Admissions FAQs

How old is the school?

Collège du Léman was founded in 1960 to meet the needs of a new world, in which ambition and a global perspective could take you to amazing places. On the banks of Lake Geneva, Collège du Léman is now home to over 120 nationalities. 

Teaching and Learning

What qualifications do your teachers have?

All our teachers are highly qualified, motivated and experienced to help ensure that students reach their full potential. All teachers are suitably qualified for the area of the school where they are employed to teach, as all teachers are required to have a teaching qualification and experience abroad. All language teachers have appropriate language qualifications and many of our teachers have undertaken further study to enhance their teaching skills. 

How long do teachers stay at your school?

We have a very low turnover rate, ensuring continuity and excellence in teaching with some teachers having taught for over 30 years. Our teachers are international like our students adding to the schools’ diversity.

What curriculum do you teach?

We offer the Fieldwork Education International Curriculum, the fastest-growing independent international curriculum in the world, for Pre-School, Primary School and Middle School, providing our students with an enriching and engaging international curriculum to help develop their knowledge, personal skills, and international mindedness. This curriculum prepares them well for the IB, IGCSE, American High School Diploma, Swiss Maturité and French Baccalaureate options that we offer in High School. 

What makes your bilingual programme unique?

We offer a truly bilingual curriculum from Preschool upwards, as students learn subjects in both English and French. At Collège du Léman, this means that a subject can be taught Monday in French, Tuesday in English, etc.  In the first two years of Middle School, students in the bilingual programme will study all subjects in both languages, while in the last year students will choose a specific language for 70% of their classes in order to adequately prepare them for the respective High School curriculums.  

Is IB right for me?

Choosing between the IB, IBCP and American High School Diploma can be challenging for some students. The IB (International Baccalaureate) is a challenging well-rounded diploma designed for well-rounded students, with a high level of English, who are able to cope well with stress. The IBCP (IB Careers Programme) option offers students who are interested in sustainability or hospitality management to engage in a career-related learning and have more flexibility in their choice of subjects.  The American High School Diploma with AP options allows for students to be more flexible in their academic programme, allowing students to play to their strengths.  For example, students can specialise in one area, e.g. science or languages and can choose to take Advanced Placement courses that often count towards college/university credits.  Students who choose several AP options will have a diploma which is every bit as valorised (and stressful) as the IB.

What are your class sizes?

Our classes vary in size. However, our Middle School and High School have a maximum average number of 16 students per class, while in Primary School we have an average maximum of 20 students per class. Our Preschool has a maximum of 18 students per class but this number is divided between a teacher and an assistant to ensure we effectively meet the needs of younger pupils.

What foreign languages do you teach?

All students up until the end of Grade 10 will have obligatory English and French classes. Students will also be given the option to study German, Spanish and Italian in Middle School and High School. Furthermore, our extra-curricular activities offer students the possibility of studying mother-tongue classes, such as German, Italian, Spanish and Arabic. 

Do you have Assistant Teachers?

We have highly qualified assistant teachers within our Preschool and Primary School

How do you support children with additional language needs (EAL)?

Integrating students whose Mother tongue is not English is one of our specialties. In Preschool we ensure that students who need additional language support get the required attention to consolidate either their English or French. In Primary, Middle and High School we have English as an Additional Language programme to allow students to quickly and effectively develop their language ability and feel comfortable studying in English. 

Do you have provisions for children with Special Education Needs?

We have a great Learning Support Department to aid those who need additional support. We believe that all students deserve a high-quality education tailored to their specific needs and our goal is to help each child find their place in the world. Therefore, our Learning Support department works in collaboration with parents, teachers, external therapists and school counsellors. There are indeed cases for which CDL is not the best option for a child and in these cases, we help by offering advice to best help the child.

Feel free to contact our admissions team to ensure we can adequately support your child. 

Extracurricular Activities

Do you have after school activities?

With over 100 extra-curricular activities available, we provide students with the freedom to choose their path and to explore their interests. Our wide-ranging extra-curricular programme allows your child to discover activities that excite and inspire them. Every year we try to provide new activities to meet the desires of our student body. 

What sort of excursions and trips do you offer your students?

We offer our students a wide variety of excursions and trips to build cultural awareness, and skills such as leadership and communication. Students work with local communities to learn about the world and understand the importance of helping others, exemplified by our annual trip to Tanzania. Other examples of trips and excursions is the Middle School graduation trip to Parc Asterix to celebrate their achievements and the MIT STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Maths) trip to Poland, where students have the opportunity to meet leading MIT scientists and work on collaborative, student-led projects and experiments. Students also have the opportunity to compete in sports competitions in Switzerland and abroad.  

Our boarders have the unique opportunity to go on mountain trips, cultural expeditions in Switzerland, international excursions and ski-weekends to allow them to have unforgettable experiences and learn about new cultures. 

What is your Sports Programme like? 

