Collège Alpin Beau Soleil

Since August 2025, Ben Turner, MA Education (University of Bath), PGCE (University of Warwick). Started career as a maths teacher in England, then set off around the world – Latin America, Asia, Hungary – chalking up 20 years in IB schools. Previously head of secondary and then principal at British International School in Budapest, before that deputy headteacher for curriculum and learning at the British International School in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

We found him to be charming, polite and refreshingly open – no airs and graces. Semi-formal in manner (the kind who wears a blazer but laughs easily), he comes across as humble, sincere and thoughtful, with a good-natured calm that instantly puts you at ease. He talks about students with real affection and speaks of the school as a ‘home away from home.’ He was instantly smitten by the clever design of the campus – warm, inviting, every space encouraging people to gather.

For him, kindness rules. In a small boarding school, relationships matter and he expects students to stretch themselves, try new things and be curious about life. He leads by example: recently clambering with students to the top of the Dents du Midi, the mountain staring triumphantly back at the school. His motto? ‘Regret the things you do, not the things you don’t.’ He ends every assembly by urging students to be kind, curious and courageous.

One thing keeps him awake: the tricky digital world teenagers inhabit. He’s genuinely bothered by how social media companies leave children exposed. He wants students to graduate not just clever, but human – equipped with judgment, resilience and empathy. ‘We can’t just ban it,’ he says sensibly. Instead he champions boundaries, balance and teaching students to self-manage. Pragmatic optimism, he calls it.

Determined to know every student, though admits with a laugh that remembering 300 names is ‘still a work in progress.’ He’s working on the name game – using personal stories to lock each into memory.

Outside school, he’s a keen cyclist and runner, a triathlon enthusiast who describes the surrounding mountains as a ‘real playground.’ His wife, one of the school’s learning support and PE teachers, shares his zest for the outdoors, and their two teenage boys, both students here, are thoroughly enjoying mountain life.

Rolling admissions, with families advised to apply early to avoid disappointment. The process is friendly and refreshingly straightforward: online form, recent reports, a short student letter and placement tests in English and maths. Warm, fast communication throughout. Families feel seen, not processed.

Parents speak glowingly: ‘What we saw on the visit is exactly what we got.’ ‘Completely student-focused.’ Orientation continues the good work – personal attention, smart academic assessments and clear support, even for those switching curricula. Reassuringly human, even when goodbyes are teary.

University counselling starts early, with steady check-ins. Parents compliment the strong relationships and ‘excellent read’ on student pathways. In upper years the dial turns to high power: personal-statement workshops, campus visits across Switzerland and beyond, plus a steady stream of admissions reps in and out of the alpine air.

The US university specialist gets particular applause for navigating that circus: UK and Europe counsellors round out the support. Some parents blink at the lack of a hard push toward the elite big-hitters – this isn’t a school obsessed with Oxbridge/Ivy League bragging rights. Rather, the focus is on the right fit. It’s a well-judged operation aimed at sending students somewhere they’ll thrive. A tiny gripe from some: they’d like to be more involved in IB diploma subject-choice discussions.

As a result, students attend universities around the world including the UK (eg Cardiff Uni, UCL, Unis of Warwick and Edinburgh, Regent's University London), US (eg Unis of Chicago and Pennsylvania, NYU, Berklee College of Music), Switzerland (eg EHL) and elsewhere in Europe (eg IE Madrid, Copenhagen Business School).

In 2025, all 40 students taking the IBDP passed, with an average score of 36 points (global average 31) and one student achieved the maximum 45, with 30 per cent of students gaining a Bilingual Diploma. All 34 students taking the US high school diploma (HSD) passed.

In 2024, all 37 students taking the IBDP passed, with an average points score of 37 (global average of 30), 22 per cent gained 40 points or higher and one student achieved 44 (out of a possible 45), with 51 per cent of students gaining a Bilingual Diploma. All 28 students taking the US high school diploma (HSD) passed.

