About - BBS

Admissions

Why Choose Al-Bayan Bilingual School?

Al-Bayan Bilingual School is:

The first bilingual school in Kuwait offering a Preschool-12 program with equally strong programs in Arabic and English.
The first school in the Gulf with 3 full accreditations which not only guarantee recognition of our program but also meet high international and local standards.
One of the few non-profit schools in Kuwait, which means that educational principles are not compromised by business interests.
A school which offers a full continuous educational program from nursery to high school with experienced and well qualified faculty.
A school with a low student/teacher ratio - class sizes range from 20 to 25.

General Guidelines:

Registration for new students commences in February of every year. Students entering the Nursery School Program must be 3 years of age by the 14th of January of that same academic year, 4 years for KG1, 5 years for KG2 and so on. Consequently, the children's ages may vary slightly in any given grade. Students may be older than the minimum ages cited herein; however, they may not be younger. Students who do not attain the minimum ages for entrance may apply for admission in a following year, or for an earlier grade level.

Students entering BBS must have sufficient knowledge of English and Arabic in order to meet the instructional demands of the grade level to which they apply. In addition, they need to demonstrate the potential to contribute positively to our academic and social environment while they are enrolled in the school.

Special Needs at BBS

Al-Bayan Bilingual School is a university preparatory educational institution providing the best quality education to its students. Even though the school strives to meet the needs of all students, our staff and facilities are generally not equipped to meet the special needs of students with academic, social, emotional or behavioral difficulties that result in educational modifications, which are beyond the scope of our programs, and/or in continuing discipline problems / undesirable influences upon other students. The school’s admissions policies and procedures make it clear that BBS does not have a program for students with learning difficulties. BBS’ admissions procedures are selective, as we only admit students for whom we can provide an education, and only average and above average students with no apparent learning difficulty are admitted to the school. Parents of all new admitted students sign a special acceptance contract that does not guarantee future enrollment. Student progress is closely monitored at BBS. Should it appear that the school’s program is not appropriate for the abilities and/or interests of a student or does not meet his/her educational needs, the school will consult with parents to determine if the student could be better served in another school. Therefore, the administration of the school reserves the right to deny admission to the following grade for a student who is functioning far below grade level or whose behavior is deemed unacceptable, when the school’s officers believe that it is in the best interests of the school or the student.

Acceptance Criteria

In line with Al-Bayan’s nondiscriminatory policy, admission is conditional only upon successful entrance assessment results and the availability of places; regardless of gender, nationality, religion, or race. Academic and social development are the principal selection criteria. Within these general criteria, priority for available vacancies is given to siblings of current students, then to children of alumni and finally to children of new families. If there are more applicants than the spaces available, confirmation of acceptance will be determined by looking at the date of application, satisfactory testing results, and the admission priority order stated above. When the capacity of each class is reached, those students meeting the above criteria, but not admitted, will be placed on a waiting list in case an opening occurs. In that event, families will be contacted according to the abovementioned criteria. Applications to be considered for the following school year must be resubmitted during the next spring registration period.

Interview/Test Policies & Procedures:

After meeting all the basic qualifications, the Registrar will inform parents about the suitable dates and times for the interview/assessment by issuing an appointment form. The Registrar then informs the Principals who will appoint faculty to carry out those assessments. All assessment/interview fees are non-refundable. If parents request a re-test for their child and it is approved by the Principal, an additional re-test fee applies. In the case of Preschool children, their interviews will be, if necessary, repeated without adding any additional fee due to their young ages. Assessments results will normally be provided to parents three working days after the assessment. This will be done through the Registration office. Although BBS adopts a clear policy with parents regarding reasons of accepting/denying their children, the school may prefer to keep some of the information confidential, especially with references given by the student’s previous school. Thus, BBS reserves the right to deny admission to any student without stating detailed reasons, maintaining confidentiality of those references or when the school officers believe that it is in the best interest of the school or the student to do so.

In the admission assessments, which become more formal as the grade level advances, the school attempts to determine if the student is developmentally ready for school, has the basic skills required to enter the grade level in question, demonstrates no significant learning difficulties and will be able to successfully cope with the heavy demands imposed by a bilingual educational program. English, Arabic, and Math Admissions Tests have been designed by the school to assess basic language and math skills reflecting our curriculum. The English and Arabic exams assess reading, writing and oral language skills. The Math exam assesses basic grade level mathematical skills.

