Howstudents become‘world ready’ at the Giles School

One might look at the Giles School, or more accurately the Giles “International” School, as the little school that prepares students to be “world ready.”

That may sound like a tall order for a school sporting just more than 100 students, but its small size is central to an exceptional educational experience. Standing out amongst the hundreds of independent schools in Toronto, the Giles School prepares young people to be inclusive, international and innovative – three engines that drive this “little school that can.” The Giles School is small on purpose, fueled by small class sizes and small in overall numbers. The research is clear: a small school gives more students better opportunities to learn.

Developed in the likeness of a laboratory school, Order of Canada recipient and founder Harry Giles had a vision that stretched well beyond the sameness in schools. He not only promoted an enriched academic environment, he embraced the outlier ideas of learning languages to understand cultures. How can we come to appreciate the necessity for peace if we cannot understand one another?

At the Giles School, no learning is left behind when classes range between 10 and 16 students. Being “world ready” is a tall order, but easier to reach when school leaders have the capacity to influence students and staff, one person at a time.

Who says a small school cannot have specialized programs? Students at the Giles

School engage in French speech contests, science fairs and Ms. Caroline’s annual bumble spelling bee “le bourdon.” Students have built their own recording studio for music production and podcasts.

Building on a vibrant student body, dedicated and passionate teachers, and an engaging curriculum, the Giles School is launching the Giles International Microcredential ( GIM) Program in the 2020-21 school year. This one-of-a-kind program recognizes student participation in curricular and co- curricular skill- based modules. Examples of modules include chess instruction, financial literacy, robotics, International Day inquiry projects, Mandarin, Spanish, Arabic and Russian, Model UN, novel writing, stamp and currency club and debating.

Students take part in an intensive French instruction experience that begins at age two. By eighth grade, students who log in over 10,000 classroom hours are recognized at graduation with a special Giles Diploma for achieving this level of expertise.

The Giles School does not shy away from new ideas. We are proud of being the little school that can make our students “world ready!”