BISS Sentrum vs British International School of Stavanger - Gausel

	B BISS Sentrum Stavanger, Norway	B British International School of Stavanger - Gausel Stavanger, Norway
Snapshot	Snapshot
Fees / year	Fees / year NOK 44,800	Fees / year NOK 13,200 - 44,800
Age range	Age range 1 - 16 years	Age range 1 - 16 years
Type	Type Co-educational	Type Co-educational
Curriculum	Curriculum IB (PYP), IB (MYP)	Curriculum IB (PYP), IB (MYP)
Pupils	Pupils —	Pupils 730
Typical class size	Typical class size —	Typical class size —
Instruction language	Instruction language English	Instruction language English
Opened	Opened 2019	Opened 1977
Bus service	Bus service No	Bus service No
Essentials	Essentials
Location	Location BISS Sentrum is located close to Stavanger city centre on the west coast of Norway. Opened in 2019, the campus is at Tanke Svilands gate 73, Stavanger 4007, Norway. The school sits near central Stavanger and is accessible by public transport. It will move to Gauselbakken, the site of BISS Gausel, from the 2027-28 academic year.	Location BISS has three campuses in Stavanger, Norway: BISS Gausel at Gauselbakken 107, 4032 Stavanger; BISS Preschool at Gauselbakken 105, 4032 Stavanger; and BISS Sentrum at Tanke Svilands gate 73, 4007 Stavanger.
Stages	Stages Primary School (ages 6-11) and Secondary School (ages 11-16).	Stages BISS Preschool provides early years education at Gauselbakken 105. BISS Gausel operates primary and secondary IB programmes, and BISS Sentrum provides primary and secondary IB programmes.
School type	School type —	School type IB World School operating three campuses (Preschool, Gausel, and Sentrum); international day school.
Pupil nationality mix	Pupil nationality mix 50+ nationalities represented; most common nationality and local/international ratio not published.	Pupil nationality mix —
Additional learning support	Additional learning support At BISS Sentrum, inclusion is central. The school offers adapted programs and resources and develops individualized learning plans in collaboration with families, staff and specialists; external agencies may be involved to support transitions and ensure appropriate support.	Additional learning support Pastoral care emphasises inclusion with additional learning needs supported by individualized learning plans; inclusive environment with collaboration between families, staff and specialists to provide the right support.
Country affiliation	Country affiliation British International School of Stavanger network (UK).	Country affiliation —
Religious affiliation	Religious affiliation —	Religious affiliation —
School day structure	School day structure —	School day structure —
Bus service details	Bus service details No school bus service. Public bus stops are nearby; students living at least 4 km from the school (2 km for PY1) may receive reimbursement for a 30-day bus ticket; many students travel to school by train via nearby Gausel Station.	Bus service details The school does not operate a school bus service. There are nearby bus stops for students. Eligible PY1–MYP5 students living at least 4 km from school (2 km for PY1) may receive a 30‑day bus ticket subsidy from the Kommune. Gausel Station is nearby for travel by train, and limited parking with drop‑off areas is available for older students.
