Svenska Skolan London vs The Norwegian School in London
Svenska Skolan London and The Norwegian School in London are both in London, about 8 km apart. Both schools offer Bespoke programmes, and Svenska Skolan London also offers Montessori. Published annual fees are £13,500 - 16,900 at Svenska Skolan London and £2,200 - 19,000 at The Norwegian School in London, which puts Svenska Skolan London roughly 43% higher. Svenska Skolan London takes pupils from 2 to 19, and The Norwegian School in London from 6 to 16. Svenska Skolan London is the larger school, with around 238 pupils to The Norwegian School in London's 53. Typical class sizes are 20 at Svenska Skolan London and 15 at The Norwegian School in London.
Based in Barnes and Kew, London, with the Förskola and Grundskola campus at 82 Lonsdale Road, Barnes, London SW13 9JS, and the Gymnasium campus at The National Archives, Bessant Drive, Kew, Richmond TW9 4DU.
Location
The Norwegian School in London is in Wimbledon, London. Address: 28 Arterberry Road, Wimbledon SW20 8AH, United Kingdom. The school is a short walk from Wimbledon Station, which has Tube and National Rail links, and Raynes Park Station. The surrounding area is residential Wimbledon.
Stages
Stages
Early Years (2–5), Primary School (6–16) and Gymnasium (upper secondary).
Stages
Primary School Y1-4; Primary School Y5-7; Secondary School Y8-10.
School type
School type
Independent Swedish international school.
School type
Norwegian international school following the Norwegian LK-20 curriculum.
Pupil nationality mix
Pupil nationality mix
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Pupil nationality mix
Pupils come from Norway, the rest of Scandinavia, the UK and beyond.
Additional learning support
Additional learning support
SEND support provided by a dedicated team including a Special Pedagogue.
Additional learning support
Norwegian as a second language support with individualized education plans; pupils with insufficient Norwegian receive extra support and follow their own Norwegian IEP until they can follow ordinary Norwegian teaching; English language tuition is maintained to a high standard.
Country affiliation
Country affiliation
Affiliated with Sweden; education follows the Swedish curriculum in a British context.
Country affiliation
Norway.
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation
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Religious affiliation
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School day structure
School day structure
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School day structure
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Bus service details
Bus service details
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Bus service details
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Fees
Fees
Fee details
Fee details
Application / Registration fee
- A non‑refundable registration fee of GBP 200 is charged at the time of application.
Förskola (Preschool) — tuition by age group
- Ages 2–3: Annual tuition GBP 13,500. Billed in two instalments (June/July and November/December). Each instalment therefore equals GBP 6,750. Families with three or more children at the school receive a 30% discount for the third child. Children who start after 30 October or after 31 March pay half a term's fee. Included in the fee are teaching, teaching and writing materials, school healthcare, school jumpers, a hot lunch prepared on site and two healthy snacks; nappies are provided for 2‑year‑olds. The fee does not cover extra tuition, extra trips/activities beyond what is listed, damage to school property not covered by insurance or loss/damage to personal belongings.
- Ages 3–5: Annual tuition GBP 16,200. Billed in two instalments (June/July and November/December). Each instalment therefore equals GBP 8,100. Same sibling discount and start‑date pro rata rule apply.
- Annual tuition GBP 16,800. The fee is billed in two instalments (June/July and November/December); each instalment therefore equals GBP 8,400. Families with three or more children at the school receive a 30% discount for the third child. Pupils who start after 30 October or after 31 March pay half a term's fee. The tuition includes teaching according to the school's programme and timetable, teaching/drawing/writing materials, one school trip per year for Years 3–9, one theatre performance per year, one afternoon activity per week (excluding external‑run activities), school healthcare, the school's student insurance, school jumpers, a hot lunch prepared on site and swimming as part of physical education. The fee excludes extra tuition or special‑needs support, school trips and external activities beyond those listed, damage caused by the pupil not covered by insurance, and loss/damage of pupils' personal belongings or clothing. A non‑refundable registration fee of GBP 200 is payable on application.
