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The International School Admissions

Joining our International School

The best way to discover what it’s like to be part of our global school community is to attend one of our open events. We run a range of online International School open events throughout the year for families all over the world. These are usually led by our International School Senior Leadership Team and include presentations from key members of staff, a student panel session and live Q&A to answer any questions you may have.

Register for an Open Event

"At my old school it felt like they were trying to finish the syllabus and force it on us. I feel like at d'Overbroeck's, it's more enjoyable and educational at the same time."

Estel, Albania

The application process

Our application process is designed to be as quick and effective as possible, and an opportunity for you to find out more about d'Overbroeck's.

Open Events

Start by attending one of our Open Events. These are a great way to hear about what many of our students and parents say is what makes d’Overbroeck’s special – its environment. They will talk of it having a “friendly, encouraging, unstuffy, family atmosphere” where we are ambitious and celebrate success but want the journey to be as interesting as the destination. We focus on the things that matter and there is a real sense of mutual respect between staff and students – to a degree you won’t find in many other schools.

Learn more

Make an application

The next step is to make an application using our Application Form. You will need to attach a colour copy of your passport photo page, details of any current UK visas, recent school reports or transcripts in English and a 250-300 word personal statement. In the personal statement, we'd really like to hear about you, your family, your hobbies, interests and academic ambitions. This is your chance to tell us everything that is important to you as we will refer to your application during your interview.

Entrance exams

Once you've submitted your application, we will arrange for you to sit our entrance exams in English and Maths. These will need to be completed under supervised exam conditions at either an agency, a British Council office or at your current school.

Interview

The next step is to complete an interview with a member of our International School Senior Leadership Team. These usually take place with our External Communications Coordinator, Dave Wareham. The interview will cover the subjects you'd like to study, your ambitions, interests and other relevant areas. We'd love for you to visit us in person at this stage to find out what the school is really like. Alternatively, we can arrange an online interview. At this point, we will also require a contact at your current school so that we can request a confidential reference.

Decision-making

Once the entrance exams and interview have taken place and the reference has been received, we will decide whether to offer a place. An offer will be dependent on a combination of factors such as your current school reports, interview and test results. If you meet our entry requirements, we'd be delighted to offer you a place! All our offers are in place for 3-4 weeks to allow you time to respond.

Preparing to join d'Overbroeck's

After you accept your offer, we will be in touch with all the information you will need to prepare to join d'Overbroeck's. We understand that joining a new school can be a daunting experience, and we endeavour to make the transition as smooth as possible. If you are joining us in September, we will invite you to attend our online New Student Transition programme. This usually takes place in the Summer Term before starting with us and is a great way to meet your teachers, Form Tutor and to get to know some of the other students on your study programme before term begins. Once you arrive in Oxford you will take part in our induction programme. This programme has been specifically designed for international students and includes personal activities such as registering at our local doctors' surgery. Through a variety of events such as treasure hunts and walking tours, our students quickly make friends and settle into their new home.

Entry requirements

Each of our five International School programmes have specific entry points and academic requirements:

The Discovery Years applicants

September, January and April entry available
IELTS 3+ or equivalent

Two-Year IGCSE applicants

September entry only
IELTS 4+ or equivalent

4 or 5-term IGCSE applicants

January or April entry available
IELTS 4.5+ or equivalent

One-Year IGCSE applicants

September entry only
IELTS 5+ or equivalent

UK Study Abroad applicants

September, January or April entry available
IELTS 4.5+ or equivalent

Learn more about our programmes

Take a tour of The International School:

Friendship Ambassador Awards

Friendship Ambassadors are students who add to the life of the International School. They should enjoy meeting visiting families and representing their countries and the school.

They may have:

already had positions of responsibility at their school, or
taken part in competitions or awards abroad, or
taken part in community or charity work, or
have a particular skill or talent (e.g. in music or sport)

How to apply

All students need to do is show on the application form that they are interested in a Friendship Ambassador Award by ticking the relevant box on the application form. In their personal statement they should explain briefly what they can offer the school by telling us what they have achieved.

All applicants will be interviewed but the interview can be by Skype. In the interview we will ask students about why they think they would be a good ambassador for the school.

The Awards

These are generous awards from £1500 to £6000 a year are for the first year of a student’s time at d’Overbroeck’s International School. If you have students who are excited by the idea of studying in the UK and who want to play an active role in school life, this award could be for them.