The North Zealand International School (NIS) in Hørsholm is building a new school, which aims to further unify the International and Danish pupils. The project has been eight years in the making and construction started in January 2024 and is supposed to be fully finished in August 2025. Furthermore, an International Baccalaureate Program (IB) will start in 2025, which creates more options for pupils, who want an international education. The international school is part of Denmark’s largest private school Nordsjællands Grundskole og Gymnasium (NGG) and is located at the coast of North Zealand.
According to the Head of the North Zealand International School, Joakim Philipsen, the new building will be a gamechanger.
“What is really special about this school is that we are trying to integrate the three departments into one. I am passionate about creating a school spirit, where the international students learn Danish culture and language and the Danish students learn English language and international outlook,” Joakim Philipsen says.
The fusion between the Danish and International, is what Joakim Philipsen finds fascinating about NIS, and the new school will make it even easier to create collaborations between the different departments.
Returning to Denmark
The North Zealand International School is also aware of the helping Danish kids, who have lived abroad and are now returning to their roots. This includes helping them to regain their Danish language skills. The school noticed that the children speak Danish at very different levels, when they return to Denmark, as some have attended language school and others haven’t. When the children arrive at NIS, they do a screening test, which determines what help they need to improve their language.
“Every level is as good as the other. We don’t judge the level of Danish the learners speak, but we need to determine their abilities to help them as best as we can,” Joakim Philipsen says.
The Danish language courses follow the NIS principle of creating a space where Danish and international students can meet, which is why all children also attend Danish lessons as either their native-language or second language. On average they attend six hours of Danish lessons a week, while the rest of their schooling is in English. Furthermore, the school follows the Danish testing and exams, which makes them able to continue in the Danish schooling system.
According to Joakim Philipsen, NIS is therefore a great option for Danish children returning to Denmark.
“No matter where they have started their education, they can fit in at our school. At the same time, they are almost free to choose where they want to continue their education, after they finish their basic schooling. Whether that be at a Danish high school, Danish university, or institutions abroad,” Joakim Philipsen says.
Another option for Danish children returning to Denmark from abroad, can be the Danish department of the school, which still has a lot of ties to the international community.
A new Head of School
Joakim Philipsen became the NIS head of school eight months ago in August 2023. The ambitious school committee and the opportunity to contribute to a meaningful project made him want the position.
“NIS is a school with a clear vision for the future, and I find it inspiring to work with a school committee, who have an international outlook”, Joakim Philipsen says.
Joakim Philipsen started his career as a schoolteacher in Greenland and International teaching and leadership has followed him since. Throughout the last 25 years he has led international schools in both Denmark and abroad.
“When a school can take the best qualities of their national schooling system and the best qualities from international schooling, then it becomes a unique place to learn. That has been my inspiration all along,” Joakim Philipsen says.
His 12-year-old son attends NIS in the seventh grade and his interest in international communities has also been infectious to his daughter, who now attends Ranum Efterskole College for one year at their international department. His oldest son will soon follow in his father’s footsteps and study to become a teacher.
The former teacher tries to use his teaching experiences for creating a good learning and teaching environment, and he likes to say:
“Happy teachers teach happy kids. Happy kids learn.”
According to Joakim Philipsen the kids’ ability to learn is closely connected with their general well-being, which is why it is one of the cornerstones of NIS.
Learning at NIS
At the North Zealand International School, the pupils are also called learners, and the word indicates that the pupils are still in the process of learning.
Around 350 learners between the ages 3 and 16 attend the international school. They can attend the Preschool, Primary, Secondary and High School and many of them attend the school for the whole duration of their schooling. The current NIS family are from more than 50 countries and speak 60 languages in total. According to the school committee, most of the families are so-called long transition students, meaning they stay in the country for a long period of time.
The school is very proud to be IPC accredited, meaning it offers the International Primary Curriculum in the primary school. The school is working towards a possible extension of this program to Early Years and Lower Secondary.
The program is benchmarked against the National Curriculum of England and Wales and style of teaching has a more holistic approach. It focuses on the skills and abilities of the student and has many of the same values as the Danish and Nordic school systems. This means that learners participate in a lot of group work and the teachers from different subjects work together to create interdisciplinary learning.
A bridge between Denmark and the world
According to board member of NIS, Michael Mellberg Nilsson, it is the committee’s vision to create an overarching school, which unifies the international and the Danish pupils. Michael Mellberg Nilsson has been a part of the NGG School Committee since April 2022. He is not new to the world of international schooling, as his two daughters have attended international schools in both Canada and Hong Kong and are now at NIS.
He and the rest of the school committee are very passionate about the construction of the new school. According to him, it creates new opportunities for an everyday life, where international and Danish pupils can meet. The board is made up of a mix of International and Danish parents but what links them all is life experience from abroad, which ensures an international outlook in their decision making.
The new Head of NIS shares the board member’s excitement about the school’s future.
“The school builds a bridge between the international community and Denmark”, Joakim Philipsen says.
