Collège du Léman

About us

Collège du Léman is an international college preparatory school located in Geneva, Switzerland and offers individual growth, academic excellence and life-long learning to students from Pre-K through Grade 12.

Our curriculum, our methods of teaching, and the diversity of programs and our staff are all carefully assembled to help educate and form the future “movers and shakers” of the world. We shape our students to be globally dedicated citizens, eager to make a deep and long-lasting contribution to society. CdL students are problem solvers, who pause for thought, appreciate different perspectives and seek common ground with those they encounter.

In the late 1950s, a number of multilateral and non-governmental organisations and multinational corporationsstarted setting up headquarters in the international city Geneva. Their arrival added to the growing demand for international educational opportunities in the city, and the State of Geneva called upon Francis and Inge Clivaz to create a new international school, on the right bank of Lake Geneva.

Collège du Léman opened its doors in May 1960, on the site of a former school. Its philosophy and objectives were “Educating and teaching in a spirit of openness and tolerance so that students may become the citizens and leaders of a world respectful of differences.” The school’s location in the beautiful Swiss countryside, yet close to the city, offered a quiet, serious and serene atmosphere particularly suited to learning.

Collège du Léman received its first bilingual accreditation from the European Council of International Schools (ECIS) and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in 1978.

Since 1998, Collège du Léman has been accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges as well. These accreditations were renewed in 2007, attesting to the quality of teaching offered at the school, which now boasts almost 2,000 students including 300 boarders and over 120 different nationalities.

Collège du Léman’s founding principles remain at the core of the school’s values 48 years later, and today they are carried by some 20,000 alumni across the globe.

Francis Clivaz, together with the heads of several other European schools, founded the ECIS in 1965, at Collège du Léman. The association developed an accreditation process based on stringent and independently monitored standards, offering parents and students a guarantee of excellence and rigor.

Diploma

High School, IB, Maturité Suisse and French Baccalaureate

Meet Us Around the World

We Welcome You to Meet Us at Various Locations Throughout the World!

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to fix an appointment in your area.

Small Classes, Big Opportunities

• The small numbers of 16 to 18 children in each class allow the teachers (with only 12 maximum in the 2 year old class (PS0), with the help of their assistants, to realise creative, stimulating and varied projects.
• In each class, there is access to computers and Ipads to offer enrichment to the process. For children of 3 or 4 (PS2 ou PS1), the Preschool offers education in French, in English or in both languages (bilingual) according to the choice of the parents.
• Our young pupils learn to speak French or English without any effort because they understand, listen, and communicate with each-other by being engaged in all sorts of activities in their class. The child is motivated by the desire to participate and adapts naturally and quickly to this new language environment.
• At 5 years of age (PS3), reading is taught in the child’s mother tongue or the main language in which he/ she will study in Primary School. The rest of the curriculum can be taught through immersion (target language).

Safe, Secure, and Welcoming

• Our Preschool classrooms are appropriate to the level of our young children and present a warm, secure and welcoming environment. Our international teaching team of devoted and attentive teachers watch our children’s individual needs.
• Several play areas allow the pupils to relax outside safely and continue to be able to socialise with each other. During lunch-time, meals prepared by our Chef or lunch-boxes brought from home are taken in the canteen with the teachers.
• Twice a year, our students perform on stage in front of their parents. This strengthens their confidence and develops their artistic and speech abilities. These are very special moments in their schooling.

About the IPC

The IPC focuses on a combination of academic, personal and international learning for children worldwide, combined with innovative and exciting ways to learn. It provides a cross-curricular, thematic, rigorous teaching structure that engages children of all abilities in today’s world.

The IPC is designed to help children:

• Learn the essential knowledge, skills and understanding of a broad range of curriculum subjects
• Engage with their learning so they remain committed to learning throughout their school careers and their lives
• Develop the personal qualities they need to be good citizens and to respond to the changing contexts of their future lives
• Develop a sense of their own nationality and culture at the same time as they develop a profound respect for the nationalities and cultures of others

Academic:

• Challenging curricula e.g IPC / Cambridge
• Experienced teachers who teach in their mother tongues
• Specialist teachers (in Art, Sport, Music and Science) and additional language teachers

Cultural and Linguistic:

• Bilingual programme (bilingualism at CdL) or choice between French & English
• Possibility to pass between the programs
• A multicultural and multilingual environment
• Continual study and reflection about the teaching of additional languages

Personal, Social and Emotional Education

• At CdL we recognize that the education of the whole child is important. That is why we place a great emphasis on programmes which promote the positive well- being and self-esteem of all children and also develop the skills necessary for our students to become responsible global citizens in the 21st century.
• Please contact us if you would like to learn more about each of the Grade levels 1 to 5.

Middle School

• Middle School is an exciting transition from Primary School to High School, from child to adolescent. Explore the details of the CdL Middle School in the Guide.

High School

• The main focus of the High School is to prepare students for entrance to the best colleges and universities throughout the world by providing a broad educational experience playing to the strengths and interests of each individual. Explore the details of the CdL High School Curriculum in the Overview.

Our top priorities at Collège du Léman are that your children are successful, happy, healthy and well cared for, allowing them to achieve their full potential academically, socially and physically. When you join Collège du Léman, you join a community, made up of families we call Houses.

Students arrive and are placed in one of our Boarding Houses, where they will be in the care of a House Parent, overseen by the Director of Boarding, assisted by tutors.

The House team monitor all aspects of a student’s progress throughout their career and will liaise with you closely during this time. Boarders benefit from supervised homework time as well as a plethora of clubs and activities.

Your child’s welfare is of paramount importance and good food is certainly part of that process. We have an excellent catering team who provide three meals a day in the School dining hall. Menus are available on the website each week.

In addition we place huge importance on Student Voice- we encourage students to take responsibility and to contribute towards the life of our students- you will not find a school that listens more!

Each House has a unique feel and established traditions, of which the boarders feel extremely proud. Inter-House competitions are enjoyable but ultimately hard-fought affairs which reflect the passion of the boarders. We, of course, offer excellent facilities.

It is difficult to do justice to boarding life on a website, there is no substitute for coming to have a look around, and we look forward to welcoming you should you wish to book a tour.

Camp

Summer camp-Yes Winter camp-Yes

Nano camp

3-14 July 2017 9:00 to 17:00 4-7 years

Summer Camp

Premium activities will cost an additional CHF 800.- per activity.

Collège du Léman Summer Camps have brought a fantastic summer experience to thousands of students over the past decade, always with a focus on learning new languages. The beautiful campus is enhanced further by its proximity to Geneva, so it is natural that parents have relied on us to provide an unforgettable summer experience for their children, enjoying the best that a summer in Switzerland can offer. Being only 15 minutes from the airport, you can be sure that all our time is focused on great activities, not transit!

This year, after an extensive multi million investment programme, we are preparing for our best summer camp experience ever. With the help of our brand new facilities and our fantastic staff, we have expanded the offerings to allow an even more diverse set of activities to suit all tastes. Whether you are interested in an academic focus, something for the technology minded, the arts or sports, we have something for you!

Our educational approach:

To recognise each students’ existing knowledge and potential and to build on it

To build a solid foundation in Maths, French and languages

To develop self-confidence, discipline and autonomy

To teach each student that with the right mindset and hardwork they can learn anything

To involve the parents as partners to help us implement our educational vision