Ecole Nouvelle de la Suisse Romande

The Vittoz Foundation (1906)

In the late 19th century, progressive educational reform movements were sweeping Europe, challenging the prevailing model of rigid instruction and memorisation. It was in this intellectual climate that Mr. and Mrs. Vittoz established the École Nouvelle de la Suisse Romande in Lausanne in 1906.

Their vision was radical for the time: that children learn best when they are treated as whole human beings, not vessels to be filled with information. From the outset, the school integrated practical, hands-on activities — including garden cultivation — into its daily life alongside formal academic study.

Building a Tradition: The Grand Jeu (1948)

One of ENSR's most distinctive traditions was born in 1948 with the introduction of the Grand Jeu — an ambitious, whole-community theatrical and creative production that takes place annually. This event encapsulates the school's commitment to joyful, collaborative learning and has become a defining part of ENSR's identity across generations of alumni.

Post-War Expansion: Theatre and the Arts

In the post-war decades, ENSR developed its drama and theatre programme into a genuine curricular strength. Performances and creative arts became embedded in school life — not as extras, but as core components of a holistic education.

Becoming an International School: IB Authorisation (1971)

Perhaps the most consequential milestone in ENSR's modern history came in the 1970s, when the school became one of the first in Switzerland to authorise the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme alongside the Swiss Maturité. The IBO database records ENSR as an IB school since 1 January 1971 — making it one of the earliest IB schools in the world.

This decision positioned ENSR at the leading edge of internationally-minded Swiss education and cemented its appeal to both local Swiss families (who valued the Maturité pathway) and international families (for whom the IB Diploma provided globally recognised credentials).

21st-Century Innovations

ENSR has continued to evolve:

• Montessori early years: A Montessori-inspired section was added to the Maternelle Nouvelle programme, giving the youngest children (from age ~2.5) greater autonomy in their learning environment
• Permaculture garden programme (~2020): Students grow food and learn about sustainable agriculture on campus, connecting academic learning to real-world environmental responsibility
• Sport-études programme: A formal dual-track programme for elite athletes was developed, allowing students to pursue high-level sport (including Olympic pathways) while completing full academic qualifications

118 Years and Counting

Today, ENSR enrolls over 600 students from 43 nationalities on a single, 2.5-hectare wooded campus in Lausanne. It remains a private, non-profit institution — true to its founding independence — and continues to balance Swiss academic rigour with international recognition and a deeply personalised, community-oriented ethos.

Two Final Diplomas, One School

At the heart of ENSR's academic offer is a genuinely unusual proposition: students in the upper secondary (Gymnase) can choose between two distinct, rigorous final qualifications:

• Swiss Federal Maturité — conducted entirely in French; recognised by Swiss federal law for direct entry to Swiss universities (including the prestigious ETH Zurich and the University of Lausanne). This pathway prepares students primarily for higher education within Switzerland and the French-speaking academic world.
• IB Diploma Programme — available in English, French, or bilingually. Recognised globally by universities in over 100 countries. ENSR has offered the IB since 1971, making it one of the longest-standing IB schools in the world.

A Rich IB Subject Menu

ENSR's IB subject offering is notably broad, particularly in languages — reflecting the school's bilingual identity and international student body. Subjects offered include:

Sciences & Mathematics

• Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches (HL/SL)
• Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations (HL/SL)
• Biology (HL/SL), Chemistry (HL/SL), Physics (HL/SL)

Humanities & Social Sciences

• Economics (HL/SL), Business Management (HL/SL)
• History (HL/SL), Geography (HL/SL)
• Theory of Knowledge (compulsory)

Languages — an exceptional range:

• English A, English B, English Ab Initio
• French A (Language & Literature / Literature), French B, French Ab Initio
• German A, German B, German Ab Initio
• Spanish B, Spanish Ab Initio
• Italian B, Italian Ab Initio
• Chinese A, Chinese B
• Russian A (Literature), Russian B, Russian Ab Initio

This language breadth is rare even among international schools and reflects ENSR's genuine multilingual community.

