Admissions Policy
Class Size Policy
Approved by the BSM Board of Governors on 24th June 2002.
In normal circumstances the number of children is classes is limited to 20 (except for Nursery which is limited to 15 and Reception which is limited to 18)
In order to give effect to the admissions policy, 1 place per class (except for Nursery), will be held in reserve at the beginning of each school year to enable placement of children covered by a PPTF or SED funding instrument issued prior to the 2002/03 school year and British children who may apply throughout the school year. Thus the number of children in each class at the start of the school year will be 19 (17 in Reception) and a waiting list* for Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth children will be commenced once a class has reached 19 children (17 in Reception).
The school recognizes that the maximum class size may be exceeded during the course of the school year because of the need to admit children covered by PPTF or SED funding instruments issued prior to the 2002/03 school year and British children.
The Board of Governors reserves the right to amend this policy in the light of circumstances prevailing at any time.
ENROLLMENT POLICY
Approved by the BSM Board of Governors on 24th June 2002
ENROLMENT POLICY
The British school is a school for English-speaking children, and not a school for
teaching children English. The medium of instruction throughout the school is
English and it is a requirement that children are fluent in English.
Before being offered a place, applicants for admission to the School, of whatever nationality and in whatever category, will usually be asked to complete, satisfactorily, the School assessment process. This assessment will centre around proficiency and use of the English language and an assessment of academic potential and social behaviour. This will involve a range of testing procedures according to the age of the applicant. Depending upon the results of the assessment and the availability of places, an offer may be made. Parents will be advised of the decision within two working days of the assessment procedure.
To ensure that we continue to meet our prime objective of educating British children and children of expatriate, English-speaking families, children are considered for admission into the school according to the following priority groups:
1. Priority Group 1:
Provided that the assessment process is completed satisfactorily, children covered by a PPTF or SED funding instrument issued prior to the 2002/03 school year, and children holding a British passport (“British children”) will be granted a place in the School. In the latter case it is not sufficient that one or both parents hold a British passport, the child must do so.
2. Priority Group 2:
Similarly, provided that the assessment process is completed satisfactorily, children holding a passport of a country belonging to the British Commonwealth (“Commonwealth children”) will be admitted provided that a place is available.
Thereafter, they will be placed on the current waiting list*, if the parents so desire to wait for a vacancy to occur..
It is not sufficient if one or both parents hold a passport of a county belonging to the British Commonwealth: the child must do so.
3. Priority Group 3:
Children from other countries will be admitted provided that the assessment process is completed satisfactorily, a place is available and there are no Commonwealth children on the current waiting list* awaiting placement in that particular class. Where there are no placed available, Priority Group 3 children will be placed on the current waiting list*, if the parents so desire, to wait for a vacancy to occur.
*For further details of the waiting list procedures, please refer to the school’s policies in that regard.
WAITING LIST GUIDELINES
For Priority Group 2 children:
After successfully completing the assessment process, a child for whom a class
place is not immediately available will be placed on a waiting list if his/her parents
so desire.
The child’s position on the waiting list will be Chronological to the date of his/her
assessment success.
The parents will be advised of the number of children, if any, who are ahead of their
child on the waiting list for that class. They will also be advised that Priority Group 1
children could pre-empt an available place.
At the end of each term, the parents of any child remaining on the waiting list will be
contacted to establish whether their child should remain on that list. A child cannot
remain on the list beyond the end of a school year, as re-assessment will be required
for a new class level. There is no charge for reassessment.
The Head of School will have discretion to decide, at the end of terms 1 and 2, whether to release some or all of the Priority Group1 reserved places (i.e. places reserved in accordance with paragraph 2 of Policy 7.015) which remain un-utilised, in order to accommodate Priority Group 2 children who are on a wait list or who would otherwise be on a wait list.
For Priority Group 3 Children whose parents ordinarily reside in the Philippines ( ie parents who are permanent residents of the Philippines or Philippine citizens residing in the Philippines).
All applications are to be received between 1st April and 1st May each year.
After successfully completing the assessment process in May, a child for whom a place cannot immediately be allocated will be placed on a Priority Group 3 waiting list, if his/her parents so desire, ranked according to academic achievement in the assessment.
Parents will be advised of the number of children, if any, ahead of their child on the
waiting list. They will also be advised that Priority Groups 1 and 2 children could pre-
empt an available place.
The Priority Group 3 residents’ waiting list will expire on the day the school year
starts.
For Priority Group 3 children whose parents are not ordinarily resident in the Philippines ( ie parents who are not permanent residents or who are Philippine citizens not residing in the Philippines).
After successfully completing the assessment process, a child for whom a class place
is not immediately available, will be placed on a Priority Group 3 non-residents’
waiting list if the parents so desire.
The child’s position on the Priority Group 3 waiting list will be chronological to the
date of his/her assessment success.
Parents will be advised of the number of children, if any, ahead of their child on the
wait list. They will also be advised that Priority Groups 1 and 2 children could pre-
empt an available place.
At the end of each term, the parents of any child remaining on the wait list will be
contacted to establish whether their child should remain on that list. A child cannot
remain on the list beyond the end of a school year as re-assessment will be required
for a new class level.
Nothing in these guidelines should be construed as prohibiting parents in the non-
resident category from opting to have their child(ren) processed according to section
3 above but by adopting that option they become categorized, for the purpose of
these waiting list guidelines only, as ordinarily resident.