Admissions FAQ

How old is the school?  

11 years. We opened our doors to our first students in August 2007. Our tenth birthday was celebrated in June 2017. Since then, well over 2000 students have attended The International School of Moscow, a number that continues to grow as we do.

Teaching and Learning

What qualifications do your teachers have?

All teachers are suitably qualified for the area of the school where they are employed to teach. A significant number have high-level qualifications, such as Masters degrees. Local Russian teachers and EAL teachers have appropriate local qualifications. 

What curriculum do you teach?

We are guided by the English National Curriculum, with a clear structure that defines the skills and knowledge that learners should acquire throughout the key stages.

What are your class sizes?

Classes vary in size. However, our maximum class size in the Primary and Secondary School is 22, with an average of around 19 students in each class. Early Years classes have lower class sizes to ensure we meet the needs of younger pupils. Our Pre-Nursery class has a maximum of 12 children. Nursery and Reception classes have a maximum class size of 20 children.

What foreign languages do you teach?

Russian is offered to all pre-(I)GCSE students at appropriate levels. French and Spanish as foreign languages are offered to students from the age of 9 upwards. (I)GCSE and A Level courses are offered in French, Spanish and Russian. 

Do you have Assistant Teachers?

There are a minimum of two adults in every class from Early Years to Year 6: One Teacher and one Assistant Teacher.

How do you support children with additional language needs (EAL)?

There is significant support for EAL learners with specialist EAL Assistant Teachers in every year group. These assistants  support the learners in class and also withdraw students for one-to-one or small group sessions in order to build their English language skills. Students in the Secondary School also benefit from ability-grouping in English lessons to ensure those with limited English receive appropriately-targeted instruction. In addition, each campus has a dedicated EAL Department and EAL Coordinators.

Do you have provision for children with Special Education Needs?

Each Campus has a dedicated SEND team who offer a combination of individual support in lessons and one-to-one support. Specific support for SEND students is tailored according to each child’s specific needs. Additionally, teachers take the learning needs of all students into account when planning learning experiences.

Extracurricular Activities

Do you have after school activities? 

We offer two hours a week of enrichment activities for all students. These activities cover everything from sport, the arts, science and technology to a wide range of other interesting activities which are updated termly.

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

Getting out of school and ensuring learning is brought to life is a key part of our school. All students go on education excursions, whether investigating the flow of a river or learning about the cosmos in the planetarium. Students from Year Three upwards take part in residential programmes which help to build skills such as leadership, resilience and empathy as students work with local communities to learn about the world in places as far afield as Portugal, South-East Asia and Africa.

What is your Sports Programme like? 

The Sports Programme at ISM combines competition and participation. We focus on the key aspects of skill, engagement, sportsmanship, leadership and fitness. In PE lessons, students develop individual skills whilst learning valuable lessons about working in a team.
 
The main sports that we compete in are football, basketball, athletics and swimming. We compete in tournaments both internationally and in Moscow. We have a consistent success record in these competitions and, last year, won tournaments in China and the Netherlands. Outside of PE lessons, there are numerous opportunities for pupils to get involved in sport. We enter a variety of MISAS competitions and students compete in inter-house sports competitions every week in school.

What is your Music programme like?

All children at ISM play musical instruments as an integral part of the curriculum. 

In EYFS, children sing and explore a variety of instruments. 

From Year Two to Year Nine, we provide whole-class instrumental tuition once a week, taught by a dedicated team of full-time specialist instrumental teachers.

Our youngest children start with the recorder, violin or classical guitar. The recorder groups then progress to band instruments as they move into Upper Primary when full wind bands and orchestras are formed. 

All children also receive classroom-based music lessons where they sing, listen to a wide range of music and study music theory and history. 

We offer Music at both GCSE and A Level and our academic results are excellent. All students who have taken GCSE music in the past 2 academic years have achieved at least an ‘A’ grade.

We also offer a comprehensive range of individual instrumental and singing lessons in both classical and popular music styles. We enter many students for internationally-recognised (ABRSM and Rock School) music examinations every year.

In addition to our curriculum-based ensembles, our school boasts a number of choirs, a jazz big band and an orchestra, as well as a number of rock bands.

Do you have Art programmes?

Students at ISM are taught Art from EYFS to Year 13, where it is a very popular examination option. Our A level students have gone onto study at prestigious institutions such as Goldsmiths College in London. Students partake in a varied curriculum, including visual arts, pottery and design, taught by specialist Art teachers.

There is an annual ‘Art Week’, during which our primary school students work on larger projects. In the secondary school, the year culminates in our Art exhibition where all examination work is displayed for parents, visitors and students to see.

Although Drama is taught through literacy and English throughout ISM, in the Secondary school students receive a specialist Drama lesson in our Drama studio. From Years 7 to 9, students follow a scheme of work encompassing various theatre techniques and styles including role play, improvisation, physical theatre, devised activities and script writing.

Drama is a popular option at GCSE level and we run the A Level Theatre studies course in the Sixth Form.

One of the highlights of the academic year is our musical theatre production which takes place in a local theatre. Previous shows have included ‘West Side Story’, ‘Oliver’, ‘School of Rock’ and ‘We Will Rock You’.

School Life

Is a school lunch provided?

A choice of hot lunch options is provided daily with a 3-week menu published on the school website. Students and staff eat the same lunch. We view our lunch period as a social occasion to share the day, build friendships and develop language skills.

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

We work hard to ensure a smooth transition into our school. On their first day in school, children will be met by their Class Teacher / Form Tutor at the beginning of the day. Every child who is new to the school is paired with a ‘Buddy’ who will help them throughout their first week in school. We invite all new parents into school at the end of the first week to discuss any issues and answer any questions.

How do you ensure good behaviour and manners?

We have a strong belief in our positive approach to behaviour. Students are rewarded, individually and collectively as a class, for their attitude, effort, achievement and for upholding the standards that we agree on. We treat our students as creative, independent and thoughtful individuals and trust them to act responsibly. On the rare occasion students do not live up to our expectations, we have clear procedures that involve the student, their parents and their tutor or teacher, to ensure that they learn from the experience. 

Where do your students move onto after they complete their education at ISM?

ISM graduates enter top universities in the United Kingdom, the United States of America and across the world.

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

We have a range of buses serving the popular residential areas where our families live.

Communication with Parents

How do you communicate with parents?

We communicate via email, personal calls and our online Parent Portal. Upon arrival, our Admissions Team will guide new parents through how to set up the Parent Portal.

What level of involvement do your parents have at ISM?

Our parents are invited to take an active role in school life, with many events offering parents the opportunity to spectate or participate directly. In addition, as we encourage families to support their children from home, we have a number of information channels to keep parents informed about classroom learning.

ISM also has a Parent Representative Body on each Campus, with parents from each class collaborating with the school management on a range of projects. These representatives also encourage a community atmosphere between families, as they facilitate social communication outside of school.

We are also always happy to hear from parents with particular skills or backgrounds in order to offer our students diverse and interesting viewpoints. 

If you have an inspiring story that you would like to share with our students, we would love to hear about it.