Secondary Level I und II

The Abitur is the highest school-leaving qualification in Germany (like High School Diploma) and qualifies students to study in German. In the Abitur at our bilingual school, the advanced English course is mandatory for all students during the qualification phase in Years 12 and 13 and another of the first four examination subjects is taken in English. A maximum of two examination subjects can be in English; at least two examination subjects must be in German. The fifth examination component (presentation examination or assignment with oral examination) can then be in German or English. The languages of the examination subjects must be taken into account when choosing a course and must be adhered to. The “Cambridge Certificate” course can also be chosen as an additional course in Year 13. This prepares students specifically for this internationally recognized language examination with certificate and the grades also count towards the course requirements for the Abitur. With the Abitur from our school – lessons and exams in two languages – and the Cambridge Certificate in hand, our students can study at all universities worldwide where German or English are spoken as the languages of study.

Science, art and music are generally taught in English at secondary level I, while humanities and WAT are generally taught in German. Sport can be taught in German or English. Mathematics is taught in German from year 9 at the latest. At secondary level II, the language in which each subject is taught and examined is specified in advance.

At our school, students complete the Abitur in 13 school years. In our opinion, this offers the following advantages:

• It enables students to engage intensively and in a focused manner with the course content, allowing them to develop a deeper understanding and prepare themselves in Year 11 for the requirements of the qualification phase in Years 12 and 13 or use the time to visit a school abroad (see below). In the introductory phase in year 11, there will be preparation courses for each advanced course and thus also the opportunity to make adjustments to the choice of advanced courses if it does not fit, as well as the choice of possible new subjects, such as philosophy, economics or computer science.
• The examinations for the intermediate school leaving certificate (MSA) in Year 10 serve as preparation and very good practice for the Abitur in order to get to know one’s own skills in dealing with examinations and increase the seriousness of learning from Year 10 onwards.
• Over a longer school period, the young people have the opportunity to grow personally, discover and deepen their interests, be it in academic subjects and with regard to study and career choices, but above all in out-of-school activities.

If we have free school places, admission is generally possible.

We offer DaZ (German as a second language) and EAL (English as an Additional Language) for all lateral entrants in current Years 1 to 10 – for secondary education, however, it must be ensured that the language requirements for successful learning are met in both German and English. For the admission of external students, we will arrange appointments and/or trial days so that we can get a personal impression of the level of performance, work and social behavior and the German/English language level. Further information, including details of the required language level, can be found here.

If you are interested in a school place and have questions about the application process, we will be happy to advise you.

Ja, denn unser Schulvertrag endet nach der 10. Klasse mit dem Abschluss des Mittleren Schulabschlusses. Es ist keine erneute Bewerbung oder Anmeldung für die 7. Klasse notwendig.

Admission is subject to the condition that the entitlement to transfer to the gymnasiale Oberstufe is achieved, which is regulated in the Berlin School Act as well as in the regulations on the secondary level I (Sek I-VO § 48) and on the gymnasiale Oberstufe (VO-GO §§ 4 -6) in the current version: Passing the examinations for the intermediate school leaving certificate (MSA) and an average grade of at least 3.0 in Year 10 (= MSA plus). When admitting students to secondary level II, we also look at their work and social behavior and whether they meet the foreign language requirements for the Abitur.

Since bilingual learning is a particular challenge, good academic performance and good work and social behavior are required for admission to both the secondary level I and the secondary level II (gymnasiale Oberstufe); the last 3 school reports are decisive. For admission to Year 7, we require from all students who live in Germany a Förderprognose with Gymnasialempfehlung. In the case of an invitation to trial days or an introductory appointment, we also evaluate the students’ learning status in the main subjects of mathematics, German and English in a test based on the Berlin framework curriculum and conduct a personal interview with the student.

The subject teachers for German, English, mathematics, Spanish, science, social sciences and art offer consultations with us so that students can discuss questions about class topics with them in peace and quiet, catch up on lessons due to illness or prepare for exams, tests or presentations. Our aim is to support and challenge students individually with regard to their strengths and weaknesses. The consultations take place before or after lessons and are mainly open sessions.

In addition to our school in the main building, we have built a new, modern building with four classrooms for students in secondary levels I and II on the neighboring property – our “Second House”. We have also developed new classrooms, course rooms and break rooms for secondary levels I and II in the main building and on the first floor of the neighboring building at Berliner Straße 13. We are also converting a former embassy villa at Benjamin-Vogelsdorff-Str. 1 in Berlin-Pankow by the start of the 2025/26 school year. This building previously housed our Platanus Kindergarten, and we are expanding the building to include two additional large classrooms and a large multifunctional room that can also be used as a cafeteria. We are looking forward to our new campus – exclusively for upper secondary students – and to modern, energy-efficient premises for our upper secondary school, just a few minutes’ walk from our school’s main building.

In principle, you are welcome to plan a self-organized stay abroad with school attendance during secondary school for your child, for which we recommend the 11th grade. The exact modalities for re-entry into our school after the stay abroad depend on individual performance, work and social behavior as well as the duration of the stay abroad. We are happy to provide individual advice.

In addition to regular consultations with our subject teachers to support learning, we also offer extra support lessons in German, mathematics and English up to Year 10 if required. A homework room is available twice a week in our school to complete homework while still at school with the support of a teacher.

We offer our young people exciting extracurricular STEM initiatives, such as annual participation in the Climate Future Conference, the Girls’ Technology Congress, the World Robot Olympiad, the Math Olympiad, the HEUREKA! Man and Nature competition, the Kangaroo of Mathematics competition and, as a certified chess school, participation in various chess tournaments.

We also organize school-wide tournaments, such as soccer, basketball, volleyball and table tennis matches or take part in external competitions. We are also active with our students in “Jugend debattiert”. Many different clubs for our secondary students round off the afternoon program.

Participation in the Duke of Edinburgh International Award, a global non-formal education program that challenges young people to face, overcome and succeed in challenges. It enables young people to become more confident and resilient and to develop skills in areas such as communication, problem solving and leadership. You can find more information about the Duke Award here.

Our student lounge and an outdoor chill-out area are exclusively available to our secondary school students.