Student Support Services

At the International School of Berne (ISBerne), we place great importance on the uniqueness of each child. Therefore, we dedicate ourselves to providing proactive, holistic student support that is caring, inclusive, and individualized. We offer student support services, which are accessible to all who attend our school, and supports students to achieve their very best.

Working in conjunction with our class teachers, we utilize additional professional expertise to address and support every student's socio-emotional and academic needs. The team consists of professionals in Counselling, English as an Additional Language, and Learning Support. We believe that students need to feel safe, secure, and comfortable in their environment to maximize their potential as learners.

For more information about ISBerne's requirements and the assessment procedure for new students, please get in touch with Admissions.

English as an Additional Language

English is the medium of instruction at ISBerne. However, many of our students arrive at ISBerne with non-existent or low levels of English. Therefore, we offer these students a specialized English as an Additional language (EAL) support programme. They meet with the ESL specialist during the lesson scheduled for German or French.

New students wanting to join our school may be asked to demonstrate their English language proficiency level to meet the requirements for each grade.

There is no additional fee for the EAL support programme, and it is included in our school's tuition fees.

Learning Support

ISBerne is an inclusive community, and we pride ourselves on supporting students with mild to low-moderate learning needs. Classroom and subject teachers are sensitive to the needs of individual students and differentiate work accordingly.

If further support is required, teachers will work closely with the learning support teacher to enable students to reach their potential. In addition, our team can provide learning strategies, lessons, or interventions for individuals and small groups. With a highly qualified and experienced Learning Support teacher, we offer children the necessary tools and resources to maximize their learning potential.

A certain level of learning support is included in ISBerne's tuition fees.

Counselling and Wellbeing

 At the International School of Berne, students are treated respectfully in a safe and secure educational setting that aims to meet their academic and wellbeing needs. We have a fully qualified and highly experienced Counsellor on campus who supports students with behavioral, social, or emotional needs that might affect their learning. 

Our team also has a collaborative approach to referrals and consultations with community mental health services. In addition, we actively monitor and respond in cases of emotional needs and have a rigorous Child Protection Policy to ensure each child's physical and psychological safety.