Message from Ms Matillon, Director General
Dear Parents,
New beginnings are almost always exciting and, I believe, few more so than the first week of a new school year! These past few days at GES have been a whirlwind of activity – welcomes and reunions, butterflies in stomachs and the gaining of confidence, many happy faces and just the right amount of getting down to work.
Our diverse and international community is continually renewing itself, and we are very fortunate to have amongst us many new families across all sections of our school. I have already had the pleasure of meeting many of our recent joiners, either through the admissions process, taster days, or at our Welcome Picnic on Tuesday. Thanks to our brilliant GES Parents’ Association, this year’s picnic was a great success, as always, and it was such a treat to spend a relaxed moment before the start of term with the many families who could come. How is it that the children have grown so much in only two short months?
I am looking forward to seeing, hopefully, many of you at our upcoming evening events, tonight at Secondary and Thursday 4 September at Primary. I certainly encourage you to participate, if you can, as these are wonderful opportunities to learn about the curriculum your child/ren will follow this year, have your questions answered about any aspect of school life and, generally, meet people – GES staff and fellow parents – in a less formal setting once the presentations are done. Full information on these events has been shared with you by email but, if you are unsure of details, do get in touch with our School Office.
A very big thank you goes to those of you who have committed, or re-committed, to taking part in the GES Parents’ Association and, especially, to our Class Parent Representatives. The role you fulfil is critical to facilitating communication between families and school, as well as planning and running the events we all so enjoy. More information will come your way soon regarding how you can get involved in the Parents’ Association, with consideration given to those of you who may be unavailable to meet during school hours.
Welcome, everyone, to 2025-2026 at Geneva English School! We are off and running, and all elements are aligned for this to be an extraordinary year – hopefully, the best in recent memory.
All the best,
Christina Matillon
Outstanding results in A Level and GCSE exams
The last two weeks have been full of excitement at GES as we received and celebrated some excellent exam results for our A Level and GCSE students.
With a 99% pass rate and more than half of all grades at A* or A for our A Level graduating class, our graduates surpasses last year’s excellent results, securing places at top universities across the world.
In their GCSE and IGCSE examinations, our last Year 11 cohort produced some outstanding results too, with 66% of grades between 7 and 9, of which 30% at the highest distinction. We look forward to seeing them shine in the next stage of their academic journey with us.
For full details about our A Level results, click here.
To read more about our GCSE and IGCSE results, click here.
This week in class
Pre-school have had a fantastic first few days of school!
Our youngest learners and first-time school-goers have enjoyed exploring the classroom and outdoor area, listening to stories and singing many songs. They have already learned how to line up, sit on the carpet and be kind to their friends.
Well done, everyone!
Students in Year 3 became detectives for the day to find out all about their classmates. Inspired by what they learned, they turned to art to create portraits of their friends.
They then took a close look at the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, discussing how these can be linked to behaviour at school. Each student made a pledge in English and in their own language to model the Convention and uphold Children’s Rights in all their interactions at school and beyond.
Year 4 showed brilliant teamwork and problem-solving on their first day back at school. Stuck on one side of an imaginary river with all their favourite foods (lasagne, sushi, cakes!) on the other, they put their STEM thinking caps on to work in groups and come up with clever ways to get across using only things in school.
Each group presented their solutions, answering their classmates’ questions, and then everyone used stickers to vote for the strategy they thought would really work.
A fantastic and innovative start to the year!
Year 5 made excellent headway in their first German lesson of the year!
Learning how to introduce themselves to their classmates using sentences such as “Ich heisse…”, “Mein Name ist…” and “Ich bin…”, they then practised counting to ten in anticipation of learning how to say their age.
Gut gemacht, Leute!
For Year 8 scientists, the start of the school year was synonymous with hands-on experimentation in our Secondary Science Labs.
Investigating metals and non-metals, our students performed various experiments to test their physical properties, such as their electrical conductivity, malleability, or magnetism. This enabled them to categorise each substance and compare the characteristics they share.
For some of our new joiners, this marked the very first time they ever carried out a science experiment, and they loved every minute of it!
Beyond the Classroom
New House Captains at Secondary
With the start of the new academic year comes a new cycle for the captaincy of each of our school’s four Houses.
Congratulations to our eight new captains for their election victory just before summer:
- Jura: Yanji & Mitra
- Dôle: Eliott & Stella
- Rhône: Marisa & Youri
- Léman: Ona & Molly
We are confident they will proudly defend their House colours and lead their Houses through many successes, starting with next Wednesday’s friendly inter-House tug-of-war!
Staff Pedagogical Training Days
In anticipation of the rentrée on Wednesday, all our staff embarked on five days of pedagogical training prior to the students’ return to school.
Taking a deep dive into the latest research in child protection and safeguarding, our teachers also worked on curriculum development, teaching and learning best practice and pastoral care enhancement.
