Admissions Policy

Statement of Aim

MEF International School welcomes international students to its community. The admissions policy outlines the guidelines it will follow in admissions. The school welcomes students from different ethnic groups, backgrounds and beliefs. The school will enrol students for which it has the means to support emotionally, socially, physically and cognitively.

Rationale

  • Families will seek enrollment for their children if they support the development of the school through their adherence to its mission, vision and goals.
  • The school aims to provide students with academic learning opportunities, appropriate social skills and emotional health.
  • The school will require official records of attainment and other relevant documents such as academic transcripts, confidential reports, and health records from previous schools and doctors.
  • Admissions decisions are considered in the light of: the best interest of the applicant, the best interests of the student body as a whole, Ministry regulations and MEF IS’ admission procedures. Final decisions are ratified by the school Principal after consultation with the Assistant General Manager in non-standard cases.

Guidelines

  • Families contact the Admissions Officer to verify eligibility, visit the school’s facilities, and examine and discuss the mission, vision and goals of the school.
  • At application for enrolment (and prior to the student beginning in school) the school requires official academic records and other relevant school documents from previous schools. 
  • Parents are required to share who will be living at home with the child(ren) and which parent(s) will be responsible for communicating with the school about academic progress and any other questions or concerns that may arise. Parents are required to reply to school emails, other communications, and requests as needed.
  • Students’ special learning requirements must be declared at registration by the parents, including English language proficiency of the student/s whose first language is not English.
  • Any health and/or learning disabilities must be declared at registration by the parents, e.g.; hearing or vision issues, or any other medical developmental or psychological conditions. All records from previous schools/ psychologists/ doctors must be submitted where a health / learning disability issue exists. All reports are required in English. Official translation is the responsibility of the parent. The school reserves the right to forfeit enrolment of any student where a full disclosure of information was not provided at registration (in alignment with number 3, and 4 in this section).
  • Students will be expected to have achieved a satisfactory grade level standard at their previous school. Students may be asked to sit for an interview with a teacher and / or take subject placement tests. For admission into Secondary School (Grades 6-12) students will be expected to have a GPA of a minimum equivalent of 60% in previous school. 
  • The families will be appraised of the school’s policies by the Principals, particularly those related to student behaviour, reporting ill-health and consequent absence from school, the personal appearance/dress codes for students, homework and professional protocols (home-school communications).
  • Each new student application is subject to a non-refundable application fee. However, the placement fee or tuition payment should not be made until after admission is granted/confirmed. If payment was made prior to confirmation of admission but the student’s admission is not approved by the school principal, it will be returned fully minus bank service charges.
  • Enrolled students and their parents understand and accept all policies enforced by MEF IS.
  • No single enrollment should be at the detriment of other students. 

Students with Special Learning Needs

MEF IS will only admit a student, for whom it has the resources, expertise and facilities to provide an education which conforms to acceptable practice resulting in meaningful and appropriate progress in cognitive, physical, social and emotional needs. No single enrollment should be at the detriment to the whole class. 

MEF IS seeks to accommodate a variety of abilities and needs; however, the school does not automatically provide registration for students with identified learning disabilities where specialist staffing or support is required. Students with mild learning difficulties can be catered for in a standard classroom with the assistance of the Student Support Team (SST). 

The programmes cater to student needs through English Language Learners Programme (ELL), Learning Support, and Counselling. 

Definitions:

Identified Learning Disability – A student who has been professionally assessed and diagnosed with a disability (social, emotional, academic) requiring specific treatment and schooling. 

Learning Difficulty – A student who is finding learning difficult, requiring a wider range of methodologies to obtain success. When a student with a learning disability is applying for admission, it is essential that the parents provide all medical, psychological, and/or educational reports and the Individual Education Plan in English.

Students with Health Needs MEF IS will only admit a student for whom it has the medical resources, expertise, facilities and ability to provide a safe environment. All admissions involving a student with health needs, will be on a case-by-case basis, requiring additional documentation and pre-consultations with the MEF IS medical unit. All admitted students with health needs will have their situation monitored and reviewed on a regular basis.

