International School of Helsinki
Encyclopedia
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.
The recommendations from the IB evaluations together with the recommendations from the Visiting Team Report from the accrediting agencies ensures that the school offers a quality of education which is internationally recognized by higher education institutions and will enable students to become qualified to take them to the next step in their education.
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.
All three programmes share the same campus.
The school is administered by a Board of Governors elected by the ISH Parents Association to two-year terms. For 2011-12, the Chairperson was Katarina Murphy and Vice Chairperson was Risto Ojantakanen. Other members of the Board of Governors were Urvashi Sarup, Treasurer; Lisa Langenfeld, Board Secretary; Ira Chatterjee, Srdjan Krumpak, Lauri Kivinen, Alexandra Eude and John Webster.
district of Helsinki in 1996. The school has pleasant modern facilities which include ICT labs, a gymnasium, sports field, library and media centre as well as classrooms equipped with Smart-Boards and other media devices to enhance learning and teaching. The school also has a combined cafeteria/auditorium.
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 good variety of clubs to choose from, which include arts, comics, dancing, drama, games, music and various sports. The aim is to offer them a positive environment to exercise, learn new skills, and have fun while participating in various after school activities.
International school
An International school is loosely defined as a school that promotes international education, in an international environment, either by adopting an international curriculum such as that of the International Baccalaureate or Cambridge International Examinations, or by following a national...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. It was founded as the British Preparatory School in 1963.
ISH is an International Baccalaureate World School, with IB programs offered from Kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
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
In addition to the International Baccalaureate, the school is also accredited by the following organizations:- New England Association of Schools and CollegesNew England Association of Schools and CollegesThe New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. is the U.S. regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation for all levels of education, from pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level, in the six-state New England region. It also provides accreditation for some...
- Council of International SchoolsCouncil of International SchoolsThe Council of International Schools is a non-profit association of international schools and post-secondary institutions which aims to improve international education...
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 of 2005.The recommendations from the IB evaluations together with the recommendations from the Visiting Team Report from the accrediting agencies ensures that the school offers a quality of education which is internationally recognized by higher education institutions and will enable students to become qualified to take them to the next step in their education.
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 42 different nationalities. The school is divided into two sections:ISH Lower School
- 1 Programme: Primary Years Programme (PYP), 4 years old - 11 years old.
ISH Upper School
- 2 Programmes:
- Middle Years Programme (MYP), 11 years old - 16 years old.
- Diploma Programme (DP) 16 years old - 19 years old.
All three programmes share the same campus.
Administration
As of 2011, the ISH Head of School was Dr. Allen Hughes. Mr. George Piacentini was the Lower School Principal and Mr. Robin Schneider was the Upper School Principal.The school is administered by a Board of Governors elected by the ISH Parents Association to two-year terms. For 2011-12, the Chairperson was Katarina Murphy and Vice Chairperson was Risto Ojantakanen. Other members of the Board of Governors were Urvashi Sarup, Treasurer; Lisa Langenfeld, Board Secretary; Ira Chatterjee, Srdjan Krumpak, Lauri Kivinen, Alexandra Eude and John Webster.
Facilities
ISH moved into its modern, purpose-built structure in the RuoholahtiRuoholahti
Ruoholahti is a quarter in Helsinki, part of the Länsisatama neighbourhood and Kampinmalmi district. The name means Grass Bay and is pronounced...
district of Helsinki in 1996. The school has pleasant modern facilities which include ICT labs, a gymnasium, sports field, library and media centre as well as classrooms equipped with Smart-Boards and other media devices to enhance learning and teaching. The school also has a combined cafeteria/auditorium.
Extra Curricular Activities
The International School of Helsinki offers a good variety of activities. The After School Activities(ASA) Programme is divided into three seasons: Autumn, Winter and Spring. The goal of the ASA Programme is to offer students both competitive and non-competitive activities and athletics options. The school is a member of CEESACeesa
CEESA is an association of international schools in Central and Eastern Europe. The member schools are all sponsored by the United States Department of State, Office of Overseas Schools.- Full Member Schools :...
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 good variety of clubs to choose from, which include arts, comics, dancing, drama, games, music and various sports. The aim is to offer them a positive environment to exercise, learn new skills, and have fun while participating in various after school activities.