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ABOUT

FAQ

SCHOOL INFORMATION

The International School of Genoa (ISG) is a not-for-profit organisation, whose objective is to offer high quality international education in English for students of all nationalities from reception to high school in the metropolitan area of Genoa. All families pay a one-time-only membership fee and they become associates of the school.
ISG offers a complete international educational programme in English. All subjects, except for the second and third language are taught in English, including Music, Art, Drama and PE.

Italian is the second language of the school: from Early childhood onwards, Italian is part of the curriculum. From Elementary school onwards, Italian students take Italian A, a course for native speakers which follows the requirements of the Italian school system. International students take Italian B as a language acquisition course. Starting in middle school, all students take a third language choosing among Spanish, French, German and Mandarin.

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ISG offers education from Reception (age 2) through grade 12 (age 18). Below you will find a table comparing some school systems:

Grade Comparison ISG

We have over 40 nationalities represented at ISG. Approximately 35% are International and 65% Italians. The majority of local students start attending ISG in the early years and continue their studies until high school.

ISG is located in Via Romana della Castagna, in Genova Quarto, in the east end of the city of Genoa. ISG is only 15 minutes away from the city center and 40 minutes away from the airport of Genoa.

The majority of the ISG families live between the suburbs named Nervi, Quinto, Quarto, Sturla and Albaro. There are also several families who live further on the east coast (up to Rapallo and Santa Margherita Ligure on the east coast and Cogoleto and Arenzano on the west coast. An external company named Cairocar offers the school bus service and covers the area between Arenzano and Santa Margherita.

The map indicates the areas where the majority of ISG families live

ISG does not have any boarding facilities. Students must reside with at least one parent or legal guardian.
Enrolment is always open. While most students start in September, there are students who may also enroll at other times during the school year as long as there is space available.

SCHOOL LIFE

School meets Monday through Friday, from 8:15 to 15:40: 

  • Students in Early childhood (Ages 2-5) start by 8:30 am. The school day ends at 3:20 pm. 
  • Elementary, Middle School and High school starts at 8:15 am and ends at 3:40.

Students may arrive as early as 8:00 in the morning. The After School Program runs from 15:45 to 16:45. The After school Child care club offered to students ages 2 to 7 runs from 15:45 to 17:20.

Many parents drive their children to school themselves, others use the school bus service. Middle and High School students may also choose to take the public bus. The bus service is offered by an external company named Cairocar. The service covers the coastal area, from Arenzano on the west end, to Santa Margherita, on the east end of the coastal area. For more information about costs, times and pickup points, please contact them directly: cairocar@cairocar.it – 0039.010587017.

There is no school uniform, but students are required to dress appropriately and respectfully at school. Additionally, students from Reception to Grade 10 are required to wear an ISG t-shirt for Physical Education lessons.

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The school hired a catering company that is responsible for preparing daily hot meals using the internal kitchen. All students have lunch in school and the cost is included in the tuition.
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Yes, ISG offers several clubs that run once a week from 15:45 to 16:45. The current after-school activities program, its costs and subscription rules are described in the dedicated section of our website.

Students have access to a variety of activities: sports, thematic clubs, musical productions, Yearbook Club, MUN Club, SAT prep.

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Yes, ISG offers an after school child care club, that runs from 15.30 – 17.20 on all full school days during the school year. It is an additional paid service and parents may choose to register their child for 2 to 5 days a week.

COMMUNITY

Our students come from all over the world and they represent over 40 different nationalities. Approximately 35% are International and 65% Italians. The majority of local students start attending ISG in the early years and continue their studies until high school.

Our experienced teachers come from a wide range of schools around the world and represent more than 10 different nationalities, including the United States, the UK, Australia, Canada, China, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon, Russia, and Spain. ISG teachers are hired with the support of specialized international agencies.
The yearly turnover of our staff is approximately 10%

We strongly encourage parent involvement at ISG. Through the Parents Association, parents can volunteer to be on various planning committees, such as for Halloween, Carnival or International Day. The Moms and Dads groups are parent-led groups that offer ways for parents to socialize with each other outside the school. For more information, visit the Parents Association section of our website.

ADMISSIONS

Students can join ISG at any time during the school year, space permitting. The child can begin school soon after the admissions process is completed and a place has been confirmed. A suitable start date will be determined in collaboration with the family. The enrolment period for the current school year remains open throughout the year. In general, the enrolment period for the following school year opens in October.

The students’ placement is generally based on the year of birth and the academic background of the child. The cut-off time is December 31st: in general all students born in the year of reference are placed in class together. Factors such as native language development, social and emotional development, previous school progress reports, teacher observation, and parent comments will be used to determine the appropriate grade placement. 

Yes, ISG accepts students who are not native or native-like English speakers. The school will conduct an assessment for students entering Elementary, Middle School and High School, to determine the level of written and spoken English. Based on the results and the age of the child, the school will schedule the required language support during school hours.
There are specific requirements for entering high school: Level B1/B2 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) for Grade 9, and Level C1/C2, (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) for Grade 10 and 11.
Students with English levels below this may still be admitted to ISG, but will be expected to undertake at an additional cost, an intensive English language course in order to reach the required level of language proficiency.
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ISG has a Learning support team. Our Learning Support Program is designed for students who have certified learning difficulties, whether mild, moderate or severe. Classroom teachers are sensitive to the needs of individual students and work closely with Learning Support Specialists to monitor students’ progress.
The Learning Support program includes in-class interventions, co-teaching and outside the classroom individual or small group instruction based on student needs, up to a maximum of 3 support periods per week.

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The general tuition fee structure is available here on the school website.
Yes. The full IB Diploma (IBDP) is accepted by public universities.The IBDP is recognized by the Italian Ministry of Education as an eligible pre-university diploma program and does not require further recognition in order to apply for admission to an Italian university. Similarly it is recognized in 140 countries around the world. In order to attend university in Italy the student´s IB score is converted to its equivalent on the Italian system.