Priority 1:         Given to English speaking expatriate foreigners

Priority 2:         Given to Egyptian families with siblings (brothers/sisters) currently attending NCBIS*

Priority 3:         Given to Egyptian families who do not already have siblings** in the school.  These applications must be supported by a letter from the Ministry of Education stating that the child has an official exemption from the Minister of Education to attend NCBIS.  Places will be offered based on the ability of the applicant to contribute to the academic, sporting or artistic life of the school.

Should there be too many applications from English speaking expatriate foreigners for the number of places available, then priority is given on the following basis:

Priority A:         Given to expatriate employees of Shell due to the company’s historic links and financial support that it has given to the school over the years

Priority B:         Given to British nationals

Priority C:         Given to nationals from English speaking countries in the British Commonwealth. 

Priority D:         Given to all other nationals based on the ability of the applicant to contribute to the academic, sporting or artistic life of the school

*  In an attempt to maintain a healthy balance between Egyptians and expatriates (which is deemed a key aspect of our school and its mission), a minimum of 30% of our overall student population should be Egyptians; while no more than 50% in any particular year should be Egyptians. 

**  Siblings are considered to be direct family members, that is, brothers or sisters.

The last four places that are available in any particular year group are to be reserved for English speaking foreigners (expatriate).

English proficiency

Prospective students who are not native English speakers and who have no alternative native language schooling in Cairo, but who have competency or the potential for fluency may be accepted provided that they enroll in the NCBIS intensive English Second Language (ESL) programme for which there may be additional fees. At least one of the child’s parents must be able to speak English with a degree of fluency.

Placement in Year Groups

Placement in a year group will be based on the student’s chronological age and the norms of placement in UK schools. Only under very exceptional circumstances will consideration be given to a placement in a higher year group than the chronological age would allow.

Click on the following link:  Year Group Ages & Equivalents

Nursery & Reception Classes

Enrolments will only be accepted by children that are toilet trained and who are able to understand basic instructions in English. At least one of the child’s parents must be able to speak English with a degree of fluency.

Students with Individual Educational Needs

While recognising that every student has individual educational needs, NCBIS reserves the right to decline acceptance of students where the level of special educational support required is not compatible with our existing ability (based on staffing levels within the school IEN Department and its internal expertise) to provide this to an acceptable level. Consideration may be given to cases where parents provide additional funding for any additional support staff or special equipment necessary for the child to participate fully in the teaching and learning activities of the school.

As a guideline, the school will not accept students into a Year Group, when there are more than 10% of students on the school’s Individual Educational Needs (IEN) register.

Entry into the NCBIS Sixth Form

Entry into the Sixth Form, is not a ‘rite of passage’ and as such, all students must apply for entry to the Sixth Form.  Places are limited and students will be admitted based on contributions they make to the NCBIS community and their ability to be successful in this level of study. Our Sixth Form students need to have a track record of adhering to school procedures, being independent learners and role models to younger pupils in the school. 

Applications to join the Sixth Form (Year 12 & 13) will normally be considered who have obtained a minimum of five ‘C’ grades at IGCSE or GCSE, and ideally ‘B’ in the subject that they wish to study at A levels.

The school intends to implement the IB Diploma in September 2011, at which time it is anticipated that students will preferably have ‘A’ grades and a minimum of ‘B’ grades at IGCSE or GCSE in the three courses they study at Higher Level in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP).  In addition to the above, priority will be given to students that have achieved at least five ‘B’ grades at IGCSE or GCSE to qualify for admission to the IBDP.  Students that do not achieve the necessary grades to qualify for Sixth Form are not necessarily entitled to repeat the year.

Enrolment into the Dutch Stream

Students seeking enrolment in Peuters – Groep 8 within the Dutch stream at NCBIS should have a good standard of spoken and written Dutch at either native or second language level. At least one of the child’s parents must be able to speak Dutch with a reasonable level of fluency.