Deutsche Internationale Schule Johannesburg

Founded in 1886, Johannesburg emerged after the discovery of gold, which saw many people flock to the area, including a large German community. This community wanted a school where their children would be taught in German. Plans started to take shape in 1888 but this ambitious undertaking failed in the following year due to a severe economic crisis.

Despite this, Pastor Hermann Kuschke did not give up and started to give lessons at his home at the beginning of 1890 and later at the church of the Berlin Mission Community to a single learner, Ernst Ritter, the son of church board member J. Ritter. Only one year later, the number grew to 20 learners. They were taught Religion, German, English, Dutch, Arithmetic, Biology, History, Geography, Singing, Drawing and Gymnastics.

Deutsche Internationale Schule Johannesburg (DSJ) are a cosmopolitan, multicultural, German-South African school of encounter, supported by the German Federal government. As the oldest private co-educational school in Johannesburg, we are proud to be a reflection of the South African rainbow nation and view diversity and encounter as an asset and an opportunity.

At the DSJ we offer a German, as well as a South African stream for all learners interested in the German language and culture. From Grade 10 onwards, learners decide whether they want to aim for the German-South African Kombi-Abitur or the South African National Senior Certificate (IEB), in combination with the Deutsches Sprachdiplom (DSDll) (German Language Certificate).

As an open full-day school we are not only a school, but also a nurturing environment and therefore, besides lessons, offer our children and learners from Grade 1 to 12 a variety of extramural activities, including afternoon and holiday care.

Due to our active school community and the outstanding academic performance of our learners, we have not only been rated amongst the most successful schools in Johannesburg, but were also awarded the title “Exzellente Auslandsschule ” in 2011 and were awarded the “Deutscher Schulpreis” as best German school outside of Germany in 2016.

With approximately 265 learners the Primary School is presently run with four Grade 1 and 2 classes and three Grades 3 and 4 classes. The average size of our classes consists of 19 learners. Learners from a variety of cultural backgrounds are taught in a learning environment typical of that of any primary school. We, the team of educators at the Deutsche Internationale Schule Johannesburg, view the diversity as well as the heterogeneity of our learners both as an opportunity and a challenge.

Lessons include all the subjects taught, at German Primary schools, based on the Curriculum of 2016 of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg. The learners’ heterogeneity demands individual and differentiated lessons. At the same time, special emphasis is placed on internal differentiation and strengthening of personal, social and methodical competencies. All teaching is based on this holistic approach. The subject of English is taught on home language level from the second grade.

Since 2018, a new language concept has been successfully implemented in our Grade 1 classes. Two assistants are present to help strengthen the learning. Team teaching, staff development and classroom visits all strengthen our work.

In Grades 5 and 6, DSJ learners undergo an Orientation Phase during which they are specifically prepared for the demands and challenges of Secondary School by highly committed German and South African teachers.

The teachers pay particular attention to and support the aptitudes and abilities of the learners in order to encourage them to think and learn independently. The Orientation Phase equips learners for the challenges of Secondary School from Grade 7 onwards.

The New Secondary School (NSek) is an English stream at the Deutsche Internationale Schule Johannesburg for children from Grade 5 who do not have a German language background. This stream was opened in 1989 and was aimed to provide non-German speaking children from previously disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity of private school education.

In Grade 8, the knowledge of German is tested on the basis of an international comparison exam (A2 level). In Grade 10, the learners take part in the exam for the German Language Diploma DSD I and in Grade 12 for the DSD II. The DSD II (C1- mothertongue level) enables the learners to study at any German speaking university without having to go through further anguage tests, . In addition, it makes it easier to find a job with a German company in South Africa or in Germany.

Since January 2012 the DSJ boasts an English Medium High School from Grade 8, which is open to English speaking learners.

The newly established stream at the DSJ provides non-German learners with the opportunity to prepare for the National Senior Certificate of the IEB. German is taught as second foreign language, allowing the graduates from this stream to take up their place in a globalised society. Over 600 German companies are represented in South Africa which enables school leavers from the English Medium High School to expand their career possibilities. The multilingual aspect also opens the doors to other cultures and nationalities. The curriculum and extra-mural activities include everything that is required to shape graduates into well-balanced and future-oriented individuals.

From Grade 10 onwards, the DSJ offers two school streams of senior secondary school: the Kombi stream and the NSC stream. The respective school-leaving certificates both allow school graduates to study in South Africa, Germany or elsewhere in the world.