08/02/2010 Admissions Criteria
New Admissions Criteria at The English School
The admissions arrangements for this year, 2010 WILL NOT CHANGE.
From September 2011, the Board of Management have decided to admit children whose first language is English into Year 1. The entrance examination for these children (currently admitted in Year 2) will be in English and Mathematics (as is currently the case for Year 2 entry). There will also be a diagnostic paper in Greek or Turkish. Armenian and other children whose first language is not Greek, Turkish or English will be able to sit a Non-Native English paper as is currently the case. In September 2011 there will be an overlap year where students from English speaking primary schools and the Armenian School will still be able to enter in Year 2, and the current entrance arrangements will apply for them.
From September 2011 the entrance arrangements for Turkish Cypriot students will change, in that they will be admitted to a Transition Year as they have one year less of primary education than Greek and English speakers in Cyprus. They will, therefore be required to complete 8 years at The English School. In order to gain admittance to the school they will sit the same Turkish language and Mathematics paper as currently. However, at the end of this Transition Year these students will be required to take a Barrier Test in English to enter Year 1 (the same one as the Greek Cypriots will take). There will also be an overlap year in 2011 only where we will accept Turkish Cypriot students into both the Transition Year and Year 1. The entrance examinations and the number of places for Greek Cypriot children WILL NOT CHANGE.
From September 2011 Greek Cypriot students also will be required to take a Barrier Test in English, in addition to their Greek and Mathematics papers. This test will be based on year 5 and 6 of Primary School (Demotikon) English curriculum. The students will only be required to pass the examination, and it will not have a rank grading. However, all students that do not meet the required standard in English will be required to attend an intensive English course at The English School in July to improve their English skills, in order to better prepare them for the English based curriculum at The English School. If the students still do not pass the barrier tests at the end of this course, they will be required to attend an additional English course in the afternoons at The English Institute during the autumn term. They will then be re-tested at Christmas.
From 2012 there will be no further entry into the English School in Year 2.