Admissions Overview

All students, regardless of origin who apply for admission to ISPP, must demonstrate through previous school records and entrance assessments that they can access benefit from the IB curriculum and activity programmes offered at ISPP. In addition to academic requirements, students must meet the English language requirement for that grade, reside with a parent or legal guardian, be able to pay the required fees, and meet the chronological age requirements that the School has determined. No one nationality may constitute more than 25% in any grade level from PYR-Grade 12.

 The school is divided into two sections:

Elementary School IB Primary Years Programme for students from 3 to 11 years (Early Years to Grade 5 with blended classes at PYR/1, 2/3, and 4/5)

Secondary School IB Middle Years Programme for students from 11 to 16 years (Grades 6 to 10) IB Diploma Programme for students normally aged 16- 18 years (Grades 11 and 12)

 

Student Placement

In order to consider your child for enrolment, please complete the Initial Inquiry Form and an Enrolment package will be sent to you.  You will be required to submit a minimum of two years of school records for your child.  Please also ask your current school to complete the confidential Recommendation for Admission Form (with writing sample for Grade 1 and above) and send it directly to the Elementary School at elementary@ispp.edu.kh

Acceptance and grade level placement at ISPP is based on consideration of all of the following: previous schooling, academic records, special learning needs, EAL considerations, attendance, behavioral considerations, and age.  The goal is to determine an appropriate fit for students at ISPP. 

ISPP is, at times, limited by class size, grade level capacity, and nationality restrictions.  Please know that these factors may also affect acceptance into the school. In these instances, applicants may be placed on a waiting list, in order of fully completed application received.

• In order for students to be admitted to Primary Years Reception (PYR) students need to be turning 6 years old between 1 September and 31 August of the current academic year and successfully meet all other entrance criteria.  (ISPP Policy 7.115).  Students must exhibit the necessary independent skills to function successfully in the PYR classroom.  This includes the ability to follow directions from the teacher, partake in group activities without specific one on one support and be developmentally ready for the PYR curriculum.

• In the event that previous school records are not available, admission may be granted on a conditional basis at the principal’s discretion until such a time that the school is confident it can meet the student’s needs. 

• If an applicant has not completed a grade level due to the difference in southern hemisphere school calendars (e.g. Australia) the Principal will decide on the grade level placement of the student based on language proficiency, academic performance, maturity, and social skills.

Learning Support in the Elementary School

Learning support is provided for students with mild learning difficulties who need support to succeed in the mainstream class. Students who have emotional or social needs may also receive support or may be referred to an outside agency depending on the individual’s need. There is limited support in Cambodia for these services. 

English as an Additional Language (EAL) in the Elementary School

The EAL Elementary programme (Grades 2-5) is for ISPP elementary students who are learning about English and through English at the same time. It aims to help students develop skills that will enable them to participate fully in their mainstream class. Students learn the English language skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking within the context of the PYP Units of Inquiry. Students learn to find and use information, think about and discuss ideas and express feelings, in English. They learn how English works and how to use it well.

All potential EAL students for grades 2 and above follow EAL department procedures upon enrolment at ISPP. They have an oral interview, produce a writing sample and take part in a reading assessment to determine their reading level. These, along with regular ISPP enrolment procedures, determine student placement for grade level and for EAL support. EAL support is offered as Full Support and Partial Support.  The Full EAL programme provides support for newly arrived students with little or no English. The focus is on survival English and the development of oral skills. Students receive small group support every day.  This programme incurs an additional fee.  The Partial EAL programme further develops oral English skills, deepens understanding and ability to use English grammar, focuses on reading to find information, deepens understanding of the concepts and academic language of the current PYP units of inquiry and assists in learning the skills and structure of a variety of written genre. The Partial EAL programme is in lieu of a Foreign Language and incurs no extra fee.

In order to consider your child for enrolment, please complete the Initial Inquiry Form and an Enrolment package will be sent to you.  You will be required to submit a minimum of two years of school records for your child.  Please also ask your current school to complete the confidential Recommendation for Admission Form (with writing sample for Grade 6 and above) and send it directly to the Secondary School at secondary@ispp.edu.kh

Acceptance and grade level placement at ISPP is based on consideration of all of the following: previous schooling, academic records, special learning needs, EAL considerations, attendance, behavioral considerations, and age.  The goal is to determine an appropriate fit for students at ISPP. 