Gymnasium / Sixth Form (post‑16) — tuition
- Annual tuition for permanent resident students in London: GBP 16,900 (this fee is invoiced in two instalments, in June and December, and must be paid prior to the start of each term). Each instalment therefore equals GBP 8,450. A 30% sibling discount is offered for families with three or more children. The tuition covers teaching and course literature and school healthcare. The fee does not cover extra tuition or special‑needs support, damage to school premises or materials not covered by the school's insurance, or loss/damage of personal belongings or clothing. A non‑refundable registration fee of GBP 200 is payable on application. Post‑16 students commonly live with host families rather than in school boarding houses.
Billing schedule and payment terms
- For Förskola and Grundskola the annual fee is billed in two instalments, issued in June/July and November/December. Students who start after 30 October or after 31 March are charged half a term's fee. For the Gymnasium the annual fee is invoiced in two instalments (June and December) and payment is required before the start of the corresponding term. The registration/application fee is non‑refundable and is payable at application.
Boarding / accommodation
- The school does not operate on‑site boarding houses. Post‑16 students who come for exchange or study commonly live with school‑approved host families; host families are compensated monthly. Any payments related to host family accommodation are arranged through the school's host‑family programme.
Other costs and fees
- Uniform / school jumpers: School jumpers are included in the tuition for both preschool and primary/secondary pupils. Additional uniform items, specialist kit for certain activities or replacement items for lost personal clothing are not specified as included. Extra tuition, external activities beyond those explicitly listed, additional school trips, and damage to school property or personal belongings are excluded from the tuition and may incur additional charges. Families with three or more children receive a 30% discount for the third child.
Refund information
- The registration/application fee is non‑refundable. Students who start after the dates indicated (after 30 October or after 31 March for preschool and grundskola) are charged half a term's fee rather than a full annual charge. No additional refundable‑fee provisions are specified in the tuition pages for the standard tuition or registration charge.
Fee payment options and instructions
- Bank transfer (BACS / international bank transfer) is accepted. Payment details for GBP payments to the school's HSBC account are provided as follows: - Account name: The Swedish School Society in London Ltd - Bank: HSBC Bank plc, 172 Upper Richmond Road, Putney, London SW15 2SH - Sort code: 40‑01‑09 - Account number: 01089897 - IBAN: GB79HBUK40010901089897 - BIC: HBUKGB4B
- A SEK account (Nordea, Sweden) is also provided for payments in SEK with IBAN SE56 9500 0099 6026 1827 5966 and BIC NDEASESS; Bankgiro: 5078‑7480. For registration fees the school requests that payment references include the applicant's date of birth (yy/mm/dd) and as much of the student's name as fits; for invoice payments the invoice number and account reference should be used as reference. These bank transfer instructions are published for fee payments.
Summary of headline amounts (per year and per instalment)
- Förskola (age 2–3): Annual GBP 13,500 — per instalment GBP 6,750. - Förskola (age 3–5): Annual GBP 16,200 — per instalment GBP 8,100. - Grundskola (ages 6–16): Annual GBP 16,800 — per instalment GBP 8,400. - Gymnasium (permanent resident students in London): Annual GBP 16,900 — per instalment GBP 8,450.
Fee details
Application fees
- A deposit of GBP 250 is required per place on acceptance of an offer; this deposit is paid as part of the admission process.
- Category A (applicants not eligible for Norwegian State Grants): GBP 19,000 + VAT per child per year. - Category B (applicants eligible for Norwegian State Grants and whose parents are funded by employers): GBP 8,000 + VAT per child per year. - Category C1 (applicants eligible for Norwegian State Grants where parents do not receive employer contribution — first child): GBP 3,200 + VAT per child per year. - Category C2 (eligible for Norwegian State Grants, second child): GBP 2,700 + VAT per child per year. - Category C3 (eligible for Norwegian State Grants, additional child): GBP 2,200 + VAT per child per year.
