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English School of Kyrenia, North Cyprus

One school making inroads into the quality and level of education in North Cyprus is the English School of Kyrenia. Formally opened in September 2008, its ethos is one of academic and personal growth, establishment of social skills combined with an excellent standard of education. If you have relocated to North Cyprus and are thinking about placing your little cherubs into the education system here, then this particular school may just appeal.

Currently the school teaches age groups from 3-11 within their Junior School, and will move to a purpose built facility in Bellapais by September 2009 which will enable them to take on age groups from 11-18 within an additional Senior School. They proudly adhere to the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum for their pre-prep students and as students follow through to prep classes education is based on the Cambridge International Primary programme, supported by the British National Curriculum. The new Senior School will adhere to the internationally recognised IGCSE and International Baccalaureate Education programmes also enabling students to prepare for entrance to Universities in Europe and North America.

The current school building is wonderfully historical and is located in the centre of Kyrenia, close to the old Archives building on the main road going east from the town. Saying that, the school has thoroughly modern facilities with state of the art labs, library and some great outdoor space to enable kids to enjoy a variety of sports and creative activities. The new facility in Bellapais will boast even further with extensive facilities set to envy many a campus in Cyprus.

All classes are taught in English but children are encouraged to become completely independent in learning in their own native language whether that be English or Turkish. All students are taught to be inquisitive within the Early Years curriculum, so you may just find that your children will end up learning more than one language anyway! For older students there is also a tutor available to teach the local Turkish language throughout their school week.

The schools aim within the 3-11 age groups is based more on nurturing pupils within a warm and family orientated atmosphere, allowing children to be curious and stimulating them enough to spot their individual talents through having fun.  At the same time, pupils will continually be assessed and prepared for their later schooling years.

The Senior School aims to challenge students and encourage them to achieve beyond their own expectations. Career advice is constantly available so that individuals can choose their own particular direction in future education and life goals within a more global context. Private facilities are also available for additional study and research with the school offering specialist teaching rooms.

The English School of Kyrenia is also founded upon a system of Pastoral Care which ensures the involvement of teachers, pupils and parents to create a community ethos within its teaching. This should prove beneficial for parents who choose to be active within the school, allowing them the opportunity to get involved in activities and ad-hoc school programmes.

There is plenty for children to throw themselves into apart from study, with a creative arts programme including music, theatre and performing arts (the school has its own stage area for performances) as well as regular sports activities with the new facility having its own heated indoor swimming pool, sports hall, outdoor tennis courts and access to full sized football pitches. All of these activities obviously have the aim of encouraging teamwork and developing social skills as well as trying to ensure that they remain fit and healthy throughout their lives, which is something to be commended these days!

The ESK is a private educational facility and therefore school fees apply to enable your children to study there, but you should find them fairly affordable compared to the private system in the UK and other European countries. School fees are payable either in advance or in instalments and start from £2,950 for the youngest age groups at the time of writing. Apart from tuition for Nursery and Reception classes the fees also include the cost of school books, lunch and milk breaks (good old fashioned milk breaks, we all remember those!).  Also if you have more than one child at the school, any additional siblings will be given a 20% discount.

You can find out more about the North Cyprus English School of Kyrenia via their website, which gives plenty of information on the schools mission, details of school fees, prospectus, registration forms, contact information and much more. The ESK is definitely a school to be reckoned with in terms of standards, and with their desire to ensure that pupils leave fully prepared and ready for the next stage of their lives, it could just be the school of your desires!

If you would like to find out more about the education system in North Cyprus then why not check out our Education in North Cyprus section, where you will find articles on all levels of education available from nursery to university.