Visiting International British School of Bucharest
Application Process
School Life
Graduate Destinations
Visiting International British School of Bucharest
We are very pleased that you are considering enrolling your children at the International British School of Bucharest.
At its very heart, IBSB is a warm and friendly school, offering an educational experience that is greatly enriched by the diversity of our students and staff, who join us from as many as thirty countries around the world, coming together as a single community, contributing to our colourful cultural calendar, enlivening debate, and teaching us the importance of respect and tolerance- two of our seven core values.
As an international school located in the very centre of Bucharest, we are uniquely placed to take full advantage of the learning resources and opportunities at our doorstep, believing that our students learn as much from inside the classroom as they do from the real world around them.
All students joining IBSB are expected to perform academically, setting high aspirational goals and engaging in a rigorous programme of study, supported by our highly experienced, inspirational team of teaching staff.
In choosing to enrol your children at IBSB, you can be confident that you are choosing a school that offers proven academic results year after year.
This is an exciting time for everyone at IBSB, as we work closely with our students and ‘parents as partners’ towards World Class School Membership, ensuring the learning experience remains at the frontier of educational reform, believing that education is not only about maintaining outstanding exam results, but also about building character, instilling core values, developing confidence, and supporting the emotional and social development of our children.
Application Process
IBSB operates an ongoing open admissions system, accepting children into the school throughout the year. All applications for admission are given equal status by the school, with no child excluded on the basis of nationality, culture, or religious beliefs.
Our admission process includes the following steps:
Online Application Form
Meeting with the Head of Admissions & Campus Tour
Entry admissions assessments
Trial day
Meeting our Head of Primary/Secondary, upon the child's age
Review on school reports & school reference
Completion of Registration Forms
School contract signed
School invoice paid
Probation period
Re-enrolment for next academic year
In order to finalize a child's admission to IBSB, issue the school contract and fee and secure the place, the following documents are required to be provided:
School Reference – sharing a contact details (an email address) for a reference from one of the child's current teachers.
School reports – sharing with us the last three years school reports
Completed and signed Registration File - form provided by the school
Completed and signed Medical Form - form provided by the school
Two passport-sized photographs – these can also be shared in digital format if more convenient
Copies of parents’ passport/ID and student’s passport and birth certificate
Copy of Marriage Certificate (if applicable) or Divorce papers, in order to see the child's custody
Entry to Early Years
(Nursery & Reception)
Students entering Early Years are required to spend a trial day within our campus premises. Our teachers evaluate the child upon their:
Social skills and Interactions with teachers and peers
Communication & Language skills
Numeracy skills
Physical Development - e.g.: able to hold a pencil, put on/take off jacket, draw a picture, colour, build a tower...
Internal school assessment tools are being used for children entering Primary School. The GL CAT4 (Cognitive Abilities Test) will be used for students applying to enter Y4 onwards. The cognitive test assessment includes a suite of four tests, including Verbal reasoning, Quantitative reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning, and Spatial awareness, and is intended to identify a child’s learning potential, as well as areas that may require additional support. In addition to the cognitive assessment our prospective students have their emotional, academic, social, communication and numeracy skills evaluated.
Entry to Secondary School
(Year 7- Year 13)
An admissions assessment must be completed by prospective students, willing to apply for Secondary School. Similar to Primary school, prospects for Secondary are required to pass the Cognitive Abilities Test, tailored upon their age. The assessment includes a suite of four tests, including Verbal reasoning, Quantitative reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning, and Spatial awareness, and is intended to identify a child’s learning potential, as well as areas that may require additional support.
For students applying to join in Y7 and Y8, the minimum accepted score for the Verbal section is 90. The mean SAS score should be at least 100 or above.
A minimum SAS score of 100 or above is required for all CAT4 sections (the UK national average is 100) with a mean SAS score of 100 or above, for students applying to join in Y9 or above.
The mean SAS score should again be 100 or above. This is to ensure students are able to cope with the demands of the curriculum at IBSB.
Entry to Secondary School
IGCSE Programme
It is a general expectation that the majority of students will progress from Year 9 to year 10 at IBSB, and the start of the IGCSE programme, provided the criteria stated above is met. In cases where there are concerns about the ability of a student to cope with the academic demands of the IGCSE programme at IBSB, parents will be informed before the end of year 8. A meeting will be schedule with parents to discuss these concerns, to ensure parents are aware that registration may be withheld for year 10 if the agreed targets are not met to enable parents plenty of time to seek out an alternative schooling pathway.
A Level Programme
The A Level programme is a two-year programme (Years 12 & 13) that enables students to gain the qualifications needed to matriculate into university. The programme is academically rigorous, with clear guidelines for entry to maximise the ability of the students to successfully complete the programme.
