SECONDARY SCHOOL AT WMIS
SECONDARYAN INTEGRATED SECONDARY SCHOOL
Welcome to WMIS! We are a bilingual (English/German), state-run international school that is categorised in the Berlin school system as an ‘integrated secondary school with primary, lower and higher secondary school”.
We started with two 7th-grade classes in August 2023. Every school year, we grow a grade higher. In 2024/ 25, we opened two classes in the 8th grade; in 2025/ 26, we will open two classes in grade 9, and in 2026/27, we will open two classes in grade 10.
As ISS, we are an all-day school, i.e. the lesson times are from Mon-Thu 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fri: 8 a.m. to 3/4 p.m. All students in the 6th grade of the WMIS get a place in the 7th grade if their performance is sufficient.
Lateral entry for international children is still possible; a successfully completed language test in English is a prerequisite for admission. There are places available! We try to keep the classes balanced. The existing groups of the 6th classes are to be continued. According to the plan, the students can take their Abitur or IB after 13 school years. The WMIS is not a grammar school where you get the German Abitur after 12 years, the WMIS is an integrated secondary school in which the children have 3 years for the upper level. If you want to study, it doesn’t matter whether the Abitur was taken in 12 or 13 school years. A collaboration with the Nelson Mandela School is planned in the upper school (grades 11-13).
Secondary school students will have their own classrooms and by August 2024 a Nawi room will also be set up. More classrooms will be set up one after the other. At the moment a new building for the secondary school of the WMIS on the school premises is being discussed. The students receive a lunch int he canteen.
CURRICULUM
School Leaving Certificates
| Grades 1-6 | Grades 7-10 | Grades 11-13 |
|---|---|---|
| Primary school | Intermediate / Middle Years – Secondary School 1 | Secondary level II in cooperation with Nelson Mandela School |
| BBR/eBBR – Vocational training class MSA/ MSA (Go) – middle school degree IGCSI – International General Certificate of Secondary Education | German Abitur/ IB | |
| Berlin Framework Plan for Primary Schools Curriculum for English bilingual schools (in cooperation with NMIS) | Berlin Framework Curriculum Cambridge Program Lower and Higher Secondary Both school-leaving qualifications enable you to take up vocational training or further training both in Germany and abroad. Successful participation in the exams is a prerequisite for the transition to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB DP) in grades 11, 12 and 13. | Berlin Framework Curriculum Upper Level 11-13 Curriculum of the IB Organization (IBDB) Both degrees entitle you to study in Germany or abroad. |
SUBJECTS AND ClASSES
GERMAN AND ENGLISH
German and English is offered in grades 7 and 8 at two levels:
ER – Increased requirement level
GR – Basic requirement level
German: Depending on their language skills, the children are divided into mother tongue or partner language. The children are taught together, which has the advantage that very good partner language students can be taught at the mother tongue level and vice versa.
We set up Extra-German in small groups for beginners and lateral entrants. After two school years, these children take part in regular German lessons.
English: We expect the children to have native language skills in English from Year 7 onwards. This is why we offer differentiated lessons.
In the 2025/25 school year, we will start teaching English lessons with the content of the Cambridge Curriculum so that students can achieve an internationally comparable level of English. You will find further information here.
SPANISH AND FRENCH
As a 2nd foreign language after the mother tongue and partner language Spanish and French offered. Lateral entrants without knowledge of German are exempt from the second foreign language and receive German lessons at this point.
MATHEMATICS
In mathematics, too, a distinction is made between basic and supplementary courses. Mathematics is taught in German, as students must take the MSA in German and math at the end of year 10.
ELECTIVES
In the electives the students can choose between different offers depending on their interests: We offer the following courses in the 2025/26 school year:
Psychology, sports, debate, intensive math, choir and orchestra, drama.
CLASS TEAMS AND CLASS TEACHERS
Each class has a class teacher who is supported by a social pedagogue. The class team organises the core group lessons (Kerngruppenstunde) in which teaching or social issues of the class are discussed. The core group lesson also provides space for the class council, which is a democratic element of co-determination according to school law.
GRADE TABLE
The grade table for the intermediate level can be found here.
REPORTS
The school report cards are issued in the secondary school at the end of each team, i.e. at the end of January and in July. These are grade reports.
SECONDARY MATERIALS LIST
Pupils in Years 7-10 will provide their own homework books, writing materials, exercise books, pads, pencil cases and sports kit. You can find the required equipment here:
https://wangari-maathai-schule.de//wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Materialliste-Secondary-final.pdf
PROMOTION
The system of integrated secondary schools stipulates that all pupils are promoted to the next grade at the end of the school year. If the pedagogical team is convinced that a promotion would present the child with insurmountable challenges, the school year can be repeated at the parents’ request.
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
All pupils are required to take the intermediate school leaving certificate (MSA) examinations in Year 10. If their school career ends after the 10th grade, they acquire the Berufsbildungsreife (BBR), the erweiterte Berufsbildungsreife (eBBR), the MSA, or the MSA with transition to the Gymnasiale Oberstufe (MSA+).
-All English students are taught according to the Cambridge Curriculum and can take the ICGSE examinations in English there.
In addition, it is possible to take the Diplôme d’Etudes en Langue Française (DELF) or the Spanish Diploma (DELE) at an appropriate level (preparation in a study group if possible)
LANGUAGES OF INSTRUCTION
We strive for a balanced relationship between the subjects taught in German and English (50%/50%). The language of instruction also depends on the teachers available.
– Preferred in German: maths, ethics, sport, economy, work, technology (WAT).
– Preferred in English: art, music, natural sciences, history, and geography.
LESSON TIMES
The lesson times correspond to the times of the primary. The secondary classes use the football pitch for outside breaks. Further information you find here.
SOCIAL PAEDAGOGUES
School social work – shaping school together
As an integral part of the school community, school social work creates a favorable school climate. We are available to pupils, parents, and teaching staff as a confidential and direct point of contact
-in the event of school challenges, conflicts in the classroom, or
-brutal family and everyday situations.
Further information can be found here (link).
BOOK FUND
LUNCH
An external caterer delivers food to the secondary school’s pupils. A booking system will soon be introduced so that parents and children can organize lunch from the comfort of their own homes. Further information about the caterer can be found here. The caterer can accommodate allergies; please inform us. The children are accompanied and supervised in the lunch line.
LOCKERS
We offer lockers. Please conclude a contract with the following provider: