Enrollment and Placement
Parents who intend to enroll their children at OSC must submit a completed application for each student.
Admission is granted to a student, when it has been determined that the school has an appropriate programme to meet the individual’s needs. Student records must be available for reference, prior to final placement and further assessment may be conducted as necessary.
Students are accepted throughout the year but will be placed in a grade or class according to the determination made by administration and relevant staff. The Head’s decision in such matters will be final. This placement will reflect the student’s previous educational experience, age, maturity, linguistic proficiency and academic needs. In certain circumstances students will be placed in a lower grade level to meet their educational needs.
Students must be at least three years of age on or before 31st August of the academic year of entrance for admission to the Pre-school. Children must be toilet trained and therefore out of nappies/diapers before attending OSC. In normal circumstances students applying for admission to Grade 12 should be aged less than 20 on 1st September. Correlation between age and school grade/class is listed below in the chart. In general, students especially ESL students, are expected to follow a complete grade level at OSC prior to promotion to the next grade. In the case of admission after January, this may mean that students will repeat the second semester of a grade level.
| OSC | BRITAIN (National Curriculum) |
U.S.A. | USUAL AGE (by 31st August for school year commencing August) |
| Pre-school 1 | Nursery | -- | 3 |
| Pre-school 2 | Reception Class | -- | 4 |
| Kindergarten | Year 1 | KG | 5 |
| Grade 1 | Year 2 | Grade 1 | 6 |
| Grade 2 | Year 3 | Grade 2 | 7 |
| Grade 3 | Year 4 | Grade 3 | 8 |
| Grade 4 | Year 5 | Grade 4 | 9 |
| Grade 5 | Year 6 | Grade 5 | 10 |
| Grade 6 | Year 7 | Grade 6 | 11 |
| Grade 7 | Year 8 | Grade 7 | 12 |
| Grade 8 | Year 9 | Grade 8 | 13 |
| Grade 92 | Year 10 | Grade 92 | 14 |
| Grade 10 | Year 11 | Grade 10 | 15 |
| Grade 11 | Year 12 | Grade 11 | 16 |
| Grade 12 | Year 13 | Grade 12 | 17 |
English Language
English is the teaching medium in the school and there is an expectation that students have, or will acquire, a satisfactory standard of English.
The school maintains an “English as a Second Language” support programme. However, it should be stressed that non-English speaking students should gain maximum exposure to the language and if a student does not have a satisfactory standard of English at the time of application, the Head of School may refuse admission if there is no appropriate programme to cater for the student’s needs.
Special Education Needs
OSC does not undertake to provide for all specialised educational needs such as severe learning difficulties or job-specific vocational training. Moderate special educational needs may be provided for from Pre-school to Grade 8. In High School (Grades 9-12), the courses are essentially college-preparatory and with a demanding academic emphasis. Support for students with learning disabilities at this level is very limited.
Loco Parentis
In normal circumstances a student will be residing with their parents. Only if there is full agreement with the Head of School will a guardian be accepted. If the school is not satisfied with the efficacy of the guardian, re-enrolment will not be offered by the school.
Admission Procedure
The admission process at OSC begins with the collection and completion of the registration forms available from the main school office. Application to the OSC should be made on the official admissions form, which must be completed and submitted with records from the student’s previous school as appropriate. Students are admitted and placed in a grade after consideration of age, achievement level, last grade completed at previous school and emotional and physical maturity. In instances where a student has a limited grasp of English, they may be asked to repeat a year.
Grade placement is made at the discretion of the academic administration following an interview with the Head of School and the appropriate co-ordinator. There is no entrance test required of students, but diagnostic and placement testing, when appropriate, may be required. In most cases such testing is administered only after registration has been completed. The curriculum at OSC is academically challenging and students with learning disabilities, or limited proficiency in English, may find the programme difficult.
Applications for Grades 11 and 12 will be assessed prior to acceptance in order to judge their linguistic and academic suitability for the International Baccalaureate Programme.
At least one full day’s notice is given to teachers prior to a new student starting in class after the admission procedures have been completed. This ensures that all the necessary provisions will have been made and the student is expected in class.
Class Size Policy
The teacher/student ratio for instruction in Grades 1-12 will be 1:20. The Head is authorized to increase this to 1:24 when the situation warrants. No class may run with a teacher/student ratio in excess of 1:24.
In the Pre-school, the present class size is 15 and in Kindergarten, the stipulated class size is a maximum of 20 students with a teacher and a qualified assistant in one classroom. The Head of School is also authorised to enroll additional students up to a maximum of 24 students and employ additional assistants based on his/her assessment of the need.
In Grades 1 through 5 and in single classes in Grades 6 through 10, when numbers exceed the stated class size policy, students will be placed on a priority waiting list and notified when a place becomes available. In such cases the school will attempt to employ a suitably qualified support teacher but when this is not possible, the waiting list will be enforced.