Admissions Overview
The British School of Tirana (BST) welcomes students from Early Years through to Sixth Form (Year 13) and embraces families of all nationalities who share our values of respect, curiosity, and academic excellence.
BST follows the National Curriculum of England and Wales and delivers education in English. Students graduate with internationally recognised
qualifications, including IGCSE and A Levels, opening pathways to universities in the UK, Europe, and the USA.
Our admissions process includes an application form, submission of required documents (such as school reports, a copy of the student’s passport or ID, and any relevant learning support information), and—where appropriate—an informal meeting, assessment, or a test day. Admission is subject to place availability and the school’s ability to meet each student’s learning needs.
Our Admissions Team is on hand to guide families through every step, ensuring a smooth and welcoming start at BST.
Year groups and admission to the school
The Year Group that a child would join is determined by their age on 31 December. Please refer to the table below for more details.
Early Years |
Primary School |
Secondary School |
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|
Age on 31 December |
Year group | Age on 31 December | Year group | Age on 31 December | Year group |
|
9M - 3Y |
Infants/Toddlers | 5 | Year 1 | 11 | Year 7 |
|
3 |
Nursery | 6 | Year 2 | 12 |
Year 8 |
|
4 |
Reception | 7 | Year 3 | 13 |
Year 9 |
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|
8 | Year 4 | 14 |
Year 10 |
|
|
|
9 | Year 5 | 15 |
Year 11 |
|
|
|
10 | Year 6 | 16 |
Year 12 |
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|
17 |
Year 13 |
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Admission into the school
Please read our Admission Policy for Parents for further information.
Registration
The application is reviewed, and a checklist of required documents is shared with the parents/legal guardians. In addition, we may request further information or a meeting.
Cancelling a place before joining
If a place is cancelled before a child joins the school, any school fees paid will be refunded. The enrolment fee, however, will not be returned.
Allocation of places
When a place has been offered, the parents have three business days to email a scanned copy of the student registration form that needs to be signed by both parents. If, after three business days, the school has not received a signed copy of the student registration form, the child will be placed on a waiting list and the place offered to another family.
Siblings
The school always tries to offer a place to all children from the same family.
Expectations for the child’s living arrangements
We occasionally receive requests from parents for their child to join BST whilst the parents are living outside of Albania. The British School of Tirana does not enrol any pupils who will be living alone in Albania. If circumstances change when a pupil is in school, parents/guardians must inform the school.
If parents appoint guardians to act in place of parents for their time in school, the guardians must be at least 25 years old. The school needs to be certain that home arrangements are conducive to the pupils’ wellbeing and academic progress. Before finalising such an arrangement, full details of two guardians must be shared with the school.
Responsibility of payment of school fees
Irrespective of whether the invoice is sent to a family or company, it remains the responsibility of those signing the student registration form and contract to ensure that school fees are paid in a timely manner.
Leaving the school
A term’s notice is required for leaving the school.
Attendance is required for all or part of the term during which a child leaves. The deposit and school fee for subsequent terms can only be refunded if all of the following conditions are met:
- The online notification of leaving via EduPage to the Head of School was submitted on time.
- All fees are paid.
- All extra costs are paid.
- All invoiced amounts for siblings are paid.
Please note: refunds will be made to the bank account from which we received the original payment.
The school aims to pay refunds within 30 days of the end of the term in which a child leaves the School. If notice is received late, the School will charge fees for the following term. The deposit (if applicable) will either be refunded once the fees have been paid or retained to part cover any outstanding fees.
Notification of leaving dates:
- For a child leaving during or at the end of the Autumn Term , notification should be received by Friday 12 September.
- For a child leaving during or at the end of the Spring Term , notification should be received by Friday 16 January.
- For a child leaving during or at the end of the Summer Term (and so not returning for the new academic year), notification should be received by Monday 23 March.
Right to amend the Conditions of Enrolment
The school has the right to vary the Conditions of Enrolment under offer which children shall be admitted and educated in the school. Any change will be communicated to parents via email or EduPage and amended on the website.