Students at IBSB must pass a minimum of 5 IGCSE subjects, including 3 IGCSE subjects with a B-A* grade, to automatically qualify to continue on to the first year of the A Level programme. Students who pass a minimum of 5 IGCSE subjects, but do not pass a minimum of 3 IGCSE subjects with a B-A* grade, may only be admitted to the A Level programme for any subject with a C passing grade on probation. In this situation, a parent meeting will be held to agree on the targets for the probationary period to enable the student to complete the A Level programme.
Any student not passing 5 IGCSE subjects with a C-A* grade will be required to repeat Year 11.
School
Life
Houses
The House System is an integral part of life here at IBSB. Every student who joins our school is placed into one of three houses: Dobrogea, Transilvania, or Muntenia, which were three of the nine prominent regions or fiefdoms that joined together to form what is now referred to as modern day Romania.
The House System plays a key role in our Pastoral Care System, providing students with collegial network of friends when they first arrive on campus. Students are awarded Houses points for acts of charity and for helping each other and the teachers throughout the normal school day. House points are also awarded for student involvement in school events such as UN Day and the School Productions and as such play a pivotal role in encouraging Good
School Life
Clubs
At IBSB we are committed to the social, emotional, physical, creative and intellectual growth of our students. As a part of our approach to the development of the whole individual we encourage our students to participate in as many after school clubs as possible. Club activities range from academic pursuits, such as debating and Kangaroo mathematics, to art and craft activates, sporting activities, and social clubs such as the Young Explorers Club. The aim of the club programme is to provide students with the opportunity to experience a wide range of new activities in the hope that they might find an activity that will become a lifelong passion.
Parents are advised to register as soon as possible in the weeks before the club sessions begin, keeping in mind that we work on a first-come first-served basis.
Each term we provide details on the clubs available for the term, including age requirements, maximum number possible in the club, a brief description of the club, and a schedule for the terms activities. Please be aware that the listed clubs above are subject to change each term.
Work Experience
The IBSB Work Experience Programme is available to students in the Secondary School from Years 11-13.
The programme is intended to offer students the opportunity to experience working life firsthand in a number of sectors and to begin to develop the key skills needed in the workplace, and to assist students in selecting an appropriate career path. Our experience running this programme has shown us that students generally return from work experience more mature and responsible, and in this way work experience often helps students to focus their studies in order to achieve the grades they need to progress on to their chosen career.
School Life
Learning Support
At IBSB we view personal development as much a part of our curriculum as English, Science, and Mathematics. We recognise that the values, attitudes, self-confidence, self-awareness, and life skills that our pupils take out into the world with them are just as important in helping them to succeed in life, and be happy, as their academic knowledge and qualifications gained whilst at IBSB.
English as an additional language (EAL)
IBSB is an international school with students enrolling from a number of countries. Many of the students attending the school speak English as a second language and as such do not have the English language skills necessary to cope with the demands of the British National Curriculum. For this reason, students entering IBSB are assessed to determine whether they need additional English support, and where a need has been identified, extra support will be provided in small classes to enable them to learn quickly and better integrate into their mainstream classes.
School Life Events
School Events happen throughout the school year in both the Primary and Secondary School. They are organized in order to celebrate student achievement and to bring all our community together. Please see below a list of several important events happening throughout the school year:
UN Day
Parent - Teacher BBQ
Winter Show
Sports Day
Summer Show
Carol Service
Key Stage 3 Drama Production
Year 6 and Year 13 Graduation
University Destinations of Leavers
IBSB provides an educational environment where students are actively encouraged to strive for academic excellence. Every year we have students graduating with an A-A* average across 3- 5 A Level subjects, with 95% of students graduating from IBSB going on to study at higher education institutions both in Romania and around the world, including prestigious institutions such as the Berklee College of Music, the New York Film Academy, UCL, LSE, Cambridge, and Yale. Students from IBSB have been accepted into universities since 2006.
University Destinations 2024
University Faculty
SBS Swiss Business School
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Titu Maiorescu University
University of Westminster
International Business
International Business, Economics, and Business
Veterinary Science
Business Management (Digital Business)
American Hospitality Academy Hospitality and Hotel Management
Erasmus University Rotterdam Psychology
Cardiff University Law
University of Bologna Business and Economics
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Berklee College of Music
Mechanical Engineering
Songwriting
IE Madrid Digital Communication and Marketing
Universidad CEU San Pablo Biomedical Engineering
York University
Film and Digital Arts
Universite Paris-Cite Medicine
University of Nicossia Medicine
Hotel Institute Montreux Hospitality Management
University of Amsterdam Econometrics and communication science
Europea Madrid Sports Administration
City, University of London Psychology with Criminology
Bocconi University Economics and Management
Bocconi University Economics and Finance
St Louis Madrid Psychology
University of Reading Chemistry with Cosmetic Science
