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Academic Excellence

By choosing our programmes, you provide your child with access to internationally experienced teachers dedicated to delivering an enriching academic experience. This ensures that your child not only excels academically but also cultivates a genuine passion for learning. Through our resources, your child will discover and develop their talents both inside and outside the classroom.

Reception

age 4 to 5

At La Garenne, children from the age of 4, whether boarding or day students, benefit from personalised teaching and tailored support. Our approach ensures that your child thrives in their unique learning journey. With every milestone achieved, your child will grow in confidence and develop essential social, emotional, and intellectual skills, all at their own pace.

Your Child's First School Years

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The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets critical standards for your child's learning, development, and care. Research underscores the importance of these early years, with 90% of brain development occurring by age 5. Enrolling your child in our Reception programme will give them a strong foundation for future success, as these formative years have the greatest impact on their educational journey. Our commitment to small class sizes and individual attention will provide your child with a rich, engaging learning environment that maximises their potential.

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Reception

Learning and activities centre around the seven EYFS learning areas, fostering a vibrant environment that keeps children’s imaginations alive and ignites a passion for learning.

 

We maintain high expectations for good manners and behaviour of your child. We believe in positive reinforcement and use praise and encouragement as the cornerstone of our behaviour management approach. You child’s academic and behavioural efforts are consistently celebrated and rewarded, like in our weekly assemblies.

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The seven areas of the EYFS

All seven areas of the EYFS curriculum are carefully planned to ensure a broad, balanced, and progressive learning environment. Children acquire new skills, knowledge, and understanding across the following seven areas:

01Personal, Social, and Emotional Development
02Physical Development
03Communication and Language
04Expressive Arts and Design
05Mathematics
06Literacy
07Understanding the World Students new to English are fully immersed in the class
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Promoting kindness and respect for others is an ongoing focus. Core moral values, such as tolerance, honesty, reliability, perseverance, and mutual support, are woven into both our curriculum and in our daily interactions, ensuring your child learns and practises these essential principles.

Primary School

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La Garenne International Primary School offers your child a personalised, creative curriculum that blends traditional elements with innovative teaching, designed to meet your child's individual needs. We follow the English National Curriculum (ENC) alongside the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), ensuring academic rigour with a strong focus on developing social and emotional needs and well-being. Our curriculum aims to provide a transition into the Middle Years Secondary Programme (MYP), educating your child to become responsible and compassionate global citizens.

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Primary

Your child is taught by dedicated, class teachers with the addition of specialist teachers for daily French lessons, Art, Music and Sport. Learning is differentiated to ensure that all students are supported, challenged and engaged in their learning. As students progress through the Primary section, from Reception to Year 6, we encourage responsibility, resilience, and kindness. Our family atmosphere, small class sizes, strong communication with parents, along with our focus on individual care and attention, all within a beautiful, safe environment, make La Garenne the ideal place for your child to grow and learn.

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Our Programme aims to develop key life skills such as independence, creativity, inquiry and problem-solving, learning through play and exploration. Learning takes place both indoors and outdoors, with our outdoor environment utilised throughout the year and in various weather conditions.

Click below to request your copy of our Primary School Curriculum Handbook

Primary School Curriculum Handbook Request

Secondary School

IB Middle Years Programme

age 11 to 16

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The Middle Years Programme (MYP) is an academic programme set by the International Baccalaureate organisation for 11 to 16-year-olds. It aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. The programme is challenging but caters for all abilities. Your child’s final grade is based on what they actually know and are able to do.

In the final two years, flexibility within the choice of subjects allows them to follow their personal learning goals and future educational plans. After completing their MYP studies, they can choose between two different study routes for the final two years of study here at La Garenne.

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Secondary - MYP

THE IB LEARNER PROFILE

The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally-minded people who help to create a better and more peaceful world. Within the Middle Years Programme (MYP), this is considered through the IB Learner Profile.

At La Garenne, we aim to provide an educational environment where our students with their wide range of backgrounds and abilities all aspire to develop the following characteristics:

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Inquirers

They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.

Knowledgeable

They explore concepts, idea, and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.

Thinkers

They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communicators

They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.

Principled

They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.

Open-minded

They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.

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Caring

They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.

Risk-takers

They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.

Balanced

They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.

Reflective

They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.
Click below to request your copy of our Middle Years Curriculum Handbook

Handbook Request

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IB Diploma Programme and High School Diploma Programme

age 17 to 18

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Enabling your child to achieve academic success and develop a passion for lifelong learning and discovery, are central objectives at this level. Following successful completion of the IB Middle Years Programme, your child can choose one of two academic pathways for their final two years of study. Small class sizes favour a personalised approach based on inquiry and investigative learning.

The IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) challenges students to become independent thinkers and learners, preparing them for higher education. Through the unique core components of Creativity, Activity and Service, the Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge, students are encouraged to step outside their comfort zones.


The High School Diploma (HSD) enables students who have significant commitments to extracurricular activities or whose future study plans do not require the full IB Diploma to achieve greater success. La Garenne’s HSD is particularly suited to those who plan to pursue a career in business or hospitality, or who wish to apply to US universities.

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IB Diploma Programme

Students in the final two years of their studies have a unique opportunity to tailor their study options based on their ambitions and objectives for further studies and careers.

The IB Diploma Programme is a well-respected and truly global pre-university programme for students aged 16 to 18. It is rigorous and challenging. It also places key emphasis on the development of personal skills central to future success. Additionally, we offer the La Garenne High School Diploma for students who wish to apply to US universities and Business or Hotel Schools, or who have significant commitments to extra-curricular activities. Students will study a range of IB subjects whichever of these two routes they choose.

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The curriculum we offer is a perfect fit for La Garenne. Our belief in nurturing the talents of each learner to ensure that, through close support and personalised provision, they can graduate to become open-minded and principled global citizens. Furthermore, given the diverse international population of our student body, the programmes that we offer match our commitment to celebrating our differences and encouraging international-mindedness, respect and understanding.

Learners at La Garenne are closely guided and supported regarding applications for university and our staff is always on hand to discuss questions that you or your child may have.

If you have any questions about any aspect of the Senior Years Curriculum options, please do get in contact and find out how La Garenne can support your child in achieving their full potential.

Click below to request your copy of our Senior Years Curriculum Handbook

Handbook Request

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Innovative Teaching Methods

To match our global and skills-focused curriculum, we also use a range of innovative teaching methods such as the Harkness Method. This encourages your child to engage in enquiry and dialogue while seated around an oval table. Free expression and original contributions flow amongst the students. The teacher redirects the discussion to stay on topic. For the teacher, it is about listening more and talking less.

In our schools this method of learning works extremely well. Our small class sizes and the long-standing and secure relationships between students and staff facilitate the free exchange of ideas. It also connects well with our core values of respect, open mindedness and empathy.

University Guidance

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When your child starts their studies here at La Garenne, they come with different objectives. But one of the main objectives is to graduate the best they can and then move on to the University of their choice, anywhere in the world.

Our focus on the next steps in life starts as soon as your child gets into Secondary School. They have had time to grow, develop their talents and start discovering what they love doing and where their talents are.

Together with you, an individual pathway is taking shape, so from the start, your child is working with a clear but flexible vision of what they are working for and towards which objective.

Our University Guidance helps each and every student and parent to support them with the many questions that might arise.

Personalised Learning

We pride ourselves on being able to support students who are gifted, as well as students with mild to moderate learning needs. We recognise that all learners are individuals, and classroom teachers are trained to cater to the needs of all to ensure that personalised provision is in place. This includes setting extended and more challenging work for advanced students as well as support for students if any when they require it. To help us cater to the needs of each individual student, all learners take a Cognitive Abilities Test which helps teachers to identify areas of both strength and weakness across academic disciplines. This ensures that our approach is highly tailored to the individual needs of each and every learner.

Intensive English

Starting school with us is an exciting and positive experience for your child. Each and every individual comes from a different country, from a different background and not many of them have English as their first language.

We are used to supporting children by stimulating their communication in English. We have a robust programme and technique in place to make students get familiar with the English language in an integrated and fun way. When observing the incredible progress our students make, it is stunning to see also how their confidence grows.

Not every child is the same though. And therefore our Intensive English Programme has been put in place for those who need an extra push. It is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about, if your child needs a bit of extra help. In almost all cases, it is a temporary support, until your child is growing his or her vocabulary.

French

An international school in the French-speaking region of Switzerland has to teach students the French language. It is one of the elements that make our location so special, beautiful and unique for our students.  Even though it might be confusing in the beginning to learn both English and French next to another mother tongue, it does stimulate the brain to think more creatively and become more flexible and quicker to work.

 

Especially at a young age, the human brain absorbs language like a sponge. You will be surprised to see how quickly your child too will pick up the pace and speak with friends.

 

Learning languages is like a top sport for the brain. With practice and determination, each child in our school can communicate in different languages, which will help them with their international development.

 

 

DELF French Language Diploma

 

The French Ministry of Education’s DELF French Language Diploma provides official certification of proficiency, practice and mastery of the French language and is equivalent to the Cambridge English examinations. DELF is recognised globally. Most students from Year 5 and above are entered for one of the first two levels of the DELF exam. Our students are the youngest participants in the whole of the canton of Vaud and consistently achieve a 100% success rate. More information is available at www.delfdalf.ch.

Cambridge English Qualifications

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Cambridge English Qualifications are in-depth exams that make learning English enjoyable, effective and rewarding.

The Cambridge qualifications are based on research into effective teaching and learning. They motivate your child to learn English and develop practical skills for the real world. Each exam focuses on a level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), helping your child to improve their speaking, writing, reading and listening skills step by step.

Learning English is more than just exams and grades. It’s about having the confidence to communicate and access a lifetime of enriching experiences and opportunities.

Our qualifications are designed specifically for school-aged students, giving them regular milestones to keep them motivated.

Working with Cambridge English means that we have access to a comprehensive range of exams and support. We use their exam preparation and resources to help our teachers prepare your child, and – as the world’s leading provider of teaching qualifications and courses – Cambridge helps our teachers to continually develop their professional skills.

Whatever the goals or ambitions of your child, Cambridge English Qualifications are a mark of excellence, accepted and trusted by thousands of organisations worldwide.