We are a bilingual private school located in the centre of Hamburg. Bilingual education in German and English is at the heart of everything we do here on campus.
Our campus offers continuous bilingual education from the nursery throughout the primary school and up to our state-recognised secondary school, all privately funded, for children and teenagers from 12 months old until they complete their A-Levels.
Our native-speaking teachers and educators teach both languages in and outside the classroom, using the immersion method — through daily, authentic use, not only in the classroom, but in everyday situations as well. By the end of their journey at Phorms, our students will be able to communicate confidently in both languages, both speaking and in writing.
Our school cultivates, and is proud of, its friendly and welcoming atmosphere. At the same time, we are shaped by internationality and openness. We are a certified “School without Racism, School with Courage.” Located in the heart of Hamburg, we not only embrace the diversity of the city but also the world, and we stay true to our motto: Local Schools – Global Education.
At the Phorms Campus Hamburg, our children and teenagers learn and grow in an all-day community, with care available from 7:30 am to 6 pm. With us, students experience and actively contribute to the campus’ social and cultural diversity — in their everyday school life and beyond in our extensive afternoon and holiday care programmes. Our campus offers ample space and state-of-the-art facilities for science, sports, and music.
Our team consists of experienced and highly qualified teachers and educators. Your child will be accepted and nurtured as an individual: in manageable class sizes with high teacher-to-student ratios, supported by teaching assistants, and through our support and enrichment programmes.
The Phorms Campus Hamburg was established in 2008 as part of the nationwide Phorms education network and has been growing ever since. For over 20 years, Phorms has enriched the educational landscape through its forward-thinking, modern bilingual nurseries and schools, a teacher training academy, and international schools.
No, but they should be fluent in at least one of the two languages of instruction (German or English).
Our meals are balanced, regionally sourced, and certified organic. The trained chefs of our catering service “Bio für Kids” prepare the meals fresh every day in the school’s kitchen. The meals we serve are based on the quality standards of the German Nutrition Society. Each day, children can choose between two dishes (one of which is vegetarian) and a raw food option at the salad bar. Fresh water is available throughout the day. For lunch, there are also delicious and healthy beverage options such as herbal or fruit teas. The meal plan typically includes fish once a week and poultry or beef from organic farms twice a week. We do not serve any pork. Since we value community, the students and educational staff eat together. We place importance on good table manners and appropriate behaviour during meals. Afterwards, there is plenty of time for playing and running around outside during the lunch break.
Each child goes through an admission process, which varies slightly depending on the class level. This allows us to get to know the children better and learn more about their knowledge in core subjects as well as their language skills. For preschool (Reception) and year 1, the children complete age-appropriate tasks and play with other children of the same age.
For families still living abroad and unable to arrange trial days on-site, we offer an alternative admission process.
With a day care voucher from the City of Hamburg, most of the costs for our day care centre and preschool will be covered by the city. The parental contribution is calculated individually depending on how many hours your child is cared for each day and your family’s income.
Learning languages is a dynamic process. At Phorms schools, English and German are equal languages of instruction and communication in school life. This enables our students to move naturally and confidently between both languages, while also developing an understanding of other ways of life and value systems.
Our students learn this from our native-speaking educators. They experience and live English themselves: in lessons, in the playground, during lunch, at celebrations, and on excursions.
From kindergarten onwards, children are cared for and taught by both our German and English-speaking educators. In primary school, lessons are conducted in an equal mix of German and English. This allows students to acquire the language independently from practical situations. In our secondary school, students learn in equal parts in German and English, gaining relevant subject-specific vocabulary in both languages.
Our teachers employ the immersion method to teach English. This involves immersing students in the target language using all their senses. Our English-speaking educators reinforce what is said with facial expressions, gestures, images, and symbols. This helps students learn the language faster, more easily, and more effectively.
Being bilingual means more than just speaking two languages. It means being able to think and feel in both languages. Our students learn this from our native-speaking educators. They experience and live English: in lessons, in the playground, during lunch, at celebrations, and on excursions.
Depending on the location, we offer additional languages such as Spanish, French, and Latin. We also strive to employ native-speaking teachers for Spanish and French.
Because every child is an individual, our educators carefully observe their students so that they can provide optimal, personalised support. Thanks to the additional time gained through our full-day care, we can work more intensively and specifically with students than is usually possible. This helps students to develop the skills to better trust their own abilities while also developing respect for the strengths and weaknesses of others.
In primary school, special needs teachers regularly work with students in small groups who either exceed, or struggle to meet, the class’s learning objectives. We aim to keep class sizes small and ensure optimal supervision. The current guideline for primary school is 22 students per class, and for secondary school, 24 students.
In primary school, special needs teachers regularly work in small groups with students who either exceed or struggle to meet the class’s learning objectives. As they know their students’ strengths and weaknesses well, they can tailor the content to the learning style and pace of each student and present it in an engaging way.
Motivation is contagious. Our staff are inspiring educators from around the world. They embrace innovation and always have a listening ear for students and parents. With their commitment, they ensure that children enjoy coming to school.
We carefully select our educators, placing great emphasis on both their professional and educational expertise. Our educators are familiar with modern teaching methods and align their lessons with both German and international educational standards.
Our teachers continuously improve their didactic and methodological skills through national and international training and conferences.
Our schools offer ample space and state-of-the-art facilities – for science, sports, or music. Teachers use interactive smart boards with internet access in lessons. Additionally, every student has access to a computer.
The state curriculum is binding and is followed by all our teachers, allowing students to easily transition between public schools or back to them at any time. The highest qualification is the Abitur.
At our locations, we cooperate with social institutions, associations, businesses, authorities, and universities. Through our local network, we aim to extend our education to the wider community while fostering a better understanding of local contexts for our students.
Our students experience community through diversity. This includes the interaction of different cultural, religious, and social backgrounds. This has a lasting impact: Phorms students respect others’ opinions and engage constructively with different perspectives.
To ensure children from different income groups have access to Phorms schools, we apply income-based parental contributions.
To keep students’ appearance neutral, our school uniform allows us to create and learning and social environment where the focus is on community and shared experience. Students can then focus on what’s important – regardless of their social background or current fashion trends.
Our logo – the Phorms Tangram – represents this curiosity, creativity, and our diverse educational programme.«
Gabriela Engel
Head of Secondary School
Andrea Zahrte
Deputy Head of Secondary School
Damir Dzafic
Head of Primary School
Christine Arruda
Deputy Head of Primary School
Evelyn Siegert
Head of Day Care Centre
Susann Borchert
Deputy Head of Day Care Centre
Benjamin Haack
Business Manager
David Rosenzweig
Head of Extracurricular Programme
Annika Watson
Deputy Head of Extracurricular Programme
🩺Lunge & Gesundheit im Fokus!🩺 Die Klassen 8A und 8B waren bei der Lung Cancer Awareness Ausstellung von Olympus! Gemeinsam haben sie wichtige Informationen über Prävention und Früherkennung gesammelt. Es war ein inspirierender Tag voller neuen Erkenntnisse!✏️ - - The classes 8A and 8B visited the Lung Cancer Awareness exhibition at the Olympus! Together, they gathered importantly information about prevention and early detection. It was inspiring day full of new insights!✏️ - - - #fy #school #exhibition #lungcancer #healthy #olympus #cancer #awareness #healtheducation #schooleducation
Do you have questions about our school, our nursery or the registration process? We will be delighted to assist you with any queries.
Jessica Janorschke
Admissions Officer
Katharina Schönert
Admissions Officer
