Student Support Services

Wellbeing

Counsellor

We have one Counsellor for the Primary school and for the Secondary School. The Counsellor work with students individually, in small groups or with classes. The Counsellor work closely with teachers and are available to meet with parents to discuss any concerns they may have with their child.

The Advisory Programme and Advisors

IST is committed to ensuring the wellbeing of all students. We have a team of Homeroom Advisors (Secondary) and class teachers (Primary) who create the best environment in which students are able to develop and grow on a personal and academic level. We are a school that prides itself on implementing a developmentally appropriate Advisory and Guidance Programme that proactively support students socially and emotionally.

Child Safeguarding

The IST Child Safeguarding Policy is promoted to all students, we have a designated Child Protection Officer and Team who conduct student information and awareness sessions from Early Years through to Grade 12, using age-appropriate language, activities, and materials. The entire staff is trained annually on Child Protection, and our policy is communicated and adopted by all the stakeholders.

ELL Programme

The English Language Learner (ELL) programme is designed to provide students with the reading, writing, comprehension, and speaking skills to become confident English learners, both academically and socially.

Our specialist ELL teachers confer regularly with each classroom or subject teachers, and with parents to discuss the student progress. ELL teachers work collaboratively with classroom teachers to ensure that the individual needs of students are met. During the first weeks of school students are tested using an internationally recognized assessment tool, and following this testing, benchmarks are set which define each grade level goals.

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Primary

Primary ELL students in Grades 2-5 work in a small group with the Primary ELL Teacher with a different type of support depending upon student needs. When deemed necessary, students in Grade 1 are tested and receive support with an ELL teacher. There is no additional fee for ELL in Grade 1.

Secondary

Secondary ELL students in Grades 6-10 who join the school lacking the basic English working level, are asked to join our ELL programme where they are taught by a qualified English Language Acquisition teacher. ELL students from Grades 2 are charged an additional tuition fee to cover the cost of this ELL additional support.

Home language (Mother tongue)

Home Language represents an additional service to students (and an additional expense to parents), where they may bring work to school from their language tutor and work independently on their Home Language, use online courses, or engage an outside teacher. IST is able to provide space for these lessons to take place.

Learning Support SEN Programme

Learning Support Programme (LS) is designed to meet the needs of those students who would benefit from a more individualized approach to maximize their academic success at IST.

The objective of the programme is for students to take advantage of their academic strengths and use them to provide broader and more meaningful educational programmes. Individual Education Plans (IEPs), or Action Plans are designed for each student, outlining learning targets and listing the specific plans, accommodations, and resources that will be used to attain them.

Learning Support teachers will also work with those students who would benefit from accelerated programming. Students identified as gifted in certain areas may also be enrolled in Learning Support, affording them the opportunities to explore, challenge, and further their academic goals and achievements.

Part of the focus of the Learning Support programme is the cognitive constructs that contribute to and impact their learning potential. These neurodevelopmental constructs (memory, language, attention, motor skills, and more) are significant determinants in the development, progress, and process of how and to what extent we learn in academic and social areas. By addressing these areas at the core of cognitive development, we look to help students improve in their academic progress.

The school charges a fee in addition to the school’s tuition for the Learning Support Programme.

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University Guidance

There are many different university systems around the world to which a student can apply. Favorite destinations for IST graduates in the past five years have been United Kingdom, Netherlands, Spain, USA, and Canada.

Each system has its own particular application system and it is the student’s responsibility, in conjunction with IST’s University Counsellor, to determine what the relevant requirements are and how to prepare applications accordingly.

University Counselling in Secondary School includes College & Career Workshops, University & College Visits, University & College Fairs, Careers Day, Careers workshops, Standardised Testing (PSAT, SAT & ACT) and Presentations to Parents.

Where to find information on Universities & Colleges: The IST University Guidance Handbook on the Portal will provide you with a great deal of information to guide you through the elaborate process of selecting universities and applying to them.

Elite Athlete & Performers

Since 2021/22 IST created the Elite Athlete Programme with the aim of supporting our students' efforts in high level sport. The programme is aimed at highly talented individuals who are participating in their chosen sport at an elite level which necessitates extraordinary interruptions to school life.

The programme is designed to to assist students to meet both their academic and sport commitments throughout the year.