Berlin British School – a vibrant, challenging all-round international education
TEXT: BERLIN BRITISH SCHOOL, GEORG MÜSING, DOMINIC COUTTS, CATRIONA PHELAN- KÖRNIG, MARILENA STRACKE | PHOTOS: BERLIN BRITISH SCHOOL
The Berlin British School is an international school of British foundation based in Charlottenburg in Berlin. It is an IB World School that runs the PYP, IGCSE and Diploma programmes. It specialises in providing a first-class education to children in the local community as well as to children of embassy staff and mobile parents who are in Berlin for only a few years.
The Berlin British School caters to age groups from two to 18 years of age. It has children from 80 countries and the highly qualified staff come from more than 20 nations. The maximum class size throughout the school is 20 students. The school currently has about 500 students in total.
Fully accredited by the Council of International Schools, and implementing programmes from both the globally recognised International Baccalaureate and Cambridge International Examinations, BBS has been at the forefront of educating students from Berlin’s international community since its foundation in 1994.
The British foundation of the school explains the enduring presence at BBS of certain traditions and approaches to school life. There is a house system, in which students both cooperate with and compete against each other across a range of diverse pursuits. Wearing a school uniform encourages students to view themselves as proud members of a community of equals. The pastoral system is dependent on a strong, meaningful bond between teacher and student, with excellent communication and early intervention as ways of supporting students. A wide-ranging co-curricular educational programme enables students to develop holistically and appreciate the importance of evolving important skills and dispositions that go beyond the walls of the classroom.
The Berlin British School is a friendly, welcoming school lucky enough to enjoy an idyllic woodland setting in which their students can grow. It is small enough for all students and teachers to know each other, and large enough to offer opportunities for all students to flourish in a challenging yet caring environment.
BBS is unique in the Berlin education scene as the only international school to offer the choice between a curriculum delivered through the medium of English, ideal for students from an international business or diplomatic background, and a bilingual option that enables native German speakers to enjoy the benefit of studying selected subjects in German.
BBS is proud of how it fulfills its mission to create confident learners and creative thinkers through providing a caring and supportive community. If you are interested in finding out more about the school, it is possible to arrange a tour.
Early Years/ Kita The Early Years curriculum is based on a blend of the Foundation Stage Curriculum of England and Wales, the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme and the Berliner Bildungsprogramm. Every group is supported by an English-speaking teacher and a native German-speaking Erzieher/in. This combination provides the best of all systems, enabling the school to provide a British-based bilingual IB education. Primary School The Primary school implements the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, known as the PYP, as well as the Berliner Rahmenlehrplan. The programme offers an international curriculum, which addresses the whole child, catering for children’s academic, social and emotional growth through an inquiry-based approach. The PYP encourages students to develop independence and to take responsibility for their own learning. Secondary School In Grades six to ten, all students work towards their International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Students in the bilingual stream also take the German MSA (Mittlerer Schulabschluss; i.e. German intermediate school-leaving qualification). Grades 11 and 12 pursue the IB Diploma. Competition for places at IB level is intense, with an entry policy in place for those wishing to study the Diploma. Contact: Berlin British School gGmbH Dickensweg 17-19, 14055 Berlin Admissions Secretary: T: +49 (030) 35109 191 info@berlinbritishschool.de www.berlinbritishschool.de
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Receive our monthly newsletter by email