Grades 6-10 trot through the IB Middle Years Programme (with a bespoke bilingual English/French option in grade 10). By grades 11-12 they choose between the full IB Diploma Programme (in English, French or a mix) or the US high school diploma (usually an approximate 60/40 split). The school bends over backwards to offer every IBDP class students want – three students is the usual minimum, but if they can staff it, they’ll run it for one. If they absolutely must, they’ll resort to an online course.

Classes are small: 8-12 on average (16 is considered a crowd). With a 1:4 teacher-student ratio, you can’t fall through the cracks. Parents rave about the teachers: ‘top-notch,’ ‘exceptional,’ ‘caring,’ ‘wonderful,’ and ‘with a true duty of care.’ Many are studying for a master’s degree or collecting professional development qualifications like merit badges. Majority is English but a real mix of nationalities.

Students work hard during the week – some of the sportier ones admit time management can be a juggling act – but staff are famously flexible, reshaping timetables and tweaking curricula to suit individual passions. The tutor/mentor system is a jewel: every student gets a dedicated adult who checks in regularly, nudges, guides and occasionally stages a rescue. IBDP onboarding is clear and supportive (‘Still hard though!’ sighs one student), and parents say the school keeps students on track without hovering.

Trips and service learning aren’t window dressing. Grade trips (eg India and Tanzania) are ‘impactful,’ service projects are properly run, students write weekly entries in a gratitude book and mindfulness is woven into the week. Wholesome? Absolutely. Effective? Parents swear by it. A standout is the student-run coffee programme started in 2021: everything from sourcing beans in Kenya from a women’s farming collective to grinding, marketing and selling – real hands-on lessons in sustainability, entrepreneurship and business.

School excels at positive reinforcement. Awards flow for just about everything: kindness, effort, leadership, academics, sport, just being a decent human. Staff actively hunt for reasons to celebrate students and they absolutely love it.

Communication gets the thumbs-up too: weekly newsletters from the head of school and boarding staff keep everyone abreast of academic life, weekend escapades and assorted triumphs. Parents feel there’s plenty of reporting – four rounds a year, sensibly spaced. New parents would like a smidge more hand-holding at the start, but most say the school is always open to contact and generally ahead of the curve.

In short? Tiny classes, committed teachers, an academic programme that flexes and students that are genuinely seen.

Selective but honest: only admits students it can truly serve. Once in, they’re well supported by a nine-strong team of specialists. One-to-one and in-class help available, exam accommodations are routine. Excellent coordination between academic and boarding teams. Covers mild to moderate needs – dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, autism spectrum. Not set up for major physical disabilities given the activity-heavy programme.

Parents can’t praise the transformation process enough – one said their child went from ‘wilted flower to confident’ within weeks. Stretch is delivered too – a separate gifted programme ensures high-flyers feel challenged, not sidelined.

English is the working language, but every student learns another from an impressive menu: French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Arabic, Portuguese, German, Italian – all from mother-tongue teachers.

New students are assessed and placed immediately, then bumped up as soon as ready. Parents are pleased: they like the adaptability, the quick movement between levels and the sense that the school responds to the child, not the timetable.

The arts are unquestionably alive and well here. Music is a standout: a generous range of top-notch instruments, lessons built into the timetable and optional private tuition for the keen. Bands and vocal groups abound and each term brings a music showcase where students can show off their hard-won skills.

The annual musical is school’s pride piece: around 60 students, live music and productions performed with gusto in the well-appointed school hall. Recent hits include The Addams Family, The Wiz, Legally Blonde and Elf. Juilliard guests even fly in to help sharpen performances. Parents call the shows ‘spectacular,’ ‘high-end,’ and ‘inclusive,’ with everyone who wants a role getting one.

Drama starts in grade 6 and one of the school’s small theatres also hosts sweet puppet shows for local youngsters. Film and photography run in grades 10-12, with small, interest-led classes that let students set the pace.

Tech-minded students get a fully equipped design space and access to the VEX robotics programme, complete with friendly rivalry against a neighbouring school and input from an MIT partnership.

Parents say the arts are ‘beautifully done,’ well supported and bursting with chances to perform. They also praise the breadth of extra-curriculars (around 60, most within wallking distance), from photography to robotics to horse riding to standout small-group offerings, including a recent NBA trip to Paris for the basketball faithful.