The Full Language Ladder (Pre-IB)

Below the Gymnase, ENSR builds language skills progressively:

• French and English are both instructional languages from Nursery onwards
• German is introduced as a compulsory language from Grade 4 (~age 9)
• Spanish, Italian, and Latin become available as electives from Collège (Grade 7+)
• Ancient Greek is offered in Grade 8

EAL support is available for students who arrive with limited French or English, ensuring the bilingual programme is accessible to new international arrivals.

Small Classes, Six Report Cycles

Academic life is shaped by small class sizes (average ~15 students) and a demanding six-report-card-per-year schedule. This high frequency of formal feedback — unusual in international schools — keeps students, parents and teachers closely aligned and supports the school's personalised approach to learning.

Cambridge and Goethe Examinations

Alongside the main diplomas, students in the Gymnase can sit Cambridge and Goethe-Institut language examinations, adding externally-validated language certifications to their portfolio — particularly useful for university applications outside the IB/Maturité system.

The Setting

ENSR occupies a single campus on the heights of Lausanne, set on a 2.5-hectare wooded site overlooking Lake Geneva. The location combines the practical convenience of being in a major Swiss city with the green, spacious feel of a campus school. It is approximately 10 km from Lausanne's main railway station and about one hour by road from Geneva Airport (GVA).

Academic Facilities

• Science Laboratories — modern benches for biology, chemistry and physics, each accommodating ~25 students
• Design & Technology Workshops — woodworking and computer facilities
• Library — 10,000+ volumes plus digital/media resources
• Arts Studios — music practice rooms, visual arts spaces with kiln facilities

Sports Facilities

Sports are a meaningful part of ENSR life, supported by a strong facility base:

• Indoor Sports Hall — large, newly renovated multipurpose gymnasium (capacity ~500)
• Gymnastics Hall — indoor facility with apparatus and mats (~100 capacity)
• Fitness Centre — fully equipped weight and cardio gym (~30 capacity)
• Multi-sport Outdoor Court — basketball/volleyball/tennis hard courts (~200 spectator capacity)
• Tennis Courts and Volleyball Court — additional outdoor hard and sand courts

ENSR also runs a formal sport-études (dual-track athlete) programme for students competing at national or international level — alumni include Olympic-pathway snowboarder Marc Rochat of the Swiss national team.

The Arts Theatre

A mid-sized theatre/auditorium (seating ~200) is central to ENSR's identity, hosting the school's famed Grand Jeu annual production and regular performances by student ensembles. Drama and performance have been a curricular feature since the post-war era.

Dining: 'Fait Maison' Restaurant

The on-site school restaurant holds the official "Fait Maison" (homemade) certification, awarded by French and Swiss culinary authorities to establishments that cook from scratch using fresh, seasonal, local ingredients. Students receive at least one hot, freshly prepared entrée each school day — a detail that speaks to the school's attention to the whole-child experience.

Boarding House

For ~50 boarding students (ages ~11–19), ENSR offers 5-day or 7-day boarding in a renovated historic villa on campus. Annual fees for boarders range from CHF 53,000 to CHF 75,000. The boarding community is deliberately small, fostering a genuine house-family atmosphere rather than an institutional dormitory experience. Cultural and recreational activities are organised for boarders at weekends.

Outdoor and Sustainability Spaces

The campus includes an orienteering course and a permaculture garden (introduced ~2020), where students grow food as part of the school's sustainability curriculum — connecting the 21st-century environmental agenda directly to the Vittoz family's founding belief in hands-on, experiential learning.

A Structured Approach to Student Wellbeing

In 2019, ENSR formalised its commitment to student mental health and emotional wellbeing by establishing the Listening and Guidance Service — a dedicated counselling and support function embedded within the school community.

The Service is led by the school's Student Counsellor, Mme Silvia Gandhi, who works across age groups to support students' social, emotional and academic development.

