Admission Policy

Proof of the child’s ID, such as a birth certificate, passport or visa, is required for full enrolment. Priority is given to families with siblings already in school. Each year an end date is set for the re-registration of current pupils. Once this has passed, pupils from our waiting lists will be offered a place to enrol. Students that will enrol at a later date are often able to gain a place, although this cannot be necessarily guaranteed at the popular entry points. It is always preferable for a new student to start at the beginning of an academic year, however, we understand that this is not always possible, and in these instances an appropriate admissions assessment will be organised.

1. Pre-nursery

Children must be two years old by 31st August of the year of entry.

2. Nursery and Reception

For Nursery, children must be three years old by 31st August of the year of entry. Reception children must be four years old by 31st August of the year of entry.

3. Year 1 and above

To be enrolled in Year 1 in September, children must be five years old by 31st August of the year of entry. We seek to follow this rule as appropriate for our other Year Groups, in most instances, though we also consider the year group that would have been completed in a previous school.

4. Secondary

Students are eligible to enter the first year of secondary school, Year 7, after completing at least five years of primary education. Students must be 11 years old by the 31st August of the year of entry. For students who have not come directly from a British School, IGCSE examinations can only be taken, in the majority of cases, if the complete course is followed at the British School of Bucharest.

Year 10 entry is open to students aged 14 by 31st August of the year of entry.

Entry into the Sixth Form for Year 12 and 13 (A-Level study) is also limited to those students that achieve passing grades in at least 5 IGCSE subjects or their equivalent if they are being educated in a different educational system. This applies to both existing BSB students and those applying for a place in the Sixth Form.

The British School of Bucharest has a range of policies that have been adopted to benefit all students in the School. Two of these policies have a direct bearing on enrolment availability. In almost all cases, class sizes at BSB are restricted to 20 in primary and secondary classes. This restricts the availability of places, particularly in the popular entry points to the school. The School is concerned that large nationality imbalances do not occur to the detriment of the smaller groups. Part of the academic success of BSB can be attributed to the happy balance of nationalities throughout the School and the steps taken to reduce the potential for one nationality to dominate others. Our academic performance indicates that this policy is important in maintaining a good educational outcome in an international school. At any time, no nationality will represent a majority within the school body in order to preserve the multicultural richness at BSB.

BSB has a Special Educational Needs department. However, there may be certain cases where we feel that we cannot provide appropriately for a child.

In addition to this, we admit students based on these other factors:

1. Intellectual ability

All candidates must be capable of keeping up with the requirements of the British Curriculum.

2. Linguistic Ability in English (relevant especially for Years 8-13)

To be admitted to the BSB in Pre-nursery – Year 7, children can commence with little or no English Language; from Year 8 (age 12) upwards, it is important to be at least at beginner level of English language though support is available; from Year 12 upwards, students should be fluent or close to fluency. English is the language of communication at BSB, and levels of fluency are expected to be sustained for all students and staff.

3. Character and Values

At BSB, it is important that the values identified in our code – Self-control, Honesty, Respect, Equality and Concern for others – are shared by students and their families. BSB favours students that are curious, ambitious and supportive of the continued growth of their peers.

Some candidates may not be admitted to the British School of Bucharest:

• Students or families (including family members, guardians, or visitors) that exhibit sexist or racist attitudes. BSB prides itself on diversity and inclusivity, catering to all nationalities and religions. The BSB community is founded on respect for others and their differences.
• Students or families (including family members, guardians, or visitors) who in the past displayed disrespectful or aggressive (either physical or verbal) behaviour to other students, other students’ family members, guardians, visitors, school staff, school officers, or representatives, school contractors, or behaviour contrary to the one expected according to the registration file, parents’ handbook, school  policies, rules and regulations, the law, or did not act in good faith in exercising or performance of their contractual, legal, statutory or other rights or obligations. Transitioning into the expectations of BSB could also be very difficult for families where children or family members, guardians or visitors are not used to an expectation of high levels of self-control and respect for those around them.
• Students with any evidence of significant previous misdemeanours, especially those including drugs or alcohol, will not be accepted.

4. Inclusion

We are an inclusive school. All pupils on the SEN register are fully included in mainstream school life at BSB where appropriate. This includes behaviour management, and all aspects of identified needs are reasonably accommodated through adjusted access or support. Every pupil is in a mixed ability class in EYFS and Primary and form group in Secondary. All pupils are encouraged to take part in all aspects of school life; sports, drama and music competitions, educational visits and all extracurricular activities. Special needs pupils are encouraged to take part in CCAs and University courses.

Any withdrawal lessons for 1:1 tuition are carefully planned to minimise disruption to other curriculum subjects.

Students with SEN are integrated into the class with appropriate support in place and in curriculum areas where mixed-ability grouping is appropriate.

More Able and Talented (MAT) students are also considered as SEN. A MAT coordinator is in post in both the Primary and Secondary School. The MAT coordinator maintains the register for these students and implements interventions that allow these students to achieve their full potential. The MAT register is split into subject areas to recognise all areas of high ability.