This is a school where sport isn’t a programme, it’s a pulse. Parents gush:‘A huge plus!’ ‘There’s so much on offer!’ while students treat the whole thing like a year-round adventure festival.

Skiing is the big draw. Students hit the slopes two to three times a week as part of PE. Grades 6–8 get two half-days plus a weekend session and grades 9–12 enjoy full days, with competent skiers allowed to free-ski. It’s the school’s unofficial religion and the students adore it.

Then come the expeditions – parents call them ‘phenomenal.’ There’s at least one a term, tailored to ability yet always stretching: mountain and ice climbing, hiking, bouldering, white-water rafting, abseiling. Some stay in Switzerland; others venture far afield – Kilimanjaro, South American jungles and the like. A fully qualified in-house team, top-tier kit and a can-do attitude mean that if a student wants to conquer a particular peak, the school will make it happen. Parents are thrilled.

Competitive teams span skiing, golf, football, tennis, basketball, karting, mountain biking, volleyball and swimming: competing in Switzerland and beyond. ‘We like to win, but winning isn’t everything,’ say staff – refreshing. Ambitious athletes can join talent pathways in ski racing, golf, tennis and alpinism. And as if that’s not enough, there are stand-up paddleboards and e-bikes on hand too. Sport really is stitched into every corner of school life.

Everyone boards, bar a tiny handful of day students who are children of staff, so the place hums with that delicious, all-in energy. Homes-from-home have names to match their charm: Tam, Ferrier and Emilie for girls; Beau Soleil Boys and Renardière for boys. Deux Chalets is the only co-ed house, though girls and boys are sensibly in separate buildings. Interiors that are gorgeous: chic, tasteful and seriously high-end, yet somehow still warm and inviting. Think ‘cosy family chalet’ meets ‘luxury boutique retreat.’ Rooms come as doubles and triples, with the occasional single; not for newcomers but long-standing seniors can earn that coveted private space.

Expect a permanent sleepover atmosphere – the good kind. Nationalities are mixed, grades blended. Each house has a fully tricked-out kitchen, complete with every gadget. Students bake, experiment and snack their way through the week, especially on Toastie Tuesday and Waffle Wednesday. With a late start on Wednesdays, some even cook themselves a leisurely breakfast in house.

Main meals are taken in the central restaurant, which turns out impressively good food – varied, tasty, generous, allergy-aware and with genuinely healthy options (not just a lone salad leaf looking lost). Boarding life comes peppered with house competitions, which students devour with gusto: weekend pizza-making, swimming, dog club (yes, really), academic battles and plentiful physical challenges from hiking to skiing.

Parents are full of praise for how smoothly the school handles the whole boarding experience. Laundry? Done. Clothes labelling? Check. Communication? Plentiful – updates, photos, incident reports, all handled with a reassuring blend of transparency and common sense. They say their children love boarding here, relishing the 24/7 buzz and the ability to dive into everything without pause.

Houseparents get consistently glowing reviews: balanced, non-judgemental, professional, deeply involved and with a knack for dealing with teenage dramas in a firm-but-kind, distinctly parental way. Staff-student relationships are strong, genuine and warm. Issues are addressed early, fairly and maturely; parents feel well-informed and confident that their children are truly known.

Weekend trips also earn plaudits – fun, varied, well-judged – striking that sweet spot between excitement and downtime. All told, it’s polished, lively, caring and exceptionally well run. A boarding experience that’s as high-end as the décor and as warm as the house kitchens on Waffle Wednesdays.

Founded in 1910, it’s one of Switzerland’s veteran boarding schools, located in the chic, sun-soaked mountain village of Villars. Madame Bluette Ferrier, the school’s first director, set the tone: mind and body matter. A century on, students still buy into it. One bookish type told us they now relish the outdoors (‘I used to hate camping!’), while a sporty one proudly reports unexpected academic triumphs. The founders’ descendants – Pierre and then Jérôme de Meyer – layered on new buildings and quiet ambition before handing the reins to Nord Anglia Education in 2012.

