Frequently Asked Questions

The PBIS Community

What are the maximum class sizes?

In the Primary School the maximum class size is 20. There are 4 or 5 classes in each year group. The average class size is currently 16.

Which nationalities are represented at PBIS?

There are 60 nationalities represented. The majority of these nationalities are represented by fewer than 10 students at PBIS. Nationalities with more than 10 students are: Czech, British, Russian, Korean, Polish, Vietnamese, Dutch, Ukrainian, Slovakian, American, Chinese, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, French and German.

What is the student turnover?

It is between 15 – 20% per annum. This means that in your child’s class of 20 you would expect 3 or 4 children to move on in any given 12 month period.

Where are the staff from and what is staff turnover?

All PBIS teaching staff and Heads are from native English speaking countries. The vast majority are from the UK, however we also have staff from Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand. Language teachers are native speakers of their subject language (French/German/Spanish/Czech).

We have approximately 160 teaching staff, all of whom stay for a minimum of 2 years, and many of whom have been at the school for more than 5 years. For the last 3 years the average staff turnover has been less than 5%.

Admissions

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.

What is the policy for 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.

Primary children joining the Bilingual Programme (CBZS) are expected to start PBIS in Year 1, ie at the age of 5. This is the equivalent of a 'preparatory class' in the Czech system. While it is possible to join in Year 2 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 will 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 they cope?

Yes! With so many nationalities represented in our community we have a lot of experience teaching children 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 many months.

We are a Czech family with a primary aged child. Is the Bilingual programme the best option for us?

There is no correct answer to this question. All the children who attend the bilingual programme are Czech, however there are also Czechs that follow the PBIS curriculum. It will depend on how you, as parents, want your child to be educated. Our school Heads and the Admissions team are happy to discuss the two options with you.

Will my child have to sit an entrance test?

We are an open enrolment school and, as such, there is no entrance test. All students applying to enter Year 7 and above must take either a language assessment (non-native English speakers) or a maths/literature assessment (native English speakers) before starting at PBIS. Students applying to join the IB programme are required to pass the required number of IGCSE exams (or recognised equivalent) as published on the school website for a given school year.

How can I reserve a place?

For details of how to apply, please see our application process.

Fees and Scholarships

Do you offer scholarships?

We offer two limited scholarship programmes as part of our cooperation with the Prague 12 and Prague 6 district councils. For more information please visit our local scholarships pages.

Are there any fees discounts available?

We offer a sibling discount to families paying annually and enrolling more than one child. A discount of 5% is offered for a second child. Third and subsequent children benefit from a 10% discount.

My child is starting during the school year but I wish to pay early, 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.

Living in Prague

Do you offer bus transport?

Yes, please see our transport page for more information.

Where do PBIS students generally live in Prague?

The catchment areas for Kamyk and Vlastina naturally tend to be divided by the river Vltava. Most families attending Vlastina School live in Prague 6 and Prague 5 (especially Střešovice, Břevnov, Dejvice and Nebušice). The commuter village of Pruhonice is especially popular with Kamyk and Libus families as well as Prague 4 (Modřany, Hodkovičky, Braník and Podoli), Prague 2 (Vinohrady ) and Prague 10 (Vršovice).

Some families choose to live right in the centre of Prague in Old Town, New Town or Mala Strana. It is possible to commute to either site from these central areas.
Students attending the Libus Campus travel from all over the city of Prague and surrounding areas.

Do you offer accommodation?

No, there is no boarding facility at PBIS.

How should we prepare our child for their first day at PBIS?

We provide all of the educational materials that your child will need throughout their time at PBIS. As soon as you enrol your child we will give you access to the ‘Joining PBIS’ section of our Parents Portal which contains all the practical information you will need to prepare your child, including, a (short) list of practical items that your child will need to bring on the first day and how to arrange school transport and lunches.

Of course the most important thing is to reassure your child that PBIS teachers and children are very used to welcoming new students to the class!