1.1 Competitive admissions.
Admission will be competitive and open to all foreign passport holders. No preference is given to any one nationality. Preference will be given to families with siblings already attending WISS.

1.2 PRC regulations.
In compliance with Chinese government regulations, WISS can accept applications from foreign passport holders or residents from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Applications can also be received by any Chinese passport holder who has one or both parents holding a foreign passport, or those who qualify to apply under the regulations of Shanghai Education Committee.

1.3 School capacity and class size.
Admissions will be granted according to enrollment limits which ensure that standards of excellence will be maintained.

1.4 English fluency.
Students applying to WISS will be evaluated for their English speaking, reading, and writing ability. As the school wishes to maintain an environment where English is the primary language of academic instruction, preference is given to those students who are most functional or have the greatest potential to be functional at their grade level in English. All students entering Middle and High School not having English as their native language must, as a minimum, be at a level from which they can work to complete the IB Subsidiary English B program by graduation, along with self-taught study of their mother tongue literature.

1.5 Special learning needs.
Parents of students who have special learning needs will need to consult with WISS to ensure the school has resources available to serve their child before applying for admission or arriving in Shanghai. Students admitted to WISS must be able to function within the regular classroom setting and be able to work towards the successful completion of WISS academic requirements. It is important to note that we do not have a specialist unit to deal with more serious learning difficulties such as Autism, Emotional/behavioral disorders, Mental retardation, Communicative disorders/aphasia. If your child has such needs, this could result in the withdrawal of the offer of a place.

1.6 Age.
A child must be diaper trained and three years old by September 1st of the year entering the Nursery school program; four years old by September 1st of the year entering Pre-Kindergarten; five years old by September 1st of the year entering kindergarten; and six years old by September 1st of the year entering first grade. WISS, in the admission process will always take into account the country of origin, the educational system from which the student comes, and the student’s past performance in that system.

1.7 Part-time students.
Part-time students may be enrolled in WISS when their attendance is mutually beneficial to both parties. All conditions for entrance for full-time students apply. (Tuition will be charged on a pro-rata basis; all other fees are as for full-time students)

Admissions requirements

Submission of all Academic Records

Records need to include:

Any available standardized test scores
Any special needs testing (if relevant)
Classroom teacher recommendation
Principal/counsellor recommendation
For Grade 9 and above, recommendation from Maths, English and one other teacher

Interview

When possible, the student, with parent(s) or guardian(s) must be available for an interview before admission is granted. Students may be asked to participate in a phone or on-line interview.

Verification of age

A passport and birth certificate will be required.

Medical records

Students will not be permitted to start school without a completed copy of the medical history and physical (medical) form. This includes a record of immunizations, illness history, and current physical examination by a physician. Exceptions will be at the discretion of the school Director in collaboration with the school Nurse.

Application Conditions

Admissions and placement tests may be required as part of the admission process.

Students who have not completed a full year in the previous grade by the fall entrance date will be required to repeat the previous year’s grade.

Parents will be notified by phone, fax, or email when admission testing is required. For parents in other countries it will be their responsibility to find a secure test site, such as current school.

Admission decisions are made by the WISS administration. The WISS admission staff will not give feedback on applications until authorized do so by the Principal or School Director. Any judgments of the applicant inadvertently or conversationally rendered by the admission staff are not binding.

Any misreported or unreported information in an application may result in the student’s being rejected or, if already accepted, being asked to withdraw. Documents submitted with this application will not be returned.

Photos of students may appear in school publications, newspaper and other advertisements, brochures, and on the website for the purpose of marketing only.

Absences

Students should be on time to school every day. If students are absent, parents need to contact the school office by 9 am. If possible, parents should try to let the bus monitor know that a child will be absent as soon as possible so as not to delay the bus schedule.

It is expected that all students attend school regularly and that the main reason for absence is due to illness, NOT for reasons such as a family vacation.