Welcome to Lower Primary
It is with pride that I welcome you to ELA Basel Primary School. Over the past twelve years, our long-serving staff have seen our school grow from a small English-speaking childcare centre into a thriving and successful international primary school.
We provide a rich and stimulating environment where our staff and students value mutual respect and team-spirit. Our ELA Basel Citizen Values strive to create principled, collaborative, resilient, independent thinkers, risk takers and effective communicators. An ELA Basel primary education is characterised by a well-rounded combination of academic rigour, opportunities for enrichment, sport, music and the performing arts with a focus on the children's individual growth and well-being as our top priority.
Our primary school starts when the children transition from our Early Years pre-school at our Gartenstrasse site. The Reception class completes the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum and then the following year Year 1 starts the UK national curriculum. Year 2 sees the move to Upper Primary at our St Alban-Vorstadt site.
Upon graduation from ELA Basel at the end of Year 7, children transition to a variety of schools, both locally and farther afield. We make it a priority to support families during the transition process by making bespoke connections with secondary schools of choice and ensuring that transition discussions are detailed and provide an accurate profile of the student. Graduating children may wish to attend international, private or public education systems for secondary schooling.
You will be very welcome to come for a personal tour of one of our beautiful locations at Gartenstrasse and St. Alban-Vorstadt to meet our dedicated staff and happy and accomplished children.
Sally Hirsch – Director and Head of Primary
What our families say
"Wir haben die ELA kennengelernt als einen Ort, an dem sich die Kinder einfach wohlfühlen können. Was die, die, die Lehre betrifft, das Schulische, wird hier jedes Kind gefordert, aber auch gefördert. Also wir würden uns jedes Jahr auf's Neue für die ELA entscheiden. Wir sind sehr begeistert von dieser Schule!"
"What we really appreciate about ELA is the warmth professionalism and engagement that we feel from the teachers at every level."
"The caregivers are something else. I know it's a cliché to say we're a family but it really is a family here."
"Wir schätzen es sehr, dass die Erzieher und Erzieherinnen schon seit vielen, vielen Jahren hier zu Hause sind, gerne hier arbeiten – zum Teil schon seit sieben oder zehn Jahren oder sogar noch länger. Es fühlt sich an, als wäre man zu Hause bei der Familie. Es gibt lauter tolle Familien von überall aus der Welt, und wir haben eine tolle Community."
"The teachers, it's the way they teach the children, it's not just like they're doing it for what they'll get at the end of the month. They do it from the heart and that is what makes ELA feel like home."