Admissions



 

Reception Primary
Secondary 6th Form
Admissions Policy 2023

 


Contact us:

admissions@europaschool.uk

 

Why our School?

The Europa School UK is a parent-led initiative free school open since September 2012. It has progressively filled the gap left by the highly successful European School in Culham and is now an all-through school from age 4 to 18.

Lesson3

What makes the school special?

  • An exciting and innovative approach to Education in which pupils from multicultural backgrounds work and play side by side
  • A second language learnt from age 4
  • A third language from age 11
  • An all-through school
  • A safe and welcoming environment
  • Teachers from across Europe
  • Events that promote the learning of languages and celebrate various cultures

Vision

The Europa School offers a European Education to pupils in and around Oxfordshire. The driving vision for the school is that every pupil should develop a deep understanding and enjoyment of all learning, particularly the Sciences. Pupils who graduate should be fluent and literate in at least three languages. This will fully prepare them for a future in which language skills and a global perspective will enhance job prospects and enable a richer cultural life.

Underpinning this vision is our passionate belief in the educational and economic benefits of multi-lingual, multi-cultural education. We also desire to respond to the growing demand for a school of this kind from many families living and working in the area.

The key features of the Europa School UK are:

  • Teaching a strong curriculum through modern European languages with an emphasis on sciences
  • Building links to local business and social communities
  • Preserving and developing the multilingual and multicultural ethos of the European School system
  • Providing the IB curriculum enhanced by the requirements of the English National Curriculum
  • Teaching through modern European languages by teachers with C2 level in the language

What is a Free School?

A Free School is an all-ability state-funded school, set up in response to what local people say they want and need in order to improve (and in our case maintain) the education for their children. As part of the application process for the new school, the parent bodies and teachers who set up the Europa School UK showed that there is strong support for this new school in the local community, from current and potential parents, businesses and other organisations.

What is the IB Diploma School?

The Diploma Programme (DP) curriculum is made up of six subject groups and the DP core, comprising theory of knowledge (TOK), creativity, activity, service (CAS) and the extended essay. Through the Diploma Programme (DP) core, students reflect on the nature of knowledge, complete independent research and undertake a project that often involves community service.

A second language is compulsory. Our school can offer French, Italian, Spanish and German as second language. It is also possible to undertake the more independent Self-Taught first language course in, for example, Polish, Finnish, Swedish. Contact us for more information.


Frequently Asked Questions

Lunches

Every child in key stage 1 (Reception included) will be entitled to a free school dinner. We need to inform the catering company of numbers, so please let us know if your child is not making use of them. It is important for the school to know, as we will only get refunded for the actual meals consumed. There is always a vegetarian option.

Where can I buy a school uniform?

There is no school uniform. Practical and easily washed clothes are a good idea though as the Reception year spends a lot of time outside, even when it is muddy! The parent handbook will tell you exactly what you need.

How do you determine who goes in which class (which language) for reception?

First, we determine a ranking from 1 to 90, where number 1 would be a priority. After all the usual priorities, we use the ranking determined by entry to give priority. The Oxfordshire County Council collects preferences at the same time as the applications. They will send them to us as soon as the offers for places have been made.

The school then uses the same admission rank order and offers the applicant with rank number 1 their first preference, then number 2, etc. until a class is full. When a class is full, we give the next person their second preference. If 2 classes are full, the rest goes to the third class. So we may offer a French child a place in the Spanish class. Please remember that as a state funded school, we cannot make any decisions based on background and culture, and this is the only unbiased way the school can make this decision.

You will receive an email from the school with the allocated language stream before the deadline to accept the place.

Can I accept the place, but remain on the waiting list for the other class?
The simple answer is – no-. We do not have a waiting list for the other class. When a child enters a class, but does not speak the language, the school invests a lot in helping the child get to the right level. It will only really work, if the child and family are behind the language and fully supportive. The child will be less motivated if it is seen as a temporary waiting stage until a place comes up in the other class. It will also be disruptive for the other pupils in both classes.

It has happened in the past that the governors have allowed a change in reception or year 1, when a place became available and the person that wished to move had a clear priority over anyone else on the continued interest list. However, these cases are very rare, so if your heart is set on a certain language, we advise you to turn down the place, and ask to remain on the continued interest list for if a place comes up in that class.

How do I sign up for the After School Club?
Do I need to start teaching my child French/German/Spanish/English?

It could help for them to be used to hearing a foreign language, and to prepare themselves, especially in higher years, even though our teachers will make allowances for children that do not understand in the first months to make sure they settle in well and happily.

Children are like sponges, so can I expect my child to speak French/German/Spanish in a couple of months?

No, while children would learn the language rather quickly in a full French/German/Spanish environment in and outside of school, remember that the children only have 2.5 school days in the second language. Generally, children will start to understand during the first year, but it will be over 2 years before they really start to speak it actively (and the personality of the child plays a major role too).

With all the focus on language, will my child get behind in other subjects, like maths?

The school follows the maths curriculum of the European Schools, where the focus is on really understanding smaller numbers before moving on to bigger numbers. This is a deliberate choice, and not because they are “focused on learning another language”. In terms of English, on average the children are slightly behind their peers in KS1 (Reception to year 2), but generally catch up during Key stage 2, while at the same time gaining an additional language. For our KS2 results (end of primary), please go here: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/138269/europa-school-uk

When can I find the holiday dates?

You can find our calendar here: https://europaschooluk.org/parent-zone/calendar/

With Brexit, will you still be able to be a European School or what will you be?

We have obtained accreditation as an IB school for the end qualification, and this program has been successfully launched in September 2020 for the 6th form. You can find more information on our IB page.

There are many stories about schools that are underfunded. Are you impacted by this?


Yes, unfortunately our funding is low but we have benefited from generous voluntary parental donations in the last three years, enabling us to continue to enrich the education of our pupils. For more information on fundraising please see our Fundraising.