The DISCOVERY Programme — learning beyond the classroom in Lugano
Discovery is sports, arts, languages and clubs from debating to robotics and AI, with immersion days through the year: every afternoon in the Middle School, woven through the day in the Primary School.
What DISCOVERY is
DISCOVERY is a dynamic initiative designed to shape the holistic development of our students — a journey that extends beyond conventional classrooms and creates an enriched environment for talents, passions and the leaders of tomorrow.
The programme is built around a commitment to elevating learning experiences: opportunities for skill development, and encouragement to explore diverse interests. We believe in shaping individuals who excel academically and thrive in their own passions.
What students choose from
A diverse range of options, crafted to unlock the potential within each student:
Sports
Movement, teamwork and healthy competition every week.
Arts
Creative work that gives individuality a stage.
Languages
Language immersion beyond the morning classroom.
Clubs & specialist tutoring
Debating, robotics and AI clubs, plus specialist tutoring.
Rooted in the local community
Thanks to partnerships with many of the incredible local clubs and centres around Lugano, students have a vast array of opportunities to express their individuality and find friendships, belonging, purpose and passions.
Why a whole school day matters for a family
In the Swiss public system, what happens after lessons end is organised locally: some schools provide supervision after class, others leave it to communes, parents' associations or private carers, and the offer varies from commune to commune, as the federal portal explains. For two working parents, or for a family that has just arrived, the afternoon is often the hardest part of the week to arrange.
At ISS the afternoon is part of the school day. The same campus, the same community, activities chosen by the child rather than by what happens to be available nearby, and no second timetable for parents to run. That is the practical side of Discovery; the educational side is that a child who plays in a team, builds a robot or rehearses a play with the same people they learn with in the morning belongs to the school in a way that lessons alone do not produce.
What it costs
The regular Discovery Programme and the Discovery clubs are covered by tuition. Charged separately are camps, residential trips, major excursions, specialist external activities and anything carrying significant third-party cost; these are priced individually and communicated to families before each activity. The fees page sets out what tuition covers.
DISCOVERY through the school
How Discovery fits into each stage — and what else runs beyond the classroom.
See Discovery for yourself
The DISCOVERY Programme is best understood in person — visit the school and watch it in action.
Details and questions
- Part of the school day, not an add-on
- Sports, arts, languages, debating, robotics and AI clubs
- Partnerships with local clubs and centres around Lugano
- Majority of programmes included in tuition
Discovery at a glance
| When | The school day runs from 08:30 to 16:00. In the Primary School, Discovery is woven through the day rather than held as a separate block. In the Middle School, the mornings are the core subjects and Discovery follows every afternoon, from 14:30 to 16:00. |
| Who | From the Primary School through the Middle Years and the pre-diploma year. In the diploma years, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons are lessons, and Discovery becomes a curated selection tied to each student's Portrait of a Graduate; eligible students also have Franklin University courses in their week. |
| What | Sports, arts, languages, clubs such as debating, robotics and AI, leadership and service, specialist tutoring. Students choose activities by interest. |
| Beyond the campus | Immersion days linked to what is studied in the morning. Partnerships with clubs and centres around Lugano. |
| Cost | Included in tuition. Camps, residential trips, major excursions and specialist external activities are charged separately and announced in advance. |
The timetable for the year is given at enrolment.
Questions families ask about after-school activities
What does the Discovery Programme offer?
Sports, arts, languages and clubs such as debating, robotics and AI, plus leadership and service and specialist tutoring, with immersion days through the year. A broad range, so that every student finds something that fits.
How does it work day to day?
In the Middle School, the core subjects fill the morning and Discovery the afternoon, from 14:30 to 16:00; in the Primary School it is woven through the day. It is part of the school day, not an add-on that families organise separately. Students choose their activities by interest; the timetable and the choices for the year are given at enrolment.
Do the Discovery activities cost extra?
No. The regular programme and the clubs are covered by tuition. Charged separately, and announced in advance, are camps, residential trips, major excursions and specialist external activities.
Which grades take part?
From the Primary School, where it is woven through the day, through the Middle Years and the pre-diploma year, where it takes the afternoon. In the diploma years it becomes a curated selection tied to each student's Portrait of a Graduate, alongside lessons on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.
Are there trips and immersion days?
Yes. Immersion days take students out of the classroom into experiences linked to what they are studying. Camps and residential trips are priced individually and communicated before each one.
How long is the school day, and when is pick-up?
From 08:30 to 16:00. In the Primary School that includes Discovery, woven through the day rather than held as a separate block. From the Middle Years on, mornings are the core subjects and afternoons are Discovery; in the diploma years, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons are lessons instead. Timetables in the Middle Years and the diploma years are individual to each student, so there is no single weekly grid — your child's own timetable comes with enrolment.
Is there after-school care beyond the programme?
Discovery runs until 16:00, the end of the school day. Whether supervision is available after it ends is a question for admissions, who can tell you the arrangements for the year.
In which language do the activities run?
In English or Italian, depending on the activity and the partner. For a child building either language, Discovery is where it is used for something real rather than practised as a subject.