English Language Learner Integration Students for whom English is not the primary language need to be provided with the necessary support to develop and function successfully in the English Language in both the social and academic domains. Entering students will be assessed prior to placement into the ELL programme and will be provided with English language support at their language level (Category System) and for a period of time deemed necessary by the school.

ELL students placed into:

  • Category One – the highest level of support provides additional ELL classes in the place of a Modern Foreign Language. 
  • Category Two – mid-level support provides ELL support within classes (inclusion) along with small group support (withdrawal) while participating in a Modern Foreign Language. 
  • Category Three – minimal level of support is provided in class by teachers with support from the Student Support Team.

Class Sizes:

  • A maximum of 16 / 18 / 18 students into the ECC (Preschool / Pre-Kindergarten / Kindergarten classes respectively). 
  • A maximum of 22 students into Grades 1-5 classes. 
  • A maximum of 24 students into Grades 6-12 classes.

Early Childhood Centre Enrolments:

Students may enter Preschool or Pre-Kindergarten on a half or full day basis. Half day students go home at 13:00 daily. Tuition fees are aligned for both half and full day attendance. This status can be changed by speaking with the Admissions Officer on approval from the Principal.  

  • The minimum class size for a class to operate is 6 students.
  • Students will have different start dates in the first week of school, starting days will be determined by age with the older students starting first, through to the younger students. Parents will be informed of the starting date for school 1 week before school starts. 
  • Parents or caretakers are expected to bring and pick-up their children for the first two weeks of school 
  • Children need to be toilet trained, i.e., able to identify when they need to go to the toilet and be able to request this. 
  • Criteria for admission to a full-time place: 
    • Child settles after a short period of time, even if initially upset.
    • Child is willing to be part of a group and share the attention of adults.
    • Child is willing to be with different members of the teaching and support staff.
    • Child attempts to be independent in dressing and toileting. 
  • We have a “drop and go” procedure for caregivers and parents dropping children to school. This means that students must be brought to school and left in the care of the teacher and/or teaching assistant in the minimal time possible. We are seeking to avoid lengthy goodbyes so that students can settle into the classroom environment as soon as possible. The beginning of the school day is very important when settling children. It is therefore essential that children arrive on time so that they can develop class routines as quickly as possible – this will give them a sense of security and normalcy. 
  • Parents will be informed of these arrangements during the admissions process- admission will be conditional on them accepting these arrangements. 

Student Placement – Academic Year 2023-2024:

Children entering the EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER (Preschool, Pre-K, Kindergarten) and                     

GRADE 1 in PRIMARY SCHOOL will be placed according to their year of birth: 

  • Preschool (Children born in year 2020) 3 years old by 31 December 2023
  • Pre-K (Children born in year 2019) 4 years old by 31 December 2023
  • Kindergarten (Children born in year 2018) 5 years old by 31 December 2023
  • Grade 1 (Children born in year 2017) 6 years old by 31 December 2023

New student placements for Grade 2 through Grade 9 will be made on the basis of the child’s previous educational records and the assessment of the School. 

Entry into Grades 10-11-12 will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 

The initial placement is tentative and the school may reassess placement after the child’s abilities have been thoroughly observed in class or through additional testing. 

Important Notes:

  • MEF IS Academic Year runs from September to June with one school year completed in 10 months. 
  • Students entering MEF IS after the school year starts must submit their current grade progress reports/ transcripts for placement in the same grade level of their previous school. 
  • Students that apply for admission in the second half of the school year (January-June) and come from schools that follow the Southern Hemisphere school year calendar (such as Korea, Japan, Australia, etc.) are placed in the same grade level that they have recently completed (as of end December/ January/ February). They will start the next grade level in September, at the beginning of the next academic year. 
  • Students that apply to High School (9-12) without a proficient level of English will not be enrolled. 

Appendix: IB Diploma Entrance Requirements

  • Rationale for supplement:

The IB Diploma Programme is a route of study for all MEF International School and MEF Lisesi students who meet the specific entrance requirements particular to the IB Diploma at MEF Schools of Turkey. These entrance requirements are further articulated in school procedures.

