School Policy

The International School of Athens has developed the following Continuum Policies:

• Admissions Policy
• Assessment Policy
• Academic Integrity Policy
• Inclusion / SEN Policy
• Language Policy

Moreover, the school's Discipline Policies and expectations of behavior are outlined in the PYP, MYP and DP Parent/Student Handbooks, which are on the school's website at ISA Portal. Access to the Assessment, Academic Honesty, Language and Inclusion / SEN Policies is available for parents / guardians through the edu4schools Parent Portal.

The Admissions policy is available to all prospective students/ parents below.

General admissions policy

The International School of Athens offers multi-faceted education to students from a wide range of academic backgrounds, nationalities, interests, needs and aspirations. We are committed to helping students attain the highest level of achievement possible. To this end, we seek to enroll students who can benefit from our strong academic programs. The school’s admission policy ensures a fair and transparent admission system for all applicants and avoids unfair discrimination.

1. The International School of Athens does not discriminate in the selection of students on the basis of race, creed, nationality or gender. We abide by the rules set forth from time to time by the Greek Ministry of Education concerning enrollment of students who are exclusively Greek.

2. The Admissions Committee will meet to discuss a student’s candidacy when the following have been received:

• Completed application form
• Registration fee as specified on the tuition/fee sheet
• School records / Transcripts (officially signed and stamped, and translated into English, if applicable)
• Recommendation from two teachers or school administrators from the school most recently attended by the candidate (officially signed and stamped)
• For PYP students a recommendation from one or two teachers or school administrator from the school most recently attended by the candidate (officially signed and stamped).
• Standardized testing when available. Students who have been diagnosed as having learning differences or emotional / behavioral difficulties must provide the most recent testing report and recommendations.
   

3. Criteria for admission to the PYP, MYP and DP / CP Programmes:

• The student applying must have passed the previous year.
• The student must have the appropriate age for the year level/grade that he/she will be entering. Applications for non-age-appropriate grade placements are considered on an individual basis.
• For MYP and DP / CP admission, an English and a Math placement test are required. For PYP admission, an English and Math test is administered to all applicants depending on their English language level. Students entering kindergarten to grade 1 are exempt from the language placement test if there is no acquisition of the English language.  Starting in grade 2, students are given a placement test depending on their English language level.
• If the student has known special education needs, documented details such as Individualised Education Programs (IEPs), Educational Psychologist reports or speech and language assessment reports must be submitted by the parents and/or the previous school when applying for admission. Failure to do so may lead to the cancellation of admission since the school reserves the right to review the situation to be assured that it can address the student’s needs. The same applies in case false information has been provided or information has been withheld when completing the application form.
• A candidate with special educational needs is required to meet and conduct an interview with the Learning Centre Coordinator. Students may be admitted pending agreement to engagement in a programme of additional support. ISA has a limited capacity to support special education students and will examine each case thoroughly prior to acceptance.  Students with special educational needs, serious psychoeducational issues and complex medical challenges will be considered individually and may be admitted if they can be properly supported by the existing resources and personnel at the school.
• A personal interview with the MYP and DP/CP coordinator or PYP Admissions officer is mandatory before final acceptance.

4. Procedure for Admission

• All the initial required documents must be submitted.
• The student and family meet with the Admissions Officer.
• The student takes the English and Math placement tests.
• The Coordinator or Principal meets the student and/or parents and based on the interview, the submitted documentation, and the results of the placement test, approves the applicant’s admittance to the next phase.
• When all the academic reports and required documents have been received and evaluated, the student’s application will be accepted or declined.

5. The school prioritizes students entering grade 1, grade 7 and grade 11, who are already enrolled in the school, as well as the siblings of our students. Prospective students in these groups receive special consideration, but they are not guaranteed acceptance.

6. Upon completion of all the requirements and receipt of the records and forms from the applicant, the admissions committee will meet to finalize acceptance. The Admission’s Officer will then notify the applicant’s family of the committee’s decision. Final acceptance will be determined by the number of available openings.  Registration is finalized once the registration form has been completed, the registration fee has been paid, as well as any other necessary fees outlined in the statement provided by the Business Office.

7. A waiting list will be added when the classes are full, taking into consideration the number of students that are permitted in each grade. Students on the waiting list are offered places according to the criteria stated above.

IB Diploma Programme (DP) / College Preparatory (CP) Programme

The school adopts a generally non-selective admissions policy for the IB DP Programme (grades 11-12) based on the premise that all students stand to benefit by the strong programme and everyone should be allowed to strive to reach their own potential. It is our desire for all of our students to attend the IB Diploma programme.

Given the academically rigorous nature of the programme and the demanding assessment requirements, however, students are expected to meet certain minimum criteria in grade 10, which is the official pre-IB DP year, in order to be prepared for the programme. Specifically, students are expected to display academic skills, commitment, consistent study habits, effective organization and self- management skills. Furthermore, students are expected to have good command of the English language (at least English B SL/HL) and the ability to articulate their ideas in a clear and concise manner.  The academic demands of the IB programme and the rigorous assessment requirements impact admission of students with a lower language achievement. These students may be considered for IB courses or CP.

For students who are progressing from the MYP and who wish to attend the DP, at the end of grade 10, each student’s academic record is reviewed.  Information about his or her academic profile, work habits and eAssessment results are reviewed by the MYP and DP/CP coordinators.

Students who have not displayed evidence of the above-mentioned characteristics essential for a DP student, may be advised to carefully consider their academic choices at the school. They may be advised to not attend the full IB Diploma, and instead opt for IB DP Courses or the ISA College preparatory (CP) programme, or they may be placed on academic probation and academic monitoring. The student’s academic goals and university admission requirements are also taken into consideration.

Students may also apply directly for admission to the CP programme if this is deemed as a more suitable programme in serving their academic needs.

Students who have attended IB DP Year 1 (grade 11) at another school can apply for admission to IB DP Year 2 (grade 12). In addition, however, to the regular admission process the coordinator will ask for and consider additional information regarding what the student has covered in the core and in the subjects the student has chosen, to determine if the transition is feasible or not.  

Middle Years Programme (MYP)

The IB Middle Years Programme at the International School of Athens is all-inclusive and aims to provide a high-quality, academically challenging, and balanced programme of education. The MYP has been designed as a coherent and comprehensive curriculum framework that provides academic challenges and develops the life skills of students between the ages of 11 to 16 (MYP: From principles into practice, pg. 3). At ISA, the MYP consists of Year 2/Grade 7 to Year 5/Grade 10.   

Candidate students will be admitted to the MYP provided that all the above requirements have been met.

Primary Years Programme (PYP)

Students applying to the Primary school are considered for admission based on the attending or completed grade level at the time of their application. Students entering our Kindergarten have a cut-off date for turning 5 years of age by December 31^st of the specified academic year and increasing by one year for each consecutive year. However, students coming from International Schools abroad are eligible candidates for a specific grade if they have completed at least one term in that grade elsewhere.

The ISA Continuum Admissions policy is informed by: 

• ISA Continuum Assessment Policy
• ISA Continuum Academic Integrity Policy
• ISA Continuum Inclusion Policy
• ISA Continuum Language Policy

The Continuum Admissions Policy was developed in 2020 and last updated in September 2024. It is reviewed and updated annually by the PYP, MYP and DP Coordinators, the Admissions Officers, the Chief Financial Officer, the Director and the Deputy Director and is posted on the school website at the beginning of each academic year.