International School of Bologna

The International School of Bologna (ISB) opened in September 2004 to provide an international education for children in Bologna and outlying areas. It provides a learning environment with a clear mission to meet the needs of the children of internationally minded parents through the medium of the English language. There are statements of Mission and Philosophy which underpin the day to day operations of the school.

ISB has been serving the educational needs of the international community in northern Italy for ten years. Our mission is to develop students who make an active contribution as they take their place in our ever-evolving global society. To demonstrate our accountability and commitment towards this ambitious statement, ISB has been successfully accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS), and our educational programs are evaluated and authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization. ISB offers the three International Baccalaureate programs — the Primary Years Programme, the Middle Years Programme, and from September 2015 the Diploma Programme with our first graduating class in 2017. This will result in a truly international early years-to-university preparatory educational experience.

In addition to its programmes, and the quality of the faculty that delivers them, ISB’s diverse community enhances the richness of an international school experience. Perhaps uniquely, however, the school is further defined by the local culture. Bologna has a tremendous academic history: the University of Bologna, founded in 1088, for example, is recognized as the oldest university in continuous operation.

Through this combination of the local and global we are preparing students not just to cope with a changing world, but to lead the change. Our expectations are of a community that is open-minded and tolerant, kind and thoughtful, assertive and persuasive and able to apply knowledge and skills to creative problem solving. To participate in the education programmes at ISB is to aim high. Our mission is to develop students who make an active contribution as they take their place in our ever-evolving global society.

The school has, at present, a roll of over two hundred and caters for children in Early Years, Elementary School and Middle School and expanded into High School in the 2013-14 school year. The school became a candidate school for the Middle Years Programme during the school year, 2011 -2012 and an authorized school in January 2014.

The school is staffed by qualified and experienced teachers, including teachers in the specialist areas of Art, Music and Physical Education. The Early Years classes and Grade 1 teacher are assisted by Support Teachers. The students come from twenty nine different countries. The majority of students come from Italian families. 55% of the students come from Mother Tongue Italian families, 25% of our families have one Italian and one non Italian parent and the final 20% come from families representing twenty eight different countries.

Our mission is to provide stimulating learning experiences through the medium of the English language, in which children of internationally minded parents can develop the essential skills and knowledge required to make an active contribution as they take their place in our ever-evolving global society. The International School of Bologna will be a premier, three programme (PYP, MYP and DP), IB World School expanding one grade level each year until we graduate our first students in June 2017. ISB will be the school of choice for internationally-minded parents in the Emilia-Romagna region and a leader of IB schools in Italy. At the International School of Bologna we believe that:

• The student’s best interests will be at the centre of all decision making.
• Student have rights encapsulated in the UN Charter which include the right to be fully prepared to live an individual life in society in the spirit of peace, dignity, tolerance, freedom and equality.
• Students are naturally inquisitive and will learn most effectively through an inquiry driven curriculum.
• Students will achieve their potential through a creative, differentiated, challenging and planned process of teaching and learning.
• The host country has an incredibly rich cultural and linguistic history which should be recognised and valued through meaningful integration in the curriculum.
• The learning and development of students Mother Tongue is critical for ongoing linguistic development.
• Students’ learning should be celebrated at every possible opportunity.
• Parents, children and the school form a unique partnership to support successful learning.
• Students need strategies to successfully prepare them for the many and varied challenges (academic and social) that they will have to manage at different stages of their lives.
• Students thrive in a supportive, happy and safe environment in which they are valued and respected.
• Global perspectives and understandings will be encouraged and taught in an age appropriate, open minded, fashion.
• Teachers employed at the International School of Bologna will embrace and contribute to the ethos of the school.