Admission and Enrolment Policy

Admission and Enrolment Policy

SCHOOL AIMS:

• To ensure a supportive, happy and secure environment for learning.
• To work in partnership with parents, alumni and the local and wider community in the ongoing development of the school.
• To foster a learning community where every student, teacher, staff member, parent and DBIS alumnus has an ongoing passion for learning.

RATIONALE:

Discovery Bay International School offers a broad-based, challenging British-style international education in the English language medium. All reasonable efforts are made to meet the range of students' needs and aspirations, within the resources available throughout the school.

We embrace diversity, difference and the uniqueness of every learner. We recognise our collective responsibility to promote a nurturing environment in which all students have a sense of belonging, participation and equal access to every aspect of school life. Within the school's resources, students are supported to achieve their full potential through pathways that foster independence and resilience, instilling in every individual the confidence to succeed.

PURPOSES:

1. To outline the admission and enrolment practices of DBIS.
2. To outline the processes for admission into DBIS.
3. To protect and enhance the education provided for enrolled students at DBIS.
4. To outline the school’s right to refuse admission or withdraw enrolment.

GUIDELINES:

1. The Principal is responsible for approving all admissions to Discovery Bay International School (DBIS) and for the ongoing enrolment of all students at DBIS. The Principal reserves the right to withdraw any enrolment in consultation with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).
2. Admission is open to students who will benefit from a broad-based and challenging British-style international education in the English language medium.
3. DBIS considers the admission of students whose academic, personal, social and emotional needs can be met by the school’s programmes and associated resources.
4. An Application for Admission form must be completed in full to the satisfaction of DBIS admissions staff and the Principal. All students being considered for admission must be permanent residents of Hong Kong or have a current student visa or a dependent visa.
5. The HK$2,000 non-refundable and non-transferable application fee covers the administrative costs of processing applications. This includes application management software expenses, as well as staff time allocated to reviewing submissions, conducting school visits, and conducting assessments and interviews.
6. Once receipt and subsequent approval of an application for admission is completed in full to the satisfaction of DBIS admissions staff and the Principal, the student is placed on the respective Year Group waiting list.
7. Applicants will be invited for assessments and an interview at the school as vacancies become available; an interview with parents can be included in this process.
8. Following an offer of a place, an acceptance form and an associated acceptance conditions form, supported by the signed student profile and all other enrolment forms, must be completed in full to the satisfaction of DBIS admissions staff and the Principal before a student is placed in a class. The acceptance form must include full disclosure of any specific or additional educational needs that could impact the student's learning or the resources available through DBIS. Failure to disclose or identify any such additional student need may result in the application for enrolment being refused.
9. If a student requires additional support, including but not limited to external assessments, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, a 1-1 or the services of a tutor, such additional expenses will be met by the parents.
10. Students receiving additional support will be reviewed at specific intervals, as advised or required by staff and/or the Principal of DBIS, to determine whether DBIS can continue to support their needs and, if so, approve their ongoing enrolment.
11. A student whose first language is not English will be required to sit an English aptitude test in order to gain entry into the school from Year 3 onwards.
12. Students applying for Years 10 and 12 will be required to take additional assessments to determine acceptance onto specific examination courses.
13. DBIS reserves the right to direct that a student be withdrawn from enrolment if, at the Principal's discretion:
1. The student‘s best interests and needs cannot be met by the school;
2. The student‘s behaviour is considered to be at risk with regard to the emotional and physical safety of either themselves or any other student(s) enrolled at DBIS (refer to the Character and Culture Policy);
3. Educationally significant information is withheld from the school;
4. School fees or levies are not paid in accordance with DBIS financial regulations.
14. The Principal will only approve and advise in writing a Year group placement to parents when all requested documentation is complete.
15. Students are placed in accordance with the school's determined age criteria and will only be placed outside of the age-appropriate year group on admission at the Principal's discretion.

Students must be:

• Aged 3 before 1 September of the requisite year to join our FS-1
• Aged 4 before 1 September of the requisite year to join our FS-2
• Aged 5 before 1 September of the requisite year to join our Year 1 classes
• Aged 6 before 1 September of the requisite year to join our Year 2 classes
• Aged 7 before 1 September of the requisite year to join our Year 3 classes
• Aged 8 before 1 September of the requisite year to join our Year 4 classes
• Aged 9 before 1 September of the requisite year to join our Year 5 classes
• Aged 10 before 1 September of the requisite year to join our Year 6 classes
• Aged 11 before 1 September of the requisite year to join our Year 7 classes
• Aged 12 before 1 September of the requisite year to join our Year 8 classes
• Aged 13 before 1 September of the requisite year to join our Year 9 classes
• Aged 14 before 1 September of the requisite year to join our Year 10 classes
• Aged 15 before 1 September of the requisite year to join our Year 11 classes
• Aged 16 before 1 September of the requisite year to join our Year 12 classes
• Aged 17 before 1 September of the requisite year to join our Year 13 classes

15. DBIS offers places as follows, in order of priority, in accordance with this policy:

• Principal’s discretion;
• Premium Debenture or Premium School Development Levy;
• Siblings of children already in DBIS;
• Returning DBIS families;
• According to the date of application.

16. DBIS offers places to currently enrolled Year 6 students seeking to move

to Year 7 of our Secondary School as follows, in order of priority, in accordance with this policy:

• Principal’s discretion;
• Total time enrolled at DBIS (includes DBISEYFS and DBIS Primary School);
• Brothers and sisters of students currently or previously enrolled in DBIS Secondary School;
• According to the date of application.

17. To be considered as a Returning Family placement, students must have transferred to a school outside of Hong Kong, and be returning to Hong Kong, e.g. through the workplace transfer of the family. Students who transfer from DBIS to another school in Hong Kong, or who have returned from overseas to another school in Hong Kong, will not be considered under the Returning Family criterion and may not be offered a place accordingly.

18. DBIS reserves the right to adjust or amend this policy as may be required at any time.

CONCLUSION:

Discovery Bay International School seeks to ensure that all enrolled students are offered a challenging and rewarding, broad-based education, within an environment of high expectations and consistent with our School Philosophy.

Created: 23.02.07

Last Reviewed: 21.10.2026