Why we chose BISS: part one of many

Swedish-born Rebecca Zätterström has spent time in Norway, the US, France and, most recently, the UK, where she lived for nineteen years. She is a solicitor, writer, student and mother of four.

We have three children at BISS. We moved from London to Stockholm in the summer of 2023, after a few years’ planning. As a Swedish-British family (my husband Ben is British, I am Swedish) a move to Sweden had always been on the cards, but we worried in particular about the change in schooling which a move would entail. Our three oldest children, eight, six and four years old at the time, had only ever gone to school in the UK, and we were keen to carry on with the British schooling, rather than transferring them into the Swedish educational system straight away (mainly due to the earlier school start in the UK).

BISS was a natural choice for us. Friends who moved to Sweden from London a little while ago recommended it, so we made contact with the school a couple of years before our anticipated move. My husband and I were shown around the premises, and we instantly liked it. The classes did not seem too full and the staff and students were very friendly.

To us, BISS combines the best of British education with a Swedish setting. The British teaching is second to none in Stockholm, and much of the structure is reminiscent of the childrens’ previous private school in north London. There are also aspects of BISS which I, as a Swede, had missed in London, such as the green outdoor spaces and proximity to wild nature, and the lack of school uniform.

BISS is nurturing without impacting on the quality of teaching; academically challenging without feeling elitist. The children settled in more quickly than what we had expected, both with teachers and peers. Due to the smaller size classes, we found that the teaching staff had more time to have an ongoing dialogue with us throughout the year, if any of our children were struggling. This was a big difference from our school in London.

Also, the fluctuating nature of the school families means that the school is accustomed to welcoming new children and helping them adjust. The new joiners and leavers each year have not caused issues for us so far, though, but rather seems to be what makes the school community so warm and welcoming. There is a palpable friendliness in the schoolyard at pick-up and drop-off. After only a year our children and we feel fully integrated at the school, and we have all made many good friends. This has enabled us as a family to settle in to our new lives here more easily.

We are very happy with BISS and its fantastic teaching staff, and highly recommend it.