Secondary School

Registration for our bilingual classes 2013 has begun!

The curriculum in the Secondary School Key Stage 3 and 4 builds on the skills and experience gained at Primary level.  The transition to Secondary School is a great challenge, giving students much more independence and responsibility for personal organisation. Students in Key Stage 3 are taught tutor groups. Lessons in Key Stage 4 are divided into compulsory and optional subjects. Students are taught according to their options and meet as tutor groups for compulsory subjects. This is a step-by-step preparation for the Sixth Form.

At the end of Secondary School, in Year 10, students take their IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams, which are comparable with the German “Mittleren Schulabschluss”. IGCSE qualifications are recognised worldwide.

Lessons take place in English. If required, new students can receive extra English tutition at an additional charge. Our teachers are always available to give extra help in individual subjects should this be needed.

International School Villa Amalienhof also offers a variety of extracurricular activities during which teachers and students work together and students learn and work together and are encouraged to take responsibility.

The Secondary Day
08:30 – 08:35 Arrival
08:35 – 08:40 Registration
08:40 – 09:00 Assembly / Form time
09:00 – 09:45 Period 1
09:45 – 10:30 Period 2
10:30 – 11:15 Period 3
11:15 – 11:45 Break
11:45 – 12:30 Period 4
12:30 – 13:15 Period 5
13:15 – 14:15 Lunch
14:15 – 15:00 Period 6
15:00 – 15:45 Period 7
15:45 – 16:00 Registration / Break
16:00 – 16:30 Supervised activities (Homework, guided studies etc)
16.30 End of School
16:30 – 17:30 ECAs
Subjects Years 7, 8 & 9

 

Subjects
German
English
Ethics*
French
Geography
History
Art
Mathematics
Media Education
Science
Social Studies*
Work related learning / IT*
PE

* only apply to the bilingual Year 7 class

Compulsory and Optional Subjects Years 10 & 11

The bold printed subjects are compulsory.

English
Mathematics
Science
German
French/ Geography/ History
Business Studies
Art
PE
work related learning
Homework

Homework is part of the learning process in the Secondary School. It not only helps consolidate and deepen the subjects taught and encourages pupils to learn to apply the correct work technique, how to use different sources of information and give them a sense of timing.

Each class has their own homework timetable.

Assessment and Exams
The regulations of the Berliner School Authorities for performance evaluation apply to our bilingual classes.

Regular assessment of students’ work is considered crucial to the education process. A series of short tests are given throughout the year and most assignments and practical work are marked and graded. Regular assessments allow students to reflect on their own learning method, enable teachers to support students as needed and to raise their awareness for their own responsibility for their studies. Reports are issued each term.
Year 11 have their mock I/GCSEs in December and public examinations take place throughout the year.
All graded work, together with the examination result, determines the final grade for the year. Promotion to the next class is based on the performance for the year.

Assessment and Exams for the German qualifications route
The first bilingual MSA exams will be held in the academic year 2015-16; the bilingual Abitur follows in 2018-19
Parents‘ Evenings
Parents and the school have a joint responsibility for education, albeit from different perspectives . Parent – Teacher evenings take place each term where parents can discuss their child’s process with subject teachers. Parents can make appointments with teachers throughout the year.
ISVA and the Schwarzkopf Stiftung
ISVA has established close links with the Schwarzkopf Foundation. This organisation has as its aim “to develop a dialogue between young people of 16 and 28 years of age and leading figures from the world of politics, the economy and culture”.
They offer a truly exciting programme of events open to our senior students and we therefore actively support all ISVA students who are interested in participating in the European Youth Parliament programme. For more information, please visit www.schwarzkopf-stiftung.de.