Admissions FAQ

Application and visits

How soon after submitting our application form will we hear from you?

You can generally expect to hear from us within 2 weeks after submitting your application.

Is it necessary to come to the school for a visit? Does my child need to attend the visit?

It is always good to visit the school for yourself when possible, but it is not necessary. Particularly when families are based overseas, or cannot visit for any reason, the Admissions process can easily be completed at distance with a Virtual Discovery Meeting.

Your child does not need to attend, but is always welcome.

What happens during a visit?

Each family is unique, so each visit is as well.  We generally start the meeting with a discussion which helps us understand what your expectations are of the school, what support your child(ren) may need (such as French as a foreign language lessons for non-native French speakers). During this discussion we will also explain the curriculum and discuss what grade your child would enter school and introduce you to our Head of School or one of our Academic Heads. We usually conclude with a tour of the campus which, whether live or virtual, provides you an opportunity to see our campus, classrooms and facilities.

Fees

By what date do we need to pay fees?Tuition fees are billed in advance of each trimester. You may pay annually, quarterly (30th June, 31st December, 28th February), or monthly (incurring a 3% surcharge). See further information in our Fees section.

Are school meals included in the school fees?

No, meals are charged separately. Older children may also bring their own home-prepared lunch into school to eat in the school cafeteria.

Are extracurricular activities, visits and trips included in the school fees?

Mandatory extra activities (such as trips for all students) are charged in a single fee in addition to the tuition fee. This fee will vary depending on the child’s year of study. Detail is provided in the Fees section. Some extracurricular activities and other additional activities such as private tuition incur additional fees.

Why can’t there just be one single fee for everything?

Your child is unique, and so your child’s needs are different to every other child in our school. Different talents require nurturing in different ways. As a prestigious private school, we pride ourselves on treating every child as an individual and offering an experience that is tailored to them, their talents, needs and aspirations. This may be related to the curriculum they follow, the extra-curricular activities and sports they excel at, or the language needs that they have. And so this means that every experience is priced individually - a bespoke educational package designed for your child, without the extras that they don’t require.

Learning

My child is not fluent in French/English - will this be a problem?

We are a bilingual French-English private school; however, the primary language of our school is French.

Children who arrive at our school without particular strengths in either of the languages of the school will quickly find that their language skills improve. A French Language Learning (FLE) programme is offered to international students to improve their language skills quickly in order to ensure that they can benefit from all lessons.

Fluency in French is particularly important for those students choosing to follow the Swiss Maturité or the French Baccalaureate. Those without fluency in French may instead choose to follow the International Baccalaureate which is taught in English. Students with difficulties in English can benefit from the EAL (English as Additional Language) programme.

Which curriculum is best for my child?

We offer three separate outstanding curricula to our students. This exceptional choice is one of our strengths, and parents and students will take care in choosing which programme to follow.

All three programmes are highly regarded internationally. Therefore parents and students typically will consider the following factors in making their choice, all of which our teaching staff will help and support you with to ensure you make the right choice:

University and career aspirations of your child;

Whether your child performs well across a wide range of subjects or whether they are better suited to specialising and focusing on a more narrow range of subjects;

The method of learning for each curricula and how this is best suited to your child;

Language strengths and barriers for your child.

Read more about the programmes in our Diplomas and Programmes section.