A transfer certificate detailing the child’s attendance should be obtained if a student transfers to BSB. References will be sought from previous schools, if appropriate.

Additional information, such as school reports, placement tests or samples of written work, helps staff assign the student to the most appropriate class or determine likely levels of support required.

Once the online application forms, as well as all of the other required documents, have been submitted and received, candidates are invited to take their admissions tests as soon as possible and book a tour to visit the school:

• Pre-Nursery – Reception Students are not required to undertake admissions tests
• Year 1 & 2 are given a short writing evaluation, assessing their fine motor skills and writing ability.
• Current Years 2 – 6 are given a CAT4* cognitive ability test
• Current Years 7 – 11 are given a Mathematics, English and a CAT4 Cognitive ability test.
• Current Years 12 & 13 will be given tests according to their A-level subject choices and a CAT4 Cognitive ability test.

Candidates are then invited for an interview held by an academic head at which point they have the chance to ask questions. Parents will also be asked for an interview should this be deemed necessary. (Individual student interviews commence in Year 5, students below this age group will be met alongside their Parents or invited for trial experiences).

Test scores of all assessments are not shared with students or parents unless under exceptional circumstances and by agreement with the Admissions Committee.

The Admissions Committee gathers on a weekly basis to discuss applications, with potential minor adjustments to frequency during busy periods. One of four decisions is possible:

1. Acceptance: The candidate is admitted and a place is offered.

2. Deferral: In cases where the competition is fierce or where the latest transcripts or reports have not been received, the Committee reviews all completed dossiers together at a later date before making a final decision. In such cases, parents are informed of the expected waiting time and of the date when the dossier will be reviewed.

3. Waiting List: when all places for next year have been awarded, candidates with the level to be admitted are placed on a Waiting List and may be admitted as and when places become available, often in spring but sometimes as late as during the summer.

4. Rejection: Candidates who have been refused a place can always re-apply after six months.

To increase their chances of admission, candidates are urged to apply as early as possible.

Admissions Procedure

• Complete the application form for the British School of Bucharest. Through our online application portal, you will be able to submit, track the application status and see any additional documents that may be required towards the application, in the checklist items section. (Supporting documents must be submitted on the registration platform or sent via mail to admissions@britishschool.ro)
• Once the Application form with all the supporting documents have been submitted and received, candidates will be scheduled for admissions tests followed by student interviews with academic heads.
• Parents will be scheduled for an interview with BSB heads, should this be necessary.
• Once a place is offered within school or on the waiting list, parents/guardians will have 48 hours to confirm via email if they would like to accept the offered place.

Application Documentation

• Online Application Form
• Student’s proof of age (copy of passport/birth certificate)
• Copy of parents’ or legal guardian’s passports/ID card
• Copy of previous school report – if applicable
• Copy of the vaccination certificate
• Assessment Placement Tests – For applicants for Years 1 to 13
• Copy of divorce and custody documents – if applicable
  Copy of parent or guardian death certificate – if applicable

Documentation requested when confirming your acceptance of a place at BSB:

• Registration Files
• Modern Foreign Language Form – For applicants for Years 3 to 11
• KS4/KS5 Options Form – For applicants for Years 10 to 12
• Confirmation of any child protection/safeguarding issues from the previous school
• Confidential Reference form from the previous school

Application Fee

• For new pupils only.
• A one-off payment.
• To be paid before or on the day of the assessment day.
• This fee is non-refundable, regardless of the enrollment decision from the school.

Admissions and Waiting List Fee

• For new pupils only.
• A one-off payment, non–refundable, for any pupil who has been offered a place at BSB as a result of meeting the conditions to be admitted and enrolling in school when there will be a place available.
• If a candidate has been accepted, but there are no places available at that time, the fee must be paid to secure a place on the waiting list. It does not guarantee enrolment at school.
• If a child is placed on a waiting list and a place is not available within 12 months of the pupil’s placing on the waiting list, the admissions and waiting list fee will be reimbursed in full after the 12 months have passed from the payment of this fee, upon request.
• Alternatively, the Parent/Guardian can request for the pupil to remain on the waiting list, and the admissions and waiting list fee will be refunded at a later date if a place is not available.

View all fees

Once the file is approved, the admissions office will send the appropriate invoice to the parent/guardian. Payment of the Reservation Deposit is an option and reserves a place until 15th April, at which point the balance of the full year’s fees must be paid in order to finally secure the place.

If a registration is started after the after the 15th April the parent must pay all the fees and reservation deposit within 5 working days from the date of the issuing of pro-forma invoices, but no later than within 10 working days from the date of the signing of this agreement by the Crawford House Foundation and BSB Sports and Services SRL, regardless of the issuance or non-issuance (for whatever reason) of the pro-forma invoice. If the balance of fees is not received in full within this period of time, a place will not be reserved, the pupils will not be enrolled.

The place is finally confirmed once all academic fees have been paid.