“My family and I are from South Africa, we have been living in Germany for the last seven years. My eldest daughter Juliet, who is currently in grade 3 at the Josef-Schwarz-Schule (JSS), was born in South Africa we moved here when she was just turning two. So basically from the age of two, she has been in a German language environment. At home, however, we only speak English, it’s kind of an unwritten rule.”
“It felt really fantastic when Juliet was offered the place at the Josef-Schwarz-Schule, it is really beneficial for her to attend this school for many reasons but for us, the bilingual aspect very important. Juliet had very little English in her life before starting school besides holidays with friends and family she really only had us at home, her books and some TV. Everything else was in German including playing and language develops so strongly when you play so her German really developed rapidly. When we realised that there was the opportunity to expose her to more English language in her German environment, we took it! When she started grade 1 at Josef-Schwarz-Schule, she had more exposure to English than she’d had for the last four years on a daily basis and she flourished because of it.”
“Our daughter really enjoys going to the Josef-Schwarz-Schule! I think she loves that she is encouraged to use her strengths and we have found a school where the teachers have taken the time to understand her, to understand how she learns, what she is capable of and what her strengths are. Juliet loves to participate in class through oral presentation and art she is encouraged to do this through Phorms Education. She is never told that there is only one way to do her work. Juliet also enjoys the structure of her school days and the technology and other resources that are available there. The use of different technology resources daily in the classroom is cutting edge and creates a really dynamic learning environment.”
“What I particularly like about the Phorms concept is that they teach using different methods. I think Juliet really benefits from this as she is being taught in a way that she finds easier to learn. For example, Juliet enjoys maths but she does not find it naturally easy, so it is really great that her teacher is using other methods to help her and other children learn. They are teaching maths through songs, through art – it’s not just the teacher at the front of the classroom telling them what to do. There are a lot of group activities as well, which she really enjoys. I think she enjoys the peer-to-peer education and support. I totally appreciate the openness of the teachers and their concentration on the strengths and areas of support for each child.”
“I have already recommended Phorms based on the openness of the leadership and teachers. We have also already registered our youngest daughter for the reception year starting 2019. The teachers and the school in general communicate really well with the students and parents. I feel like I’m sufficiently informed. The fact that the teachers are from all over the world, not only brings a lot of international experience to the school but also their very own cultures. Not only has my daughter had German teachers, she has had an American teacher, an English teacher and now she has a Canadian teacher – for an eight-year-old it’s amazing to be exposed to so many other cultures. We as parents appreciate that as well. We really feel that in school there is a lot of cultural learning going on.”
“The words I would use to describe Phorms are inclusive, forward thinking and fun. For me, as a parent, it’s always important that children have fun in school. I think Phorms offers a very pleasant school-home balance Juliet rarely has homework, which is a very big positive. And yes, she is challenged at school – she has German, she has English, she has all the subjects, she’s playing, socialising and all the other fun elements too.”
