Why study at St. Lawrence College?

1. Outstanding facilities in a beautiful campus

Situated in a 20-acre campus, the school boasts some of the most up-to-date and complete facilities among education providers in Greece. Sports facilities are unrivalled and include a water-polo dimensioned heated swimming pool with an adjacent mini-pool for very young children, a full-sized all-weather football pitch with seating for 300 spectators, a fully equipped indoor gymnasium with seating for 200 spectators and outdoor tennis and basketball courts.

In addition, the school makes constant use of an amphitheatre, piano rooms, outstanding science laboratories, junior and senior school libraries, fully equipped I.T. suites and the most modern teaching tools in classrooms. All of this is contained within our glorious campus – an entirely single storey purpose-built complex which is airy, uncrowded, surrounded by beautiful hills and by in the fresh air of the southern Athenian suburbs, thus creating a peaceful, calm environment for learning.

2. A truly British education

Our school truly delivers those characteristics of an educational system that is internationally recognised as being effective and progressive – the British educational system, governed by the English National Curriculum. Furthermore, it is the intention of St. Lawrence College to promote among our pupils a value system that is underpinned by the values that make up the core of a modern British education – values of caring, tolerance, fair-play, showing enthusiasm, the practice of a moral code of decency and the intent to strive for excellence while being aware of the needs of others. These values are coupled with progress in learning through self-belief and self-confidence and, ultimately, academic qualifications that are globally recognised. This is what a pupil at St. Lawrence College can aspire to.

3. A broad curriculum that builds great learners

Pupils experience a broad curriculum -built around the UK government’s National Curriculum for England- whatever their age and whichever Key Stage they are in. They also take Greek classes from Year 1, as well as a third language, chosen from a wide range of options, at Year 4. Pupils enjoy great flexibility in IGCSE choices and their A-Level subjects, but also receive considerable guidance and orientation as they make their selection. Parents are also provided with constant advice and information as to what the curriculum choices mean for their child and are encouraged to discuss options choices with their child.

4. A multicultural community

As a British school in Greece we take pride in that our pupils are drawn from a very diverse background: we wouldn’t want that to be any other way. At the last count, there were more than fifty nationality backgrounds among our pupils –a true celebration of cultures. This provides a wonderful opportunity to promote tolerance and understanding, an awareness and appreciation of differences between our experiences. This diversity is also present among our teaching staff and functions as a key element in our drive towards the values of mutual respect and care.

5. A fully inclusive, non-selective pupil body

St. Lawrence College is non-selective. This means there is no entrance examination that must be passed for a child to be admitted. We believe that every child has the right to an opportunity to learn. We work hard to instil a growth mindset among pupils and staff and we celebrate effort and determination to learn, first and foremost. Children with learning and behaviour challenges progress well at St. Lawrence College, thanks to the attention provided by our learning support and SEN programmes for both Junior and Senior school students [links to their respective pages] and by the happy learning environment that permeates the school as a whole. Simply put, every child matters.

6. A happy and safe environment – top quality pastoral care

Great care is taken to ensure that our pupils are able to grow and develop as thoughtful citizens, aware of each other and of the community they live in, and that they feel happy, safe and enthusiastic about their learning. This is the result of first-rate pastoral care, which, at St. Lawrence College, is achieved through a system of care provision modelled on the British system and undertaken by experienced, trained and caring staff. See Pastoral Care for more information.

7. Smooth integration of pupils seeking to improve their English

Every year we are joined by pupils seeking to improve their English before fully integrating into the regular British school programme. St. Lawrence College has carefully designed EAL (English as an Additional Language) programmes to help pupils quickly raise their English skills. It is a system that works – irrespective of the age of the child. We are proud of our ability to assimilate pupils into our very diverse pupil body, where everyone learns and everyone is welcome.

8. Enrichment opportunities - activities beyond the classroom

Learning can take place at any time and should be fun. That is why at St. Lawrence College there is a wide range of activities and clubs that pupils can be a part of. There are so many opportunities to develop a new skill, have fun and make new friends. These range from sports activities such as swimming, football, basketball, tennis and many others, to challenges such as the Duke of Edinburgh International Award, to music, drama, debating, forensics and public speaking, the Model United Nations, environmental and charity work and plenty more.

9. Excellence in early years

Fostering the pleasure of imaginative play and a love and enjoyment of learning, our Early Years setting and dedicated practitioners provide the most wonderful start to your child’s learning journey at St. Lawrence College. Our warm and caring environment and its provision of stimulating play-based activities inspires our pupils to be curious, ask questions and develop an awe and wonder of the world.

10. The largest provider of A-Levels in Greece

A-Levels are the true and traditional post-16 educational qualification in the UK, with over 95% of UK schools offering education after GCSEs using it. Most importantly, A-Levels help pupils develop the essential study skills that must be in place if their progression to higher education is to be successful. No other institution in Greece teaches or enters more pupils for A-Level examinations than St. Lawrence College.

Here at St. Lawrence College, that the most common grade at A-Level, year after year, is an A grade, demonstrates the quality of delivery of this vitally important, pre-university stage of British education. Along with our expert and individually-tailored pastoral support and counselling, St. Lawrence College pupils are well-served and on track to access UK higher education or indeed any higher education institution in the world.

11. Top Academic Results Year After Year

Formal assessment through public examinations first occurs in Year 11 with IGCSEs, then continues in Year 12 with AS-Levels and is completed in Year 13 with A-Levels. St. Lawrence College has maintained very impressive standards in all of these examination standards, year after year. We are a non-selective school, and as such we are proud that the proportion of pupils who achieve at least five IGCSEs of at least grade C is consistently close to 90% (the UK average being 55%) – and at all levels of examination, IGCSE, AS-Level and A-Level, the most common grade achieved by far is the top grade of A/A*.

12. The perfect springboard to UK and global higher education

Pupils from our school access the very best universities all over the world. Most (around 80%) select to enter UK universities while others choose to go to the US, Canada, Europe or elsewhere for their higher education. Wherever they choose to study, St. Lawrence College provides the perfect combination of teaching excellence and informative one-to-one support before during and after the application process. It gives us great pleasure to see a young adult leave school and embark upon their chosen field of study, that’s why we strive to ensure that our pupils have access to a team of professionals in possession of deep experience, who also really care about them. 

13. Enthusiastic and highly qualified teaching staff

More than eighty teachers and more than 150 staff across the entire school are here to deliver the highest quality educational care within a safe and pleasant environment. Children are given the very best of opportunities to learn, thanks to the dedication and experience of teachers and educational practitioners who receive continual training in educational theory and who always seek out opportunities to improve their work. At St. Lawrence College we firmly believe that learning does not end with childhood –and we practise what we preach!

14. Continual Improvement

We stand for and expect continual improvement, from pupils but also from ourselves. We are proud of what we have achieved but we never want to stop moving forward. After all, when we promote and encourage self-reflection in our pupils, how could we not do the same as a school? This results in our teaching staff enjoying regular training delivered by expert educationalists, from the UK and beyond, undertaking on-line and off-site courses and working together to support and build upon their performance and effectiveness in their teaching. The school also continually reviews its curriculum and facilities in order to provide the very best and most modern and relevant educational experience possible.