AVDEP News

01/04/2025

2025 Summer School brochure

Discover the 2025 summer course brochure.

06/03/2025

Open Week 2025 – Visit our schools

Come and discover Vaud's public schools during their open week.

AVDEP is :

A not-for-profit and apolitical association of private schools, regrouping general teaching and professional training organisms, both day and boarding schools, established in the canton of Vaud and catering to the needs of pupils and students of all ages and origins, without discrimination based on race or religion.

A range of teaching programmes, of higher education training syllabi and educational services in a prestigious multi-cultural environment. Diplomas, recognised worldwide, attest to the quality and the reputation of Swiss education.

A group of renowned boarding schools with an international vocation which offer a framework, high-level educational conditions and performance, responding to the needs and requirements of students of all origins.

A point of reference and legitimacy for quality certifications such as EFQM, EduQua, ECI, ISO, etc., and also a means of affiliation and support to the Swiss Federation of Private Schools (FSEP) and the European Federation of Private Schools (FEDE).

A centre of competences and thought leadership regarding education, law, management and communication which offers advice and services to its members, using the experience of all of them to help everyone.

A trusted and recognised partner of official authorities and public services, which asserts and defends the legitimacy and the independence of the private sector.

A dynamic and active network of directors and small business owners, who are both pedagogues and entrepreneurs, who work in solidarity to support the development and success of private schools in our canton and who contribute to the quality and innovation of our schools.

An information, orientation and advice service for parents, pupils and adult students who wish to materialise their educational aspirations in one of our schools.

History and activities

AVDEP: a label of quality

Its history

On 23rd November 1940, a group of headteachers of private schools join together in association.

The neighbouring countries are at war and private schools are suffering from the consequences, mainly because of the decrease in the number of foreign pupils due to the closing of the borders, the replacement of teachers, etc. The association aims to the defend its members’ interests, among which a state-facilitated admission of foreign students, a better collaboration between State and Private schools as well as the creation of a Corporation of private education of the canton of Vaud, officially approved by the State Council on 28th October 1945. The association also works together to improve the quality of education and build a spirit of collaboration.

Its activities

Eighty five years later, the association – which now counts around fifty member schools – has the same objectives.

In the eighties, it creates an official and free school service meant to inform both parents and students about its member schools and direct them towards the appropriate choice among the rich offer of preschool, school, professional and cultural programmes, offering various educational methods, personalised supervision which allows each pupil to find a curriculum which is best-adapted to his/her needs and personal development and which enables them to reach their own educational objectives.

At a national level, private schools gather together as the Swiss Federation of Private Schools (FSEP) with about 250 members. This federation aims to maintain the reputation of private schools, to improve educational standards, to defend its members’ professional interests as well as to promote solidarity and professional collaboration.

At a European level, AVDEP is a member of the European Federation of Schools, involved in the creation of European diplomas, and is endowed with participative status at the European Council as a Non-Governmental Organisation.

AVDEP offers interested parents and students a free information service. It gives all necessary information about the different schools, their characteristics and their curriculum. Its consultation implies no obligation on the part of the parents, meaning AVDEP can provide objective counsel to prospective pupils and students.

Its pedagogies

Teachers play an active role in the life and development of their school and in the development and implementation of pedagogical programmes, which demonstrates their involvement in and dedication to their jobs. As a result, private schools increasingly become places which are both respectful of tradition and invested in research and innovation in order to improve the standard of teaching, thus adapting to both socio-cultural and economic evolution and changes in the labour market.