English-Czech Secondary School - General Information

 

Which educational programme does the 1st International School of Ostrava follow?

 

  • From April 2011, the 1st International School of Ostrava is authorised as an IB World School offering the Diploma Programme.

 

  • The 1st International School of Ostrava is also registered within the Network of Czech Schools, and as such, also works with the curriculum established by the Czech Ministry of Education. The 1st International School of Ostrava is among a select group of schools in the Czech Republic granted permission by the Czech Ministry of Education to use English as the language of instruction for teaching a variety of subjects.

 

  • In addition to the IBDP, our Czech students may also graduate with the Czech national final leaving examination, called the "Maturita".

 

Is my child really able to make the transition from having English grammar a few times a week at primary school to studying and thinking in English at the International Secondary School? 

 

  • For the majority of our students, English is a second or third language. The School was created with this in mind, and actively helps students to catch up quickly with their language skills. The School holds a Summer Fun Camp for several weeks before Year 1 begins, in order to help students assimilate and get on track.

 

How many students are there per class? 

 

  • There are 16 students per class on average.

 

 

Admission Policy

 
Students Wishing to Enroll in Grade 6 or Grade 10 coming from Czech Primary Schools:
If your child is currently enrolled in grade 5 or 9 of a Czech primary school, he or she can pick up an application form from their school’s academic advisor and hand it in to their current school principal.

 

After submitting an enrollment form, students wishing to enroll in Grade 6 are required to:

 

  • Take a short interview in English to determine the student’s level of English and level of motivation
  • Write an essay in Czech, describing the student’s level of motivation and future plans
  • Take a placement test to determine the student’s level of English

 

After submitting an enrollment form, students wishing to enroll in Grade 10 are required to:

 

  • Take an interview in English to determine the student’s level of English and level of motivation
  • Write an essay in English describing the student’s attitude to study and future plans
  • Take a placement test to determine the student’s level of English

 

Please note: Average grades for the previous three semesters are also taken into consideration.

 

 

Transfer Students from Czech Primary Schools (Grades 7 – 9):
Students wishing to enroll at the 1st IS-Ostrava from Grades 7, 8 or 9 at Czech Primary Schools should submit an enrolment form and must complete the following requirements:

 

Submit school reports for the past three semesters

  • Undertake examinations in Czech Language & Literature and Mathematics
  • Take an interview in English to determine the student’s level of English and level of motivation
  • Write an essay in English describing the student’s attitude to study and future plans
  • Take a placement test to determine the student’s level of English
  • Further examinations in other subjects may be required by the Principal after consultation with Subject Teachers based on the student’s reports from the previous three semesters

 

 

Transfer Students from Czech Middle or Secondary Schools (Gymnaziums):
If your child is currently enrolled in a Czech gymnazium, he or she can simply transfer to the 1st International School of Ostrava after having successfully completed the English language placement test. Please contact the Secondary School Principal, Mgr. Jan Petrus at petrus@is-ostrava.cz for more information.

 

 

Foreign Student Enrolment:
For a Foreign Student Enrollment Form, please contact the Vice-Principal, Ms. Dobešová at dobesova@is-ostrava.cz. In addition to completing an enrollment form, foreign students are required to take an English placement test and provide the following documents:

 

Notarized school reports for two recent years in a previous school (translated into English or Czech)

  • Copy of the student’s immunisation record from his or her doctor or a medical confirmation by a Czech doctor
  • Proof of health insurance
  • Copy of student’s passport
  • Copy of legal guardian’s passport
  • Copy of a long-term visa

 

Based on the foreign student’s previous school reports, he or she will be placed in the appropriate Grade.

 

Expected CEF level of English for enrolment in Grades 6 – 9 (8 Year Secondary Programme):

  • To begin Grade 6: A1-
  • To begin Grade 7: A1+
  • To begin Grade 8: A2/B1-
  • To begin Grade 9: B1

 

Expected CEF level of English for enrolment in Grade 10 + (8 Year IB Diploma Programme):

  • To begin Grade 10: A2-
  • To begin Grade 11: B1-
  • To begin Grade 12: B2-

 

If the student’s level of English is lower than expected, he or she may still enroll at the 1st IS-Ostrava but it is strongly recommended that the student enrols in the extra English courses offered at the school. Furthermore, it is also strongly recommended that any student with less than the expected level of English takes extra private English lessons.

 

Enrolment in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme:

Czech and foreign students wishing to transfer to Grade 12 (Year 1 of the IB DP) will be required to take:

  • Mathematics placement test
  • English placement test
  • Second foreign language placement test
  • Balance exams in other subjects the student will not take in the DP may be required based on the Principal’s decision

 

Please note: Because the IB DP is a two-year course, we can only accept transfer students into Grade 13 (IBDP2) from another IBDP school.

 

Prior Learning Expectations for IB DP Subjects (Standard Level and Higher Level):

Group 1: Czech Literature or Self-Taught Mother-Tongue - No prior learning is required for these subjects.
Group 2: German B/French B/Spanish B – CEF Level A2 is required*
Group 3: Economics/Psychology/History/Geography – No prior learning is required for these subjects.
Group 4: Biology/Chemistry/Physics - Students may enroll in SL Group 4 without prior learning. Some prior learning is required to enroll in the HL courses.
Group 5: Mathematics – prior knowledge is required for both the Math SL Math Studies SL and Math HL courses. See attached list of topics.

 

*If a foreign student does not have the required A2 level of Second Foreign Language, he or she may enroll in the IB Language Ab initio Course.

 

For more information about the study of languages at the 1st IS-Ostrava, please refer to the School Language Policy available on our school website.

 

Parents or guardians of Czech or foreign students wishing to enrol at the 1st IS-Ostrava who have special educational needs are advised to provide the school with the appropriate documentation.

 

P.Corkill (IB Coordinator) & V. Dobešová (Vice-Principal)

25.3.2011

 

Presumed Knowledge for IB DP Mathematical Studies SL - pdf

Presumed Knowledge for IB DP Mathematics SL - pdf

Presumed Knowledge for IB DP Mathematics HL - pdf