Deutsche Samstagsschule, Croydon


How did the School Start?
In January 1990, a group of parents from the Dietrich Bonhöffer Church in Sydenham became involved in a parents initiative to organise classes for German speaking children in London. The initiative resulted in schools being set up in North, West and Central London and later in Croydon.

Who attends the School?
The school is a self-help group run by parents who speak German to their children, German is used exclusively by the teachers, and so the children attending the school must, at the very least, be used to being spoken to in German and be able to respond. The school cannot teach German to children who do not otherwise have regular frequent contact with the language.

The Schools aims to:

How is the School run?
A committee consisting of teachers and parents manages the School. The Chair, Treasurer and Secretary who are primarily responsible for the routine administration of the School are nominated from amongst the parents. An AGM is held every year and is open to all parents. Any parents of a child currently enrolled at the School may directly influence the running of the School by participating in the meeting held during the term.

How much does it cost?
The School is run on a non-profit making basis. So its entire income goes to meeting its running cost. The running costs are confined to

The School qualifies for a small annual grant under the Croydon
community language scheme. The German Embassy and the
Goethe Institute have provided books, but most of its income
comes from fees. These are, however kept to a minimum. The
current fees per term are as follows:

Fees are reduced by half for children joining more than five
weeks into term.

The School depends greatly on the goodwill of the parents in
supporting the activities undertaken during the term i.e.
Nikolausfeier, Sommerfest etc.

In addition the School relies heavily on volunteers to help with
the classes.

Parents are expected to ensure that their children do homework
given and ensure their children attend School punctually

The Classes
The school currently comprises of about 55 children from age 3
1/2 and there are 6 classes.

Class 1+2: The Kindergarten group. The aim of this class is to
encourage the children to express themselves and consolidate
their existing knowledge by means of songs, games and creative
activities. This provides valuable groundwork for the next
classes.

Class 3 Aims to encourage the children to express themselves in
greater depth and with more precision with some exercises for
solving common problems. Children are taught reading and
writing.

Class 4 Teaches the slightly older children (from age 8) with
emphasis on reading /writing, and German Grammar.

Class 5 + 6 Older pupils are prepared on an individual basis
towards the GCSE and A-level examination

Most important is that the children enjoy their Saturday mornings
and have fun.

In all classes some homework may be given, be this the learning
of a song or practising a specific passage of reading.

Parents are expected to actively support the work of the School
by speaking to their children in German.

Where does the School meet?
The School meets at

St. Andrew's Church of England High School
Warrington Road
CROYDON
Surrey
CR0 4BH

All children must be brought to and collected from their
respective classrooms for reasons of safety. The school does not
accept any liability for accidents, which may occur in the car park
outside class time.

The School meets every Saturday morning for three terms a year
with a break for half term. Each term comprises 10 weeks and
classes are from 10 am to 12.15 pm with an informal break
around 11am for a little snack the children have brought with
them.