My husband and I toured several International (English speaking) schools before we came over. We looked at Copenhagen International School, Østerbro International School, and Rygaards International School. We have had our two boys, age 10 and 8, in Rygaards in Hellerup since the start of the year in September. We also are at CIS monthy for Cub Scouts (BSA) meetings.
Our experience to date at Rygaards has had its good points and it bad points so if anyone wants to talk about the Copenhagen International Schools, chime in
Hi
ReplyDeleteI am really interested in your experience or in anything you know about schools in English. We are going to move to Copenhagen this summer and I look for a preschool for my daughter (4, she will be 5 November 2013) We are also considering to choose Rygaards.
Thank you so much in advance.
Sorry I didn't respond, I thought I had but it never posted. It looks like we are leaving Rygaards.
DeleteWe have had some real problems there wiht a bullying issue that the administration has chosen to ignore, it seems they have known about it for several years. Its mainly the attitude of the junior school that we have a problem with especially because we are paying to be there. The academics themselves are good but the classes in Danish are poor, as is the interaction between the International side of Rygaards and the Danish side, so it is unlikely that your child will come out with a working knowledge of the Danish language for whatever that is worth to you. I would have preferred CIS because there are relatively few American families at Rygaards but the fees are enormous and since we didn't negotiate in our job offer for tuition reimbursement it is just too much. The bulk of the students at CIS seem to be from the American Embassy, large American Companies, and the University expats because they pay tuition.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like our solution may be splitting our children up and sending the older one to Danish Public School and we are considering know if we leave the younger one.
Because your daughter is below regular school age you may very well be eligible for Børnehaven, the free Danish preschool, depending on your residence status. If you would like I can pass you email onto some of the Rygaards Moms who have younger children.
Thanks for sharing. Do you have any insider info on the Sankt Joseph school?
DeleteWe are considering moving to Veijle from the US. We probably aren't going to be able to swing the price of an international school for all four (yes.. count em four) of our kids (10,8,6,3). What are your thoughts on putting your kids directly in Danish public schools?
ReplyDeleteMy older son is switching from Rygaards to Danish Public school this coming September. I have done a fair amount of research and they have a pretty good school system depending on where you are located. The academics are not fantastic but they are not awful either and they are free. I don't think its much different then most of the US and I plan to look up the US equivalent curriculum for his grade and make sure that he stays up to speed. The public schools have a RECEPTION program for non Danish speakers and children seem to get up to speed very quickly. But don't forget that some Danish companies pay tuition so then it's free too. Also, remember that higher education is free here too, also medical, and dental if you have CPR numbers.
DeleteI am not that impressed with the private schools in the Copenhagen area right now so I wish I had started them in public schools when we got here. I think it would have been the best solution but it was difficult to work with the Copenhagen school system without being here. Many Kommunes are much easier to work with and I have heard glowing reports from Expats who are in the public schools.
Hello, Do you have recommendation on any public middle school district per city or suburb? I have actually applied for private but thinking whether Denmark is like the US, would have highly regarded pub sch per neighborhood. Hoping to find a school where our children won't be the only non-Dane.
ReplyDeleteHi Amy
ReplyDeleteIt's alot like the US, the more money in a Kommune (district), the better the education is. If you find yourself in the Gentofte and Frederiksberg Kommune (Hellerup area) the pubilc schools are really good, When you have narrowed your destination down a little let me know and I can do some research. You can also post questions at www.vipvisitspecialists.com about specific kommune's schools or anything else for that matter and get some quick answers.
It does seem like most of the Danish public schools are pretty good and there are not a lot of really good private schools to choose from in the Copenhagen area. They are alright but not an education or environment that lives up to expectations. I know people at most of them and they all have some issues, some more then others.
Remember that all the school districts have a RECEPTION program for non-Danish speakers which is filled with English speakers and speakers of languages other then English and Danish. If your move is long term, most children seem to adapt pretty well.
Hello again, thank you for replying so quickly. I actually tried to e-mail you from one of your post, but somehow the e-mail came to me...funny. The couple area you have mentioned, I have been mapping from different schools to rental properties. Other then ISC, I contacted St. Joseph with no reply what so ever, so I am down to one you have pulled your child out from. None the less, I am also considering public school if they have some sort of (ESL - in US), alike courses for our kids. So far, how do your kids like the pub. sch? For some reason, I see Frederiksberg on the West side of Kobenhavn in google map. I guess maybe I will focus finding info on the Hellerup pub or Gentofte pub before deciding on private.
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts... this really helps! We are moving to Copenhagen from India in a couple of months and are considering Osterbro International and Rygaards for our 2 kids. Can you give me some feedback on Osterbro? Also i want to consider public schools but am apprehensive about these points:
1: How long do these reception classes take normally you think, before kids can get into normal schools?
2: Does English take a back-seat or are kids still fluent in English after studying in public schools. (In case we do want to move out at some point, we don't want the kids to be at a disadvantage because of language)
Hope you can help. Totally confused as of now! Thanks so much!
Regards,
Vidhya
Hello Vidhya! I saw your post. How do you turn out this situation? We just arrived in Copenhagen. My husband wants to put our 7 y.o. boy in the Osterbro International School. Mostly by their level of English. What has been your experience? Thanks in advance. Maihz
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