Living in Basel

Basel is a vibrant international city and a great place to live. There is a wide range of cultural and outdoor activities in the Dreiländer region of Switzerland, Germany and France. Families can explore the old town of Basel and enjoy its many parks. Basel and Switzerland also lend themselves to experiences that bring the curriculum alive for the children.

Switzerland in general, and Basel in particular, is widely regarded as one of the best places in the world to raise a family. You can see Basel Stadt's overview of the relevant surveys here (external site). 

ELA Basel embraces its location in Basel and the many opportunities this offers to enhance the curriculum by exploring Basel and learning about Swiss culture. Diversity of language is an integral part of Swiss culture and we acknowledge and celebrate this fact.

All children in the primary school are taught German and French is introduced in Year 3. Speaking, listening, reading and writing are all key learning objectives within our structured language learning programme. The children are taught by native speakers and are provided with varied opportunities to use their language skills in context, whether in the classroom or beyond at cultural events or on day trips. This strong emphasis on language acquisition enables the children to integrate fully into Swiss life.