Fees	Fees
Fee details	Fee details Application fees - Acceptance fee: one month's school fees are charged on receipt of the acceptance form. This amount is deducted from the first invoice. The acceptance fee is not refundable if a child does not attend. Tuition fees (by year group and instalment) - Year groups covered: Primary (PYP1–PYP6) and Secondary (MYP1–MYP5). Tuition is the same for all year groups at BISS Sentrum. - Published tuition amount (calendar year reference shown by the school): NOK 44,800 per annum. - Invoicing basis: school fees are invoiced in eleven monthly instalments; the equivalent monthly amount (when invoiced over 11 months) is NOK 4,073. Students who join mid-year are invoiced from the first of the month in which they join, regardless of the actual start date in that month. Billing schedule and payment terms - Invoices are sent to parents; parents have the sole responsibility for payment. Invoices will be issued monthly in eleven instalments. Students starting mid-year are invoiced from the 1st of the month of entry. - Withdrawal notice and charge: notice begins from the 1st of the month following submission of the withdrawal form. A withdrawal fee equivalent to three months' school fees at the current rate is charged. If the leaving date is sooner than three months after notice, the full withdrawal fee (equivalent to three months' fees) will be charged; the three-month notice period includes holiday periods. - Reduced-fee option: a reduced parent payment option for households with low income is offered; parents should direct enquiries to the school accounting contact. Boarding fees (if applicable) - Boarding: not applicable. BISS Sentrum operates as a day school (boarding facilities are listed as day). No boarding fees are published because there is no boarding provision. Other costs and optional services - School clothing / uniform: school fees do not cover school clothing. A school uniform is required; uniform items are supplied through Trutex Europe and are ordered separately. Costs for uniform items vary by item and are paid directly to the supplier. - After-school care (SFO) for PYP1–PYP5: monthly charges are separate from school tuition. The listed SFO charges are: - 100% place (full-time): NOK 3,188 per month. - 60% place (three days per week): NOK 2,194 per month. - There is no sibling discount for SFO and refunds are not made for illness or holidays. Subsidised SFO places and reduced payments for eligible households are notified in the SFO information. These SFO charges are effective for the stated financial period and may be revised in line with municipal rules. - Educational supplies: school fees cover students' educational instruction during the regular school day, including educational supplies, exercise books and loan of textbooks. School fees do not include clothing/uniform. Refund information - Acceptance fee: non-refundable if a place is accepted but the child does not attend; it is deducted from the first invoice. - Withdrawal charge: a withdrawal fee equal to three months' school fees is applied as described under Billing schedule; this functions as the contractual charge on leaving. - SFO refunds: refunds are not made for illness or holidays for SFO places. Fee payment options and contacts - Invoices are issued to parents; the invoice will include the payment instructions and the parent is responsible for payment. For accounting, payment enquiries, reduced-fee applications and formal confirmations related to fee payments, contact the school accounting/admissions addresses provided by the school (for example accounting@biss.no and admissions@biss.no). Short summary of what is included in tuition and what is charged separately - Included in tuition: day-time instruction, educational supplies, exercise books and loan of textbooks. - Charged separately: school uniform / clothing, SFO (after-school care) where used, and any optional services or external activities not covered by the standard tuition invoice. SFO fees and uniform purchase are separate payments.	Fee details Application and acceptance fees - Preschool application fee: NOK 1,000, payable on entry. - Acceptance fee for all schools: one month's school fees are charged on receipt of the acceptance form; this amount is deducted from the first invoice. If a place is accepted and the child does not attend, the acceptance fee is not refundable. Tuition fees by year group (annual and per-invoice amounts) - BISS Preschool (100% / 5 day place, 07:30–16:30): NOK 13,200 per year (equivalent to NOK 1,200 per month). A Preschool Snack Programme option is charged separately at NOK 1,650 per year (NOK 150 per month). - BISS Gausel (Primary PYP1–PYP6 and Secondary MYP1–MYP5): NOK 44,800 per annum. The school publishes this as equivalent to NOK 4,073 per month when invoiced over eleven monthly instalments. - BISS Sentrum (Primary and Secondary): NOK 44,800 per annum, presented as NOK 4,073 per month over eleven monthly instalments. Per-term detail and how to interpret invoice instalments - The school issues invoices in eleven monthly instalments; the per-invoice amount for an annual