International School Hannover Region
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The International School Hannover Region is a co-educational day school enrolling students from Kindergarten (age 3) to grade 12.
The school‘s founders included members of the expatriate community in the Hannover region, interested public and educational officials, and German business persons, all of whom believed that the Hannover region required an international school in order to develop its potential as a cultural and commercial centre. Ultimate responsibility for ISHR is vested in a non-profit company (GmbH) while operational and policy matters are the provinces of the School Board, which includes elected parent and faculty representatives as well as appointed members from the GmbH.
Located near the centre of Hannover, the school occupies purpose-built quarters on a spacious, green campus which includes the main school administration building, three wings of classrooms, a well stocked library, sports facilities, music and drama rooms and an auditorium, a playing field, computer and science laboratories and kindergarten facilities, as well as a large attractive dining room equipped with a professional kitchen.
ISHR is a recognized International Baccalaureate (IB) school. Lessons are taught in English, and German is the compulsory second language. ISHR offers Spanish and French as third language options.
ISHR offers all three programmes of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) - International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IBPYP), International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP), IB Diploma Programme (IBDP).
[edit] History
Up to the early 1990s the British army school in Hannover met the need for instruction in English language and education that followed the British or the American school system. When it became known that this school would be closed following the 1992/93 school year, some companies (mainly Prakla-Seismos, BEB), together with the Industrie- und Handelskammer Hannover-Hildesheim (Chamber of Commerce), began a campaign to start an international school in the Hannover region. A Förderverein (promoting association) was founded. Early indications were, however, that even the extensive resources of these interested parties would not cover the cost of starting an international school.
The Lower Saxonian Ministry of Education, which had been involved in this initiative since 1991, joined with the City of Hannover to find an unconventional solution. An English Language Annex was added to the Hinrich-Wilhelm-Kopf-Schule, a state primary school, on a trial basis. Forty-five students were enrolled in grades 1-6, taught by 5 teachers. Lessons were given in the building formerly occupied by the British army school. The language of instruction was English and the teachers were native speakers. The newly recruited staff accomplished the difficult task of combining the demands of the Lower Saxonian School Law with the practices of international education.
Those involved in the effort to start an international school had not ceased to plan. The financial difficulties were overcome sooner than expected. The Lower Saxonian authorities granted subsidies, which were the same as those accorded other German private schools, to the school beginning in May 1996. The City of Hannover lent a school campus to the newly formed Internationale Schule Hannover Region GmbH (a npn-profit limited liability corporation), the owner of the institution. The Kommunalverband Grossraum Hannover gave financial support. With only a few weeks remaining in the 1995/96 school year, the inauguration of the International School Hannover Region was fixed for 1 August 1996.
Growth of the School That fall 67 students of 20 nations enrolled in seven grades. They were taught by nine teachers. The majority of both students and teachers had been members of the English Language Annex. The first year of the school’s existence was a probationary one during which the status of the school had to be determined. With the end of state supervision, rules had to be made for the administration of the school and school life. Instruction continued very much along the lines of the English Language Annex but plans were made for changes and further development which could be realized only in the succeeding year.
In the 1997/98 school year, ISHR hired its first overseas director, who was instrumental in the integration of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years and Middle Years programs into the ISHR curriculum. The school also became a member of the European Council of International Schools (ECIS) and the Association of German International Schools (AGIS). During the summer of 1998 many alterations were made to the campus to accommodate the increased enrollment. In 1999 ISHR was authorized to deliver the IB Diploma Program and the first senior class graduated in 2001.
ISHR moved to new premises in the center of the city in 2000. The former German grammar school buildings were completely renovated and guaranteed rent-free to the school. With this move, ISHR acquired purpose built facilities with a large auditorium, a physical education hall, and space to expand.
In January of 2002 ISHR received authorization to deliver the IB Middle Years Program. In 2003 the local International Kindergarten, which was already housed on the same campus, officially became part of ISHR.
In June 2006 ISHR received authorisation to offer the IB Primary Years Prgramme.
In April 2006 a building expansion project was started and by April 2007 the ISHR had a new, much larger dining room with a professional kitchen, a new attractive library, 10 new classrooms, an additional music room, a third science laboratory and a second IT room. A gymnastic room and a visitors' gallery were addedd to the PE Wing and the main PE hall was renovated.
