme, students must be granted permission by their schools. This is typically granted if the school believes the student would benefit from educational acceleration and enrichment. Buckminster College will coordinate the arrangement with the student’s school and ensure that mandatory school assignments are incorporated into every Springbok day.

The details of the Springbok curriculum for 2023-24 will be announced shortly.

Semester 1

October 2023 – January 2024

Oct 11-13 Residential in Bruges, Wed-Fri

Oct 18 Remote Wednesday at home

Oct 25 Remote Wednesday at home

Nov 8 Remote Wednesday at home

Nov 15-17 Residential in Bruges, Wed-Fri

Nov 22 Remote Wednesday at home

Nov 29 Remote Wednesday at home

Dec 6 Remote Wednesday at home

Dec 13-15 Residential in Bruges, Wed-Fri

Dec 20 Remote Wednesday at home

Jan 10 Remote Wednesday at home

Jan 17-19 Residential in Bruges, Wed-Fri

Semester 2

February – May 2024

Feb 21-23 Residential in Bruges, Wed-Fri

Feb 28 Remote Wednesday at home

Mar 6 Remote Wednesday at home

Mar 13 Remote Wednesday at home

Mar 20-22 Residential in Bruges, Wed-Fri

Mar 27 Remote Wednesday at home

Apr 17 Remote Wednesday at home

Apr 24-26 Residential in Bruges, Wed-Fri

May 8 Remote Wednesday at home

May 15 Remote Wednesday at home

May 22 Remote Wednesday at home

May 29-31 Residential in Bruges, Wed-Fri

Tuition Fee

Tuition fee covers all instruction, learning environments, tools, and materials. In 2023-24 this fee amounts to €1,470 per semester. This fee is invoiced and due in full upon the confirmation of enrollment.

Residential Fees

The residential fee is linked to each Residential Session in Bruges and covers the housing, dining, guardianship, and insurance costs for the particular session. In 2023-24 the residential fee amounts to €265 per session. This fee is invoiced and due in full prior to each session (4 times per semester).

Siblings Discount

Buckminster College offers a 20% fee reduction for each sibling who is participating in the programme at the same time.

Admission criteria for 2023-24

To be eligible for the Springbok trajectory in 2023-24, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Born in the years: 2008-2012,
• Conversational fluency in English, as self-declared by the applicant,
• A ‘curriculum adjustment’ agreement reached with the applicant’s school (extendable per semester).

Admission process for 2023-24

If you are interested in registering your child for the Springbok trajectory, please follow these steps:

• Send us an introductory email (button below),
• You will receive an information package and step-by-step guidance to present to the school,
• If the school responds positively to the prospect they will contact us and we will coordinate directly with the teacher,
• Once the prospective curriculum adjustment is agreed between the school and Buckminster College and a required minimum number of prospective students is reached (18), you will receive an acceptance letter with the invitation to fill out the registration form and confirm the enrolment.

To allow sufficient time for effective communication and cooperation with the teachers responsible for a student’s regular curriculum, acceptance letters will only be sent at the beginning of the semester for which the enrollment applies. This means that acceptance letters for semester 1 will be sent in September 2023, and acceptance letters for semester 2 will be sent in February 2024.

If you have any questions or concerns about the admission process, please do not hesitate to contact us at .