German as a Second Language

Support programme for non-native speakers of German: In order to offer support to foreign-language pupils in their language and social integration process at our school, we have created an integration and support programme which is tailored to each pupil’s individual needs.

Special courses for pupils who are transferring from other schools: We have reacted swiftly to a change in the social demographics of Basel’s educational institutions, which has become increasingly apparent at our school: the number of transfer requests stemming from an internationally-oriented segment of the local population has increased steadily. The majority of these pupils are transfer students who are non-native speakers of German. These students have the academic ability required to attend Swiss gymnasium, but they need to improve their mastery of the German language.

Immersion training in German:
 As a response to this new challenge, we offer regular assistance in the form of immersion training in German as a Second Language. The main objective is to improve the linguistic competence of the foreign-language speaking pupils efficiently, so that they can reach the level of their peers as quickly as possible, without neglecting their most precious resource: their mother tongue.
Additional measures: Individual support in the area of German as a Foreign Language has been conceived to complement regular German lessons. With the implementation of this interdisciplinary support programme, we have broadened the spectrum of our measures with regard to individual tutoring and coaching to include this especially challenging area.

Creating an equal opportunity: Within the framework of normal German lessons, the following measures apply in order to create an equal opportunity for foreign language students to succeed academically:
Individually tailored materials and assignments
Abridged tests
Extension of time period allotted for tests
Use of language dictionaries permitted
Test answers in English also accepted
Individual assessment of learning progress

Participation and integration: In addition to the multitude of social opportunities, which only a public school can offer, we give young foreign language speakers the possibility to experience intercultural learning processes and to improve their communicative competency. A driving force in the successful integration of our foreign-language speaking pupils is the daily contact with other students in an atmosphere characterized by openness and tolerance. This form of social and language integration remains a key factor.