FAQs
Yes. The cafeterias on both campuses operate on an online pre-order basis for students from Early Years 4 up to grade 8. Registration forms for the lunch program are available from the Lower School Office and the Sindelfingen Office. Once registered, ordering and payment is direct to our provider, Michael Schmitt Gastro.
The lunch program offers two options at a cost of Euro 4,96 per meal:
Menu 1 – a meat or fish menu with vegetables, salad and a dessert or fresh fruit
Menu 2 – a vegetarian meal with vegetables, salad and a dessert or fresh fruit
You may order or cancel orders up until 9am each day and you have the opportunity to order up to six weeks at one time.
On the Degerloch Campus a café offers a selection of healthy snacks and drinks from 08:00 to 16:30. Parents are welcome to use the café.
While we do not have a school uniform as such, we do require that all students on both campuses wear the Physical Education uniform during their PE classes.
When a student enters ISS for the first time, they will be given a complimentary full uniform set (white ISS t-shirt, blue ISS shorts, long pants and fleece). After that, and if a family wants more than one of any item, they can be purchased at school from the PE Department, or can be ordered online and picked up at the PE Department.
Yes, we offer 7 weeks of summer camp for 3 to 14 year olds starting at the beginning of July each year. Summer @ ISS is a wonderful opportunity for children to have fun and be safely supervised by a top quality staff. This program is designed to allow children to learn through a wide range of play, art and physical activities, while positively developing their social skills through group interaction. Campers will have the chance to meet challenges, make new friends and have wonderful experiences that will last a lifetime.
Weeks may be booked separately but places do fill up fast. Please contact the Camp Director for further details.
No, the school does not provide transportation services but both campuses are well served by public transportation.
Yes, for a modest additional fee, ISS provides an extended day program for students aged 3-7 that runs from 14:50 to 17:00.
Yes. Field trips are considered a valuable educational and social experience for all students. During the school year field trips may be taken for one or more of the following reasons:
- To supplement or enhance a unit of study
- To help the students to become familiar with the local German environment and culture
- To expose the students to international cultures and language
- To encourage or develop positive social attitudes and class spirit
Field trips may take a variety of different forms:
- A short trip within walking distance of the school e.g. to the fire station or a local business.
- A day trip requiring use of public transportation e.g. a trip to the zoo or to a museum.
- An extended field trip involving one or more nights away. e.g. to the Bodensee, Black Forest or beyond Germany such as the annual Ardeche trip. Parents are informed of such trips at the first parent evening of the school year and further information meetings for parents take place no less than two weeks before the trip.
One important and distinctive feature of our IB Diploma program is that ISS allows any student interested to try. Unlike other schools that are highly selective, we allow all students to participate in the full program. We do counsel some to focus on ISS Diploma, which is also a rigorous program, but in the end, all of our 11th and 12th grade courses are IB Diploma courses, so no matter which program a student chooses it is a demanding one.
Even so, our students do very well in comparison to other schools. With the most recent cohort of 2013, for example, 23 of our subject area results were higher than the world average. Only 5 were less. We had a 94% pass rate and our average point total was 32.4, again a very favorable comparison to other schools. Our lowest point count was 25 and our highest was 43. Our average for core points was again much higher than the world average.
What was particularly gratifying was that this cohort had been with us for a long time, attesting to the overall high quality of our educational programs…and of course the diligence and commitment of each one of our graduating 2013 seniors!
The purpose of the Degerloch Campus English as an Additional Language Program is to support children who do not have English as a Language A to succeed in the mainstream classroom program. EAL specialists teach the language skills that English learners need to become proficient in English to access the ISS curriculum. EAL supports the child in developing linguistic communicative academic competence and generates a positive attitude and awareness of international-mindedness. EAL classes provide opportunities for students to adjust to the new environment and develop the social skills needed for an easy transition into the mainstream.
