Virtual Open Day at BISL

Yesterday we held our first Virtual Open Day at BISL. An impressive number of families were interested and attended the event, for which we are very grateful.

The first part of the webinar saw our Principal, Mr Walton, giving an introduction of the school, followed by our Head of Primary, Mrs Železinger outlining the Early Years and Primary school, together with our Head of Secondary, Ms Andronikos, presenting the Secondary school. The second part of our Virtual Open Day webinar gave the families the opportunity to easily ask questions in a friendly setting. Our team answered a lot of interesting questions from prospective parents and, to assist you further, we have prepared an overview of what was covered:

Structure of the Day

In Primary, students start arriving at 7.40 and gather on the playground. Registration starts at 7.50 in the classroom and continues with Circle Time where class teachers describe what the class will be doing that day. Lessons start at 8.00, starting with English (Literacy and Phonics) and Mathematics (Numeracy) in the morning, followed by a short half-hour break, during which students are encouraged to go outside. After the break, students usually have Topic or specialist lessons such as languages or PE. Lunch starts at 11.30, staggered, with the youngest students going first, until 12.40, giving them plenty of time to go outside and play too. After lunch, they’ll have some more lessons, and especially in nice weather, some lessons might be done outside as we encourage outdoor learning as much as possible. With such a busy school day, our Early Years students also get the chance to rest and take a nap, so they are well prepared for the afternoon activities. We conclude the school day at 14.45.

In Secondary, registration starts at 7.50 and students will usually have eight 40-minute lessons during the day. Students are encouraged to go outside during breaktime, which is 25 minutes in the morning and 55 minutes during lunch. The school day is concluded at 14.45.

We offer extended supervision and a variety of after-school activities that are either led by our teachers or external providers.

Class allocation

Placing your child in the right class is very important in their development. We allocate students to a class based on the following criteria:

• Age according to UK schools’ criteria. (the table in the link above is a guide to which class a child is most likely to enter)
• Academic background (e.g. having already completed a specific year in the British system at a previous school).
• Special circumstances based on observations and for specific social/emotional (non-academic) reasons.

Please note that whilst each applicant is considered individually and with reference to their educational background, based on best practice we do not generally advocate putting children in classes ahead of their age group.

Class sizes

Our average student : teacher ratio across the school is 5:1. We aim to keep classes small and we have a team of fully qualified staff.

Early Years Foundation Stage

Our Early Years Foundation Stage follows a topic-based approach, enhanced by free-flow learning. EYFS is divided into two classes: Pre-Nursery & Nursery for 2 – 4-year-olds and Reception for ages 4 – 5.

Blocks

Our academic calendar is broken down into seven 5-6-week teaching Blocks. Each Block has an academic theme, (English, Maths, Science, Humanities, Languages, PE, Performing Arts) that we celebrate throughout the school, from Early Years to Sixth Form, through various exciting teacher-led and student-led projects and activities.

Facilities

We are constantly looking to develop of school facilities. Our new building project is planned to be completed for August 2020 and will provide enough space for further school growth.

Teaching Staff

We are proud of our team of dedicated and enthusiastic professionals, most of whom are native English speakers, and bring with them a wealth of teaching experiences both from the UK and internationally.

We also provide continuous professional development for our teachers – from educational courses to different teaching experiences to ensure they follow best practice from around the world. As a true international school, some of our teacher join us for a specific time period and then continue to gain further experiences at other schools and locations around the world, much like the way many of our international families relocate from time to time as well.

In Primary school, we have a class teacher for each class, supported by a team of assistant teachers and specialist teachers, not only in Early Years and Key Stage 1 but also in Key Stage 2. We believe in a personalised approach to learning and support to enable each child to achieve beyond their perceived potential.

Individual subjects are taught by specialist teachers across the Secondary school and each year group is assigned a Form Tutor.

Languages

The language of instruction at BISL is English. All students study Slovene (with native and non-native groups) and from Year 3 onwards they also learn French. English as an Additional Language is offered where required.

IGCSE and A-Level requirements

Students going into Year 10 are given a range of IGCSE subject options to choose from. There are no prerequisites of prior subject knowledge, however, in order to enable students to access the curriculum fully, at this stage they will need a certain level of English proficiency to access the IGCSE course.

In Year 12, again students are given a range of subject options to choose from for AS/A-Level. At this stage, we do consider where the student is coming from, what they have studied previously, and their grades, so that we can support them in selecting the best subject options for their external examinations.

You can explore more on this at our Curriculum page.

Next academic year and COVID-19 challenges

During this time of online learning, we have celebrated many successes and also worked through many challenges as a community. You can read more about this here. We miss seeing our students at school and look forward to being back on site again as soon as possible. The safety of our students, staff and families is our number one priority. We work closely with Orbital Education and will follow Government directives and guidance for reopening.

Transition from and to different school systems

As an international school, we have had many cases where students successfully transitioned from and back into a different type of school system and based on our experience, their transition was a smooth one.

PTA – Parent Teacher Association

Our PTA plays a key role in the development of BISL’s social activities and provides a forum through which parents and teachers can work together to provide the best possible experience for our students and community. Find out more about the PTA at BISL here.

Technology at BISL

Technology is in use at BISL from Early Years onwards. Interactive whiteboards are available in Primary classrooms for interactive and fun activities, in Key Stage 1 students have access to school Chrome books, iPads are used from Year 3 onwards, and we have a Bring Your Own Device policy in Secondary. All the technology is used for learning purposes, to enhancing the learning in class. Please see also our E-safety page for more information.

University destinations

Our Alumni study all over the world – from the UK, Europe, USA, Asia to Australia. With their qualifications gained here, they enter into some of the world’s top universities. Some of our recent graduates have also secured prestigious partial and full scholarships at their university of choice. More about our Alumni can be found here.

Admissions during the academic year

Joining us later at the start of the academic year or in the middle of the year is something that we are very familiar with. We offer a rolling enrolment, allowing students to join at any time during the year, catering well for our international families.

Prior to enrolment, we offer Taster Days to students so that they get a feeling of what student life at our school is like and become familiar with their future classmates and teachers.

We also assess students prior to admission. As a non-selective school, these assessments are not entry tests, but rather a CAT4 (Cognitive Abilities Test) and an EAL assessment. Students aged 6 and above joining our school, will take a CAT4, for us to be able to understand the student's wider abilities. CAT4s are the UK’s most widely used computer-based test of reasoning abilities for children aged 6-17+ years. Measuring the four main types of abilities known to make a difference to learning and achievement, CAT4 provides an independent perspective on potential student achievement, with reliable information for each child that will help identify where to provide extra support or set more challenging targets. The EAL assessment will look at the applicant’s level of English and give us useful insights into the level of language support they will need to allow them to access the curriculum fully as soon as possible.

Admissions

For any questions regarding our admissions process, feel free to visit our website or contact our Admissions Team at admissions@britishschool.si. We would be delighted to assist you and answer any further questions you may have or address specific requests to meet your individual needs as discussed.

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We would like to thank you again for attending our Virtual Open Day. We look forward to speaking with you again soon and meeting you in the near future!