What the Service Offers

The Listening and Guidance Service operates on several levels:

• Individual confidential support — students can access one-to-one sessions with the counsellor in a confidential and supportive setting; the service is designed to be approachable rather than clinical
• Classroom programmes — the counsellor delivers structured sessions within the curriculum each year on topics including bullying prevention, emotional regulation, stress management, and healthy peer relationships
• University preparation guidance — the service also supports older students with the personal and skills-based aspects of university applications and the transition to higher education
• Coordination with healthcare professionals — where student needs exceed the school's in-house capacity, the service facilitates referral to and coordination with external healthcare and mental health professionals

A Community Without a House System

Unlike many boarding schools, ENSR does not operate a formal house system. Instead, the community bonds are built through whole-school traditions (the Grand Jeu, shared sports, cultural events) and through the deliberately small size of the school (~600 students) and classes (~15 per class). This scale means students are genuinely known by their teachers and peers — a feature parents and the Good Schools Guide both highlight.

No Uniform, No Hierarchy

ENSR's lack of a school uniform — confirmed by the Good Schools Guide — reflects the school's philosophical commitment to individuality and to creating an environment where students feel at ease. The atmosphere is described as warm and family-like, consistent with the founding motto that the school should be the child's home.

Learning Support

For students with additional learning needs, ENSR provides support on a case-by-case basis. EAL (English/French as an Additional Language) support is available for students who arrive with limited proficiency in either instructional language, ensuring the bilingual programme is accessible to newly-arrived international families.

A Philosophy Rooted in 1906

École Nouvelle de la Suisse Romande was founded by Michel and Marthe Vittoz in 1906, at a time when progressive educators across Europe were questioning rigid, rote-learning models. The Vittoz family believed, above all, that genuine education must nurture the whole child — intellectually, physically, and emotionally — and that a school should feel like a second home.

Their founding motto, "The school is the child's home; they should feel happy here," remains the guiding principle of the institution more than a century later.

Core Values in Practice

ENSR articulates five core values that flow directly from this founding vision:

• Holistic student growth — academic, physical and emotional development are treated as inseparable
• Responsibility and mutual respect — students learn to take ownership of their actions and to value the perspectives of others
• Belonging to a community — the school deliberately fosters a family-like atmosphere rather than an institutional one
• International and multicultural openness — with 43 nationalities on campus, diversity is experienced daily, not just discussed
• Adaptation to individual needs — teaching is flexible and personalised, rather than one-size-fits-all

Bilingual, Personalised Learning

The pedagogy is concretely student-centred. Classes are kept small (average ~15 students), allowing teachers to adapt pace and depth to each learner. The bilingual French–English curriculum means students develop genuine fluency in two world languages rather than treating one as a token add-on.

In early years, an optional Montessori-inspired section gives the youngest children maximum autonomy in their learning. In secondary, students can choose between the Swiss Maturité (conducted in French, recognised for Swiss university entry) and the IB Diploma (available in English, French, or bilingual) — a deliberate double-track that lets families select the pathway that best fits the student's future goals.

Joyful, Hands-On Tradition

From the school's earliest days, hands-on and experiential learning have been woven into the curriculum. Students historically tended garden plots as part of their schooling — a tradition revived today through a permaculture programme that connects students to sustainability and nature. The school's famed "Grand Jeu" (introduced 1948), an annual large-scale theatrical/creative event involving the whole community, embodies the belief that learning should be joyful and collaborative.

Theatre and the arts have been a curricular strength since the post-war period, reflecting the conviction that creative expression is as important as academic rigour.

Why It Matters for Families

For families considering ENSR, the philosophy has very practical implications: expect a warm, supportive atmosphere; small classes where your child is known by name; and a curriculum that balances Swiss academic rigour with international recognition. The school is deliberately not a high-pressure exam factory — but its graduates do progress to Swiss universities and competitive global institutions, because genuine understanding, not rote performance, has always been the goal.