Yes Academia and SIS, sorry the area did seem rough to us, but it was late at night when we left the restaurant there was a big fight in the street, just where the church was. Fisticuffs etc.
Could have been just bad timing on our part of course.
Was mainly referring to old train dock yards, industrial sites etc too...
Sorry just to clarify, school isn't on Schifflande, (sorry no umlauts) it's up in Bonergasse 75 4057 Basel. This is where the new school building will be - above the Schifferhaus restaurant. The college will remain where it is for adult courses - this is for kids aged 3-15.
Ah - that is a rough area. But only in comparison to the rest of the country. Probably about "Nottingham" on UK scales. All that would put me off though would be perhaps the extra travelling time - depending where you settle of course.
Because Academia is so new, it is hard to get an opinion on it, as there are very few people who send their children there as yet. Most of the international school kids either attend SIS or the ISB. But if you are specifically looking for your children to stay in the English system and complete GCSE and A levels, then it is pretty much your only option.
There are all sorts of teething problems with new schools, but then there are problems with establish schools too - just different ones. No-one has yet found a perfect school! The most improtant thing is that you feel comfortable with sending your kids there, and having them travel to and from school easily, as well as easy access to after/out of school activities. Also think about their activities, and how they will meet friends. This is the advantage of larger, established schools - they will meet more friends (or have more choice of friends!) and have more opportunities for activities.
It is a hard decision as the cost of schooling in the international system is huge, so of course, that is a big consideration.
The advantage of a new school is that they'll be trying harder. The established schools don't exactly have to compete for kids - at least in the Basel area.
I teach at Academia International College (based at Schifflande) - which has now been up and running for a whole year. I can only say that we have an extremely dedicated and very qualified/experienced team there. I'm not involved in the primary school but I know that both school directors are sending their kids there and so clearly they want only the best quality for their own kids!
Regarding the area - I visited it and thought from an English speaking parents perspective. One thing I wanted to be sure of is that there would be locked gates and supervision for the kids outside at all times - I was told there would be. The school building/villa is beautiful although I don't dispute the location on the other side of the river is considered by many as "less desirable" - having said that the other major bi-lingual school is also situated in a "less desirable" quarter too although as someone pointed out - by UK and American standards these areas are absolutely fine!
I can speak from a teachers perspective - staff are happy and well looked after at AIS - and believe me that will impact the quality of teaching too.
Hope that helps - and I know it's not exactly neutral as I work there!!
Thank you for your feedback, I appreciate it. They are tiny niggles, but as we liked both schools it makes it all the more difficult to choose! We loved the feel of Academia at Schifflande but it makes it very difficult when you can't picture a school working.
It's always nice to hear all feedback - teachers, parents etc.
Sorry, I am in a hurry now. So I will try to be quick.
I have just found this thread and felt like giving my feedback too.
I study in Academia for about 2 months. I am in an intensive course, which means that I have daily lessions... I am very satisfied with the school. I like the structure and agree with what Stephanie said about the team. I really feel like they put all the efforts to make it work for each student. People naturally have different needs and expectations according to a course when they register in and I believe that the teachers there deliver what they are demanded.
I hope I could contribute from a student perspective.
Oi me duck! Don't be rude about Nottingham! Some bits are lovely, and yes, some bits are rough, I guess like in this link, you've got to weigh the pros and cons, and like MANY parts of the U.K., you're not safe from drunken and yobbish behaviour, even in CH!
Can anyone update this post which I appreciate is nearly a year old - we are considering moving our 13 year old daughter from SIS in Basel and liked Academia when we visited. However, we are slightly concerned that it is a young school still and would like to know if anyone out there has personal experience of children going to school there.
As she is 13 our daughter would go to the Schifflande site which I know is combined with the language school but we are concerned about class sizes and how many children her own age she would meet.
Any information anyone is willing to share would be much appreciated.
I can't address all of your questions and can only really speak again as a teacher. I work at the school at Schifflande and possibly my class is the biggest class in the school (with only 13 students in that class) As far as I understand they simply won't run classes with over 14 students, so rest assured the groups are small.
There are mixed ages in the groups but it has been my experience that the children mix and get along really well across age ranges. In the school we try to engender a positive and supportive atmosphere, bullying etc is not tolerated.
The school has been and continues to grow (we're expanding into nearby buildings in the area) As a parent I understand your concerns, but our experience has been that the vast majority of students who have attended and tried out the school in one of our insight weeks have really liked it and settled well.
Hi Stepahnie, Just wondering. Is the school bi-lingual? Do they teach in let's say English/German? Around about how much are the fees and do the children receive a diploma which would allow them to go to college later, anywhere if they are in Switzerland or not? Thanks...You can PM me if you wish..