A SCHOOL FOR
THE CHILDREN
Traditional schools tend to teach according to the “6S/1E Principle”. All children at the same age should achieve the same goal at the same time, with the same teacher, using the same materials, at the same pace, equally well.
Children who do not fit in this system will be sanctioned: they have to take private lessons, repeat the school year or – if they are ahead of their peers – need to wait for their classmates to reach the goal before being able to move on. The limitations of such a system are that highly committed teachers are barely able to provide
individual attention. Hence, not the needs of the child, but rather the class timetable will define educational progress.
Children are expected to function according to the requirements of the school.
The educational concept of our school pursues a different approach, it puts the child’s natural desire to learn at its center.
Learning is dynamic, and, as a school, we feel responsible to respond to changing requirements and needs. We, therefore, aim at finding the appropriate system for every individual student, rather than trying to fit them into a predefined system.
Each child studies and learns at their own level and pace, and under the continuous and individual guidance of their teachers. Our community-oriented setup encourages children to also help and support each other.
CURRICULUM
The KOMPASS School curriculum is derived from three sources, one of the German state curriculums,
the English National Curriculum and the Egyptian National Curriculum.
They are each broken down into concrete learning targets that are listed in the KOMPASS LernPlan as ‘I can …’ statements in both English and German, or English and Arabic respectively.
CREATIVE &
RESPONSIBLE
INDIVIDUALS
Our team of educators are dedicated to educating and inspiring our school children to become confident, creative and responsible individuals who learn to take responsibility for themselves and for others. We believe that academic success must go hand in hand with a strong social and emotional development.
The KOMPASS School is a learning community in which everyone knows and cares about each of its members, and where parents are welcome to bring in their own interests and skills. Our focus on health and nutrition creates a balanced, full experience for the children.
KOMPASS is a place where children want to be, where they thrive and play and run and work hard. A place they feel loved and where their voices are heard. We value diversity and consciously create a sense in the children that they are an important part of our world, and that they have a responsibility in their community, both locally and globally.
For a vibrant democracy and economy, we need future world citizens who can think independently. Children must learn to grapple with complex problems, manage large bodies of information, and have the self confidence to their vision of the world into practice.
THE DAY AT
THE SCHOOL
The KOMPASS school is based on an academic and enrichment model, in which all of the traditional subjects are actively pursuit, but in which conceptual knowledge (learning for understanding) is the goal.
CLASS SIZES
With less than 10 children, class sizes remain small to meet the needs of the children and to ensure that they receive the support and guidance that they need to find and to pursue their individual learning path.
COLLABORATIVE
LEARNING IN
SMALL GROUP
Research on creativity at Project Zero (Gardner’s project at Harvard) has determined that working in small groups made up of children and informed adults is a powerful way
for children to learn. At KOMPASS, most projects will be pursued by groups of 2 to 8 children, guided by a teacher or sometimes a paret who is interested or an expert at the particular subject.
Some projects might last a few days, others an extended period of time.
Every effort is made to connect learning with real world endeavors. In projects children also engage in academic skills, write, read graphs and present their outcome.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Our afterschool activities include a variety of classes, such as dance, chess, guitar, gymnastics, needlework, tech club, tabla, typewriting and ukulele.
MOVING ON
Children leave our school when leaving Egypt to join a school abroad or they transfer to international schools in Egypt.
Consistent feedback from parents and school teachers has shown that children who have spent a good portion of their early years at KOMPASS, transition easily and successfully, not only because of their academic and language skills.
Children who leave our school often also strike with both, their self-regulation and inner discipline, as well as with their social and emotional competences that often make them a role-model in their new environments.
