Verbier International School

• Location: Verbier, Switzerland,
• Founded: 2011,
• Language of instruction: English, French,
• Type of study: blended.

Verbier International School (VIS) is a small international boarding school located in the mountains of Switzerland. It implements education programs at the preschool, primary and secondary levels, corresponding to the national English educational system.

VIS is famous for its small size, bilingual teaching, flexible academic plan, and location. The goal of the school is to enable each student to maximize their talents and become a confident adult.

VIS is a year-round educational institution with a comfortable residence with flexible accommodation options. Both within the framework of the residential building, and in the classroom, and in the process of excursions, students are supervised by experienced staff, qualified teachers: here an individual approach to each pupil is implemented, while no aspect of school life has limits, thanks to which students grow up as versatile personalities with strong opinions and a broad outlook.

Children's learning takes place not only in the classroom, but also outdoors: in the Forest School, on the ski slopes, during hikes and excursions, thanks to which students learn to go beyond their comfort zone.

The Forest School, located on the VIS grounds, fosters a love of nature and the environment, a connection with the outside world and allows children to learn from experience, take risks and develop resilience, self-belief. During the Forest School, they will learn how to build a shelter, start a fire, and use their skills to create and construct objects from surrounding materials. Students learn how to use full-size tools, set boundaries for themselves, work well as a team, play creatively, and create art using natural resources.  It is imperative that children develop a meaningful connection with nature, which engenders a concern for the world around them.

VIS has three academic departments: preschool, primary and secondary, which teach from the age of two to the 11th grade.

In the Vall-de-Bagnes region, where VIS is located, the locals speak French, English and German.

A small, newly built guesthouse in the historic centre of Verbier offers students in grades 7 to 11 rooms with private bathrooms. The residential building is equipped with separate wings for male and female students. All students have access to a dining room and kitchen, a common room with board games, quiet areas for socializing and self-study.

Accommodation in the residence is offered in several options:

• All year round,
• Winter semester only,
• A few weeks of winter semester,
• Flexible boarding for full-time students studying on an evening basis,
• Weekly accommodation for any time on pre-selected days of the week.

Next door to the students, there are staff members who provide round-the-clock support and look after the safety of the residence.

Residents follow a general daily regimen: the morning begins with breakfast, which is served from 7:00 to 8:00 before the first lessons. After classes, depending on the extracurricular hobbies, boarders return to the residence and can either participate in group activities or engage in self-study – free time can be distributed as desired. Dinner is served from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., after which students again devote time to their hobbies and then go to bed.

Fundamental to the VIS philosophy is the all-round development of children, so students are offered a wide range of leisure activities and entertainment. Themed club activities, sports ground, art classes, excursions and much more are organized daily.

Thematic clubs are held in accordance with the interests of the majority of students, meet the requirements of the modern world: their list includes classes in computer science, debates, ecology and others.

Sport also plays an important role in the extracurricular life of VIS students. For example, swimming is offered as part of the PE curriculum, while skiing and other sports such as gymnastics, football, horseback riding, and yoga are extracurricular activities.  Starting from the preschool department, all children learn to ski by attending workshops at least twice a week during the winter semester. The school offers several comprehensive programs that are taught by professional coaches and athletes, aimed at the progress of students in this sport. All ski programs are run in conjunction with the Swiss Ski School in Verbier, and each group is coached by a qualified professional ESSV sports teacher.

• "Fun & Improvement" is a great way to start skiing and just enjoy the experience. Students' technique is improved by exploring the slope in a safe, ability-appropriate way. The education take place twice a week for half a day.
• "Introduction to Freeride" is a program available to students from the fifth grade, conducted under the strict guidance of instructors and focuses on engineering, safety, and the correct use of equipment.
• "Race" – Starting in the fourth grade, students can choose lessons that will introduce them to competition techniques and basic skills.
• Ski Academy – Offers three levels of education for confident athletes. Students will be able to practice 3-6 days a week, participate in races and take additional classes from curators.

For all groups of skiers, specialists organize pre-season physical education, trampoline jumping and three weekend skiing in Saas-Fee, Zermatt.

Two types of arts flourish in the extracurricular format no less than sports: these are the performing and visual arts - drama clubs, theater activities, playing musical instruments, drawing, needlework and other specialties. Some of them are included in the curriculum, others can be given time outside of school hours.

On weekends, a variety of activities are organized for the residents of the guesthouse: from sports, master classes to hiking. On a regular basis, children travel to sightseeing, visit cities in Switzerland, Italy and France, can visit music festivals and nature reserves.

• Cambridge International Examinations Council (CIE) Accreditation, Board of British International Schools Accreditation,
• Opportunity to obtain the CAIE ICE diploma, take individual IGCSE exams,
• Small classes – from 3 to 15 students,
• Individual approach to each student,
• State-of-the-art facilities for the campus, located in the middle of the Swiss mountains,
• A wide range of leisure activities,
• Learning not only in the classroom, but also outside of them.

The VIS campus is located in Verbier, in the middle of a sunny plateau in the heart of the Alps, and resembles a small village. The area is the starting point of the Four Valleys ski slope area, which boasts almost 100 lifts and more than 400 km of ski slopes for all levels of education. Mont Fort, the highest point of the ski resort at an altitude of 3300 m, offers a picturesque panorama of the Metterhorn, the Grand Combin and the Mont Blanc massif. Not far from the campus, you can find numerous pastures, eternal glaciers, and nature reserves.

VIS has two buildings: Chalet Mascotte and Orny, built in 2011.

• Mascotte is designed for the youngest schoolchildren and has a large playground, sports facilities, and a walking area in the yard. Studies take place in a scientific laboratory with a wide range of materials for experiments, academic classrooms with modern equipment, music and dance rooms, and a garden in which children grow fruits and vegetables.
• Chalet Orny has academic and residential departments. Next to the building there is a large walking area with access to a multifunctional sports field. The academic block is equipped with several classrooms of different sizes, equipped with video and audio players, interactive whiteboards.

The buildings also have dining halls, common areas for recreation and self-study, and specialist offices. The territory is guarded around the clock and has all the necessary conditions for a safe pastime for children.

The academic year consists of three semesters:

• Autumn: late August-mid-December,
• Winter: January-April,
• Summer: April-end of June.

Holidays are organized on national and international holidays and in summer from June to August. During the summer months, the school offers short-term courses that can also be taken on campus.

Lessons are held on weekdays. The schedule differs depending on the class level:

• Primary school: 8:20-15:30, Mondays start an hour later,
• Morning care before class: 8:00-8:20,
• Extended day: 16:45-17:00,
• Middle School: 8:15-16:30, Mondays start an hour later.

Extracurricular activities run from 3:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.

The following services are already included in the cost of the program:

• An academic plan that provides a comprehensive education for the child,
• Sports, cultural events,
• Ski lessons twice a week,
• Educational equipment, including Chromebooks for middle school students,
• Classes at the Forest School,
• Food, snacks.

Additional costs:

• Registration fee, housing deposit upon admission,
• Accommodation in the residence,
• School uniforms,
• External exams,
• Ski programs: ski pass, equipment,
• One-to-one lessons, specialized academic support,
• Excursions
• Medical, personal insurance,
• Transfers from/to the airport,
• Postal, courier services,
• Personal spending.

The admission procedure consists of going through several stages:

• Visit the campus or chat with representatives online to clarify aspects of the program and student life, availability and approximate enrollment dates,
• Submit an application with the required documents,
• Pay the registration fee,
• Get a positive response from the admissions committee, with the help of which you can issue visa documents,
• Make a deposit for accommodation in the residence,
• Arrive on campus to take small entrance tests (only required for middle grades), interviews,
• Start learning.

Admission is subject to the availability of free places in classes and the compliance of the submitted documents with the entrance exams. In the winter semester, priority is given to families whose children have already been enrolled at VIS.

The high scores obtained in the IGCSE exams allow students to continue their education in leading schools in Switzerland and abroad, and bilingual education will allow them to have greater academic opportunities than other students.

International candidates wishing to enroll in VIS must provide:

• Personal documents: passport, health insurance, visa or residence permit,
• School reports for the last calendar year,
• A recommendation form completed by the student's current school,
• Standardized test results,
• Special Academic and Psychological Assessment Reports.

Depending on which class the applicant enters, they will need a good level of knowledge of English or French. The older the child, the better he or she should be able to navigate the English/French-speaking environment.

All documents must be translated into English and certified by the responsible authorities.

VIS provides discounts for large families - 10% on the payment of the program for the second, 15% for subsequent children from the same family.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision