Please find answers to some of the Admissions Frequently Asked Questions:
What are the maximum class sizes?
In ESS Primary School the maximum class size is up to 16 students. There is one class in each age group. The average Secondary class size is currently under 10.
Which nationalities are represented at ESS?
Currently there are 12 nationalities represented. Some of the nationalities at school are: British, Russian, Chinese, Turkmen, Vietnamese, Japanese, Italian, German, French and American.
What is the student turnover?
It is between 10 – 20% per annum. This means that in your child’s class of 10 you would expect 1 or 2 children to move on in any given 10-month school year period.
Where are the staff from? What is the staff turnover?
All ESS teaching staff and Heads are from native English speaking countries. The vast majority are from the UK, however we also have staff from the USA, Ireland and Canada. Language teachers are native speakers of their subject language (French/Russian/Chinese). A teacher’s contract is for a minimum of 2 years, and we always stimulate our teachers to stay longer than that.
Is there a space for my child?
Please, contact the admissions office to check for availability. We will be able to give you the current availability as well as an estimate of future availability based on new enrolments and notifications of withdrawal.
Can I visit the school?
School visits and initial interviews are part of the application process. It is an opportunity for us to get to know you and your child and to discuss in greater detail what you are looking for and how the ESS might fit your child’s needs, while you can ask questions about the ESS. Please, contact our Admissions team by phone +7-963-976-2228 or e-mail: info@english-schol.org.ukand they will sign you up for a visit.
When planning your visit to the ESS, please, have in mind that:
- If you are applying for an Early Years Group: we cannot provide child care or send your children to our classes due to our Academic Excellence Policy and Safety & Health Protection requirements. Please, make other arrangements for your yearly age children, so we may focus all of our attention on you and your application to the ESS.
- We encourage families with the children of 6+ to visit the ESS together with their children. During this visit Junior students may have a short interview and Middle school and Senior students may write a test in English and Maths.
- All the ESS school visits and interview appointments are done on Mondays through Fridays after 3 pm not to interrupt the learning process of our students.
If this time is not suitable for your family, we will do our best to schedule your interview at another convenient time but we cannot guarantee that a school tour will be possible on the day of your visit. In such a case, you will be able to tour the school during a probation day of your child. - Should after the initial interviews both parties be happy to proceed with the application, your child will be offered to come for a probation day.
What is the policy in placement according to age?
In the UK children normally start Year 1 when they are aged 5. This is earlier than in many countries. We normally place students in the appropriate (British) Year group according to their age. This means students aged 5 before the start of the year join Year 1, those aged 6 join Year 2, etc.
The children of 3-5 years of age who require EAL (English as a Second Language) support, can join our Preparatory English Immersion Programme. This is an equivalent of a Nursery/Reception class with a keen focus on the English language development skills. While it is possible for these children to join the mainstream in Year 1 or later, this is at the discretion of the school and pupils will be assessed accordingly at entry.
For children joining us from different educational systems we will make a recommendation on placement based on the information provided by parents, such as recent school reports. We are happy to discuss placement with prospective parents and may also contact a child’s current school as part of the process. We will always make a recommendation based on what we believe to be in the best interest of the child.
My child doesn’t speak much English. Will he/she cope?
Yes! We have 10 years of experience teaching children in English. It is not possible to say how long it takes before a student is proficient in English as it can be anything from a few weeks to several months.
For details on EAL (English as an Additional Language) provision, please, contact the school administration: info@english-school.org.uk or +7-963-976-2228
Will my child have to sit an entrance test?
The ESS is a STEM school for gifted and talented children and, as such, each student applying for admission has to take part in an English and Maths tests and/or an oral interview.
All students applying to enter Year 1 – 4 will have an interview which consists of a casual conversation about their previous school, learning, and what kinds of things interest them. We may also ask your child a few critical thinking questions designed specifically to show us how they think. Preparing your child for the interview is neither necessary nor recommended.
All students applying to enter Year 5 and above must take either a language assessment (non-native English speakers) and maths or a maths and literature assessment (native English speakers) before starting at the ESS.
Students applying to join the A-Levels programme are required to pass a necessary number of IGCSE exams (or recognised equivalent).
How can I reserve a place?
A signed contract and an entrance fee are required to guarantee the placement. Please, contact the school administration info@english-school.org.org.uk
What is necessary to enrol at ESS?
- A completed Registration Form and a signed Contract with the school;
- Copies of the parents’ and child’s passports;
- Transcripts from a previous school (if applicable);
- A signed Policy form (Parents’ Handbook);
- A copy of student’s medical insurance;
- Entrance and tuition fees
Do you offer bus transport?
Yes, we cooperate with a professional transport company who specialises on bus services for schools. The routes are worked out with the idea to provide a “door-to-door” service. The bus service can be arranged from all over the city of Moscow and surrounding areas.
