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  2. The Swiss School of Milan

The Swiss School of Milan

The Swiss School of Milan

  • The School

    Many years have passed since that distant year of 1860, when the first pupils entered the International School of Milan, an institution that was transformed into the Swiss School of Milan in 1919.

    The school has witnessed, lived through and survived history: the First World War, the years of Fascism, the Second World War, the 1960s and the student movement, and the new millennium.

    To date, around 7,000 pupils have filled the classrooms and corridors of the Swiss School in Milan.

    The Swiss School is a healthy and expanding school that enjoys an excellent reputation and high credibility in the eyes of Milan and the Swiss and Italian school authorities. This is thanks to the directors and council members who have taken turns over the decades.

    It is thanks to the parents, teachers and, above all, all the pupils who have experienced and continue to experience the school.”

Our History

Our school was founded in 1860 with the aim of offering education in German in Milan and providing an alternative to the predominantly Catholic education system. In 1919, it was recognised by the Swiss Confederation as a Swiss school abroad. Since 1939, the school has been located at Via Appiani 21, in the vibrant heart of the Lombard capital, and can look back on 160 years of history. Our school is an open window to the world. The Swiss School Milan is distinguished by its innovative teaching methods and the teaching of German as a first language. It is one of seventeen Swiss schools abroad that are recognised by the Federal Department of Home Affairs in Bern and the Italian authorities. The school has around 250 pupils of various nationalities, making it a truly cosmopolitan school.

Teaching follows the guidelines of the Canton of Graubünden and Curriculum 21. High-quality teaching is ensured by native-speaking teachers who are constantly engaged in further education and training programmes. Bilingual education begins in kindergarten and continues until the acquisition of the bilingual Abitur, which is recognised by both the Swiss Confederation and the Italian Ministry of Education. Our school's diploma opens the doors to national and international universities. The Swiss school is inherently multilingual, and foreign language instruction is of fundamental importance. Our educational approach is based on bilingualism, but English lessons are added to German and Italian lessons from the third grade onwards. French and Latin are taught from the second year of secondary school, and Spanish can be chosen as an optional subject in sixth form. 

PATRON

In October 2015 Prof. Dr. Bernhard Vogel, Prime Minister of the region Rheinland-Pfalz  and the State of Thuringia became a patron of the Rahn Schulen Kairo 

"I admire the initiative and the courage of Rahn Education to stabilize the country of Egypt and to strengthen the German-Egyptian relations. With the patronage I want to support this commitment "expressed Prof. Vogel his motivation for this step. Gotthard Dittrich is very happy about this development for Rahn Schulen Kairo: "We are proud and joyful satisfied that a personality of political life as the chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Prof. Dr. Bernhard Vogel is on our side which supports our goal of developing a free, non-profit, independent German school abroad.


The contact between Rahn Education and Prof. Vogel has existed since 2007, which is the year of founding Primary School in Altenburg, where Prof. Vogel is a patron from the very first day. In 2014, Prof. Vogel visited the campus in Neuzelle and held there his speech at the graduation ceremony. During this visit, he already could provide detailed information on the international orientation of Rahn Education.

The idea of patronage for Rahn Schulen Kairo was born during the conversation between Sameh Elmahmoudy (board member of the European Foundation of Rahn Education for Education and Culture), Gotthard Dittrich (CEO) and Prof. Vogel.

In March 2016 Prof. Vogel visited Rahn Schulen Kairo for the first time. The students showed him with great pleasure their school and prepared a patronage ceremony.

Our patron is Prof. Dr. Bernhard Vogel
Missione

Our mission is to educate young, dynamic and curious global citizens, providing them with the fundamental tools to prepare them for an increasingly international and globalised reality. Bilingual teaching and an environment that promotes the encounter between different cultures and languages contribute to creating tolerance, respect and open-mindedness. The Swiss School Rahn Education Milan is a peaceful and multicultural environment, the ideal place for the development and education of children, thanks in part to the school's political and religious independence and its consideration and respect for the decisions and identities of students, parents and staff. High-quality teaching, education for independence and responsibility, intellectual curiosity and the development of critical thinking are our hallmarks. Innovation and dynamism are the hallmarks of our school.
The fundamental values of the Swiss Confederation – autonomy, freedom and openness – give our pupils a passport to the world.
Educational concept The Swiss Rahn School in Milano uses Curriculum 21, which is implemented in 21 Swiss cantons, as its didactic and pedagogical reference. However, the division of the cycles is based on the Italian national system.

  • Kindergarten Primary school: from first to fifth grade
  • Secondary school: from sixth to eighth grade
  • Gymnasium: from ninth to twelfth grade

Fifth-grade pupils attend a preparatory course in order to take the aptitude test at the end of the primary school cycle and enter the next cycle. In secondary school (sixth to eighth grade), pupils prepare for the state examination (Licenza Media) at the end of eighth grade from the second semester of seventh grade onwards, while grammar school pupils are prepared for the internationally recognised Italian-Swiss bilingual Abitur.
Bilingualism and multilingualism Foreign language teaching is the foundation of the educational approach at the Swiss school Rahn Education Milano. Languages are taught by native speakers in accordance with the standards of Swiss teacher training colleges.

  • Children learn German in a playful way as early as kindergarten.
  • Children learn Italian in a playful way as early as kindergarten.
  • English begins in Year 3.
  • French begins in Year 7.
  • Latin begins in Year 7.
  • Spanish is offered as a core subject or elective subject at secondary school.

There is also the opportunity to obtain recognised certifications in German (Goethe C1), English (IELTS, Advanced C1), French (DELF B2) and Spanish (DELE B2). Enrolment at the Swiss school Rahn Education Milan does not require parents to have any knowledge of German. For parents who would like an introduction to the German language, the school can organise special courses on request.

Our Foundation Board
WORK AND LIVING IN CAIRO