Parent's Review of The International School of Iceland in Gardabaer, Greater Reykjavik Capital Region, Iceland

What is the name of your child's school? (Please report on one school per survey.)

The International School of Iceland

In what town or city is this school located?

Gardabaer, Greater Reykjavik Capital Region

How would you describe this school? (i.e. American, British, International, Local, etc.)

International /American

What grade levels are represented at this school?

1-7

How do most children get to school everyday? (bus, train, walk, etc.)

Private Cars, Embassy transport or walk. Many families, like us lived in the same district/neighbourhood as the school, which meant children were only few minutes away from the school. The school is in a smart area with new and modern developments available to buy/rent.

How would you describe the facilities at this school? What extra-curricular activities are available?

The school has a swimming pool, large indoor sports hall, outside football court, and climbing walls, playground etc. There is also a sports complex in Gardabaer, walking distance to the school with many clubs operating activities such as basketball, gymnastics, volleyball, handball, swimming etc..almost everything you could think of. There is a music school in the area if you child is interested in playing instruments or singing. My daughter did singing for a year and she thoroughly enjoyed the sessions in addition to basketball for 2 years, and gymnastics for one term.

What has this school done to help your child transition from the curriculum in your home country into the curriculum in your new country? Are there programs to prepare your child for repatriation?

Very smooth transition- barely noticed any difficulties, in fact the adjustment came naturally as the child felt comfortable in her environment. The teachers are all quite good at their jobs and have great insight into not only the academic but also emotional welfare of the students. Positive discipline is an important factor that distinguishes this school from many of its counterparts in other parts the world and especially Britain, which is big on negative discipline, scare-mongering, detention and long and consecutive exams in succession. The programmes at this school are academically rigorous enough, but there is a fun element to them. For instance, one project for English involved reading 25 books- this project may have seemed insurmountable but because of the fun element that involved students documenting what they read in images, stories and pictures- led to not only the task being a creative and imaginative one but also inspirational in the way it has encouraged students to become active learners, happy to log in to Goodread site to comment on books they have read voluntarily long after the project. One other projects involved students writing their own novels- running into thousands of words, if this is not academically rigorous for 12 year olds , I do not know what is. The books were printed and compiled in a nice folder for all students to read what their peers had written at the end. This will have certainly proven more productive than a 90 minute exam at the end of the year in other schools. Having said that, of course the school has tests, but they are well balanced- so that students actually learn, enjoy learning and look forward to every school day-which is very important.

How would you describe the social activities available for parents through this school? Are there parent-teacher organizations?

Yes there is a pro-active parent teacher organisation. The school is quite an open environment and parents are always welcome to visit, watch their children at work, either in the class or sports. There are usually regular events, including international cuisine days etc. So yes, if parents wish to get involved, nothing can get in their way to be honest.

What advice would you give to someone considering enrolling their child in this school?

I do think they will make a wise choice and this will be a great experience for their children- . The teachers are very passionate in what they do, they are down to earth, most of them are parents and understand how you feel- of course the school listens to the parents, but they have to balance exams, activities, and welfare- some parents would like more exams, others more activities and cookery classes etc- some prefer more language classes, so the school may not be able to implement every single wish but they do get the balance right recognising that every child is different. The school also used to teach Icelandic, they had an excellent Icelandic teacher, in 2010/11, but I am sure they still teach it as the school also has a bilingual stream. It is true you do not appreciate what you have until it is gone. It is the same with this school- my daughter applied in 2009, started in 2010, we left briefly 2011, went back again until graduation at grade 7- we have been to other International Schools but we still think this was probably the best on all fronts, great Science, English and Art teachers- The great thing about the school, they are easy to contact if you need them for references, reminder or any other information even if you are no longer in Iceland and they are always very prompt and kind. They mean well and they try to accommodate you and your needs to the extent possible, no matter how fussy you are- I really do think this school needs more recognition for its success story. I have to congratulate them - I hear they now plan to add more upper grades for older students, which is great. Best Wishes

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Relocating abroad soon? Make your move with AGS! AGS Worldwide Movers is a leader in the international moving industry. Our experience and expertise allows us to guarantee our clients the best quality moving services.
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