Please, see below, what districts our students primarily live in Moscow.
Where do ESS students generally live in Moscow?
Most families attending the ESS School live in Moscow central districts, especially Taganka, Arbat, Kurskaja, Paveletskaja, Tsvetnoy boulvar. Chisty Prudy, Zamoskvorechie, and Ostozenka.. Some families choose to live in Sokolniki, which is just a 5 minutes’ drive to school or Kutuzov prospect then it takes up to 30 minutes to get to the school in the morning.
All the central areas of Moscow are very convenient to commute to the ESS School and in average it doesn’t take more than 20 minutes by car/minibus to get to the school from either of these central areas.
Do you offer scholarships?
Yes, we do.
The English School of Science and Technology, Lefortovo, is dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted children and with this aim the school provides two types of academic scholarships:
1) Junior Award. The purpose of this award is to recognise students currently in Years R-6 who have demonstrated excellence language arts and/or mathematics.
Students may be awarded up to Euro 3,000 maximum to be used for an entrance and/or tuition fees.
2) Senior Award. The school provides scholarships for the students in Years 7 - 13 who have been identified as gifted and talented. The scholarship can be awarded to the students who have demonstrated excellence in academic achievement, leadership and visual/performing arts.
Awards amounts vary with a maximum of 50% of a programme’s cost.
Are there any discounts available from the school fees?
We offer a sibling discount for families enrolling more than one child: a discount of 5% is offered for a second child; third and subsequent children benefit from a 7% discount. A 5% a discount is offered to families paying annually. We have corporate discounts for the companies enrolling 5+ children.
Every year the school offers an “early bird” discount for enrolments in March-April. Please, contact administration to know more.
My child is starting during the school year but I wish to pay yearly. Is this possible?
Yes, you can still choose the annual rate of tuition fee even if your child is not starting at the beginning of the year. We will calculate the tuition fees on a pro rata basis on the number of weeks they will attend in the initial school year.
Do you offer accommodation?
No, there is no boarding facility at ESS.
Can you help with a student visa for your student?
Yes, we can support a student visa for our student. Please, contact administration for the details.
How should we prepare our child for the first day at ESS?
We provide all of the educational materials that your child will need throughout their time at ESS. We will send you a (short) list of practical items that your child will need to bring on the first day. You will need to buy the uniform and a PE kit from the school office and, if appropriate, arrange the dance kit (for Primary School children) (all can be arranged on the first day of school).
Of course, the most important thing is to reassure your child that ESS teachers and children are very used to welcoming new students to the class!
How to apply
Applications to the international English School of Science and Technology in Lefortovo are accepted all year round and students often start during the course of the school year. There is no deadline for applications.
In order to enrol your child at ESS:
Step 1
Contact the Admissions Office by phone: +7963-976-2228 or via an e-mail: info@english-school.org.uk and inform them that you are interested in possible enrolment. We will be able to tell you about current and projected availability of places.
Step 2
Normally, families then arrange a personal visit to the school. This can be with or without children. A visit can last anything from 30 minutes to several hours.
You are welcome to arrange as many follow up visits as you like. We are happy to offer a probation day when your children can spend a day (or half a day) with their prospective class where possible. Some families choose to take advantage of this as part of the decision making process. Others prefer to make the decision and then have their children spend time at the school to help them adjust to the planned relocation.
While most families do visit the school, this is not a condition to enrolment.
Step 3
Complete the Application Form (one for each child) and submit this along with the following documents to the Admissions Office:
- The most recent school reports (translated into English) for your child;
- Copy of your child´s medical and immunisation record from your doctor OR medical details (filled in School’s Medical Form);
- A copy of your child’s medical insurance;
- A copy of your passport, a copy of your child’s passport or birth certificate;
- A copy of your and your child’s residence registration (home address) in Moscow
- Your child’s passport sized photograph (with the name on reverse)
We can proceed with the enrolment on the basis of electronic versions of these documents, however we will ask you to send printed signed copies for our records.
Step 4
Upon receipt of these documents from you we will prepare and sign the Educational Contract and issue an invoice for the Enrolment Fee.
If your child is starting soon after the time of Application (ie. after the time that tuition fee invoices are issued for this period) you will also receive an invoice for the tuition fee for the initial period at this time.
Upon payment of the Enrolment Fee the place is confirmed as being reserved for your child. Please note, it is not possible to reserve a place without payment of the Enrolment Fee.
Before starting at ESS
You will receive all of the practical information that you need for your child to start school by email. You will also receive an information pack by post where possible.
Finally, we understand that relocating a family and starting a new school can be an administrative challenge! Where possible we will be flexible with the above procedure. Please, just contact the admissions office if you have any questions.