  • Amendment to procedure:

Overview of IB Entry Requirements

Entrance into the Grade 9 IGCSE programme (for Turkish students only) and IB Diploma Programme is based on the following three conditions:

  1. Passing relevant entrance examinations,
  2. Passing grades on end-of-year transcripts in all subjects,
  3. Administrator approval is needed.  It can, if need be, override a) and b).

 

  • Entrance Examinations:

Entrance examinations determine whether students may enter the Grade 9 IGCSE programme (for Turkish students) and the IBDP.

Grade 9 IGCSE Entrance Exams:

  • Maths and English are examined
  • Enrolment to class closes once the class is filled
  • No retakes
  • 75% or above is required

Grade 9 IGCSE Entrance requirements for English as a First Language and Extended Mathematics: 

Option #1: Students must achieve the following results for the average of their two exam grades (exams 1 and 3) from grade 8. (Results determined in April)

Math – 85% or above

          English – 85% or above  (ELL students do not have option 1) 

Option #2: If the student does not earn an 85% average on their grade 8 exams, then the following average grade must be achieved on the externally assessed Cambridge Checkpoint Exams in April. (Results released in August of 2022)

Math – 4.50 or above

          English – 4.00 or above  (ELL students do not have option 2) 

Option #3: If the student does not qualify for options 1 and 2, but wishes to pursue English First Language or Extended Mathematics, then the following scores must be awarded on an internal IGCSE English and/or Maths Entrance Exam in August. (Exam given in August of 2022)

Math – 85% or above

English – 75% or above  (ELL students have option 3) 

IB DP Entrance Exams for students of MEF International School 

At the end of Grade 10 students sit for summative exams to all subjects. These exams are taken in consideration as entrance examination for IB DP as follows:

Option #1: Students must achieve the following results in exam 4 (mock exam):

MFL, Economics – 75% or above

English First Language – 75% or above English Second Language – 85% or above

Extended Mathematics – 75% or above              Core Mathematics – 85% or above

Extended Sciences – 75% or above                     Core Sciences – 85% or above

Option #2: 

Students earn C or above on IGCSE Extended Exams (or Predicted Grades if exams won’t take place) in English, Mathematics,  Sciences and Modern Foreign Languages at the end of Gr. 10. The Core students do not have option 2. 

Option #3: 

Students score 75% on an IBDP Entrance Exams in English, Mathematics, and Sciences in August.

IB DP Entrance Exams for students of MEF National School and external students

  • Passing Requirements
  • Passing grade in an English exam and have a Group 1 first language.
  • Passing grade in a Biology/Physics/Chemistry exam for students wanting to choose Biology/Physics/Chemistry as DP subject. Otherwise, students are enrolled in the Environmental Systems and Societies course as Group 4 subjects.
  • Passing grade in a Mathematics exam for acceptance in the Analysis and Approaches course. Otherwise, students are enrolled in the Applications and Interpretation course.
  • Passing grade in MFL for acceptance at level B of the course (for non-Turkish citizens). Students of Turkish nationality are enrolled in the Turkish A: Literature course (Ministry of Education requirement).
  • 75% and above is required
  • Additional Requirements: End-of-Year Transcripts
  • To study any subject in the IB Diploma Programme, a student must have a passing grade on end-of-year transcript

 

  • Additional Requirements – Progress Reports (only applicable to students already studying in the IB Diploma Programme)
  • In addition to Report Cards being issued at the end of 1st and 2nd semester of the year, 2 separate IB Progress Reports are sent home to parents in order to communicate student progress in individual courses during specific time intervals.  
  • The grades on these reports are unofficial in that they have no bearing on student transcripts.
  • When a student scores a “3” or below on a Progress Report, a letter is sent home, and an action plan to improve student progress in the failing course may be implemented.
  • A student who scores a “3” or below in a subject on a progress report card and on the immediately following end-of-semester report card (below 60%) will be unable to continue studying this particular subject in the Diploma Programme.
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