ISPP is, at times, limited by class size, grade level capacity, and nationality restrictions.  Please know that these factors may also affect acceptance into the school. In these instances, applicants may be placed on a waiting list, in order of completed application received.

 ·      If an applicant has not completed a grade level due to the difference in southern hemisphere school calendars (e.g. Australia) the Principal will decide on the grade level placement of the student based on language proficiency, academic performance, maturity, and social skills will.

Learning Support in the Secondary School

Learning support at ISPP is flexible and based on the particular needs of the students in our community. Support may take on a variety of forms: one-on-one, small group or in-class. The support teacher monitors, assesses and documents student progress relative to the targeted goals. The aim is to provide a tailor-made program that best meets the needs of the individual, taking advantage of the expertise and strengths of all those associated with the ISPP community. We value individual growth and development and do our best to provide all students with the type of support that ensures their success. There is an additional fee for this service.

English as an Additional Language (EAL) in the Secondary School

The EAL Department strives to increase students’ English language proficiency through rigorous literacy- and language-based courses while simultaneously supporting teachers whose students have English language learning needs.

Before admission to ISPP, students without a demonstrated competency in English are given a grade-level placement test to test their proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking.  The results of this test will determine student placement at one of the following levels as our support programmes attract anadditional fee:

Full Support:  Students requiring a significant amount of support in reading and writing are placed in Full Support. Full Support students receive focused, “sheltered” classes to build proficiency in reading and writing. These classes take the place of Language A English and Humanities. For their additional language, Full Support students must take Language B English.

Partial Plus Support: Students are placed in mainstream Humanities but must take a “sheltered” English class to improve their reading proficiency. For their additional language, Partial Plus Support students must take Language B English.

Partial Support: Students have a reading and writing proficiency close to that of their peers but require additional support in Language B English before entering the mainstream. This support will focus on developing and refining students’ reading and writing skills.

Mainstream: Students need no English language support to succeed in the reading and writing requirements of all of their classes.

All potential EAL students for grades 6 and above follow the EAL department procedures upon enrolment at ISPP. They have an oral interview, produce a writing sample and take part in a reading assessment to determine their reading level. These, along with regular ISPP enrolment procedures, determine student placement for grade level and for EAL support.

Both Learning Support and the EAL programmes attract an additional cost. EAL levels of support vary according to student need. Please refer to the EAL page under ‘Academics’.

International Grade Level Comparison

Elementary School

ISPP Level (Aug-June)	Age Sept	Australia (Jan-Dec)	USA/Canada (Sep-Jun)	New Zealand (Jan-Dec)	India (Aug-June)	UK (Sept-June)	The Netherlands (Aug-Jun)
Early Years 1	3	Preschool	Preschool	Preschool	Nursery	Nursery	Preschool
Early Years 2	4	Preschool	Preschool	Kindergarten	K-1	Reception	Group 1
Primary Years Reception	5	KG/Prep	Kindergarten	Year 1	K-2	Year 1	Group 2
Grade 1	6	Year 1	Grade 1	Year 2	Standard 1	Year 2	Group 3
Grade 2	7	Year 2	Grade 2	Year 3	Standard 2	Year 3	Group 4
Grade 3	8	Year 3	Grade 3	Year 4	Standard 3	Year 4	Group 5
Grade 4	9	Year 4	Grade 4	Year 5	Standard 4	Year 5	Group 6
Grade 5	10	Year 5	Grade 5	Year 6	Standard 5	Year 6	Group 7

Secondary School

ISPP Level (Aug-June)	Age Sept	Australia (Jan-Dec)	USA/Canada (Sep-Jun)	New Zealand (Jan-Dec)	India (Aug-June)	UK (Sept-June)	The Netherlands (Aug-Jun)
Grade 6	11	Year 6	Grade 6	Year 7	Standard 6	Year 7	Group 8
Grade 7	12	Year 7	Grade 7	Year 8	Standard 7	Year 8	Class 1
Grade 8	13	Year 8	Grade 8	Year 9	Standard 8	Year 9	Class 2
Grade 9	14	Year 9	Grade 9	Year 10	Standard 9	Year 10	Class 3
Grade 10	15	Year 10	Grade 10	Year 11	Standard 10	Year 11	Class 4
Grade 11	16	Year 11	Grade 11	Year 12	Standard 11	Lower 6th	Class 5
Grade 12	17	Year 12	Grade 12	Year 13	Standard 12	Upper 6th	Class 6