German School London
The German School London (; DSL) is an independent school based in the grounds of Douglas House in Petersham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is accredited by the German government's Central Agency for German Schools Abroad, as a "Deutsche Auslandsschule" ("German School Abroad"). The school includes a kindergarten, pre-school, elementary school, middle school and upper school. The German School London is one of approximately 140 schools that the Federal Republic of Germany established internationally to promote the German culture and language in other countries. The German School London has established a bilingual  system so that students can, in addition to completing the Abitur, also choose to graduate with the International Baccalaureate. History. The Federal Republic of Germany bought Douglas House and grounds in 1969, and built a school around it, with the house itself becoming the reception and administrative offices. The school opened in September 1971. The school was founded to primarily serve children of diplomatic staff from the embassies of German-speaking countries (West Germany, Austria, and Switzerland), while some expatriate children were enrolled. Campus. The school consists of four main buildings – a building for the upper and middle school, a  newly established building for the elementary school, a building for pre-school and kindergarten, and a sports building including a gym, a swimming pool, and changing rooms. Additional school buildings, designed by the German firm Kersten Mertinoff & Struhk, were erected in the grounds between 1972 and 1983. The executive architects were W H Marmorek and Clifford Culpin & Partners. Douglas House was placed on the Grade II* listed buildings list in 1983. Further contemporary buildings have been constructed on the campus, including a building for computer studies in 2000 and a new sports hall in 2017. Curriculum. The school largely follows  the curriculum of German state ("Land") Baden-Württemberg. English is taught from the first year. The aim is for students to be fully bilingual when they graduate from the school, so as to be equally equipped to attend either German-speaking and English-speaking universities. Kindergarten and pre-school. The bilingual kindergarten and pre-school focus on preparing the children for elementary school, and helping them develop self-confidence and independence. Since July 2013 the school has been exempt from the British EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) learning and development requirements and is now guided by Baden-Württemberg's curriculum . Elementary school. The curriculum in the elementary school consists of German, English, mathematics, social studies & sciences, music, arts, religion and physical education. Middle school and upper school. In middle and upper school students study 10 to 13 subjects – German, English, French or Latin, mathematics, physics, chemistry, music, arts, religion or ethics, history, geography and politics. Students can choose to study Spanish as an additional language. The school offers a broad and differentiated education with bilingual units for different talents, and prepares students for university. Qualifications. Students in Years 11 and 12 can, if they wish, study for both the International  Baccalaureate and the German Abitur. The school has offered the International Baccalaureate since 2010; it is taught in English, although students who take German as an A1 language can graduate with a "bilingual Diploma". School life. The school provides networking opportunities for adults from the German community. Much of the community's social activities and sporting clubs for Germans are organised around the school, which "provides a forum for the expression of Germanness". Sport and the arts. Teams from the school have taken part in international sporting events in soccer, basketball, volleyball, badminton and tennis, often playing against teams from  other international schools in the UK, and sometimes in tournaments against international schools across Europe. Students also take part in school concerts and in the Jugend musiziert competition, an international music competition in Germany between children and young people held at regional, federal and national level. School exchanges. The school operates a programme of school exchange visits, where the students visit a different school for a day and participate in the classes, and family exchange visits where they meet their exchange partner on a Friday afternoon and spend time with them and their family until the Saturday. There are also  programmes for students in Years 10, 11 and 12, where they visit the Russell School to teach the German language and culture to Year 5 students. School charity. The school has its own charity group, "DSLaktiv – Schüler für Schüler", founded in 2010. Every year students in the group choose a different charity to support and organise activities and projects to fundraise for it. School events. As well as teaching the German curriculum the school promotes German culture. Every school year there are readings by prominent German authors and poets, and performances by musicians. The school has "Osterbrunnen" and "Oktoberfest" celebrations , as well as "Weihnachtsmarkt", a Christmas fair. There are also regular "Frühschoppen" events. Faculty and staff. In 2000, about 36 of the teachers were locally hired, while the German government posted the other 14 there for two- to six-year terms. Operations. The School Association's Board, an unpaid group that operates the school, determines the school's financial, economic and legal business, as well as budgeting and personnel matters. (For more related schools, see categories below)