In a region where we are spoilt for choice in post-secondary education, it is important to understand your options. Although the number of schools in this area offering an English-speaking curriculum is growing, the number of university entry programmes is still fairly limited. Some schools offer alternatives but many students choose between A-Levels and the International Baccalaurate (IB).
Perhaps less well-known amongst international families originating from outside the UK, the British A-Level programme provides a gateway to universities worldwide and is available to students of all nationalities and educational backgrounds. It is a two-year course, during which students usually choose three or four “AS-Level” subjects in their first year, before moving on to take full “A2-Level” examinations in their second year. Universities usually require students to complete A-Levels in three subjects for admission to an undergraduate course but students may take more if they wish. This allows students to specialize and at the same time drop subjects they may have less interest in or in which they struggle.
If you are thinking about a new school for your child but are having difficulty choosing between all the different options, then help is at hand! Over the next week, 3 schools in the region – all of which offer both primary and secondary programs – will be holding special Open Days with the aim of informing local parents about their educational programs and helping them through what can be a trememdously difficult decision-making process.
The first of these will be held this week at Haut-Lac Bilingual International School. Taking place on Saturday, 23 November, from 14h00 to 17h00, at their secondary campus in St. Légier, this Open Day will provide an overview of the school’s academic programs for children aged 3 to 18 years, and will include: tours of the school; exhibitions showcasing different aspects of school life; and interactive sessions in Art, ICT, Sports, Science and Technology. There will also be a special presentation about the new primary school campus, which is due to open in September 2014. Click here for more information.
On 13 January, 2014, the Geneva English School will extend its provision for English-speaking primary school students by opening a new nursery school for children aged 3 years and above.
Open to a maximum of 25 children, the nursery will be housed in the historic main building of the school, which has inspirational views over Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc. Teaching methods will follow the same English National Curriculum as the rest of the primary school, but with a strong focus on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), which has a special emphasis placed upon the following areas: Communication and Language; Physical Development; Personal, Social and Emotional Development; Literacy; Mathematics; Understanding the World; and Expressive Arts and Design. Click here for more information on this stage, which is widely regarded as providing children with the necessary foundation for successful progress through school and life in general.
Parents are invited to bring their children to the GES nursery at least two mornings per week between 09h00 and 13h00, although provision can be made for those who need to be left earlier, from 08h30. The morning session will include lunch, vital to the social development of children this age. As soon as children are able to cope with a full day, they will be given the option to stay on in the afternoon, at no additional cost.
A French teacher living in Geneva has just published an innovative new book for helping both youngsters and adults overcome the challenges of learning a new language.
Called “This is NOT a normal FRENCH book”, the 56-page paperback has been written and illustrated by Muriel Lauvige, and is based on years of research and insight into language learning and education. Muriel has over 15 years experience of teaching French and working on education projects around the world with organizations such as Alliance Française and the United Nations.
With its own unique blend of text and comic visuals, this highly colorful publication does not fall into the usual category of books for learning French - indeed each page has been carefully designed to make French as easy and fun to learn as possible. It is filled with comic characters and ready-to-use sentences, and contains just 500 of what Muriel's research has led her to conclude are some of the most high frequency words in French.
Work has now started on a major expansion program at the International School of Lausanne, situated in the town of Le Mont-sur-Lausanne on the northern edge of Lausanne.
Scheduled for completion by September 2015, the program will enable the school to improve its existing facilities, by increasing both its academic and co-curricular offerings to the local and international community. An extra class at all year levels will also enable ISL to benefit from a much wider and more diverse student body, with the intake increasing from its current level of 620 pupils, aged between 3 and 18 years, up to 990 students in 2015.
Founded in 1962, the International School of Lausanne moved to its current purpose-built premises in 2005, and has earned itself a worldwide reputation as a high quality, not-for-profit English-language day school achieving excellent academic results. Not only has ISL spent the last 50 years building up a strong pastoral program, but it has also created a diverse schedule of after-school activities, to ensure that pupils can work in a safe, stimulating and happy environment at all times. Equally important are the staff, who appear to be very happy at the school too, with a turnover of less than 5%!
