The early years of a child’s school life are fundamentally important for better learning in the future. During these years children are always eager to learn new things, and schools as well as teachers, help them to develop the right skills to become independent and lead successful lives.
With a view to empower children to become more creative and lifelong learners, Esbjerg International School (EIS) was founded. Situated on the outskirts of the Guldager, Denmark, EIS is built on three key values – Engage, Learn and Reflect.
- Engage: providing a safe educational environment where all students, staff, and parents engage in a caring and diverse culture of learning.
- Learn: turning engagement into reflective academic excellence focusing on the needs of the individual learner to prepare for any level of further education.
- Reflect: where learners acquire new knowledge and skills through ongoing reflection and engagement
EIS became an independent school in 2011 and bought a closed school from the Municipality of Esbjerg and moved in with 17 students. Today the school has more than 300 hundred students in three divisions i.e. early years, primary and secondary. In the last eight years, the number of students has increased from 17 to 312 which indicate the immense success of the school. The school currently has an enrollment from over 50 different nationalities.
Exhibiting Distinction
EIS has a well-equipped campus with all facilitates which include spacious classrooms, a gymnasium, a rich library, a world-class science lab, a computer lab, football fields, large new playgrounds, kids stop and a green space expanse. The students aged 5-10 can join the EIS’s Kids Stop where a variety of organized and free play activities are available. The campus is well connected by rail, road, and air.
Appreciating Diversity
EIS embraces and celebrates diversity in the campus; the students from various countries attend the school each and every day. The students experience a variety of cultures as well as people and learn how to work with people from diverse backgrounds. EIS provides a dynamic environment for high-quality education that gives students the edge of having a pragmatic approach in understanding the concepts.
About the Head of School
Jason Lusby is the Head of Esbjerg International School. He joined the school as a primary teacher and through perseverance and hard work, he was appointed as Head of Primary just within a year. He has ample years of rich experience in education and has taught at various international schools around the world. In April 2018, Jason was appointed as EIS’s 3rd Head of School. His wife Melissa teaches PYP6 and his two children are in primary school. Jason had made significant contributions in the education industry and under his able leadership, EIS has achieved great success.
Dynamic Curriculum and Pedagogy
EIS offers International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) to a diverse cohort of students. The school aims to provide the IB Middle Years Program (MYP) soon within a year. This will make it easier for the students who move to another IB school in some different country because the teaching pattern will remain the same. EIS offers several academic programs that are designed with an innovative syllabus to provide its students with hands-on learning.
In EIS, early years are for the children aged 3 to 5 with diverse backgrounds and countries learn together. In this program, the children receive a foundation in basic literacy and numeracy skills. Apart from this, they learn social skills during playtime and have fun with children. The Primary classes are usually for students aged between 5 to 10, and secondary classes are for the students aged between 11 to 16 or 17.
EIS offers a drama program for the primary school as well as the secondary school. Each year students demonstrate their major production works. It also offers a strong robotics program in partnership with LEGO. EIS encourages the students to collaborate, communicate, be creative and to think critically.
EIS is a member of the Danish International Schools Network and the Nordic Network of International Schools. Within these networks, students collaborate on projects and organize various academic events, carnivals, and competitions. Moreover, EIS arranges several trips for MYP students like, skiing in Switzerland, museum tour in Copenhagen, historical discoveries in Edinburgh and more. Students are encouraged to take participation in such activities which helps to improve academic performance, diverse skills, and self-esteem of the students.
EIS prepares the students for their next schools, universities, and careers. It follows an inquiry-based approach, where young students learn with more interest. At EI, students get the chance to explore a subject more deeply and learn from their own personal experiences. The talented teacher plays an important as well as a challenging role to encourage them to learn with more interest.
Beholding the Future
EIS is committed to improving the structural practices of teaching and learning. It aims to provide more personalized learning experiences where students are able to learn without the confines of time. Moreover, the school has plans to become fully IB-certified within a year.
