Placement
Initial placement in all grades is provisional.
Placement in all grades at the School will be made:
- on the basis of age;
- the student's previous educational record;
- placement tests or evaluations if applicable;
- special information requested from previous school(s) if applicable;
- the availability of places.
The same placement procedure will also be followed with applicants for the Kindergarten Class.
All applicants for Grade One and above must sit Placement Tests. The Registrar will inform the relevant Head of Section, normally two days in advance, that a Placement Test is to be administered.
Placement Tests for the Primary School, with the exception of the Kindergarten Class, will normally be in English and Mathematics. In cases where the student has little or no English, a BVAT Test in the appropriate language will be administered to help evaluation of the child.
The Evaluation/Placement Tests will be marked by the relevant Head of Section or a teacher designated by him/her to do so. The results of the Tests will be passed to the Registrar who will inform the parents as soon as possible.
The written offer of a place in the School, at the Grade Level indicated by the Evaluation/Placement Test results, will be made by the Principal.
In the event that there is no place available in the Grade Level indicated by the Evaluation/Placement Test results, the Principal after consultation with the appropriate Head of Section may, at his/her discretion, offer a place in a different grade level on a temporary basis.
Prior to admission, the Registrar will arrange for parents to meet with the Head of Section and the homeroom teacher in the case of the Early Years Programme and the Primary Section. For students enrolling in the Secondary School parents will meet with the Head of Section only.
Newly arrived students will be monitored closely and if in the opinion of the professional staff, a student will clearly benefit from being placed in a different grade, either higher or lower, the Head of Section, after obtaining the Principal's approval, may authorise such a change. Parents will be informed in writing.
Students admitted to the School after the end of the first term, enter on the basis of an understanding that the new student will be assessed as all other students in that grade. If the student is unable to satisfactorily meet the academic requirements for passing the grade, the child will be asked to reinforce his/her skills and learning at the same grade level in the subsequent academic year.