Integrated Secondary School (ISek) – German Foreign Language Stream (DaF)

The Integrated Secondary School is an English stream at the Deutsche Internationale Schule Johannesburg for children from Grade 5 who do not have a German language background. This stream was opened in 1989 and was aimed to provide non – German speaking children from previously disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity of private school education.

Entry exam:
All learners who wish to be admitted to Grade 5 of the ISec have to pass a Maths and English entry exam in Grade 4 (in August of the respective year) as well as an aptitude test.

Saturday School:
We offer a special preparation class for the entry exam (Saturday School) for the learners of our partner schools in Soweto. Every Saturday, they are being taught Maths, English and Life Skills at our school.

Admission without Saturday School:
Children who do not attend the Saturday School also have the opportunity to participate in the entry exam for the new Grade 5 of the ISec. On passing the test, they will be admitted to the school.

Lessons:
Lessons at the ISec are taught in English. The ability to speak German well and to learn all about the German culture helps with the integration in the German school community. Therefore, the learners have 10 German lessons per week in Grade 5, 8 lessons in Grade 6 and 6 lessons in Grade 7 in small learning groups. From Grade 7, lessons in Basic Science, Geography and Religion are also being taught in German (Deutschsprachiger Fachunterricht/DFU).

The lessons are based on both the German (Baden – Württemberg) and South African curriculum. All subjects relevant for the South African Matric or the German Abitur are being taught using the latest teaching methods. From Grade 6 onwards, the learners choose between French, Afrikaans or Zulu as a third language. From Grade 10, they then either choose the NSC – stream (Matric) or the Kombi – stream (Matric and German Abitur).

Integration:
The emphasis of the language lessons is learning German, as it is important to remove the language barriers in order to integrate at our school. Besides, from the start, classes are mixed in English and Sports, later also in French and Afrikaans with other classes from the German stream.

Many opportunities for cultural interaction like extramurals and evening events which are organised together, and in particular the class trips add to the integration progress of the ISec learners.

German Language Diploma:
In Grade 6 and 7, the knowledge of German is tested on the basis of international comparison exams (A1 and A2 level). In Grade 9, the learners take part in the exam for the German Language Diploma DSD I and in Grade 11 for the DSD II. The DSD II (C1 – mother tongue level) enables the learners to study at any German speaking university without having to go through further language tests. In addition, it makes it easier to find a job with a German company in South Africa or in Germany.