Dual-language state schools in Berlin

Hi,

Hello all, this is our first post as we're scouring the internet for resources on moving and living in Germany.

We're thinking of relocating to berlin from the UK due to a job offer, but I'm not sure if there are are any state schools that teach in English and German?

We've had a look at the international schools for my 8 year old daughter but all are a bit pricey.

We're also keen to get her fluent in German as quickly as possible but don;t think a stint in international school then taking her out once she learnt German would be fair.

However, we're not too ken about dropping her in at the deep end either and thought this'd be a good half-way house if available.

If anyone has any advice it'd be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Neil.

By "state schools" you mean ordinary government-run non-fee-paying schools, correct? Well, I'm no expert but I've never heard of any such schools in Germany that teach in German and English. The English language classes are obviously in English, but none of the other classes (sciences, humanities, etc.) are taught in English.

I think your only two options are: 1) the state schools where all teaching is in German, or 2) the private international schools where all teaching is in English.

As you say, the private schools are pricey. But here's the list for you to enquire at:

- Berlin British School
- Berlin International School
- State International School

As for your daughter learning German, no need to attend her to any classes or anything. She'll pick it up in no time just by being here.

I will speak from my experience in Niedesachsen, some schools do teach some subjects in English. (It is sort of being experimented with). It is very often a social science subject. My expereince is that the teacher is not competent to teach the subject in English and English speaking students are bored. (I had to extract my son from such a class) This bi-lingual fach as they call it, is usually offered in the upper classes, after year 7 or 8.

Our boy is going to the Bi-lingual state school here in Berlin, yes taught in English and German...

Check out their website for info...

http://www.sisberlin.de/

OK, seems I was wrong. Listen to the others Neil, I think they know better than I do.

But just one more tip whilst we're on the subject of schools, there's another international one in Berlin, the John F. Kennedy school. It's not a state school though.

Hi-
I can add another school for you to check out- it is a private school, though. It is called the Charles Dickens Schule and it's located in Charlottenburg, next to the Olympiastadion. They have a website, you can look it up on Google I'm sure- I nanny right now for some children who attend school there, and half of their subjects are in English and half are taught in German.
Good Luck!

Actually, there are quite a number of state run international or bilingual schools in berlin. They are all listed in the last edition of ExBerlin - there was a large section on raising children in Berlin. (about 20 or 30 of them).

If you want her to speak German pretty quickly I would recommend you put her into a German school. My 7 year old did exactly this. The school authorities said it would be no problem for him at this age. Yes I was worried but was guided by them. We had a few weeks teething problems but within weeks he was already speaking some German. 12 months down the line and he is speaking and understanding most of it. Puts me to shame, he has to help me sometimes (I am currently on a VHS course) My older boys were put into an Intensive Deutsch Course which is run alongside a normal German school. 12 months down the line and my eldest is ready to go back to the mainstream German school, another few months and the middle son will be also back in the school.

Encourage your daughter to mix with German kids whenever you can, at the park, in the street etc. She will surprise you how quickly she will pick the language up.

I think another thing to take into account is that they don't start school until they are 6 years old here. So your daughter has the advantage of being able to read and write in English already. Once she can master the German alphabet and the soundings of letters etc, she shouldn't have many problems reading. The kids at 8 years old here are probably doing work similar to that in UK when they are 6 years old. So she has time to learn the language and catch up.

Hope this helps a little.

Hi,
There is a dual language state school in Berlin. It is the John F. Kennedy School in Zehlendorf. It offers Kindergarten through grade 13. You will have to apply to get in. Admission depends on an English test and space availability. Curriculum bi-lingual and bi-cultural. Let me know if you have more questions or need more information.

There are also a few state schools called Europa schools that offer other languages, including instruction in English.

Good Luck!

So is it a state school or not?

Charles Dickens School in Dickens Weg parallel to the Heerstrasse

The John F. Kennedy school is a state school. The only charges are for books, at the beginning of the year (40 euro, I think...or 60), and the parents are "invited" to pay dues once a year to the JFK Friendship Center (also around 60 euro). In the first and second grade, the teachers say everything twice, switching from English to German. Starting in the third grade, the kids have separate classes every day in their mother tongue and partner tongue (for reading and writing). Even in fourth grade, there is a German class for absolute beginners, so it's possible for a child to join in the middle, if there's a place. Math seems to be in German because the books are German. Social studies is in both languages, and the kids can do their homework in their mother tongue. Science is also in both languages. The school also has a couple of big libraries with lots of books in English.

The jfk school is great. My son is now in the 6th grade. He has Math in english because his homeroom teacher is american. in 3/4th grade math was in german due to the fact that his home room teacher was german. Both the elementary and high school library are great. There is also a very good music dept.

Hi all,

My 6 year old daughter attends the Charles Dickens school and my 4 year old will start next fall. So far we are very pleased, the classes are a perfect mix of German and English speaking kids and her English has improved ten fold. She learns classes in both languages but also picks up both languages from interaction with the other children. The teachers are native speakers so they are all qualified to teach in each language. Admission depends on English tests and the number of applicants but both my girls had no problem getting accepted. It is easy to get to, offers lots of extra curricular activities and is, of course, state run. The only problem is the lunch menu is not the greatest.

Does anyone know of a bilingual school or very good German speaking school (private or not) in the Friedrichshain area? All the international schools seem to be in the west.
Thanks

Yes iyonda,

Try Berlin Kids International School - it's just a primary school at the moment and its early days, 16 kids from 2007 I think, 72 from 2008. It grew out of Berlin Kids International Kindergarten. They have plans to develop as a further school.

http://www.berlin-kids-international.de/school