School, which once attracted a few too many mini-moguls with matching levels of entitlement, has worked hard to shift the culture and it shows. The wealth remains (designer everything), but parents praise the focus on kindness, diversity and its clear-value drumbeat: respect, responsibility, ambition, determination, and the mantra, ‘It’s what you do that counts.’ It insists on staying small, around 300 students, to keep the family feel. It’s a mostly informal place with a sprinkling of formality: students stand when the principal enters assembly and staff are addressed as Mr/Mrs/Miss plus surname.

The main building is a modern concrete château with turrets, tastefully added to over the years, cascading generously down and across the mountain, giving jaw-dropping views from almost every classroom (distracting? absolutely!). Facilities are borderline indulgent for a school of this size, with gleaming wood, marble and granite: spotless, tasteful, high-end without being cold. There are hallway study nooks, a popular student-run coffee bar (parents groan as children skip the included meals for paid snacks) and a vast dining terrace with an old built-in pool now used for fun rather than laps.

Creative spaces buzz: art studios full of canvases, recording studios for budding producers, and four well-resourced science labs. Student art peppers the campus nicely. Music and art sit side by side; classrooms are bright and roomy. Sport facilities impress. A central gym (including a climbing wall) with huge windows that turns every match into a spectator event, two golf simulators, plus a fully-equipped exercise room (we counted at least a dozen exercise bikes!), a football pitch outside, with a public pool and skating rink next door.

Uniforms are formal navy with blazers and ties on Mondays, then a weekly mix of beige chinos, white polos and jumpers. Smart but not stifling.

In short, a school with history, with heart, and with views so outrageously beautiful they should probably count as a pastoral care strategy. The ethos? Holistic, ambitious and very Swiss in its insistence on quality. The heritage? Alive, well and wearing a rather stylish blazer.

Pastoral care with real heart. Students feel respected and are expected to give respect back. Support particularly strong around anxiety. On-site health centre with three nurses, GP nearby. Two counsellors with open-door policy. Parents love the proactive communication when children are unwell, with meds handled properly and vaccinations arranged. ‘House mum is a second mum,’ says one parent.

Kindness is everywhere – literally plastered on walls as well as guided by leadership.

Rules crystal clear: drug and alcohol testing with firm consequences. Staff understand teenagers make mistakes – guidance before guillotine – but expulsion is an available option. Minor requests from some: a tad more supervision on laundry and uniforms. Discipline varies slightly by house, depending on the leader – but overall handled maturely and constructively.

A truly global village here – 62 nationalities, with a strict ten per cent cap to stop any one group taking over the party. Students insist there’s very little division; yes, the odd same-language knot forms at lunchtime, but mostly it’s one big extended family.

Community is baked into lessons, activities, expeditions, the whole shebang. ‘Understanding each other helps us learn,’ says one student, sounding wise beyond their years. They bond hard and keep in touch long after the mortarboards have been tossed.

A whopping 25 per cent siblings – families clearly like what they see. Plenty of Brits in the mix, plus a small Swiss contingent (4-5 per cent) who occasionally need reminding that this is boarding school – weekend leave is not supposed to be every weekend (only on exeat weekends twice a term).

Given the significant bank accounts hovering behind some of these teens, they are surprisingly grounded. Credit to the school’s efforts: outdoor expeditions, rules, routines and a very firm line when someone tries to blag an upgrade on a school trip flight. (Nice try. No.)

Parents adore the welcome ritual: Hawaiian leis in house colours – festive and ice-breaking in exactly the right way. Beyond that, parental involvement is low-key: a bit of number-swapping at the start of term, applause at concerts, cheers at graduation, then back home. But they appreciate the chances they get to connect on campus and the school's relentless high standards: ‘They do everything 150 per cent.’

A warm-hearted boutique boarding school with mountain air and just enough designer luggage to remind you this is the deluxe end of education. Students are expected to work hard and ski hard and are nudged to become their best selves. Kindness is the currency, character the real status symbol. With staggering views, tiny classes and care that’s genuinely exceptional, this is luxury with a purpose – shaping young people who will step into the world not just confident, but conscientious.