It’s the time of year when many families are looking at boarding school options for the next academic year, 24-25. There are so many amazing schools around the world, which makes coming to a decision quite difficult!
 
Choosing between a Swiss boarding school and one elsewhere in the world, depends on personal preferences and goals. Consider factors like culture, language, academic programme and the school’s Guiding Statements when making your decision.

Are you looking for a school which is purely results oriented or do you want a more holistic education, with a balance between academic rigour and a stimulating extra-curricular offer?

Brillantmont is happy to have contributed to a recent article in International School Parent magazine, which talks about A Levels, offered at our school. You may read an edited version of the article here and find the link to International School Parent here.

Thank you to International School Parent for the opportunity to talk about a qualification that is at the heart of Brillantmont learning!

Your Guide to A-Levels

A-Levels are an internationally recognised university entrance qualification and yet there are many misconceptions about their academic rigour, the ‘freedom’ they afford students, and their outcomes.

A-levels (Advanced Level qualifications) are a crucial part of the education system in the United Kingdom and are typically taken by students aged 16 to 18 during their last two years of Secondary school. A-Levels are the most frequently sat university entrance qualification with over 10,000 schools in 160 countries teaching A-Level courses. This number includes British schools outside the UK that are increasingly offering either the UK A-Level or the international variant of this certification.

Although A-Levels are recognised and accepted by tertiary institutions across the globe, there is still confusion amongst parents around what the programme entails and why it might be the best fit for their child.

Haridus on tänapäeval suur äri, mis on pannud koolikette kogu maailmas avama uusi filiaale. Ka Šveits ei ole siin erand: haridusmaastikule on ilmunud rida uusi koole, mis alles otsivad oma võimalust, samas kui teised vahetavad sageli omanikku.  

See seab lapsevanemad küsimuse ette: kas valida lapsele kool, mis kohandab oma rahvusvahelise mudeli kohaliku turu vajadustega, või eelistada mitmeid põlvkondi püsinud õppeasutust, millel on ette näidata aastakümnete pikkune kogemus, nagu Šveitsi erakool?

Are you feeling nostalgic for your school days?

Do you miss catching up with old friends and reliving your memories of Brillantmont, the oldest Swiss boarding school to be owned and run by the same family? 
 
Here at Brillantmont, we had the joy of recently welcoming many of our alumni back on campus. Whether it's been 10 years or 50 since your graduation, school reunions are a magical way of bringing people together. This was proven at Brillantmont's 140th anniversary event on June 3rd, which saw over 300 alumni returning back to their alma mater in Switzerland from all corners of the world. Some came from as far away as Australia and California and we are truly touched that they made such a great effort to be with us.

Brillantmont welcomes students from 8^th Grade onwards. 8^th Grade is an exciting grade in which to join the school as there’s so much to do!

Let’s meet Ms Niki, one of our 8^th Grade teachers to see what she loves.

When exam time finally comes around, everything can start to seem a little overwhelming. Have you prepared enough? What will the exam be like? Students always have a lot of questions in the last day or two - and hopefully this article will help you to feel a little more ready!

After all those years of studying hard in your lessons, you have built up some great knowledge which will help you answer the questions and get the best grades. However, you need to be ready to put what you know onto the exam paper.

This includes revision to solidify your understanding of the subject, plus taking care of yourself so you are in the best mental shape on the day. It can also help to know a little about what to expect in the exam.

Exam season is upon us and students at Brillantmont are working hard preparing for the big day. There are a number of exams coming up in the coming months, including mocks and then the IGCSE and AS/A levels, the IELTS, plus language exams such as DELE and DELF.

Exam time can be stressful, but good preparation is the key to success. By structuring your study, reading up on what to expect and looking after yourself mentally and physically, you can build yourself a pathway to exam success.

Take your time

Starting your revision too late makes it hard to retain the information, and often leads to panic. Our brains can’t focus on learning when we are stressed, and rushing your revision at the last minute is definitely stressful. Instead, create a study plan several weeks before the exam and use it to space out your subjects and topics.

This school year, we are celebrating our 140th anniversary since in 1882, Brillantmont International School was founded by the great-grandparents of the current owners, the Frei family. Our school is the only Swiss boarding school which has belonged to the same family for five generations.

In 1882 Brillantmont opened as a boarding school - the Pensionnat Heubi -  for just seven girls originally in the rural setting of Lutry, only to move a few years later to the more urban setting of Lausanne.

Swiss private education has a reputation which stretches far beyond its national boundaries. Generations of young people have enjoyed not only a challenging, personalised education which has opened doors across the world but have taken advantage of the range of activities offered within the natural playground of Switzerland.

Switzerland is a safe country at the crossroads of Europe, sharing national borders with France, Italy, Austria and Germany. With four national language areas there are huge cultural differences, yet these differences make for successful cohabitation, earning the Swiss a reputation for tolerance, respect, understanding and safety. Moreover, multilingualism is a key part of the international school experience in Switzerland

As the current school year draws to a close, we are very excited here at Brillantmont International School. We are not only looking forward to celebrating our Class of 2022 in our upcoming Prize Giving and Graduation Day, but we are also looking ahead to the new school year,  since 2022-2023 marks our 140th anniversary year. Over that time there have been hundreds of people across the world who have enjoyed studying on our incredible campus here in Lausanne.