fee of NOK 44,800 is NOK 4,073 (44,800 ÷ 11). This is the published instalment schedule used for invoicing. - The school does not publish a formal termly invoicing schedule on the fee pages; converting the annual figure into a term amount requires an arithmetic division (for example, dividing the annual fee by three if you prefer a three-term estimate). That conversion is an arithmetic estimate and not an official invoice schedule. Billing schedule and payment terms - Invoices are sent to parents; parents have sole responsibility for payment. Invoicing for school fees is done in eleven monthly instalments. Children who join mid-year are invoiced from the first of the month in which they join, regardless of the child's actual start date during that month. - Withdrawal notice and charge: notice begins from the 1st of the month following submission of the withdrawal form. The withdrawal fee is equivalent to three months' fees at the current rate; if the leaving date is sooner than three months, the full withdrawal fee (equivalent to three months' fees) will be charged. The three months' notice period includes holiday periods. Boarding fees (if applicable) - There is no boarding provision listed for BISS Preschool, BISS Gausel or BISS Sentrum; the schools operate as day schools (Preschool, Primary and Secondary). No boarding fees are published. Other costs and optional services - Preschool Snack Programme: NOK 1,650 per year (NOK 150 per month). - After-school care (SFO) at BISS Gausel (PYP1–PYP6): monthly charge for a 100% place is NOK 3,188; monthly charge for a 60% place (three days per week) is NOK 2,194. There is no sibling discount for SFO; refunds are not made for illness or holidays for SFO. - School clothing / uniform: school fees do not cover school clothing. Uniform items are purchased separately from the school's supplier (Trutex Europe) using the school LEA code; parents choose delivery options (ship-to-school or home delivery) and handle returns through the supplier's customer service. Uniform cost is separate and paid to the supplier. - Extra-curricular clubs, school trips and specific course materials: such items may incur additional charges where explicitly arranged; SFO and the Preschool snack programme are examples of such charged services. Specific charges for clubs or trips are published only where applicable. Refunds and returns - Acceptance fee refund: the acceptance fee (one month's fee) will be deducted from the first invoice and is not refundable if a place is accepted and the child does not attend. - Withdrawal fee: when a pupil leaves, the withdrawal fee equivalent to three months' fees will apply if notice is shorter than three months; the three-month notice period includes holidays. - SFO refunds: refunds are not made for illness or holidays for SFO places. - Uniform returns and refunds: uniform returns and refunds are handled by the uniform supplier (Trutex); the supplier processes refunds through its tracker and bank refunds may take several working days to clear. Parents must follow the supplier's returns process. Fee payment options and contact for payment queries - The fee pages state that invoices are sent to parents and that parents are responsible for payment, but specific public details of accepted payment methods (for example, bank transfer, card payment options) are not listed on the published fee pages. For queries about reduced payments or accounting matters the published contact is accounting@biss.no; school office email addresses for each campus are also provided for general enquiries. Summary of key headline figures (annual) - BISS Preschool (100% / 5 day): NOK 13,200 per year; Preschool application fee NOK 1,000; Preschool snack programme NOK 1,650 per year. - BISS Gausel (PYP & MYP): NOK 44,800 per annum (invoiced as NOK 4,073 per month over 11 instalments). - BISS Sentrum (PYP & MYP): NOK 44,800 per annum (invoiced as NOK 4,073 per month over 11 instalments).
Diving deeper	Diving deeper
Boarding arrangements	Boarding arrangements —	Boarding arrangements —
Uniform requirement	Uniform requirement —	Uniform requirement —
Food options	Food options —	Food options —
House system	House system —	House system —
Governance and ownership	Governance and ownership —	Governance and ownership —
Academics	Academics
Curriculum details	Curriculum details IB World School offering the Primary Years Programme (PYP) in English for ages 6 11 and the Middle Years Programme (MYP) in English for ages 116.	Curriculum details BISS Gausel and BISS Sentrum are IB World Schools offering the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the Middle Years Programme (MYP). The IB Continuum includes the Diploma Programme (DP) for older students. The language of instruction is English. Norwegian is integrated across the curriculum in both Primary and Secondary, with national testing at PYP5, MYP2 and MYP3. Preschool is integrated with the Norwegian Framework Plan, and English language development is supported within a multilingual environment. Learning is inquiry-based, and the school fosters intercultural understanding and international mindedness.
