High School | Ages 14 - 18

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A personalised learning experience

Our High School delivers an exciting and diverse programme to over 400 students from more than 50 different countries. With an emphasis on a broad and balanced education, our college-preparatory programme is delivered in an atmosphere that is supportive, encouraging, challenging, and based on the principle of respect.

With a tradition of personal and academic achievement we believe that increased individual attention can really make a difference to student success. Our outstanding International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma and Advanced Placement (AP) results secure student placements at many of the best colleges and universities in the world.

Our academic programme is enhanced by a varied programme of experiential learning opportunities, including participating in Sports, the Arts, after school clubs, field trips and service learning opportunities. All High School Students take part in a yearly Personal Development Week (PDW), which allows further learning opportunities outside of the academic curriculum, with a focus in Grades 11 and 12 on community or environmental service. Through such experiences, we strive to encourage our students to develop a positive attitude, a life-long love of learning and a commitment to both the local and the global community.

Curriculum

Grades 9 and 10

The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) is the curriculum framework we use in Grades 9 - 10. It prepares students for future education irrespective of which pathway may be chosen after Grade 10. Students study between eight and nine subjects (including at least two languages), providing a depth and breadth of knowledge, skills, understandings and an opportunity to recognise and develop strengths. In the MYP, students connect their learning to the world beyond school in order to understand the importance of the knowledge and skills they are acquiring. In addition, students explore and develop their awareness of globally significant ideas and issues, which allows them to appreciate the values and traditions of people from their own and other cultures. In the MYP, students learn through the exploration of concepts, which means that they learn for understanding rather than solely the acquisition of knowledge and facts.

Through acquiring and practising approaches to learning skills, students develop their communication, collaboration, self-management, research and thinking skills. These skills are important for future academic courses and professions equipping students to be active lifelong learners.

Students engage in at least one service learning project of their choice each year, providing them with an opportunity to become active and caring participants in local or global communities and to develop various aspects of the IB learner profile.

The MYP also encourages students to develop an awareness of their strengths and areas for growth, make conceptual connections, undertake new challenges and develop the skills they will need for a rich and fulfilling life.

Grades 11 and 12

There are two major pathways in Grades 11 and 12 to completion of the ISZL High School Diploma and graduation from ISZL. Students may choose either of ISZL IB programmes, the IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) and the Career-related Programme (IBCP), or the ISZL High School Programme.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP)

The Diploma Programme (DP) at ISZL is an inclusive programme that aims to produce well-rounded students who have achieved their academic potential in challenging, internationally focussed courses. The whole programme develops active, caring and lifelong learners, ready to tackle the complex problems in the world today.

Subjects

Students study six subjects, three at higher level and three at standard level providing them with a broad, holistic education. These include:

Languages: two
Individuals and Societies: one
Science: one
Mathematics: one
Arts: one
Environmental Systems and Societies: This interdisciplinary subject allows students the flexibility to specialise further by selecting another subject from any group to make up the total of six.

Core

The real-life contexts of the Diploma Programme helps students to further develop their academic skill set, preparing them for university courses, as well as their values and life skills. This Programme is based around the "Core" of:

Theory of Knowledge (TOK): students think about the nature of knowledge and reflect on the process of learning in all their subjects, looking for and understanding the connections between them.
Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS): allows students to find and follow their passions, helping them to maintain balance in their lives, care for others, develop their character and undertake challenging projects.
Extended Essay (EE): students undertake a piece of academic writing of up to 4000 words. The process will take them through a process called metacognition, where they will learn to understand how and why they make decisions during an academic piece of research.

These three core elements work together to help our students become capable, self-aware and international minded people with a strong sense of identity.

Further Information

Learn more about the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme by Contacting our Admissions Team or by Visiting the IB Website.

ISZL High School Programme

The ISZL High School Programme allows students to choose a variety of course types to suit their passions and interests, while meeting the graduation requirements. Students can choose from Advanced Placement courses, IB Diploma courses, a BTEC in Creative Media Production or ISZL’s own courses.

All the courses on offer under the High School Programme are connected by ISZL’s vision of a holistic, student centred approach to teaching and learning. Students undertake service projects as part of their High School experience and have to opportunity to enrich their education with a vast array of clubs and sports.

Advanced Placement courses are college level challenging courses designed to push students academically and allow them to fulfil their academic interests. They require a high degree of independence in study habits and have one external exam. They typically are completed in one year, although some science courses will require a preparation year, e.g. Biology before AP Biology. The College Board have more information about the AP courses.

IB Diploma courses take two years of study and have both internally and externally assessed. Popular courses for HS Programme students include Languages, Mathematical Studies and Sports Science. More information about the Diploma courses can be found on the IBO website.

The BTEC in Creative Media Production has an applied, continually assessed professional qualification. Students will demonstrate their learning through business reports, presentations, multimedia products and accountable teamwork exercises. They will have the opportunity to engage with local international media production businesses in authentic, rich learning activities. Pearson offers more information about the BTEC Diploma in Business.

ISZL’s own courses offer students a lot of flexibility as they are not restricted by the requirements of external regulatory bodies. Some ISZL courses are focused on preparing students to take an AP in the following year. For example, students are strongly recommended to take Biology before AP Biology or Chemistry before AP Chemistry. Alternatively, optional preparation courses may be available for students if they are not yet academically secure with the prerequisite knowledge, understandings and skills. An example of this would be taking Pre-Calculus as preparation for AP Calculus AB.

Other ISZL courses are focused around experiential, project-based alternatives to ISZL’s external exam-based courses. Each student aims to leave these courses with a university or career-ready portfolio of innovative individual or team-based projects. There are three courses of this nature: Humanities: Global Innovations, Science: Innovation in Action and English: Innovations in Communication.

Career-related Programme

The Career-related Programme at ISZL offers a focused, personalised and innovative learning experience for students with an interest in the world of work.

Students combine practical, career-related studies with 3 academic subjects from the IB diploma or ISZL and AP courses. The career study in the programme is the BTEC Diploma in Creative Media Production.

Students achieve the IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) qualification if the BTEC in Creative Media is combined with 2-4 IB subjects and the IBCP core, or the ISZL career-related high school diploma if the BTEC is combined with AP or ISZL high school courses.

What sets the career-related programmes apart is the authentic, practical business experience and skills development the programme has at its core. Through extensive research and consultation with business we have identified the 10 essential assets to thrive in the modern workplace. These will be developed in the Personal and Professional Skills (PPS) course and in work experience with our business partners. Also in the core of the IBCP is a Reflective Project on an ethical dilemma in business and a Language Development project to promote multicultural fluency.

Students at ISZL will benefit from the assessment style and breadth of the BTEC courses that will challenge them to demonstrate their learning in authentic business-related contexts. The BTEC is continually assessed throughout the two year programme without an examination at the end. Students will demonstrate their learning through media products focused on film, research reports, presentations and accountable teamwork exercises. These professional qualifications develop a range of practical knowledge and skills which help learners to prepare for – and progress in – their chosen career.

Career-related Programme students will graduate with in-depth specialist knowledge in media production, the understanding from rigorous IB and AP courses and a well-developed, essential skill-set for the world of work. The result is confident, motivated and well-qualified students who are ready to thrive at university and in the workplace.

Further Information

For more information, please visit:

Special Publications about our High School Curriculum

High School in Depth

Our Teaching Team

A Wealth of Experience

ISZL has highly-qualified and internationally experienced educators dedicated to the High School:

Our teachers have a wealth of teaching experience, at minimum they hold a university degree in Education and receive on-going professional development.
Art, Music and Physical Education are taught by specialist teachers in learning environments dedicated to their subject.
Counsellors and Learning Support Specialists are available to provide support should there be a requirement.
Two dedicated, full-time Assistant Principal oversee the programme.

Learn more

Meet the High School Leadership

Philip Bruce

Assistant Principal Grades 11 and 12

Louisa Radford

Assistant Principal Grades 9 and 10

Edward Wexler

Head of Riverside Campus and High School Principal

School Day and Hours

School Hours

8.45 Classes Begin
10.50 Morning Break

13.10 - 13.55 Lunch Break
16.00 Classes end and activities begin

A Day in the Life of a High School Student

Students stream off of the local bus and walk into the main high school building. After chatting with some of their friends in the cafeteria, organising a few belongings in their lockers, they head off to Homerooms to touch base and check out what’s happening at Riverside that day. Students start their first class at 8.45 and after two, hour-long classes, it is morning break (10.50) and another chance to catch up with friends, grab a bite and maybe a quick game of ping pong outside.