Extra-Curricular Activities
A Great Start for After School Care
Our After School Care club launched into the rentrée with a delicious cooking session!
Using French and English culinary vocabulary, our little chefs baked some mouth-watering, lighter-than-air butterfly-shaped cupcakes.
Musical Success for our Pianists
Congratulations to our extra-curricular pianists in Primary and Secondary, who successfully completed their piano exams this summer, receiving commendations for their progress from their respective juries.
Passing their Music Teachers’ Board examinations, a shout-out goes to the following Primary students:
- Daniel and Alexander, Piano Grade 2 (Distinction)
- Carys, Piano Grade 3 (Distinction) and Romain, Piano Grade 3 (Merit)
- David, Piano Grade 4 (Distinction)
Bravo to Angelica for achieving her Piano Grade 8 (Distinction) with the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music.
Community News
Welcome to our New Families!
On Tuesday we had Induction Day at both our Primary and Secondary schools! We were delighted to welcome all our new families to meet the teachers and form tutors, discover the campuses, and, for students entering Years 10 to 13, collect their laptops.
After hearing presentations from our Heads of School, our newcomers joined returning GES families for a picnic on the beautiful grounds of our Primary campus, generously organised by our wonderful team of Class Representatives.
Reminder | Secondary Parents Welcome Event
We hope to see many of our Secondary parents at this evening’s Welcome Event.
Following presentations from our Heads of School about all aspects of the upcoming academic year for each Key Stage, this event is also an opportunity for parents to meet their child’s tutor and engage with the wider school community.
Please see below the timings for the presentations per Key Stage:
| Key Stage | Year Groups | Presentation | Meet the Tutor |
| KS3 | Year 7-8-9 | 17:00-17:45 | 17:45-18:30 |
| KS4 | Year 10-11 | 17:45-18:30 | 17:15-17:45 |
| KS5 | Year 12-13 | 18:30-19:15 | 18:00-18:30 |
Our Head of Pastoral Care, Ms Mariann Csoma, will also be on hand should you wish to exchange with her.
September Reading Challenge
This year’s Monthly Reading Challenge series starts with all things athletic as we invite our readers to take part in a “Sporty September”!
Our bookworms are encouraged to choose a sport or athlete to read about and write an information page or design a poster about their choice, which includes fun facts, the rules and location of play and any other details or top tips for becoming proficient in the sport.
Students can then hand in to their class teachers their completed posters to earn stars and a certificate.
Good luck, everybody!
Save the Date | Primary Curriculum Information Evening
Save the date for our Primary Curriculum Information Evening on Thursday 4 September!
Parents are invited into school to meet their child’s teacher, visit their classroom and hear about the year ahead, as well as meet other parents from their child’s class.
The schedule of sessions per year group has been shared via email.
GES Student Stars in Les Misérables
Did you know that the upcoming production of GAOS’ Les Misérables will be starring one of our students?
We are very much looking forward to watching our very own Year 11 student, Thea, take to the stage this weekend in the role of Cosette, Victor Hugo’s innocent orphan figure who acts as a symbol of hope for the rise of the oppressed. Tickets are still available via the GAOS website.
Break a leg, Thea!
Increased Bus Routes Around GES Campuses
As a school dedicated to encouraging eco-friendly behaviour in our students, we are delighted to share that the commute to and from both our campuses has been enhanced thanks to increased TPG bus frequencies in and around the communes of Versoix and Genthod.
For greater access to our Secondary campus:
- Bus line 54 between Geneva Airport and Versoix has increased its frequency to every half-hour from Monday to Saturday
- Bus lines 50 (via Genthod), 54 and 55 (via Collex-Bossy) have extended their route and increased their frequency to every half-hour.
For smoother access to our Primary campus:
- Bus line 52 between Versonnex and Genthod have adapted their frequency during off-peak times from Monday to Friday to align with the Léman Express timetable at Genthod-Bellevue and Les Tuileries train stations.
GES Alumni Raise Funds for Sick Children
Four GES alumni have recently completed a 2500km challenge, visiting all 88 marker posts of the Grand Tour of Switzerland to raise money for Make-A-Wish Switzerland!
Setting themselves the target of reaching all the markers in just ten days, the boys aimed to raise 10,000 CHF to help the charity grant the most heartfelt wishes of children living with serious medical conditions. We’re very proud of our alumni, Theodore Casimir-Lambert, Harry Anderson-Endean, Karlis Kaurats, Louis de Loriol-Ryssel and Shiraz Müller, for their initiative and for role-modelling GES’s I-CARE values and our school vision of “Excellence with a heart”.
Having successfully completed the challenge, the team are still actively raising funds to surpass their fundraising target, and would welcome any further donations towards this good cause.
To find out more about the challenge, and to donate, please visit their fundraising page here.