Per-term examples (calculations based on published annual fees)
- The school's published fee schedule gives annual fees by applicant category and does not publish a single standard termly figure for every family. The published admissions rules do state that a short-term place requires payment equal to "one term (6 months)," indicating the school may treat a short-term place as a half-year charge in admissions cases.
- Example term splits (calculated estimates): - If an annual fee is divided across three standard terms: - Category A ≈ GBP 6,333.33 + VAT per term; Category B ≈ GBP 2,666.67 + VAT per term; C1 ≈ GBP 1,066.67 + VAT; C2 ≈ GBP 900.00 + VAT; C3 ≈ GBP 733.33 + VAT. (These are the annual fees divided by 3; used only as an illustrative split.) - If the school applies a two-term (6-month) definition for the short-stay term referenced in admissions: - Category A = GBP 9,500 + VAT per 6-month term; Category B = GBP 4,000 + VAT; C1 = GBP 1,600 + VAT; C2 = GBP 1,350 + VAT; C3 = GBP 1,100 + VAT. (These are the annual fees divided by 2; shown because the admissions policy specifically references a "one term (6 months)" charge for short stays.)
Billing schedule and payment terms
- A place must be taken up no later than four weeks after it is offered. Payment of school fees for the entire period is required from the school start date allocated. Short-term applications (minimum three months) must pay an amount equal to one term (defined in the admissions policy as 6 months) regardless of whether the stay is shorter. A contract for a school place must be signed and the GBP 250 deposit paid to reserve the place.
- The published fee schedule lists amounts as "+ VAT," which means VAT is added on top of the stated annual sums where applicable.
Boarding fees
- Boarding is not applicable. The Norwegian School in London is an independent day school; pupils live in various parts of London and there is no published boarding provision or boarding fee.
Other costs and additional charges
- Special Educational Needs: For applicants who are not eligible for Norwegian State Grants, any costs related to Special Educational Needs will be charged additionally at the Head Teacher's discretion.
- The published school fee schedule does not list fixed, itemised charges for uniform, lunches, school trips, music tuition or after-school clubs as part of the headline annual fees document. Where additional or optional activities incur charges, those items are not shown as fixed line items in the published annual-fees schedule.
Refund information
- The published admissions and fees documentation requires payment of the deposit and payment for the period from the allocated start date but does not publish a separate, detailed refund policy or explicit rules for returning the GBP 250 deposit in the publicly available fee and admission policy documents. The published materials do not specify termly refund calculations or refund deadlines.
Fee payment options
- The published fee and admissions documents do not list specific accepted payment methods (for example: credit card, bank transfer, direct debit) in the fee schedule or admissions policy. The school's published policies and fee schedule show amounts, deposit requirements and payment timing rules but do not include bank or card instructions in the fee policy document.
Brief summary of what is published vs what is not published
- Published and explicit: annual tuition amounts by applicant category (Category A, B, C1, C2, C3) and that VAT is added; a GBP 250 deposit per place; requirement to pay for the allocated period from the start date; short-stay applicants must pay an amount equal to one term (stated as 6 months).
- Not published in the school's fee and admissions documents: a single, universal termly invoice amount or per-year-group (per school year / per year group) fixed fees; a full billing calendar or standard termly invoice dates; itemised routine charges for uniform, lunches, trips, music or after-school clubs; detailed refund terms and the school's accepted payment methods. These items are not set out in the published fee schedule or admissions policy.
Diving deeper
Diving deeper
Boarding arrangements
Boarding arrangements
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Boarding arrangements
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Uniform requirement
Uniform requirement
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Uniform requirement
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Food options
Food options
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Food options
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House system
House system
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House system
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Governance and ownership
Governance and ownership
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Governance and ownership
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Academics
Academics
Curriculum details
Curriculum details
The Swedish School London provides education for Swedish-speaking pupils. Some subjects are taught in English. It follows the Swedish national curriculum for preschool, primary and gymnasium within a British context. Language development occurs in Swedish and English across subjects. Preschool (2–5), Grundskola (6–16) and Gymnasium are offered, with the sixth form housed at The National Archives site in Kew.
