Here at FIS, one of our main priorities is to provide a supportive and caring environment for our students.
The vie scolaire and health services teams, present on all four campuses, collaborate with teaching staff and the university guidance department to ensure students receive holistic support.
And by working closely with students, we are able to champion their academic success, safety and wellbeing.
The vie scolaire team supports both primary and secondary students, meeting them when they arrive at school in the morning, monitoring their attendance and punctuality and following up on all disciplinary matters. Vie scolaire maintains close contact with families and acts as a useful intermediary between parents, students and teachers.
Students also develop strong bonds with their form teachers, who guide and advise them throughout their secondary schooling.
The vie scolaire team also steps in when learning support is needed. They liaise with teaching staff to provide support or remedial teaching, helping students overcome difficulties and fulfil their potential.
Each year group is assigned an educational assistant who works closely with both teaching staff and families.
Students can be supported through:
Throughout the year, we organise activities designed to teach students about citizenship and health.
Activities address a diverse array of topics, from public health matters like nutrition, smoking, drugs and sleep, to topics that are more specific to the school environment, such as bullying, university guidance and organisational skills. The aim of these activities is to educate students and raise awareness so they can make informed choices and take an active role in their own health.
Our health assistants, present on all four campuses, support students and foster a caring environment, with an important role that is interpersonal, educational and health care related.
They also work closely with teaching and school support staff to identify children with special educational needs (SEN).
The school has set up an anti-bullying committee so that any instances of bullying can be resolved as quickly as possible. We use the Method of Shared Concern approach, also known as the Pikas Method, with all staff trained in this technique.
In addition, each year we organise peer mediation training. During this dynamic, interactive training session aiming to resolve minor conflicts, students work on the psychosocial skills of empathy, kindness and neutrality. This excellent initiative means each member of the school community plays a part in maintaining a calm and positive school environment.
We encourage parents whose children have specific needs to get in touch with the admissions team before submitting an application. They will be happy to discuss your child’s needs as well as the support the school can provide both during the admissions process and during your child’s schooling.
Teaching staff in the French stream closely supervise students with specific needs, whether related to a medical condition, learning difficulty or learning disability, including:
Depending on a student’s situation, a Projet d’Accueil Individualisé (PAI) or Plan d’Accompagnement Personnalisé (PAP) can be drawn up to make potential adjustments.
To make it easy for students to access sessions during or outside of teaching time, some of our campuses arrange on-site meetings with professionals, such as specialised psychologists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists. Some of these experts can even work with the teacher to provide in-class support on a one-off or ongoing basis.
We strive to meet the needs of all students, including those with special educational needs (SEN). However, as we provide them with a differentiated curriculum, we are only able to welcome a limited number of SEN students. The number of available places is determined by the level of need among SEN students at the time.
All prospective students are assessed to ensure they will be able to meet the requirements of the curriculum. We accept a wide range of abilities in younger year groups. However, admission becomes more selective for older year groups.
Parents of SEN children work closely with teaching staff. Together, you will decide whether your child needs support from external professionals, such as specialised psychologists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists. To make it easy for students to access sessions during or outside of teaching time, we can arrange on-site meetings with these experts. Some can even work with the teacher to provide in-class support on a one-off or ongoing basis.
We create a Projet d’Accueil Individualisé (PAI) or Plan d’Accompagnement Personnalisé (PAP) for each SEN student, which is reviewed each term with the student’s parents.
We also support gifted students whose academic ability significantly exceeds that of their peers. Our curriculum is challenging and offers sufficient breadth and depth to cater to these students.
We accept a wide range of academic abilities. All prospective students are assessed to ensure they will be able to meet the requirements of the curriculum. We take into account an applicant’s latest school reports and letter of recommendation from their previous school, as well as a face-to-face or online interview with a senior staff member. Once a student has joined the school, a baseline assessment (CAT4) will help determine the individual support they may need.
Parents of students receiving SEN support should work closely with the deputy heads. They will advise you if your child needs help from external experts working with the school, such as specialised psychologists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists. Teachers receive a copy of advice given in any reports so that they can best support your child in class. Deputy heads regularly check each student’s progress to ensure they are receiving the support they need.
The school can apply to exam boards for extra time or other support for Cambridge IGCSE exams in Years 10 and 11, and International Baccalaureate exams in Years 12 and 13.
We also support gifted students whose academic ability significantly exceeds that of their peers. This is assessed during a baseline assessment (CAT4) or through internal assessments that contribute towards the grades given in formal school reports. Whether the IMYC, IGCSE or IB Diploma, our curricula provide the challenge and choice to satisfy all students’ needs.
Students can also meet with a student counsellor on certain days and times of the week for wellbeing and emotional support. Both students and parents can make appointments with the counsellor, and these sessions remain confidential.