We have many opportunities for students to engage in sports at CDL. Our PE curriculum ensures that students learn about the importance of team-work, sportsmanship, competition and participation.

Outside of PE, students can compete in local and international competitions. We have a very strong record in these competitions and are very proud of the achievements of our students. We offer a variety of sports such as basketball, football, track and field, judo, rugby and more. 

Situated in Geneva, we also offer students the opportunity to go skiing, while maintaining links with local associations like the Club Nautique de Versoix and Totem giving students the opportunity to go sailing and climbing.

Do you have a Performing Arts programme?

Yes, at Collège du Léman our Performing Arts programme is an important part of our curriculum, as our students start engaging in drama, music and dance from an early age. Our collaboration with Juilliard gives our students a unique opportunity to benefit from their expertise and resources, like the Dancer’s Toolbox, an original resource designed for teaching dance and understanding a dancer’s needs. Our collaboration provides our students with a first-class learning experience and our teachers with an abundance of resources. 

From an early age, students are encouraged to play an instrument and music classes are compulsory. In Primary School, students will learn to play the violin and in Middle School students are introduced to the keyboard. Students who are passionate and enthusiastic are given the opportunity to continue to study music in High School. 

Our drama curriculum uses core works from different cultures and periods in history to provide students with a solid foundation. Drama is a mandatory subject until High School and is offered until graduation. 

Our dance curriculum has a variety of options ranging from classical and ballet to more modern styles such as hip-hop.

Our extra-curricular activities programme offers students the opportunity to continue to follow their passion outside of the classroom with activities like drama and classical dance, string, violin and keyboard ensembles, choir and our very own rock band. Every year we have a couple of shows where students can present what they have worked on to their parents and peers. 

What does CDL’s Performing Arts programme bring to students?

Our Performing Arts Programme helps our students the opportunity to enhance their creativity, collaboration, confidence, and leadership. These skills help prepare children for the future, improve their development and academic achievement and make our students well-rounded individuals.

Our music, drama and dance programmes provide our students a medium for self-expression, an opportunity to learn more about other cultures and the ability to be engaged listeners, interpreters, communicators and innovators. 

Do you have Visual Art programmes?

Our students are taught Art from Preschool until the end of High School and with the help of our teachers are given the tools necessary to pursue art after graduation, with students going to Universities such as the University of the Arts London and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. 

Our extra-curricular activities give students the opportunity to take options such as photography, sculpture, 3rd illusion drawing, wood crafting and arts and crafts. 

School Life

Is a school lunch provided?

All students have the option of eating a hot lunch to give your child the mental and physical boost that they need. Our menu is posted online every week and has been awarded the Fourchette Verte (Green Fork) label, a mark of quality that rewards schools that are treating their students to balanced, delicious meals. We also cater for dietary requirements and offer a variety of options, drawing inspiration from different cultures.  You may also choose to bring your own lunch.

How do you ensure my child quickly settles in to their new school?

Ensuring that a child quickly settles in and feels comfortable in their new environment is very important to us. We help ensure that new students settle in by providing an orientation day, allowing students and parents to meet teachers, principals and other new arrivals. On their first day of school they will be paired with a Buddy who will help them settle in and feel comfortable. Being a school as international as ours, means that we have many students who understand how challenging it can be to move. Therefore, we believe that students are especially welcoming to new students.

How do you ensure good behaviour and manners?

We ensure good behaviour and manners by promoting our “RISE Values” of Respect, Internationalism, Spirit and Excellence. We promote these values through assemblies and discussions in class. On the rare occasion that students do not live up to our values, we ensure with the help of parents and teachers that students learn from their experience and do not commit the same errors again. We also run events for parents to learn and contribute to discussions about topics such as screen addiction and cyber-bullying.

Where do your students move onto after they complete their education at CDL?

CDL graduates end up going to the top universities in the world. Most students go to the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada and Switzerland.  

Where do your families live, and do you provide school buses?

We provide a bus service to all the main residential areas in Geneva and the surrounding areas. Please email us or phone us to find out if our buses run in your area. 

Communication with Parents

How do you communicate with parents? 

We communicate via email, phone, skype and our Parent Portal. Some teachers also use age appropriate applications to share work and feedback with parents. We also provide parents with the opportunity to have individual meetings, attend events and meet members of our academic teams. Furthermore, the principals of our school act as focal points of contact and are available to assist parents and answer any questions that they may have. Our teachers are always available to talk and in both the first and second semester, we run parent-teacher meetings to give parents the opportunity to communicate with all members of faculty.  

What level of involvement do your parents have at CDL? 

Parents are very important to making Collège du Léman a friendly and inviting community. At CDL we have both the Preschool and Primary Parent Faculty Association and the Secondary Parent Faculty Association, committed to enriching the school experience for our students and helping arrange fundraising events and activities to create bonds between our parents, students and faculty.  Some of the major events during the year include the back to school BBQ, the Christmas Market, and Annual Gala Dinner, and the Spring Charity Event supporting the Middle and High School charities.