In addition, the purpose of the Mother Tongue Support Program is to support as many students as possible in maintaining, developing, and using their mother tongue to access the ISS curriculum. While clearly the exposure cannot match what the students would be having in their own national system, the school acknowledges the importance of mother-tongue maintenance and aims to support the students in developing their home language skills as much as possible.
Grant-in-Aid (GIA) is available to families whose personal and family resources are inadequate to meet the full cost of education. Eligibility for GIA is means tested and determined by the GIA Committee. Families are required to submit their application two months before the beginning of the school year. Application Forms for Grant-in-Aid can be requested from the Admissions Office.
For families coming to ISS from abroad we process applications at any time.
There is no discount for more than one child, but Grant-in-Aid (GIA) is available to families whose personal and family resources are inadequate to meet the full cost of education. Eligibility for GIA is means tested and determined by the GIA Committee. Families are required to submit their application two months before the beginning of the school year. Application Forms for Grant-in-Aid can be requested from the Admissions Office.
Extra-curricular opportunities for personal development and character building are available through our competitive sports programs (GISST Teams and SV-ISS), our performing arts program and our global citizenship programs.
In addition, our After School Activities Program provides opportunities for personal enrichment for all students by introducing them to different activities and experiences in fun ways. In a safe, non-competitive environment students can learn new skills or perfect existing ones.
As a rule, our maximum class size is 22 students. However, for some subjects in the High School class sizes may be smaller.
Please see the school day page for the Degerloch and Sindelfingen campuses for detailed information.
ISS offers English and German as first languages (Language A). Language A equips students with linguistic, analytical and communicative skills. Students study literary, non-literary and visual texts, develop their skills for creative and expository writing and present their viewpoints.
German, French, Spanish and English are offered as additional languages (Language B). Students are placed into classes according to their phase of language development. Those who are fluent in English, study German and a choice of French or Spanish. The classes emphasize cultural understanding, oral communication, and comprehension of visual and written texts as well as written communication.
All grade 11 and 12 students are automatically enrolled in the ISS Diploma Course, the successful completion of which results in a New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) qualified high school diploma which is recognized by most colleges in North America.
The successful completion an International Baccalaureate Diploma gains students an international qualification recognized by most colleges and universities throughout the world.
The teaching staff is chosen by the Director and the Principals in cooperation. The teachers are chosen not only because of the nature of their qualifications and experience but also for their expressed philosophy of education.
Our teachers bring to our international learning community not only their own national heritage, but also their experience of working in other countries around the world. Other countries that ISS teachers have worked in include:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Botswana, Canada, China, the Congo, France, Great Britain, Greece, Haiti, Holland, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kalimantan & West Papua, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tasmania, Thailand, the USA, Turkey and Vietnam.
ISS has two campuses. One in Degerloch, a suburb of Stuttgart, and one in Sindelfingen, a town about 15 kilometers to the south of Stuttgart. Both campuses have good access from the motorway system and are well served by public transport.
Please see the location pages for more precise details.
The International School of Stuttgart aims to provide a first class international education in the English language to children of internationally mobile and internationally minded families living in the Stuttgart area. Therefore the school’s first obligation is to meet the educational needs of international children.
The decision as to which applications are accepted will be taken in a manner consistent with the ISS Mission Statement. The placement of students in a grade or class is the responsibility of the relevant Principal. Should the Principal or Admissions Manager deem necessary, an Admissions Committee can be convened. The Admissions Committee consists of the relevant specialist teacher, the Director, the pertinent Principal and the Admissions Manager. For concerns regarding placement of a student in a grade, the promotion and retention policy will be referred to on a case-by-case basis.
Admissions subject tests, such as in Mathematics, are likely to be required of students before they are admitted, particularly if they are joining with a mother tongue other than English. These tests are mostly to determine subject placement, however. Language tests in German and English in particular, could lead to an admissions denial on a case-by-case basis depending on the age of the student and the ability to access our curriculum.
