Luanda International School appreciates your interest in wanting to enroll your child/ren to our community. If your company is supported by Luanda International School Certificates, please contact your company representative in Angola to express interest in enrolling your children.

Admission Criteria
LIS accepts students from diverse school backgrounds, with a range of academic abilities. However, the school reserves the right to refuse admission to students whose educational or physical needs cannot be well served by the school, or to those with references indicating that their enrollment may be detrimental to the school.

Application Process
A completed LIS application includes:

• An Application for Registration Form
• A Medical Information Form
• An Application for Acquisition of Confidential Information Form
• Three (3) years of academic records (if you are a mid-year applicant, include current academic reports)
• Copy of information page of your child/ren's passport (s)
• Evidence of recent medical check-up (last 6 months)
• Up to date vaccinations including either valid immunization against or recent negative test for TB. Please fill in medical form with additional information.
• References for secondary applicants (Y7 - Y13) from English/Math teacher as well as the Headmaster/Principal or Counselor. The references need to be sent directly from the teachers to enrollment@lisluanda.com via email, via fax or brought personally in a sealed and stamped envelope.
• Proof of payment for $400 USD non-refundable Application Fee (effective January 11, waived for certificate holders)

We will only process your child/ren’s application once all the relevant documents, including previous academic records, have been received by the enrollment office.

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EAL Admissions and Testing Rationale
Admissões e Testes do programa de “Inglês como segunda língua”

BACKGROUND

Students in classrooms around the world face the challenge of learning and using  language in order to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to be successful. The challenge becomes more complex as students progress through the year levels and become increasingly exposed to specific academic subject writing types, grammatical structures and vocabulary.

Students whose first language does not match the school’s language of instruction face a double challenge, that of acquiring the general language – which in the case of LIS is English – and also of learning all the subjects in English.  The LIS situation is not uncommon around the world, and is addressed in both international and national systems, as it is at LIS, by the provision of extra support for English as an Additional Language (EAL) students.

English language testing plays a key part in determining the level of extra support that an EAL student will need in order to acquire the general and academic English needed to access the curriculum, as well as whether the school is in a position to admit the student.  At LIS the LAS links proficiency test is used to provide an insight into the English language proficiency of both potential and current students.

There are 5 levels as follows: Level 1 Beginner; Level 2 Early Intermediate; Level 3 Intermediate; Level 4 Proficient and; Level 5 Above Proficient.  The following guidelines outline the way these levels are used at LIS with particular reference to how they inform enrollment decisions.

EAL Guidelines for enrollment of EAL students:

Levels are based on LAS links proficiency descriptors.

Year 6, and 7 – Early intermediate – Level 2

• Developing the ability to communicate effectively.
• Errors impede basic communication and comprehension
• Lexical, syntactic, phonological and discourse features are emerging.

Year 8and 9 – Early Intermediate – Level - 2

• Developing the ability to communicate effectively.
• Errors impede basic communication and comprehension
• Lexical, syntactic, phonological and discourse features are emerging.

Year 10 and 11 – Intermediate – Level 3

• Developing the ability to communicate effectively on English across a wide range of year level appropriate language demands in the school context.
• Errors interfere with communication and comprehension.
• Repetition and negotiation are often needed.
• Student exhibits a limited range of lexical, syntactic, phonological and discourse features when addressing new and familiar topics.

Year 12 and 13 – Proficient – Level 4

The IB Diploma program is a very challenging university preparatory course that requires candidates to achieve high academic standards in six areas of knowledge. The IB Certificate program provides academic challenge, but in a reduced number of subjects. In order to be accepted into a year 12 or 13 program, students must achieve at least a LAS level 4

• Communicates effectively across a range of year level appropriate language demands in the school context, even though errors occur.
• Students exhibit productive and receptive control of lexical, syntactic, phonological and discourse features when addressing new and familiar topics.

Students enrolling midway through the academic year (January 1st) in Year 5 and Year 11 will be subject to Year 6 and Year 12 EAL enrollment requirements.

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Initial Placement
All students are initially placed according to their age cohort. Details of these age ranges and appropriate Grades (Year Groups) are available at the school. In rare cases it may be necessary to adjust the placement. This will only take place after a few weeks have elapsed allowing for careful observation and written assessments.

Students who join LIS in the Pre-Primary classes or Year 1 will be placed with their age cohort in accordance with the cut-off dates explained below. Each child’s stage of development is unique due to a range of factors. These include individual maturity and length of school experience as well as different types of learning environment attended (eg play-groups, kindergarten, Montessori). The LIS early years programme combines the IB Primary Years Programme with Reggio Emilia. We focus on a holistic approach which develops the behaviour and skills of each child. Classes are small so the teacher to student ratio is high. This enables the social and learning needs of each student to be met. Therefore students will not be separated from their age cohort as this would be detrimental to their balanced development.

All incoming students are assessed in basic skills prior to enrollment. Non-native English speakers may be assessed for English proficiency.

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Southern Hemisphere
Students arriving from schools operating on a Southern Hemisphere academic calendar may be placed back a partial year. For example, if they joined us in January after completing Year 2, they would be initially placed in Year 2. After a three-week trial period, the Principal would make a decision to keep them at that level or to move them up a year.

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Special Needs
Parents must inform the school at the time of application if their student has been receiving any special help in their previous school.

The resources of LIS and Luanda are limited in their ability to accommodate students with special needs. If parents suspect their student may have difficulty, they should discuss this with the Principal or Director at the time of application.

If it is determined that a student cannot succeed in the school’s regular academic program, the student will not be permitted to re-enroll the following school year.

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Withdrawal Procedures
Parents who intend to withdraw their child(ren) either during, or at the end of the school year should obtain and complete the Withdrawal Form from the Enrolment Office before their departure. Transcripts and Leaving Certificates cannot be released or forwarded to new schools until the completed Withdrawal Form is given to the Enrolment Office. The Withdrawal Form ensures that all classroom textbooks, materials and library books have been returned in good condition.

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Confirmation of Registration/Waiting List
If you have received a letter indicating that your child has been placed on the waiting list, it is required that the parent send something in writing, via email, fax or post, informing the Enrollment office of your wish to keep your child on the waiting list. If confirmation has not been received by the date shown on the waiting list, the student will be removed from the waiting list and the application will be considered withdrawn. The waiting list rolls over each year. Families of students remaining on the waiting list will be contacted to submit new documents and to confirm that they wish to remain on the list. Applications will only be reconsidered when all new documentation is complete.

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Age Ranges for Classes for the 2011 2012 School Year
Please follow this link to open a document detailing the placement by ages.

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