My child does not speak French/German/Spanish, can they still join?
The school is often asked whether a child that does not speak French/German/Spanish can still join in a later year. In terms of admissions the answer is a straightforward “yes” and they will be very welcome. We would encourage you to think carefully about how you will support your child, as it will be quite a challenge for them to start in later years. Half the week is taught in the second language, and this can be quite daunting for them the first couple of months. That said, quite a few children have now managed this challenge and are happy and settled in the school.
We live outside of Oxfordshire, can we obtain a place?
There are waiting lists for each year in primary and it is unlikely that anyone living outside of Oxfordshire will be closest to one of our nodal points. However, you can apply and may be successful. If you plan to move closer to the school you can can apply and change your address to a local one as soon as you have a proof of address. Please send this proof the county council and not to the school.
My child is bilingual French already. Does he/she have priority?
No, language or culture is not one of our admissions criteria. As a state-funded school, all applications have equal status.
I do not understand how the nodal points work. Can you give an example please?
When we receive the list with applicants from the county council, they provide for each applicant their distance from each nodal point:
If it is an in-year application and we have 1 place, we will have to calculate which point we will need to fill. We will deduct the siblings and then calculate the balance in the class. The point that is out of balance, will need the new pupil. If we have to fill nodal point 2, we will look who lives closest to nodal point 2, in this case John Smith. If we have to fill nodal point 3, the place will go to Lucie Brown. Reese White with an address abroad will never be the closest unless there are no people on the waiting list or if the people before him refuse the place, which does happen occasionally.
How were the places allocated in the previous years?
I work for the European Commission, does my child have priority?
Our school is subject to national admissions rules in the UK and has no bilateral agreement with the European Commission or Agencies.
My child is German, surely you will only offer a place for the German class in year 4?
As a state school we do not make any differentiation based on background or culture, or even language knowledge in primary. If a place comes up in the French class, and your child has priority, we will offer the place to your child. If you accept it, we expect the parents and child to be fully behind the decision and challenge in order to tackle this language, and we will provide in-school support to help your child succeed.
If you do not wish up take the place up, you can turn it down, while remaining on the waiting list.
If we have a place in both classes, we will ask the applicant with the highest priority (based on the admissions ranking) for their preference. We will offer the other place to the lower ranking successful applicant. This means it can happen, that a child that speaks English only, but has a higher admissions ranking will take up the place in the German class, while we offer a child that only speaks German, with the lower ranking, a place in the French class. It is always up to the parents to accept or decline the place of course.
Can I accept the place, but remain on the waiting list for another 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 is possible to withdraw your child and reapply to the school. It has happened in the past that the governors have allowed a change in reception and year 1 to avoid the parents from actually doing so, where the person that wished to move had a clear priority over anyone else on the continued interest list.
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 sibling. After the siblings, we use the ranking determined by entry to give priority. This year Oxfordshire County Council has collected preferences at the same time as the applications. They will send the school these preferences as soon as the offers for places have been made.
The school then uses the 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. When 2 classes are full, the rest goes to the third class. So it is possible that we 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.
Do I need to start teaching my child French/German/Spanish/English?
No, most children can pick it up at school. 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 character of the child in question plays a major role too, of course).
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
With Brexit, will you still be able to be a European School?
We have obtained accreditation as an IB school for the end qualification, and this program has successfully launched in September 2020 for the then 6th form. You can find more information on our IB page.