Student teacher ratio	Student teacher ratio —	Student teacher ratio —
Exam results	Exam results —	Exam results —
Higher education progression	Higher education progression —	Higher education progression —
Gifted and talented	Gifted and talented —	Gifted and talented —
Academic calendar	Academic calendar —	Academic calendar —
Wellbeing & support	Wellbeing & support
Social & emotional learning	Social & emotional learning —	Social & emotional learning —
Special educational needs (SEN)	Special educational needs (SEN) —	Special educational needs (SEN) —
English as an additional language	English as an additional language —	English as an additional language —
Mental wellbeing	Mental wellbeing —	Mental wellbeing —
Safeguarding	Safeguarding —	Safeguarding —
Safeguarding policy	Safeguarding policy —	Safeguarding policy —
Facilities	Facilities
Facilities overview	Facilities overview —	Facilities overview —
Sports facilities	Sports facilities —	Sports facilities —
Academic facilities	Academic facilities —	Academic facilities —
Extra curricular facilities	Extra curricular facilities —	Extra curricular facilities —
Parent experience	Parent experience
History	History —	History —
Community	Community —	Community —
Parent teacher association	Parent teacher association —	Parent teacher association —
Extra-curricular	Extra-curricular
Academic & intellectual	Academic & intellectual —	Academic & intellectual —
Arts & creative	Arts & creative —	Arts & creative —
Cultural & language	Cultural & language —	Cultural & language —
Social & hobbies	Social & hobbies —	Social & hobbies —
Community & service	Community & service —	Community & service —
Leadership & professional	Leadership & professional —	Leadership & professional —
Lifestyle & wellbeing	Lifestyle & wellbeing —	Lifestyle & wellbeing —
Language provision	Language provision
Language provision	Language provision —	Language provision —
Bilingual teaching	Bilingual teaching —	Bilingual teaching —
Immersion programs	Immersion programs —	Immersion programs —
Reputation	Reputation
Awards	Awards —	Awards —
Accreditations	Accreditations —	Accreditations —
Admissions	Admissions
Admissions	Admissions Step 1. Admissions are now open for Academic Year 2026-27. All applications for a place at BISS Gausel, BISS Sentrum and BISS Preschool are handled by the Admissions Department. This is a remote office and is not situated in any of the schools. All communications regarding applying for a place should go to admissions@biss.no. Step 2. Ready to Apply? The Admissions Office handles applications for all three schools via the Admissions portal. You need to create a parent profile and login, verify your email address, and log in with the password provided. You must complete separate applications for each of your children and for each school. You can save your application and come back to make changes; once you have submitted the application you will not be able to make any further changes. Step 3. Which Year Would Your Child Be In Academic Year 2026-27? Preschool - Classes are named EY (Early Years). For BISS Gausel and BISS Sentrum, Primary School year groups are PYP1 through PYP6, mapping to birth years 2020 through 2015. The Secondary School uses MYP1 through MYP5 for birth years 2014 through 2010. Please note that BISS Sentrum will move to Gauselbakken, the site of BISS Gausel, from the 2027-28 academic year. Step 4. Reduced Fees due to low income. Reduced Fees due to low income are offered for BISS Gausel and BISS Sentrum effective 1 January 2026. Applications for reduced Preschool fees should be done via Stavanger kommune. Applications for reduced parent payments must be made within the following time frame: by 15 December 2025, valid applications will be approved for the period January 2026 to June 2026; by 30 June for the 26-27 school year.	Admissions Step 1: Create a parent profile and login. The portal requires a parent profile to begin the process. You can manage applications for multiple children and schools from this profile. Separate applications are required for each child and for each school. Step 2: Verify your email address and then log in with the password provided. Verifying ensures you can access the portal and receive updates about your application. You can proceed to complete the application after logging in. Step 3: Complete the application form. You must submit separate applications for each child and for each school. You can save your progress and return to complete the form later. Step 4: Submit your application. Submitting finalizes the application. Once you have submitted, changes are not possible. Step 5: Apply for another school for the same student or another child, by returning to the dashboard. Use the dashboard to initiate additional applications. You can save progress and return to complete any outstanding applications.
Scholarships	Scholarships —	Scholarships —
Waitlist	Waitlist —	Waitlist —
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