Students With Special Educational Needs
We ask that any known learning disabilities, difficulties or any such related Special Educational Needs are clearly stated in the application form, with relevant supporting information. The application will then be reviewed by the Heads of School, in consultation with relevant staff, to determine if the school will be able to support the needs of the student and will be reviewed termly. The physical limitations of the school site mean that the school is unable to cater for students with physical disabilities requiring specialist provision, including wheelchair access.
Following acceptance of a student, if the student is diagnosed with learning disabilities/difficulties or related Special Educational Needs, but such information was not included in the Application Form or not known in advance of acceptance of the student, a meeting will be arranged between the school and parents to discuss this issue. The school reserves the right to withdraw the place if any known Special Educational Needs or learning disabilities/difficulties were not included in the application form, or if the school is unable to support the SEN needs of a student which have been identified following acceptance.
Non-disclosure of past serious behavioural issues in previous schools may also jeopardise the student’s place in the school. The school reserves the right to withdraw the place at KIS.
English as an additional language
During the applications process students with English as an additional language may be assessed to determine the level of EAL support required. A place will be offered and a year group allocated only if the school has the appropriate resources to support the student. Students who require Intensive or Intermediate support will be charged an extra fee each term. In some cases a condition of entry may be additional language support outside school.
Registered Students
Should a registered student not attend school for a month without a formal explanation, the student’s name will be taken off the register. Subsequently, if the place is still required, a new application will be mandatory.
Waiting List
Parents will be informed if a class is full. If they still wish to continue with the application procedure, they will be advised that the student will be placed on a waiting list in the appropriate pool. The pools are as follows:
Stage 1: Submitting a completed application
To submit an application to the school you will need to complete our Application Form and pay a non-refundable application fee of RM 800 per child. Please note that this is not a commitment from you to accept a place, nor does it confirm that your child will be offered a place.
Applications forms should be submitted by email to admissions@kis.edu.my or hard copies brought to the School Office, with the following supporting information for each student:
Assessments are conducted in school, by appointment. For families based overseas, it is possible for the assessment to be taken in your country of residence.
For entry into Reception and Foundation 1
The assessment will be a series of visits to the classroom. Initially, the child will be accompanied by an adult for an hour’s visit. Subsequently, the child will then visit the classroom for 1 hour (from 7:50-9am), 2 hours (from 7:50-10am) and finally for a full morning session. Please note, children applying for Nursery and F1 must be toilet-trained before entering the school.
For entry into Foundation 2
Students will spend a full day in the class they are applying to join. This will give both you and the teacher the opportunity to confirm that your child will settle and be comfortable there. Your child may be required to attend additioinal trial days if it is felt that extra observations of your child in the classroom setting are needed. Please note, children applying for F2 must be toilet-trained before entering the school.
For entry into Key Stages 1 and 2 (Year 1 – 6)
Students will spend a day in the year group they are applying to join. This will give the teachers the chance to meet your child and observe them and it will give your child the opportunity to experience the school and to feel comfortable with joining the school in the future.
All applicants for Year 2 and above will sit a written test and meet with the Head of Primary. Applicants into Key Stage 2 (Year 3 – 6) will also sit an online cognitive abilities test.
Your child’s current school may be contacted for a Confidential Student Reference.
For entry into Secondary School (Year 7-10)
The assessment takes the form of an online assessment and written tests in Mathematics and English. Once the assessments have been reviewed by the relevant teachers, a student will be invited back to the school to attend an interview with a key member of the Secondary staff. Students who are assessed as requiring English as an Additional Language (EAL) support will also be invited to meet with the Head of EAL.
Your child’s current school may be contacted for a Confidential Student Reference.
Please note that if accepted into the Secondary School, students will be expected to agree and sign the Academic Good Standing Policy.
Stage 3: Application and Assessment review
Following the assessment stage, our Heads of School and our Principal are provided with all application information and assessment results to review and confirm their recommendations for a place at the school.
Stage 4: Offer of a place
The above process usually takes between 7 – 14 school days to process. We will confirm whether we are able to offer you child a place at Kinabalu International School verbally as soon as possible. We will also send you written confirmation of the offer of a place, class placement and admission date.
Stage 5: Acceptance of a place
We ask that you confirm your acceptance of an offer with the school within 7 days of receipt of our offer letter. Having received your signed confirmation, we will then confirm your child’s place in their class, raise an invoice for the fees and provide you with all the information required for starting school.
Students will not be admitted to the school unless a signed letter of offer has been received and all fees have been paid in advance.
Should a student not attend school within two weeks from the date he/she is expected to start, the student’s name will be taken off the list and the application fee forfeited. If subsequently a place is still required, a new application and fee will be mandatory.
Applications For IGCSES (Year 10) And A Levels (Year 12)
The IGCSE and A Level programmes are each two years of intensive study to work towards these highly regarded international qualifications from the Cambridge International Assessments board.
Entry into Year 10 (IGCSEs)
We are pleased to offer our Year 10 and Year 11 IGCSE students a wide range of subject choices. All students joining the IGCSE programme will be requested to select 5 optional subjects, in addition to the 4 core subjects offered.
Entry into Year 12 (A Levels)
A Levels run from Year 12 to Year 13, for students aged 16+ years old.
Examinations are held at the end of each academic year, combined with varying coursework requirements depending on the subject selected.
Entry point for A Levels: Start of Term 1 (August) of Year 12
What do students need to be accepted into the a level programme?
In general terms students accepted into the programme will have a minimum of 5 IGCSE/GCSE/SPM passes (A*-C) or the equivalent.
Individual subjects may require students to have successfully completed an IGCSE/GCSE or the equivalent in that subject prior to entry, although all applications will be assessed on an individual basis. Potential applicants should refer to the entry requirements in the subject specific information for each course.
A wide range of subjects are offered, covering Science, Arts and Humanities:
Private Candidate Application : IGCSE & A Level
KIS accepts private candidates for IGCSE and A Level examinations.
There will be RM250.00 admin costs per candidate charged on top of the subject fees.
For information on the fees and other details, please get in touch with our Examination Officer
Mrs Samatha Hallas at shallas@kis.edu.my
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