Frequently Asked Questions The questions below are those most commonly asked by parents, guardians, agents and students themselves. Hopefully the answers will help you understand life at the College better. If there are any other questions you wish us to answer which are not covered by the list above, please contact us and we will be happy to try and provide you with an answer. Many other questions are also answered in the various booklets provided by the College such as “Information for Parents…” You may wish to read all the questions below but if your question is not one about schooling but about boarding school life (Pastoral), please click here. Academic Questions (about
schooling) I want my child to go to an English school, with English boys and girls. Why should he or she come to the International College? If your child does not already speak, read and write good English, it will be very difficult to join a class of English students. He or she may be unable to understand them, unable to speak to them; and may not even be able to understand the teacher. The teacher will not have time to stop his lesson in order to explain everything carefully to your son or daughter. Your child needs good preparation and a good foundation for his/her studies with English students. That is what the International College provides – the best preparation. Must my child speak good English? No. Some children speak good English, but others have little or no English at all. What’s so different about the College? The classes are very small – on average about 6 students in a class. students study together with others of a similar standard of English, so they can understand one another, work together and make rapid progress. The same happens in Mathematics, Science and other subjects. Is it really so much better to study in such small classes, with only 6 students? With about 6 in the class every student gets many chances to speak, to ask questions and talk to his or her teacher. If a child does no’t understand, the teacher has time to explain the difficulty to him or her. A teacher cannot do that for one student in a class of 20. Do the children learn only English? No. Most classes have at least 12 English lessons each week, but everybody also studies Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and Biology. Many of our students also take additional courses in subjects such as Geography, History, Art, French and Business Studies. How can my child study Science or Geography when he or she does not know much English? Your son or daughter will start by learning the simple vocabulary that they need for Science or Geography. Because this is done systematically, they will very soon study the subject, not only its vocabulary. All our teachers have received EFL training so that, no matter what subject they teach, they can help overcome the problems a student may face. (Top) Do the students study outside lesson times? Yes. Our students are always encouraged to study in their free-time although we also understand the need for relaxation and play. On every day except Saturday there is private study time, supervised by qualified teachers who are there to help them if they have problems either with the subject or with the language. These sessions usually last for 90 minutes When the students are near to sitting their exams, extra study and revision sessions are available to ensure that all our students have the best possible chance of passing these exams. Can someone please explain the British Education System? This is fully covered on the website. Please click here to access that part of the site. Are parents sent reports? Yes, all parents receive reports at the end of
each term and the Principal writes to the parent of each new student
at half term of the first term following entry. The Vice-Principal
regularly receives grades from teachers and welcomes questions from
parents about academic progress at any time. Do students need laptop computers? Although these are not compulsory, many older students, particularly those in Year 11 find them extremely useful for writing up coursework. Any computers brought into the College however, must not be connected to the internet and are entirely the responsibility of the student should they get broken or lost. Pastoral (about student life in the College) Do the students need to have guardians in the UK? Yes, the College insists that all students have
a guardian in the UK. If you do not have a guardian in mind, we
can suggest names of guardian agencies whom we have found to be
reliable in the past. Guardians are needed in the UK in case we
need to contact someone about academic or social matters as well
as for arranging travel and exeats. Guardians should be easily contactable
and NOT be another student of a similar age. The Registrar will
inform you further of what exactly is required. How are bedrooms allocated? Older students (usually Years 9-10) sleep mostly in double rooms and Year 11 students (those in their final year at the College) are given priority for single rooms. It is College policy to try and avoid placing students from the same country and therefore who speak the same language in the same room. This is to encourage students not only to speak English but also to make friends from all round the world. Do students need to speak English? In order not only to make friends from all over the world but also to give students the best chance of passing their exams which are set, and must be answered, in English, the College insists that students speak English wherever possible. We are, however, sympathetic to students whose English is particularly weak and do not wish to isolate them. Special guidelines are in place for such students. Do students go out of the College? Yes, as well as going into the local town which is only a few minutes walk from the main College campus and from the girls boarding house at Westcott, trips are regularly organised to places of historical and cultural interest (such as the city of Bath and a British pantomime) as well as shopping trips to local towns/cities and fun trips to leisure parks. We believe in both providing an opportunity for the students to relax and to experience British culture and history. All trips out of the town are very well-supervised to maximise student safety.
The International College prides itself on providing an interesting, well balanced menu which reflects as far as possible the different cuisines of the world (although we will never be able to cook it quite as well as mum!!). The menu is varied and religious beliefs are always taken into account. A vegetarian dish is always provided. The students eat in a comfortable, well-appointed dining-hall. Students sit in groups of up to six (usually four) and we do not allow large groups of students from the same country to sit together. Do the students get pocket money? Yes. Pocket money is given out once a week by
our financial administrator. Pocket money should be deposited with
our Finance Office at the beginning of each term. Students may be allowed
bank accounts. LARGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY MUST NOT BE KEPT IN BEDROOMS. What is an exeat? "Exeat" is the word given to a week-end break during term-time spent with either the guardian or parents. Although the College will set recommended dates for exeats which can be found on the information relating to College term dates, these are not compulsory (you do not have to go) and other exeat dates may be chosen. Certain week-ends are not allowed for exeat. For example the International College will not normally allow students an exeat whilst they are sitting either school or Public examinations. Students are normally allowed two exeats per term although they do not have to take them if they do not wish to do so. Exeats start from after lessons on Saturday (not Friday evening) and students must return to school by 20:00 hrs on Sunday evening. Requests for an exeat must be made in writing by the Thursday before the exeat week-end and be addressed to the Senior Housemaster (senior boys), the Housemistress (girls) or the Housemaster (junior boys). How do we get the school uniform? The main items of school uniform can be purchased directly from the International College on arrival. The boys purchase their uniform from the school shop situated in the Sherborne School sports centre, whilst the girls are fitted in-house by a well-known London firm. The International College always appreciates any parental efforts to collect correct school uniform prior to arrival. Are students allowed mobile phones? Yes, but only providing parents and guardians realise that the College can take no responsibility for them. All students must register their mobile phone with either the Senior Housemaster, Housemistress or Housemaster as soon as possible and must turn it off at unsuitable times of the day, e.g. during lesson times, prep-time and after lights-out. Who looks after my son's/daughter's washing and ironing? The International College will arrange for all clothes to be washed and ironed during term-time. Are students allowed to have their own medicines? All medicines must be given in to our resident matron who will then decide which, if any, medicines to return to your son or daughter. She will contact the school doctor if required to discuss the distribution of medicines. It is most important that the parent or guardian of any International College student completes the College medical form to give us all the information we require to provide medical help to the highest possible standard. |
