International School of Helsinki

International School of Helsinki
Address
Selkämerenkatu 11
Helsinki
Finland
Coordinates 60°9′38″N 24°54′56″E / 60.16056°N 24.91556°E / 60.16056; 24.91556Coordinates: 60°9′38″N 24°54′56″E / 60.16056°N 24.91556°E / 60.16056; 24.91556
Information
Established 1963 (1963)
Head of school Peter Welch
Grades K-12
Age range 4-18
Pupils 326
Language English
Website ish.edu.hel.fi

The International School of Helsinki is an independent, co-educational, international school in Helsinki, Finland. It was founded as the British Preparatory School in 1963.

ISH is an International Baccalaureate World School, with IB programs offered from Kindergarten to Grade 12. The school was first authorized to offer the IB Diploma program in 1993. Instruction is in English, with the school divided into a Lower School (Kindergarten through Grade 5) and Upper School (Grades 6-12).

The school has a full-day program. Its school year runs from early August to early June.

Accreditation and Authorization

Accreditation

In addition to the International Baccalaureate, the school is also accredited by the following organizations:

Authorization

ISH became the first school in Finland fully authorized to offer all three of the International Baccalaureate Programme: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), and the Diploma Programme in November 2005.

The school’s strategic plan, the philosophies of the International Baccalaureate Programmes, along with the Finnish education regulations and the standards set forth by the accrediting agencies mentioned above all contribute to the structure and operation of ISH.

Structure

The school has approximately 350 students of whom some 28% are Finnish nationals. The rest of the school's population is made up of different nationalities. The school is divided into two sections:

ISH Lower School

ISH Upper School

All three programmes share the same campus.

Administration

The school is administered by a Board of Governors elected by the ISH Parents Association to two-year terms.

Facilities

ISH moved into its purpose-built structure in the Ruoholahti district of Helsinki in 1996. The school's facilities include ICT labs, a gymnasium, sports field, library, and media centre as well as classrooms equipped with Smart-Boards and other media devices. The school also has a combined cafeteria/auditorium.

Extra Curricular Activities

The International School of Helsinki offers a variety of activities. The After School Activities(ASA) Programme is divided into three seasons: Autumn, Winter and Spring. The intended goal of the ASA Programme is to offer students both competitive and non-competitive activities and athletics options. The school is a member of CEESA which allows older students to take part in events alongside students from other international schools in central and Eastern Europe. These include various sports events including soccer, basketball, and volleyball tournaments.

Lower School students have a variety of clubs to choose from, which include arts, comics, dancing, drama, games, music, and various sports.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, April 04, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.