Deutsche Schule Melbourne
Welcome to Deutsche Schule Melbourne
Deutsche Schule Melbourne is a German English bilingual school. We are a Primary School in Fitzroy North, Melbourne, offering Foundation to Year 6 and following both the Victorian and German curricula.
Following two Curricula
Deutsche Schule Melbourne integrates both the Victorian and German curricula, combining their distinct educational approaches and structures into a unique, comprehensive learning experience. We educate children to become confident young people who have the knowledge, skills and motivation to think critically, solve problems and shape the world around us.
Bilingual Education
Students at DSM learn to fluently speak, write and read in English and German. At the heart of the bilingual education is the ‘one teacher-one language’ approach in which classes are conducted in the teacher’s native language - which is either German or English. In the Foundation Year, we start with a share of 80% lessons in German and 20% lessons in English to really immerse these young learners into the German language. The share of German then slowly decreases until we reach a 50%/50% split from Year 3 onwards.
Advantages of a Bilingual Education
Our bilingual education provides an excellent basis for children’s learning capabilities in language learning and many other fields. Growing up bilingually not only benefits students’ literacy and numeracy development but also gives them a unique understanding and experience of the world. The model of learning at DSM is clearly defined, well-developed, thoroughly supported, and highly regarded in Australia.
New Arrivals Program
Deutsche Schule Melbourne offers students without prior German language knowledge the opportunity to join our school in Years 2, 3, 4 and 5. Students who fulfil the entry requirements will participate in a highly individualised program in order to learn the German language as
quickly as possible and to smoothly transition into the mainstream program.
Regulatory Bodies in Victoria and Germany
Deutsche Schule Melbourne (DSM) as an independent school is part of a network of Victorian schools who offer diverse and unique education. DSM is registered with the ‘Victorian Registration & Qualifications Authority’ (VRQA), who are responsible for reviewing all Victorian independent schools and ensuring that requirements and standards are met.
Deutsche Schule Melbourne is also part of the ‘German Schools Abroad’ network, which currently supports 135 schools in 72 countries. The aim of the network is to foster intercultural dialogue, to strengthen German language skills and to provide unique opportunities to students by offering recognised leaving qualifications.