International School of Hamburg

Teaching is in English throughout and the school offers an international rather than a German national route. The Early Childhood Centre and Junior School follow the International Early Years Curriculum and the International Primary Curriculum, with Reader's and Writer's Workshop and Math In Focus based on the Singapore approach. From Grade 6 the Secondary School is accredited for the IB Middle Years Programme, and in Grades 11 and 12 students take either the IB Diploma Programme or the IB Career-related Programme. The school says its students go on to leading national and international universities, and a college and career counselling programme is included in the fees.

The school runs three divisions. Early Years covers EY1, EY2 and EY3, from age three to five, working through play on language, number and social skills with the International Early Years Curriculum. The Junior School covers Grades 1 to 5, ages six to ten, following the International Primary Curriculum with inquiry units across science, history, geography, art and technology. The Secondary School runs from Grade 6 to Grade 12: the IB Middle Years Programme in Grades 6 to 10, and then the IB Diploma or Career-related Programme in Grades 11 and 12.

The school describes itself as a community of learners nurtured to reach their full potential and make a difference, and sums up its purpose as shaping global citizens. Its programmes, policies and values put the student at the centre: high academic challenge, innovative use of technology and a committed focus on the social, moral and emotional wellbeing of every child.

The campus covers 41,000 square metres of grounds and a 19,000 square metre building in the west of Hamburg. At its heart is a Performing Arts Centre built around a 400-seat multifunctional auditorium with professional sound, lighting and projection, alongside drama teaching spaces, music classrooms, music practice rooms and display areas; the auditorium is also used for fairs, conferences and guest performances. Teaching facilities include six science laboratories, a design workshop, two theatre studios, two visual art studios and a pottery oven, as well as the school library and a wooden playground for the younger children.

A voluntary bus service runs three routes with the Hamburg transport authority for students from Grade 1 to Grade 12, and Hamburg residents travel free on the city network. The Student Support Services Team provides learning support for mild to moderate needs, school counselling, school nurses and, through independent contractors, on-site occupational and speech therapy; a referral process assesses each student and builds an individual programme. After School Care covers ages three to eleven until 18:00, and holiday camps run during school breaks.

The co-curricular programme runs from the end of the school day at 15:00 to 16:30, with after-school care available until 18:00 and camps during the school holidays. Sport is organised in two strands: the school is a leading member of the Northwest European Council of International Schools sports council, a group of eleven international schools, where the ISH Falcons train twice a week and play weekend fixtures and the NECIS tournament in soccer, volleyball and basketball; and an intramural programme that focuses on developing skills in a supportive setting.