FAQs

How big is the school? At NLIS there are about 350 pupils aged from two to 18. None of the classes have more than 20 pupils. The school is on three sites and has its own playing fields about five minutes away by mini bus. 

How long has it existed? NLIS has evolved from three local independent schools that have been in existence since 1884 – Holmewood Preparatory School, St Alban’s Preparatory School and Friern Barnet Boys Grammar School.

Is the school only for international pupils? No, NLIS provides high quality education for all pupils - both local and expatriate. About 60% of students are local North London and the rest are international students. The language of instruction is English. The school introduces French language instruction from age 3 and then adds Spanish in Year 7. A wide range of other languages are taught including: Japanese, Mandarin, Arabic, Russian, Urdu, Italian and German. The school can provide mother tongue instruction for almost any language.  

Why does the school teach the International Baccalaureate (IB)? The key to the IB is in engagement in learning. It is about taking the best of the traditional British curriculum and adding inquiry-based learning, critical thinking, internationalism, creativity, action and community service. The IB is holistic, relevant to today’s global community. The IB curriculum encourages independence and confidence, and it helps students of all ages to understand how to be effective learners. This is a blend that suits both local and international families and which is well respected and sought after by universities in the UK and worldwide.  

Leading educational thinker Professor Ken Robinson says:

‘We expect education to prepare young people for the world of work and for economic independence; to enable them to live constructively in responsible communities; and to enable them to live in a tolerant, culturally diverse and rapidly changing society. Perhaps above all, we expect education to help young people to build lives that have meaning and purpose in a future we can scarcely predict.  

Whatever other issues it raises, one consequence is already clear. Academic qualifications alone are no longer enough. Increasingly, employers and others emphasise the need for the qualities and aptitudes which academic qualifications are not designed to produce - powers of creativity, of communication, of empathy and adaptability, and social skills. 

There is a growing awareness of the need for education to respond practically to the increasing diversity of British society, and to the growing interaction between world cultures.’ 

Globalisation brings with it a rapid increase in cross-border economic, social and technological exchange. It is accelerated by the advancement of the internet and communication technologies. In the report “The Digital Workplace 2010”, Henley Research Centres suggest that those school leavers with strong ICT knowledge who go on to work in that area will become ‘elite knowledge workers’ Similarly, a student who is fluent in several languages, including Mandarin, will be in great demand in the workplace. 

A successful employee beyond 2010 will be one who:

• Is resourceful, creative, independent and flexible
• Is equipped for life in a global society and work in a global economy
• Has highly developed IT skills
• Has strong communication skills including foreign language acquisition 

There is intense pressure on the traditional examination courses that most UK schools follow. GCSE credibility is under debate, and many universities are unable to differentiate between prospective students at ‘A’ level. A large proportion of first year university students find adapting to a degree course very challenging whereas IB Diploma Programme students are well prepared. 

The IB gives young people better options. It is a programme which is transferable internationally, and it is the fastest growing curriculum in the world. Students leaving NLIS will have the opportunity to study at university in the UK, US or worldwide. 

What does my child leave the school with? At the end of Year 6, children complete a Primary Years Programme (PYP) Exhibition and they leave with a PYP Certificate. Most transition to Upper School, some return to their home country and some opt to move to traditional independent schools. Those schools are able to understand the value of the PYP, and we have an excellent record of success with pupils who opt to take entrance examinations to school such as QE Boys, Highgate, Haberdasher’s, Aldenham and Latymer. 

At the end of Year 11, students are assessed in the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and they receive a Record of Attainment and an MYP Certificate. The MYP grades are moderated by the IB Examination Centre, which is in Cardiff. It is straightforward to make a comparison between MYP grades and GCSEs. In our experience, there is no problem in gaining acceptance onto ‘A’ level courses elsewhere if that is the preference. For those students who do not choose to follow on to the IB Diploma it is not difficult to use the MYP to gain admittance into further education. 

At the end of Year 13, students complete the IB Diploma in six subjects and would normally use their results to gain places at universities in the UK or world wide. University admissions officers are well aware of the strengths of the IB, and the majority of our students gain places at their first choice universities. 

How long has the school been offering the IB? NLIS has been offering the IB Diploma for about 15 years and has been teaching the Primary Years Programme and the Middle Years Programme for the last 7 or 8 years. For more information on the different IB programmes, please visit the IB Answers website.

Who inspects NLIS? NLIS is a member of the Independent Schools Association (ISA) and is regularly inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate(ISI). The provision for the under 5s is inspected by Ofsted. The school is an authorised IB World School, and has regular five year accreditation visits for the PYP, MYP and Diploma. NLIS also has its provision for dyslexic children authorised by CReSTed, the leading dyslexia authority. NLIS is a member of the European Council of International Schools (ECIS) and is required to meet their standards. 

What are the facilities like at NLIS? The school is an urban North London School. and as such creative and flexible use is made of space. The school is well resourced with computers and technology and has science labs, libraries, SEN /Quest Centres, a cafeteria and bright air conditioned classrooms in Upper School. There are specialist rooms for Art, Music, Drama, IT and Technology and there are large teaching rooms. Lower School has a Sports Hall and there is also a large hall at the Jubilee building which is used for assemblies, productions etc. In Upper and Lower School swimming pools are leased and Upper School also uses local facilities such as sports centres, all weather pitches, the golf course, the riding stables and other local amenities. 

What sports are on offer? In both Lower and Upper School, a wide range of sports are introduced. Football, rugby, tennis, cricket, track and field, baseball, netball, basketball, badminton, hockey, swimming, cross country running, golf, horse riding and rock wall climbing are all covered throughout the school. There are many teams and competitive fixtures – the school has recently had netball tours to Antigua and Malta, a football tour to Spain to train with Villarreal, an athletics meet and a swimming gala for the region. NLIS will be involved in the 2012 Olympics and is already part of the GetSet programme. 

Every year there is a whole school ski trip which is open to students and framilies. In recent years the trip has been to Chamonix, Isola 2000 and Alpe d'Huez in France, Saalbach in Austria and Tremblant in Canada. In 2011 the ski trip was to Passo Tonale in Italy, and in 2012 we went to Alpe d'Huez in France. All standards from absolute beginner to advanced are catered for. 

What other foreign travel is there? NLIS offers many opportunities to travel overseas. In Year 6, students have a week long residential trip to France and later in the year an exchange trip with The Dwight School in New York. In Upper School, there are language trips to Spain and France, theatre trips to Venice and a cultural trip to Japan. Upper School students also have the chance to join Model United Nations (MUN) conferences in The Hague, the Institute for Civic Leadership Youth Summits in New York and summer schools on Vancouver Island. 

The school makes good use of its location close to Central London to visit museums, galleries and the theatre. Students also stay at the Eden Project in Cornwall and activity centres in Derbyshire and Staffordshire. 

Our oldest students spend two years raising money in order to support our house building project in Cambodia, and many have the chance to join in this life-changing experience.

Tell me again – why should I choose NLIS for my child? NLIS is a positive learning environment, where every young person has the chance to develop into a successful, caring, capable and compassionate citizen. We understand different learning styles, but we have high expectations and accept that some students are academically more able than others – so we challenge and support. We know our students well and provide a safe and secure, stimulating experience. ‘We aim to uncover the spark of genius that exists in all children and to use that to build a better world.’