humanist values ​​and a global mindset

Despitee his young age of 70 years old, the Florence International School, one of the oldest international schools in Europe, mobilizes its humanist values ​​and its global vision to to build innovative communities of thinkers and creative actors. All students participate in stimulating academic subjects, which for many result in rigor IB Diploma Program, and in a wellness program, while many parents and staff members engage in a unique research program.

ISF takes advantage of its unique location in Florence, a setting that not only shaped its values ​​and Renaissance spirit, but also sees its students making real contributions through the Community, Activity and Service program with initiatives for support local organizations, like Corri La Vita, Angeli del Bello and the Martacappelli Foundation. Our students also organized a [email protected] Event and spoke on topics related to humanity, overcoming fear, women’s rights, social media and mental health, in addition to expressing ideas and opinions in writing in the student-run journal, Tuskan time, as well as on the annual World Speaking Day in Florence.

Meanwhile, the staff, parents and a board member, who themselves represent an impressive array of nationalities and qualifications, come together in the evenings and weekends to put our mission a ‘Learning lab‘ in practice. Each fall, participants offer a year-long survey on an area of ​​interest and training at ISF. Teams of parents and staff pursue projects as empirical research to present the results to the wider school community and drive change forward. Projects presented in April 2021 included an investigation into the relationship between gender and mathematics, the impact of outdoor learning on student progress, social skills and well-being, and the achievement of results. high quality in an online learning environment. This year, 25 researchers, including six parents, registered for the challenge, and the projects–from assessing creativity in the arts to improving student well-being–are already in their initial stages.

One of the defining characteristics of the student body is its the diversity. ISF students represent more than 44 nationalities and speak more than 25 languages. The school has two campuses: the junior school, with around 220 students, in the Tuscan countryside, near Florence, and the higher school, located in a 13th century Florentine villa in the Oltrarno region, with around 350 students. The program matches the diversity of our students by offering the International Baccalaureate Program, a study program in the theory of knowledge, business and management and the Italian equivalence program. Our degree program scores consistently above national averages, and students continue their education at highly respected universities, Cambridge and Edinburgh universities in the UK, Princeton and Berkeley in the US, Rotterdam and Utrecht in the Netherlands, as well as a range of excellent Italian institutions, such as the Università Bocconi and the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.

The ISF has an activity Parents Association, who is proving to be dynamic in helping lead the school in its educational vision by partnering with staff, students and community leaders to plan events, such as the Annual Field Day, Career Forum, the Fall Bazaar, New Family Welcome Breakfast, Fundraising Gala and Song Festival. The ISF is guided by a voluntary board of directors, mainly parental, self-maintained, which has engaged the school in an ambitious redirection as expressed in the innovative and progressive project. Mission, vision and strategic plan. The board recognizes that the social and educational landscape is changing and sees this as an opportunity to employ thought leaders to guide the school on the path to meaningful education in the 21st century.

Like all schools, the ISF has taken up the many and diverse challenges posed by Covid, by organizing a proactive response that includes a Covid working group. In addition to the usual requirements for hand sanitization, mask wear and social distancing protocols, this working group maintained and developed an up-to-date Covid school protocol and coordination of school-wide testing for our students and our staff.

The ISF has its eyes on its 70th anniversary (1952-2022) and a number of D–accreditations such as the Council of International Schools, the Middle State Association of Schools and Colleges, and the international baccalaureate diploma program. Rich in history and tradition, ISF is committed to shaping education in a rapidly changing world.

Florence International School

Junior school campus (from grade 1 to grade 5)

Villa le Tavernule – via del Carota 23/25

50012 Bagno a Ripoli (FI), Italy

High school campus (Grades 6 to 12)

Villa Torri di Gattaia – viuzzo di Gattaia 9, 50125 Florence, Italy