Copperfield International School Verbier

• Location: Verbier, Switzerland.
• Language of instruction: main – English,
• Age of students: 3-18 years.

Copperfield International School Verbier is the only IB school in the world that has direct access to the best ski slopes in the Alps. This is a unique opportunity to develop a child both academically and physically, to educate an e athlete with a strong spirit, perseverance, and hard work.

The history of the school began in 2020 in London – yes, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic! In October 2020, the school had already moved to the Swiss Alps (thanks to British investor John Porter). In January 2021, the school had already welcomed the first 30 students, and 18 months later it increased its teaching staff from 12 to 28 teachers, and doubled the student number.

Educational process here is completely focused on children - their hobbies, ambitions, well-being.

The main language of instruction is English, French is offered as an element of the curriculum, you can additionally study Spanish or German.

If necessary, students can take advantage of a wide range of individual academic support and assistance services: classes in specific subjects, language learning, psychological assistance, pre-university consultations, personal coaching. Please note: such classes can be held for an additional fee (the amounts are always agreed with the parents).

Copperfield International School Verbier provides education at three stages of school education: primary, secondary and high. It is worth mentioning that to date, the school has full accreditation only for the PYP IB and IBDP programs.

For students of Copperfield International School, Verbier aged 7-13 years old offers a cozy and comfortable boarding house that will provide them with everything they need during their studies. In the evenings, interesting events are organized here - a warm, friendly, cheerful atmosphere helps children not to miss home. You can cook dinner together, help each other with lessons or come to the teacher for a personal lesson, take a walk in the mountains, play sports.

The school has organized many communities and clubs of interest: skiers, runners, extreme sports, mountain biking, gourmet cooks who are passionate about art and much more! Students represent more than 35 different countries, so they will share their hobbies, cultural characteristics, and national traditions with new classmates.

The main feature of the school is that all students professionally master skiing. In winter, students devote 9 hours to alpine skiing weekly under the guidance of experienced coaches. The program is curated by Fitzroy Madsen from Ecole Suisse de Ski (he also coaches the Argentina national team and has developed a special Olympic course for juniors).

Key facts about Copperfield International School Verbier are:

• 25 teachers (in total they have 53 academic degrees, 20 have a master's degree, 5 have a doctoral degree; 211 years of experience!),
• 27 different nationalities are represented by students, 13 are employees,
• The ratio of students to teachers is 3: 1, one of the best European and world indicators,
• Classes of up to 10 students,
• Boys and girls study equally, 50/50,
• The average score of students taking IGCSE exams is 8.5,
• Individual lessons in music, sports, psychological well-being, tutoring in academic subjects,
• The ability to choose between the international program (IB) and the national British (Cambridge University curriculums),
• Duke of Edinburgh Award Partner – Students will be able to compete for the Duke of Edinburgh Award,
• Examination Centre of the Associated Council of the Royal Schools of Music.

Verbier is one of the best ski resorts in the world with 450 km of ski slopes, 100 lifts at an altitude of 3,300 m above sea level, offering a wide range of sports and leisure activities all year round. At the same time, the campus of Copperfield International School Verbier is a safe place where students can enjoy not only vast open spaces, but also modern equipment of academic facilities.

The infrastructure includes:

• 14 bright, airy classrooms,
• Auditorium for meetings, collective events,
• Seminar rooms,
• Gym with multifunctional areas for cardio, yoga and other sports,
• An open courtyard with a basketball court, tennis courts.

The school is an hour and a half drive from Geneva International Airport, to which public buses and transfers run.

The tuition fee already includes:

• The course (Monday to Friday),
• Books, manuals, studying materials,
• Lunches and snacks,
• Uniforms for education,
• Extracurricular program, including the cost of trips and excursions,
• If necessary, transfer to the venues of events or sports education,
• Exam fees,
• Use of all school infrastructure and equipment,
• Alpine skiing lessons during the week,
• For students at the boarding house, the price also includes:
  • Accommodation on campus (full board, 7 days a week) and meals,
  • Weekend activities, on-campus entertainment,
  • Bed linen and towels,
  • Services of a supervisor and educators in the Houses,
  • Utilities and Swiss resident permit.

The following services are paid separately:

• School uniforms,
• Additional individual lessons, personal academic support if necessary,
• Music and vocal lessons (individual),
• Ski passes,
• Alpine skiing on weekends,
• Skiing equipment and clothing (rent/purchase),
• Group trips around Europe (at the request and initiative of students),
• Stay on campus (in a boarding house) during the holidays,
• Life and health insurance,
• Travel insurance,
•  Doctor's services (if necessary),
• Airport transfer, escort of a minor,
• Pocket money,
• Courier delivery of documents,
• Visa expenses,
• Air tickets.

Admission to Copperfield International School Verbier is conducted all year round, subject to availability, the main part of applications are accepted until April 1.

Students from other schools and countries can participate in seasonal winter education by transferring on an exchange basis from the current school to Copperfield for a while.

All applicants and their families are advised to come to campus for a trial visit or at least take an online tour with a representative of the admissions committee (it lasts1 hour). Offline, you can personally meet with teachers, heads of departments, the director, see the infrastructure and opportunities.  

If the decision is made, the enrollment process begins with filling out the registration form (online).

Thanks to a balanced curriculum, comprehensive support, and a variety of opportunities for extracurricular development, high school students achieve excellent results in final exams, enter leading universities around the world. In recent years, graduates have received offers of admission from such educational institutions as:

• University of Exeter,
• Royal Holloway, University of London,
• University of Leeds,
• University of Glasgow,
• Cardiff University,
• University of Sussex,
• City, University of London,
• Bristol, University of the West of England,
• Brunel University London,
• University of Reading.

Foreign applicants need a basic package of personal documents to study in Switzerland: a valid passport, health insurance, student visa or residence permit. Teaching at Copperfield International School Verbier is conducted in English, so a future student will be more comfortable with a level of proficiency from B1 and above. Academic certificates from a previous place of study, individual achievements and letters of recommendation should also be provided.

The school is ready to offer a 15% discount for each child whose brother / sister is already studying at Copperfield.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision