NIS Admissions Policy & Key Principles

Family Alignment with the Norms, Values and Expectations of NIS

Applicant families are required to engage with the admissions process in a manner which is transparent, truthful and sincere so that a partnership of success for their child can be established between home and school. If it is shown that a family has not acted in good faith during the application process the school reserves the right to refuse admission. In extreme cases, when the student has already started school, the school also reserves the right to require a family to withdraw when it is evidenced that the family has not been honest in their application process and this is hindering the ability of the child to be successful in the school. 

The age cut-off for NIS grade placement for all grades is September 1. Students are placed in the grade with their age level peers. The age cut-off dates for for each grade are below:

ELC Preschool & Kindergarten (Primary)

• ELC-3 applicants must be 3 years old by Sept. 1 of the current school year
• ELC-4 applicants must be 4 years old by Sept. 1 of the current school year
• ELC-K applicants must be 5 years old by Sept. 1 of the current school year

Elementary School (Primary)

• Gr. 1 applicants must be 6 years old by Sept. 1 of the current school year
• Gr. 2 applicants must be 7 years old by Sept. 1 of the current school year
• Gr. 3 applicants must be 8 years old by Sept. 1 of the current school year
• Gr. 4 applicants must be 9 years old by Sept. 1 of the current school year
• Gr. 5 applicants must be 10 years old by Sept. 1 of the current school year

Middle School (Secondary)

• Gr. 6 applicants must be 11 years old by Sept. 1 of the current school year
• Gr. 7 applicants must be 12 years old by Sept. 1 of the current school year
• Gr. 8 applicants must be 13 years old by Sept. 1 of the current school year

High School (Secondary)

• Gr. 9 applicants must be 14 years old by Sept. 1 of the current school year
• Gr.10 applicants must be 15 years old by Sept. 1 of the current school year
• Gr.11 applicants must be 16 years old by Sept. 1 of the current school year
• Gr.12 applicants must be 17 years old by Sept. 1 of the current school year

NIS is an inclusive school and strives to provide the most effective support possible for our students. NIS is able to provide in-class differentiation, small group instruction and 1:1 academic support for our students. NIS will not grant admission to a student who demonstrates significant difficulty accessing our curriculum even when direct support is provided. Additionally, admission can not be granted when Student Services is at maximum capacity to ensure equitable and effective support for all current students at NIS. 

The criteria for academic readiness will differ for students seeking access to the IB Diploma Programme versus those who pursue the High School Diploma (HSD) via other pathways to ensure all students have the potential to be successful in the programs into which they are accepted. 

Admission will not be granted to a student whose behavior and/or emotional needs are such that they may pose a risk to themselves or others in a way that the school cannot support. Specific entry criteria may be applied in the case of ELC Preschool & Kindergarten students to ensure that they are at a developmentally appropriate level of readiness to start school. 

The curriculum at NIS is taught through the medium of English and English is our common language. While we value the development of all languages for our multilingual community, the school requires specific levels of English proficiency for admissions which are outlined below.  All applicants should have a resident English-speaking parent/guardian who is capable of communicating with teachers and school representatives in English, or, in the case that neither parent has adequate English proficiency, those parents must commit to supporting English language acquisition and finding their own language support in order to engage with the NIS community  as parents.

Specific criteria for applicant students are as follows:

English Language Criteria for a Gr. 1-11 applicant who has an alternate public school option locally:  For this applicant, who could enroll in local public schools, the expectation for enrollment into NIS is that they have a grade-level equivalent of English proficiency. 

English Language Criteria for an applicant for whom no public school options in their home language exist:  For this applicant, who would most likely not be able to enroll in local public schools, the expectation for enrollment into NIS differs for Primary and Secondary admission.

• Primary School Applicants (with no local public school options): There are no English language requirements for admission into the Primary School grades, however, the school reserves the right to refuse an application if there are not adequate resources available for additional students in a particular grade.
• Secndary School Applicants (with no local public school options): The following English Proficiency guidelines are for those applicants seeking admission into Middle and High School, and are based on the WIDA language scales. Students are required to have these minimum English proficiency levels in order to access the learning and be successful at the school. 
  • Grades 6-7: Level 2
  • Grades 8-9: Level 3
  • Grade 10: Level 4
  • Grade 11/12: DP (Level 5), HSD (Level 4)

The criteria for academic readiness will differ for a student seeking access to the IB Diploma Programme versus a student who pursues the High School Diploma (HSD) via other pathways (as noted in the WIDA levels above) to ensure the student has the potential to be successful in the program into which they are accepted. 
 

While NIS is an inclusive school, the school must maintain a balanced level of support for all our students. NIS must consider the academic, social-emotional and behavioral needs within our currently enrolled student population. NIS must place a limit on the number of students with academic difficulties within each grade level to prevent under-serving student needs. At this time, the maximum capacity for each grade level is:

• No more than 20% of students may have a diagnosed or otherwise documented learning difficulty requiring support from an NIS Inclusion Specialist.
• No more than a maximum of two students within the 20% will have severe academic or social emotional, behavioral difficulties. The school may require external testing for such students or a 1:1 academic support which requires additional funding by the parents.
• No more than 20% of students may have EAL needs requiring Tier 3 support from an NIS EAL teacher

At the discretion of the Head of School, upon the recommendation of the Principal, an applicant may be admitted who does not meet all of the admissions/testing criteria. Consideration will be given to the age of the applicant, past academic performance, personal circumstances, the grade cohort, and capacity of the EAL and Inclusion Teachers. The applicant’s parents/guardians  may be required to to agree to conditional acceptance requirements and/or additional expenses associated with the offer of enrollment. 
 

