ELA Basel - The Swiss British School

ELABasel is committed to providing a safe, secure, and nurturing environment that promotes physical, social, emotional, and academic development. The school emphasizes a holistic, personalized learning approach that balances academic rigor with well-being, creativity, and critical thinking. It aims to foster a vibrant, diverse community where children feel valued and inspired to become confident, kind, and curious learners.

The school offers a comprehensive educational journey starting with the UK’s Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) for children aged 3 months to 4 years. Primary and Secondary students follow the Cambridge International curriculum, with the Secondary School providing two distinct pathways: the English Stream, leading to IGCSE and A-levels, and the Bilingual Stream, which integrates the Swiss Lehrplan 21 curriculum. German is taught from pre-school through Year 7, and French is introduced in Year 3. Additionally, the school holds a Basel-Stadt Secondary Transition Agreement, allowing students to transfer into the local Swiss public secondary system at age 12 without entrance examinations.

The school prioritizes a holistic approach to student well-being, nurturing emotional, social, and physical development within an inclusive environment. It maintains a strong home-school partnership, encouraging parents to participate as volunteers, class representatives, and attendees at curriculum information meetings. All families are members of a not-for-profit verein, which fosters a sense of belonging and community agency.

ELABasel welcomes new families throughout the year. Prospective families are encouraged to arrange a personal tour or a video meeting with the Head of School or the Early Years leadership to learn more about the admissions process. The school provides an Age Placement Guide to assist with enrollment, and interested parties can initiate the application process directly through the school's website.

The school operates 48 weeks per year. Separate calendars are maintained for the Early Years and the Primary/Secondary sections, and families with children in both divisions are advised to consult both documents. The Early Years programme closes for national holidays, one week in August around Swiss National Day, and the week between Christmas and New Year.

ELABasel operates across two historic, renovated mansions in central Basel. The Early Years building at Gartenstrasse 93 features large rooms for babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers, a soft play area, a multi-purpose room for musical movement, and a secure internal garden. The Primary and Secondary campus at St. Alban-Vorstadt 32 includes a music hall, a science room, language classrooms, a fitness and movement hall, a kitchen for hot lunches, a suite of libraries, and an internal courtyard for recreation.

The school offers an extensive After School and Enrichment Programme from 15:30 to 18:00, featuring activities such as coding, woodwork, dance, languages, and music. Additionally, students can participate in the ELABasel Theatre School and private music lessons. During school holidays, the school provides themed, multilingual Vacation Programmes for children aged 4–12, covering topics like science, art, coding, and sports.