Geneva English School - Primary Campus

Geneva English School was founded in 1961 by a small group of parents who wanted a British education for their children. A church hall at 14 rue Baulacre in Geneva was rented, a teacher was hired and the school started to grow. By 1963, the number of pupils had expanded to 40 and the school relocated to larger premises at the Ecole Migros in rue du Prince. With demand for places continuing to grow, the school moved to a large house at 39 bis route de Malagnou and then, in 1967, to empty village school premises in Vésenaz. In 1972, Denis Unsworth was appointed as Head, a role he held until his retirement in 2007. A long and difficult search for new premises in the early 1980s eventually led to the identification of the magnificent ‘Petit Malagny' site in Genthod, on the opposite side of the lake. In total, some six years were spent negotiating the final purchase, securing the loan, obtaining approval for the building's use as a school, agreeing plans for refurbishment and additional buildings and, finally, carrying out the building work. In 1989, for the beginning of the summer term, the school moved to Genthod and was officially opened on Sports Day. A fourth building, the Salève, opened in April 2013, providing a dining hall and dance studio in addition to the classrooms needed to facilitate an expansion to two classes per year group. After over 50 years as a preparatory or primary school, our secondary campus was opened in September 2017 in a new, state-of-the-art facility in Versoix, just a few minutes from the primary site. The secondary school is growing organically year-on-year and welcomes students in Years 7 to 13.

Geneva English School is based a short drive from the centre of Geneva and the United Nations, on the shores of Lac Léman and overlooking Mont Blanc. It is an inclusive, friendly and thriving community with students following the English National Curriculum from the Early Years Foundation Stage, through the Primary years, to GCSE and A Levels. The school community is diverse and international — and we celebrate this diversity. The A Level pathway includes the opportunity for students to achieve a high level of French, enabling study at universities in Geneva or France, the UK, Europe, North America or beyond.

GES was founded by parents and has always had parents at the heart of its structure. New families are made to feel welcome and are encouraged to be involved in the life of the school. Parent class representatives help to bind the community together and our Planning Team organise events such as the Christmas and Summer Fairs that are hugely popular and exemplify the spirit of GES.