Parent's Review of Danila Kumar Elementary School in Ljubljana, Slovenia

What is the name of your child's school? (Please report on one school per survey.)

Danila Kumar Elementary School

In what town or city is this school located?

Ljubljana

How would you describe this school? (i.e. American, British, International, Local, etc.)

International (IB) Elementary School

What grade levels are represented at this school?

Kindergarten to Grade 8 (5-14 years)

How do most children get to school everyday? (bus, train, walk, etc.)

Many children drive the 10-15 minute journey from one side of the city to the other, or from the surrounding countryside. Older children can use the public bus network. Buses to the school are frequent and well-connected. There are also cycle tracks on all main streets, and a culture of cycling around the city.

How would you describe the facilities at this school? What extra-curricular activities are available?

The school has many facilities, extensive sport areas, science labs, IT facilities in all classes and school is investing further for virtual classrooms and interactive whiteboards. School as its own catering facilities and offers regular, vegetarian and special dietary needs. There is a varied schedule of afternoon care and activities.

What has this school done to help your child transition from the curriculum in your home country into the curriculum in your new country? Are there programs to prepare your child for repatriation?

New students are carefully monitored for integration and use of English, which is the language of instruction here. The school is committed to a differentiated programme that scaffolds students with different languages and abilities. Parents are invited to use school facilities to run classes that support home-country language/curriculum studies.

How would you describe the social activities available for parents through this school? Are there parent-teacher organizations?

The PTA and PA take an active role in school through organising regular annual events (Halloween Night, International Day) and also by contributing in-class as native reader or running some of the afternoon activities.

What advice would you give to someone considering enrolling their child in this school?

The school follows the International Baccalaureate philosophy of inquiry-based teaching. Parents should do some background reading on the IB standards and expectations, so that they can be supportive of the aims and objectives of the teaching methods.