PRESCHOOL INTERVIEWS (Nursery, KGI, II):

Preschool faculty interview children in the presence of their parents and submit their recommendations to the Principal/Deputy Principal and Head of Nursery.
These interviews assess the development of the child’s social, emotional, speech, language, and fine motor skills (in both Arabic and English).
The interviews are conducted on a weekly basis during the months of February and March each year, and continue depending on availability of places.
Each interview lasts approx. 30 to 40 minutes.

ELEMENTARY ASSESSMENTS (Grades 1-4):

Students seeking entry in Elementary grades will sit for entrance tests in Arabic, English and Math. These tests will be based upon the minimum level of skills that a student would be expected to have attained in the present grade to allow them to cope with the next grade’s level at BBS. For example, a student in Grade Two in a Government or foreign school seeking enrollment for entry to Grade Three at BBS will be required to sit for tests in Arabic, English and Math based upon Grade Two skills. Students must achieve the grade level expectation in Arabic, English and Math in their Grade Two assessments to be considered for acceptance to Grade Three at BBS.
These tests are usually administered for a group of students 3-4 times a year (once a month in March, April, May and then in August) and lasts for approximately 3 hours (one hour per subject).

MIDDLE SCHOOL ASSESSMENTS (Grades 5-8):

Students seeking entry to Middle School will have to sit for assessments in Arabic, English and Math and an interview with the Counselor, in addition to reviewing their previous school records. A student must meet average/above average standards in all three areas in order to be considered for admission. Assessment dates are coordinated with the School Counselor depending on applicants’ numbers.

HIGH SCHOOL ASSESSMENTS (Grades 9-12):

Students seeking entry to High School will have a more rigorous assessment in Arabic, English and Math and an interview with the Principal/Guidance Counselor, in addition to having their previous school records reviewed. A student must meet average/above average standards in all three areas in order to be considered for admission.
The Guidance Counselor will meet with the new students and their parents before completing the admission process to select the courses which the student has to study in order complete the requirements of BBS High School diploma. Credits from a previous accredited school are simply attached to the current BBS transcript but they are not transferred. Minimum graduation requirements must be met during the time the student is at BBS. New students are not encouraged to apply for admission to final school year in BBS High School.
These tests are usually administered for a group of students 3-4 times per year (once a month in March, April, May and then in August) and lasts for 3 hours.

Enrollment Procedures

The following procedures have been adopted for prospective students for admission to BBS:

When parents apply for admission of their child, the Registrar will determine basic eligibility in regards to age and the availability of places at the child’s proposed grade level.
Admission applications must be submitted to the Registrar’s office with the required documents and assessment fees within the set registration period that commences in February of every year. Applications that are submitted before or after this period will not be accepted. Applicants will be asked to provide up-to-date school records, including current report cards.
Applicants who meet the criteria for age and academic record will then be invited to take an entrance assessment.
Admission to the School will be determined by the Principal in each division after careful review of the results of the admission’s test, recommendations made by the examining teachers, and the previous school academic and behavior records.
Once a child has been assessed, the Registration office will contact parents to tell them the result, and the status of the student’s pending application.
If assessment results are satisfactory and places are available, parents will be invited to register their children.
During the admission process the school will consult with prospective parents to ensure that they support the school’s mission and policies.
Registration is only complete after submission of all the required documents, provision of health records, previous school transcripts, and payment of non-refundable/non-transferable deposit of KD100 (US$ 300).

Contact the Registrar

To enquire or correspond with Registration Office,Click on the Admission Enquiry Form

School Registration Office can be reached at (965) 25315125 ext. 503/531, fax (965) 25310012, or email: registrar@bbs.edu.kw/asstreg@bbs.edu.kw.

In your communication please state the following:

Child's date of birth.
Present School and grade level.
Child's level in Arabic and English.

School Tuition Fees for Academic Year 2010/2011

Nursery	KD. 1,825/-	US$ 6,293/- approx.
Kindergarten 1	KD. 1,961/-	US$ 6,762/- approx.
Kindergarten 2	KD. 2,135/-	US$ 7,362/- approx.
Grades 1 to 4	KD. 3,292/-	US$ 11,352/- approx.
Grades 5 to 8	KD. 3,470-	US$ 11,966/- approx.
Grades 9 to 12	KD. 3,630/-	US$ 12,517/- approx.

A non-refundable and non-transferable registration fee of KD. 100/- (US$ 300 approx.) must be paid immediately upon acceptance.
Balance of First Installment (34%) of total fees must be paid by school opening in September.
Second Installment (33%) of total fees must be paid by December.
Third Installment (remaining 33%) of total fees must be paid by March.