Admissions FAQ

How old is the school? 

Nord Anglia International School Manila first opened in 2012 under The British Schools Foundation, before joining the Nord Anglia Education family in December 2017. 

Teaching and curriculum

What qualifications do your teachers have? 

We hire only highly qualified teachers with several years’ experience. All teachers will have a Qualified Teacher Status such as a degree in teaching or a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from the UK or an equivalent qualification from their country of origin. The majority of our teachers are native English speakers.

What curriculum do you teach?

We offer the English National Curriculum (British Curriculum) with an international focus. The strength of the English National Curriculum lies in its formal structure. Divided into Key Stages of education, for students from 2 to 18 years of age, it develops the key skills students need to learn, with a rigorous focus on literacy and numeracy as well as a broad and balanced study of other subjects. 

What are your class sizes?

Depending on the year group class size can vary between 20 - 24 children. Large classrooms provide plenty of space for children to experience their learning, and we have an 8:1 student to teacher ratio. 

What foreign languages do you teach? 

Our main foreign language is Mandarin but we do have enrichment lessons which offer French and Tagalog (Philippine local dialect).

Do you have teaching assistants?

We have highly qualified Teaching Assistants (TAs) within all of our classes. 

How do you deal with children with limited English?

We have an excellent EAL (English as an Additional Language) programme to cater for children arriving with low levels of English. At NAIS Manila, in our English-speaking environment, children learn English incredibly quickly.

Do you have provisions for children with Special Education Needs?

As an inclusive school, we understand that not all children find it easy to learn. Our Learning Support department provides targeted assistance for children that need additional help. The teaching team is made up of specialist teachers with experience in this area. If you believe that your child needs this type of support, please contact us with your child's requirements so we can assess if we can help.  

Activities and Trips

Do you have after school activities?

We view after school activities as an integral part of the education of our children, and to that end offer a wide range of enrichment lessons that aim to introduce the child to potential hobbies, develop particular sports, provide language learning or give IT support. We aim to inspire an interest in areas that perhaps they would not be exposed to through the normal curriculum.

Enrichment lessons are compulsory for every child at the school. Parents are asked to choose two enrichment lessons per term, usually representing a balance between active/sport and more intellectually inspiring programmes.

What sort of excursions and trips do you offer your students?

One of the key things that being part of the Nord Anglia family is the opportunities for inter-school events and curriculum collaborations within the Southeast Asia region. For example, NAE Primary Games in Cambodia, football tournaments in Vietnam, swim meets in Kuala Lumpur or the Music Festival in Yangon.

We also provide local excursions and trips giving the children opportunities to learn more about the natural resources, history and culture of the Philippines.

What is your sport programme like?

We compete locally and internationally against other international schools regularly. We have an extremely strong swimming programme and both girls and boys teams for basketball and football.

We have a range of alternative sports, outside of our PE curriculum, catered for in our enrichment lessons that have included sports such as taekwondo, fencing and auskick.

What is your music programme like?

Our music programme is excellent. As well as music playing a large part of our curriculum, we are supported in the development of music with the world famous Juilliard School in New York.

Our instrumental programmes for Primary and Secondary students allow children to develop their skills on core instruments such as guitar, keyboard, clarinet and violin, and we have an excellent school Rock Band club. We also offer one-to-one private instrumental lessons for students wishing to perfect their abilities.

School Life

Is a school lunch provided?

Yes, a school lunch is provided for our students. Sodexo, a world leader in professional catering, prepares a range of healthy and international-style food onsite. The school also has a nutritionist to support children with developing a healthy eating regime.

How do you ensure my child settles in quickly to their new school?

We are known for our warmth in welcoming new families to the school. We provide lots of information about the class and school prior to your arrival and are ready for you from your first day. We can put you in touch with a family before your child starts here, and we always arrange a ‘buddy’ for our new children.

How do you ensure good behavior and manners? 

We have a school culture that promotes respect for others, good manners and promotes self-expression and self-esteem. We actively reward our students for demonstrating respect for others and teach these values at assemblies and in the classroom. We have a very strong house system that encourages positive behaviour and achievement.

Where do your families live and do you provide school buses?

We have many families living in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Makati, Alabang and Querzon city, and we provide a bus service to all the main residential areas in Metro Manila. Please contact us to find out if our bus service runs if your area. 

Parental Involvement

How do you communicate with parents?

For direct contact we will use email or telephone. We also currently use a parent portal messaging and calendar system for our communications, and will soon be introducing a school app that will make the experience more efficient.

We also have regular monthly coffee mornings with the Principal and staff to allow parents a more relaxed setting to discuss school requirements and meet other parents.

What involvement do your parents have at NAIS Manila?

We have a wonderful Bakarda group (Friends of NAIS Manila) who have an office in school and take an active role in fundraising and whole school events. They are always looking for volunteers and would welcome your involvement. They are an excellent source of knowledge for the new parent.