In the event that class enrollments become full, and there is no space for a qualified applicant, their application will be placed in a Wait-Pool. The order of preference for space is by the categories below (in order of priority):

1. Re-enrolling of currently enrolled students
2. Siblings of a current/existing student
3. Staff children
4. Returning NIS students (a student who has withdrawn, continued their studies in an English-language curriculum somewhere else, and wishes to re-enroll in a later year)
5. Siblings of a past student / Children of NIS alumni
6. New Expatriate students
7. Transferring students from a Partner Preschool
8. Transferring students from a different JCIS school
9. New local students

Please visit this page HERE for the most up-to-date page with information on the Wait-Pool. 

Full Acceptance
Applicants who have evidenced meeting the entrance criteria in full are offered full acceptance which is confirmed by the parents/guardians on the completion of any necessary paperwork and the payment of required fees.

Conditional Acceptance
Conditional Acceptance is an acceptance with specific conditions, agreements or academic/well-being milestone targets that may be offered with conditions that are required to be met by either the student and/or the parents. This allows the school to give a placement offer to an applicant who may require additional parameters to ensure that they will succeed in the curriculum, but the school feels that certain achievable targets are necessary to be put in place in order to monitor their process. Failure to meet the conditions of a Conditional Acceptance offer may result in the offer of enrollment being withdrawn.
 

If parents/guardians disagree with the outcome of the admissions process, the applicant’s parents/guardians can appeal the decision within 10 school days, following the school’s grievance policy, a copy of which is available on request. 
 

NIS does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its admission policies, educational policies, scholarships, and other school-administered programs. The NIS admissions process is designed to ensure we admit only those applicants who we can serve and who can access our curriculum and mission, and this means that acceptance is not guaranteed to any applicant. These decisions are made, however, in a manner that does not discriminate against individuals. 

The admissions process is run in such a manner as to support inclusivity to the best of our capability. Families or applicants in need of specific support to access admissions materials or to access campus, for example support for those with vision or hearing impairments or barriers, will be accommodated when possible. While NIS collects personal data regarding gender, language and ethnicity, this data is used solely to support the family and the success of the student; the family is empowered to provide data which includes, but goes beyond, definitions and dimensions of identity that may be found on a passport or official government documentation, for example gender expression that may differ from the passport gender. 
 

NIS values the data security of each individual in our community, and to the best of our ability, all data gathered within the admissions process is treated with the utmost care in accordance with the relevant laws on data privacy and data protection and in accordance with our Data Privacy policy. 
 

An applicant deemed to require Entrance Testing to determine admissions eligibility (either English Language testing or Special Needs Assessments) must complete the testing process which will usually also include an admissions interview. For an applicant who is not able to physically come to the school campus for screening, online testing may be an option but usually onsite testing is the only option. In some cases, families may be asked to arrange for testing prior to applying.

Sometimes the school may conduct Placement Testing for certain subjects or areas of the curriculum, or to assess the learning or language needs of the applicant, depending on the applicant’s background. Placement Testing could be utilized to help determine a grade placement, additional support or a subject level placement. 

An "Orientation Meeting" with the Principal is the last step of the admissions process for the applicant’s parents/guardians and the applicant who has been determined to be qualified for enrollment and must be completed prior to enrollment start. Applicants eligible for an Orientation Meeting will either have been previously accepted and offered an enrollment place and registered to start, or will have been deemed to be a qualified applicant who requires a meeting with the Principal (and possibly others) to discuss grade placement or any other transition concerns prior to enrollment start. The applicant and parent/guardians are both expected to join. The meeting is preferred to be held in person, on campus at NIS, but could also be conducted online in special circumstances. The meeting is conducted in English and families can bring a translator if they wish. Applicants must have submitted all of the admissions materials and completed any necessary testing or assessments deemed necessary by the Admissions Office to be eligible for an Entrance Orientation. Placement testing in some subjects or further consultations for support may be required either prior to enrollment start or after enrollment, as determined by the Principals.  

An "Admissions Interview" with the Principal and/or the Director of Admissions (and possibly others) is a meeting for applicants and their parents/guardians to support the school on making a final decision as to whether or not the applicant can be accepted for enrollment to NIS. The interview will be an opportunity to explore matters such as mission-appropriateness, program/community fit, future academic potential, English-language proficiency, IB-readiness, parent/family commitment, etc. An Admissions Interview may be preceded by testing and/or result in testing or further consultation. The applicant and parents/guardians are both required to join. The meeting is conducted in English and families can bring a translator if they wish. Applicants must have submitted all of the admissions materials and completed any necessary testing or assessments deemed necessary by the Admissions Office to be eligible for an Admissions Interview. 

Applicants who have completed an Admissions Interview and deemed to be qualified for enrollment may also need to have an additional Orientation Meeting.