ADMISSION PROCESS

Admission Policy

1
Year Group Age Requirements

Star International School places students in age-appropriate year groups. We do not accelerate children into higher year groups and rarely retain children into lower year groups. Parents should confirm that their choice of education is the British Curriculum (13-year system) before applying.

Year group Yearse
Foundation Stage 1 3
Foundation Stage 2 4
Year 1 5
Year 2 6
Year 3 7
Year 4 8
Year 5 9
Year 6 10
Year 7 11
Year 8 12
Year 9 13
Year 10 14
Year 11 15
Year 12 16
Year 13 17
2
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) or Pupils of Determination?

Star International School welcomes applications for all children and understands that some children require additional support or consideration to access the curriculum. We can accommodate a range of special educational needs and disabilities. The child will undergo our standard assessment process (if appropriate) and depending on their needs we may request some additional assessments and a meeting with our SENDCO and Inclusion Leader. 

All admissions for Pupils of Determination, whether their needs are identified during the assessment process or declared by their parents at the time of application, will be handled by the Inclusion team, under the terms of the school’s admission policy and procedure for Students of determination. 

Members of the inclusion team, led by the school’s Inclusion Champion will work with the parents as well as other specialists where necessary throughout the admissions process. Admission is not conditional on a medical diagnosis. We offer free assessment for students of determination (parents must provide any medical or therapist reports on the date of the assessment). 

We will: 

  • Ensure students are not refused admission based only on their experience of SEND. This is to ensure that students will be able to attend the school chosen for them by their parents. 
  • Ensure students who experience SEND will receive “sibling priority” for admission. 
  • Ensure that students who experience SEND will be guaranteed the right to receive quality education and training in all types and phases of schooling. 
  • Ensure that students who experience SEND will be actively supported to participate in the process of learning as they develop their potential, and build relationships with their peers, through social interactions in age appropriate common learning environments. 
  • Ensure that students who experience SEND will be provided with the support, accommodations and curricular modifications required to enable equitable access to educational opportunities. Appropriate priority will be given to the development of each student’s potential, including meaningful participation in the learning process, with peers in the common learning environment. 
  • Ensure to promote the principle of equity for students who experience SEND.
3
Applications from Schools Teaching a Different Curriculum

As part of the British Curriculum, we will place your child in their age-appropriate year group (subject to assessment), depending on which curriculum your child is transferring from.  This may mean that you are required by the KHDA to sign a Demotion Certificate to join our school.

4
Conditional Acceptance

In some cases, the school may offer a ‘Conditional Acceptance’. This may be because of comments on reports from a previous school, or concerns observed by the person carrying out the test. In such a case, clear conditions and a timeline will be shared with the family, and counter-signed by all present. 

5
KHDA Regulations

The KHDA is the school regulatory body here in the UAE. There are certain obligations of the school and its parents. As members of the school community, we expect: 

  • All parents must sign a letter of undertaking to complete the necessary KHDA documentation including Emirates ID swipe and KHDA Parent Contract. 
  • All parents must provide the original Emirates IDs of the students and parents to Star for electronic registration, no more than two weeks after joining. 
  • All parents must agree to sign the KHDA parent school contract as soon as the student is registered and the contract is ready. Failure to do so may result in your child being unable to continue at Star International School. 
6
Tuition Fee Payment

Our Accounts Department will send an email stating payment details. The place must be secured by making a payment of 30% of the annual Tuition Fees. This payment should be made within 10 working days to secure your child’s place. Invoices will be emailed with first term fees payable prior to the start of classes. Students will not be permitted to start school unless the first semester tuition fees are paid. 

7
Tuition Refund Policy

Notice of student withdrawal and application for a tuition refund at the request of the parent/guardian must be made in writing to the school Principal. KHDA regulations govern the school tuition refund policies outlined below. 

For students who are withdrawn from the school during the academic year, a fee deduction will be applied as per the KHDA Fees Framework quoted below: 

  • If the student attends school for two weeks or less, one month’s fee will be deducted. 
  • If the student attends school for a period ranging between two weeks and one month, two months’ fees will be deducted. 
  • If the student attends for more than a month, three months’ fees will be deducted. 
  • The school reserves the right to not re-enroll students for the following academic year when fees are repeatedly not paid on time. This will be documented by the school through the issuance of dated warning letters. 

The school also reserves the right to not issue the concerned student his or her progress report and to refer the issue to the KHDA. 

8
Cancellation

With prior consultation and approval from KHDA, the school reserves the right to cancel a student’s placement or refuse to re-register the student for reasons including, but not limited to non-payment of fees by identified deadlines, non-completion of registration requirements, poor attendance and non-compliance with school policies and procedures.