Fifteen minutes later, students head back to their lessons in classrooms all over the campus. Another two hour academic block ensues where students might be found collaborating or working individually, writing notes by hand or on laptops, using test tubes in science labs or crash mats in the triple gym, raising hands or being called upon, faces loose with laughter or tight with concentration. Then, thank goodness, lunch at 13.10! Students gather in the cafeteria, but then disperse to their favourite places around the campus: kickabouts on the all-weather pitch, impromptu jam sessions in the music rooms, reading in a cosy corner in the library, chatting with friends by their lockers or at the picnic tables outside, admiring the view of mountains.

The final two lessons of the day begin at 13.55, both an hour each. Depending on the day, these could be academic lessons or a rotation of personal development experiences where students might talk with their homeroom teachers, think about their personal, social and emotional health, practise their wellbeing or attend a school assembly led by the student council. By now, it is 16.00 and most students will head off to one of the many sports, clubs or activities on offer. Taking advantage of our surroundings, they might be found skiing or hiking in the mountains, sailing or kayaking on the lake, using the all-weather pitch for rugby or soccer training or the triple gym for basketball or volleyball.

A day in the life of a High School student at ISZL is one of mutual respect among staff and students- it is a warm community with a family feel. Within this environment, all of the students can choose an academic pathway that makes sense for them while having the chance to develop their strengths and passions to flourish as a person.

Student Services

Maximising your child's potential

At ISZL we believe that support needs to be available to students in a number of areas, including academic, health, social and emotional. In all of these areas ISZL has trained staff to support students in order that our learners achieve their best in all aspects of school. We believe that students need to be healthy and feel safe, secure and comfortable in their environment in order to maximise their potential as learners.

Explore our Student Services

Student Life

Opportunities to experience more

ISZL is a haven rich in the Arts and Athletics as well as student clubs and activities. Our campuses are nestled in the surrounding hills and forests of central Switzerland, a place that provides further opportunity for students to explore concepts linked to the natural environment and to reflect on their responsibility for its sustainability, while learning about themselves.

Whether engaging in after school programmes, organised athletic events, musical and dramatic performances or summer camps, our students thrive on these elevated opportunities to do, learn and experience more.

Arts

Athletics

Extracurricular Activities

Holiday Camps

Personal Development Week

Explore

Educational Technology

Work Experience and Career Transitions

Integrating school and the world of work

ISZL supports students in providing connections with the world of work and experience during their time in the high school. Through the Career-related Programme, Grade 10 work experience, annual careers fair and the Enterprise Team, students can gain an insight into life beyond ISZL and develop skills that will benefit them in university and their chosen careers.

Career-Related Programme (IBCP)

partnership - internship - mentoring

One of the essential qualities of the career-related programme is partnership between schools and employers. We have worked in close collaboration with the local business sector to design a programme that will provide the skills and experience businesses require so that students are more career-ready in the future.

Partnership

Students currently work with local business partners to develop knowledge and understanding of the business environment and develop essential skills for the modern workplace. The Personal and Professional Skills course at the core of the IBCP and each unit of the BTEC Diploma in Business is supported by input from business, either through visits to school or exercises in local workplaces.

Internships

In addition students seek one week internships at two points of the year and are supported in securing a longer placement in the break between Grade 11 and 12.

Students who can find a weekly half-day placement will also be supported in gaining the most from this experience when it can be balanced with their other commitments in the IBCP.

Mentoring

Each Career-related programme student will have a mentor in a career area of the student’s choice to provide insight, feedback on the students BTEC business assignments and a point of contact for further work experience.

Case Study: BTEC Diploma in Business in partnership with Thomson Reuters

Students undergo a strengths profile and receive coaching to design a personal change management plan with Thomson Reuters human resources department. They conduct a systems analysis of the business resources to evaluate opportunities for improved performance and go through a selection process for a job with the company.

Grade 10 Work Experience

Careers Fair

(Proposed) Enterprise Team

Facilities and Resources

Purpose-built facilities

The Riverside Campus is located in Hünenberg and hosts the ISZL High School. This modern campus has two principal facilities – the main building with over 20 classrooms, state-of-the-art science labs, library, art factory and music rooms and a triple gymnasium built in 2013 that also includes a dance studio, techno gym fitness centre and climbing wall.

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Make an Enquiry

News and Stories

Arrange a Consultation

Our experienced and knowledgable Admissions Officers are happy to give you a personal consultation on the options your child has for High School at ISZL. Please contact us at +41 768 29 00 or admissions@iszl.ch to get started.