Geneva English School welcomes Year 7 pupils from September 2016 and opens new secondary campus from September 2017.
A new British international secondary school is set to open its doors to English-speaking expatriate and local students in Geneva. Building on the success of the highly popular Geneva English School for primary and early years children aged 3 to 11, the new secondary school will welcome Year 7 pupils at its existing campus in Genthod from September 2016, and will open a new secondary campus in the neighboring vicinity from September 2017.
Established in 1961, Geneva English School (GES) has a small school ethos, with a reputation for a strong community spirit and high academic standards. Even with the recent opening of a new nursery section and the creation of parallel classes in most year groups, the school has succeeded in keeping student numbers below 300. With the addition of the new campus, the school plans to restrict numbers to about 500 students in total.
Mark Williams, Chairman of the GES Board of Governors, told knowitall.ch, “By limiting the student population to around 500, we are confident that both the personal and academic and needs of every individual child can be met. Our research tells us that there is a market for expatriate and local families wanting their children to move into a secondary school that has the same atmosphere as the current GES, with the same approach to driving up excellent academic standards and providing all-round experience, which is stimulating and appealing to young people as they grow up through their teenage years. Our new secondary school will provide an alternative choice amidst the many expansive international schools within the region, some of which have student populations in excess of 1,500,”
Stephen Baird, current headmaster of the GES primary school, added, “When I first joined the school in 2010, my priority was to come up with a development plan that would enable further investment in the school and provide much needed resources for the teachers. After the successful implementation of Phase 1 for the parallel classes and Phase 2 for the nursery and the Library Learning Centre, we are now in a great position to commence with Phase 3 of our plan, to open a new secondary school that will have the same values and approach to learning as the primary school, which are very much appreciated by our parent community."
When the school opens it doors to Year 7 pupils in September 2016, Stephen Baird will step down as Headmaster of the school and hand over responsibility for both primary and secondary teaching to Mr Tim Meunier. Currently Headmaster of Colet Court, St Paul’s Preparatory School in London, Tim has many years experience of preparing children for the challenges of secondary education, and is seen as the ideal person for taking the school through this next important phase in its development. The school will follow the National Curriculum of England with an international context, will prepare children for IGCSE examinations, and will ultimately cater for students up to 18 years of age, getting them ready for entry to university.
The Year 7 intake in September will be limited to 16 students and will be regarded as a “one-off” year to bridge the gap between the end of the current Year 6 and the official start of the GES secondary school on its new campus in September 2017. With so many current Year 6 parents keen for their children to start at the new secondary school, the Year 7 will ensure that their children don’t miss out on this exciting new phase in the development of the school. Given that the number of Year 7 pupils will be limited in the first year, early registration is strongly advised, especially by parents of children who don’t currently attend the school. Students enrolled in the new Year 7 for at least one term will receive a 10% discount on their fees for all subsequent years that they are enrolled in the school.
The new Year 7 will be very much part of the existing GES but with differences in approach to teaching and the curriculum. For continuity with the primary school, the academic programme will largely follow the English National Curriculum. Like the current Modern Foreign language provision, English and Mathematics will be taught by specialist teachers. Other subjects will be taught by part-time staff and existing GES teachers. The Year 7 ‘day’ will include Wednesday afternoons and will continue to 16h30 with some activity provision included. More information on the Year 7 academic and pastoral programme can be found by visiting the GES website and clicking here. To make sure that parents know exactly what to expect, there is even a provisional timetable for prospective Year 7 students on the site.
In September 2017, the Year 7 will become the Year 8 class and move to the new GES campus, details of which have just been announced by the school. According to architect plans seen by knowitall.ch, the campus will include, on top of 21st Century classrooms, an arts and design centre, a science lab, a media centre, a music school, a state-of-the art library and all necessary sports facilities. In addition to the new Year 7 and 8 classes that will start at the school in September 2017, it is anticipated that the school will open a new Year 9 at the same time, welcoming both former students of GES and those from other schools, so there will be three years in operation when the new campus first open its doors.
Stephen Baird added “Given that over half our students come to GES through word of mouth alone, we are confident that once word gets out about our new secondary school alternative, we will soon be able to fill all years, including the new Year 9, which will require some students to leave their existing secondary schools to join us.”
He concluded, “We have a very strong alumni network at the school, which includes teachers, former students, and both current and former parents – all of whom are excellent ambassadors for the school. We have recently formalized membership to this network and registration is easy via LinkedIn and Facebook and more information can be found on the school website (at this link).”
Geneva English School
Route de Malagny 36
1294 Genthod
022 775 04 40
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.geschool.ch
Click here for more information on the new secondary school
Click here to join the GES Alumni Network
