WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN TRANSITIONING TO BBIS

How we place international students in Grade levels

BBIS is one of the world’s leading International Baccalaureate (IB) schools and proudly offers three IB programmes in the Primary (Grade 1-5), Middle (Grade 6-10) and Diploma years (Grade 11 and 12) of schooling.

Every year, we welcome more than 850 students from more than 65 different nationalities – which means our students come from many different schooling systems and academic calendars. 

At BBIS, out school year runs from August to June. So if your child is transitioning from a country where the school year runs from January to December or March to February, they will either skip or repeat one semester.

We will help you work out which Grade will be most appropriate for your child. And, once in the classroom, our teachers are very experienced in supporting all abilities to ensure that all students reach their full potential.

Ages and stages of schooling

At BBIS, our students start school at the age of six, entering Grade 1. They complete their schooling after Grade 12, at the age of 18 or 19 years.

In some countries, children start school at the age of five and have 13 years of schooling. For example, Year 2 in the British schooling system corresponds to our Grade 1 – if the student went into Grade 3 instead, they would skip a year of schooling. This could affect academic development, as well as the social and emotional development of the student as they would be younger than their peers.

Experience shows that international students need time to transition to a new country and language, as well as different academic expectations. That said, we will work with you to determine the most appropriate pathway for your child.

What to expect after you apply

Final confirmation of a student’s placement will be made once the Admissions team has received and reviewed all required documents. Upon confirmation, our Admissions team can book an appointment with our Principal and you to discuss the best placement for your child.


Book an online meeting with our Admissions team