Platon IB World School

Platon IB World School is a school with a 45-year tradition in quality education and the first school in Greece to implement the three International Baccalaureate Programmes: Primary Years Programme (ages 3 to 11), Middle Years Programme (ages 12-16) and Diploma Programme (ages 16 to 19).

At Platon IB World School, students are given the opportunity to acquire knowledge in a pleasant learning environment through our IB bilingual programmes (PYP and MYP) with the support of our native speaking teachers.

Research has shown that being exposed to as much language as possible is the best way to obtain the skills necessary to use a second language efficiently, as if it were their native language. This is exactly what Platon’s Bilingual Programme offers.

Involvement with the Language Programme begins with an hour of English daily in Day Care. Our Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Bilingual classes offer three hours of English daily. The Bilingual Programme is also implemented throughout Primary, Middle School and the first year of High School. This is achieved through a partial immersion programme in which all subjects are taught equally in both English and Greek.

Following the first year of High School students have the option to attend either the IB Diploma Programme (all subjects are taught in English with the exception of Modern Greek Literature) in order to continue their studies abroad, or follow the National Programme that prepares them for the Pan-Hellenic University Entrance Exams.

The Bilingual Programme is implemented through the use of two parallel approaches: Learning the Language and Learning with the Language.

The first approach, Learning the Language, involves learning grammar, structure, and vocabulary. These basic skills lead to effective oral communication, listening and reading comprehension and written expression.

The second approach, Learning with the Language, involves learning disciplines such as History, Mathematics, Sciences, Physical Education, Information Technology, Performing and Visual Arts. Learning is accomplished through hands-on activities, group work, songs, games and constructions for the younger students. The older students learn through engaging themselves in projects, working with the community, iPad 1:1 learning and a lot of lab work.

Of course, learning and celebrating customs and traditions from around the world such as Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day is also a significant part of the Bilingual Programme, enabling students to become more internationally-minded. In addition, the exposure to other cultures teaches them to respect differences and become global citizens.

The teaching process is supported by a variety of educational tools, depending on the level of the students. Resources include foreign language course books, audio-visual material, educational journals, magazines, and dictionaries. All pertinent resources are selected by our highly professional and trained teachers and are chosen in accordance with the Units of Inquiry.

Students are taught to use our fully equipped library, in order to obtain information and sources necessary to successfully complete their research projects. All IB cross-curricular Units of Inquiry are completed both in Greek and English.

During this process, students learn to work both in groups and individually in order to present their work to their classmates as well as to the wider Platon IB World School environment.

The primary goal of the Programme is experiential learning of the language as well as preparation for language certification exams such as the University of Cambridge ESOL Exams and the University of Michigan Exams.

 Evaluation in the Bilingual Programme is a continuous and systematic process which is comprised of three phases:

1) Pre-assessment Stage. Here students are called upon to recall prior knowledge involved in the Unit of Inquiry and therefore evaluated on this.

2) Assessment Stage. Here students are evaluated both in written and oral skills in a particular Unit of Inquiry either individually or through group presentations.

3) Reflection Stage. Here students are engaged in a self-evaluation process of their own work, performance and progress throughout the duration of each Unit of Inquiry.

Parents are regularly informed on their child’s progress by their class teacher through various processes. Report Cards are distributed every trimester. There is a distinct marking scheme as well as a descriptive assessment scale according to IB standards. Finally, each student’s performance is holistically re-evaluated as this plays an important role regarding the students’ future participation in the Bilingual Programme.

Why Study at Platon IB Diploma?

1. The school’s international apolytirio is the only curriculum in Greece that offers 8 periods of higher level classes per week.

2. All courses are taught by highly trained and experienced IB teachers.

3. All subjects except Languages are taught exclusively in English.

4. Our school caters for individual student’s needs, offering counseling services, enhancing independence, self-confidence and development of skills.

5. We offer classes with few students so as to create a student-centered friendly academic environment.

6. The school fully supports the use of technology in the classroom by both students and teachers.

7. Our school’s facilities include an indoor swimming pool, indoor basketball court and a football stadium.

8. We offer 2 scholarships for the academic year 2014 – 2015

9. Platon fees are very competitive.

The school reserves the right to make changes according to the number of students per subject.

IB Diploma Scholarship Competitions:

Platon School will award 2 scholarships to candidates achieving excellence in the following subject areas: English Language, Mathematics and Visual Arts (for those interested in architecture or fine arts).

The scholarship exams will take place in our school’s premises on April 26th.

For more information and applications, please visit http://www.platon.gr/competitions