CLIPPY Language Immersion Programme

German Primary Department

Our curriculum has a real, hands-on feel where children participate and are not just spectators. We are passionate about the breadth, balance and opportunities the German Primary Department’s curriculum gives. Activities and investigations allow students to learn to think for themselves and to solve problems. We want every student to thrive at GSIS and we achieve this by taking the time to get to know every child who joins us so we can build their confidence in all aspects of school life.

Our Mission

At the core of all we do here is our mission to help our children gain the confidence and skills to enable them to move to the next stage of their education in our Secondary Department as happy and fulfilled students. We want every child to feel relaxed, happy and at home here with students learning to be proud of themselves and their abilities, and respectful and tolerant of others. Our students have plenty of time for play, fun and laughter; we believe it is how you learn and not only what you learn.

Cultural Language Immersion Programme Primary Years (CLIPPY)

Our CLIPPY programme is a German language immersion programme. It enables those children who do not have German language fluency to join us and be supported by Deutsch als Fremdsprache (DaF - German as a foreign language). Our aim is to have our CLIPPY students fully integrated into our German curriculum classes within a year by having fifteen lessons of DaF each week. Our commitment is to ensure that each child receives the very best education we can offer, in a friendly, tight knit community. 

Admission into the CLIPPY programme is only open to students starting at the beginning of a school year (ie August), and while we welcome children with no prior knowledge of German, admission decisions are made individually based upon an interview and test in English, Maths and soft skills, for example concentration and perseverance. Furthermore, it is expected that enrolled students will have taken a Summer course at the Goethe Institute before term commences. For non-native speakers, our best entry points into our school are in DVOR or K01. We are still happy to welcome students in K02-K03 but we see the most progress and success in students learning German if they join us earlier. GSIS welcomes a limited number of students into the CLIPPY programme to facilitate integration and the children participate fully in GSIS life.

The German International Stream’s Primary Department is a wonderful place to be a child and we encourage you to visit us so we can show you how we can get the very best out of your son or daughter, whatever their individual strengths and skills.

Our CLIPPY Families

Meet Allison
Allison's family had a strong interest in different languages. German being widely spoken across Europe, she joined the CLIPPY programme to become a global citizen.
Read her story

Meet Lisa
Lisa comes from a German-Japanese family. Her parents wanted her to speak German but also experience the culture first-hand.
Read her story