Curriculum details
The Norwegian School in London follows the Norwegian national curriculum LK-20 in full. It blends the Norwegian curriculum with London as an extended classroom to reflect British values alongside Norwegian educational priorities. Years 1–2 and 3–4 have a total of 23 hours per week of teaching, while Years 5–7 and Years 8–10 have 28.5 hours per week, with subject offerings including Norwegian, English, a third language (German/French/Spanish), Maths, Science, Social Studies, KRLE, Music, Art & Craft, Home Economics and Physical Education; there is career guidance and optional subjects in later years. English is taught with both a native English-speaking teacher and a Norwegian teacher, and the curriculum is largely topic-based and cross-curricular in line with fagfornyelsen. The school uses London as a classroom, with trips to museums, theatres and other cultural sites; reading development is supported by The Oxford Reading Tree and Cambridge ESOL exams (KET, PET and FCE) for Years 5–7.
Student teacher ratio
Student teacher ratio
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Student teacher ratio
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Exam results
Exam results
Outstanding by Ofsted for fourteen consecutive years. The Ofsted report notes high-quality education and strong pupil outcomes. Pupils achieve highly, with 286 points, 52 points above the Swedish average on national assessments.
Exam results
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Higher education progression
Higher education progression
Graduates go on to prestigious universities including Cambridge, St Andrews, LSE, Imperial College London, King's College London, Princeton University, Sorbonne University, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Stockholm School of Economics, KTH, Chalmers University of Technology, Lund University, and other leading institutions.
Higher education progression
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Gifted and talented
Gifted and talented
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Gifted and talented
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Academic calendar
Academic calendar
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Academic calendar
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Wellbeing & support
Wellbeing & support
Social & emotional learning
Social & emotional learning
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Social & emotional learning
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Special educational needs (SEN)
Special educational needs (SEN)
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Special educational needs (SEN)
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English as an additional language
English as an additional language
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English as an additional language
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Mental wellbeing
Mental wellbeing
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Mental wellbeing
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Safeguarding
Safeguarding
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Safeguarding
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Safeguarding policy
Safeguarding policy
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Safeguarding policy
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Facilities
Facilities
Facilities overview
Facilities overview
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Facilities overview
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Sports facilities
Sports facilities
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Sports facilities
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Academic facilities
Academic facilities
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Academic facilities
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Extra curricular facilities
Extra curricular facilities
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Extra curricular facilities
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Parent experience
Parent experience
History
History
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History
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Community
Community
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Community
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Parent teacher association
Parent teacher association
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Parent teacher association
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Extra-curricular
Extra-curricular
Academic & intellectual
Academic & intellectual
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Academic & intellectual
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Arts & creative
Arts & creative
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Arts & creative
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Cultural & language
Cultural & language
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Cultural & language
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Social & hobbies
Social & hobbies
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Social & hobbies
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Community & service
Community & service
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Community & service
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Leadership & professional
Leadership & professional
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Leadership & professional
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Lifestyle & wellbeing
Lifestyle & wellbeing
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Lifestyle & wellbeing
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Language provision
Language provision
Language provision
Language provision
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Language provision
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Bilingual teaching
Bilingual teaching
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Bilingual teaching
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Immersion programs
Immersion programs
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Immersion programs
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Reputation
Reputation
Awards
Awards
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Awards
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Accreditations
Accreditations
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Accreditations
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Admissions
Admissions
Admissions
Admissions
1. Choose the program and campus. The Swedish School London offers Preschool (Förskola), Grundskola (primary and secondary) and Gymnasium. Preschool and Grundskola are based at 82 Lonsdale Road, Barnes, London SW13 9JS; Gymnasium operates at The National Archives, Bessant Drive, Kew, Richmond TW9 4DU. The school follows the Swedish curriculum and issues diplomas under Swedish law, and all gymnasium programs provide full eligibility to universities in Sweden, the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
2. Start the application. The school accepts applications year-round for guest students who wish to study one or two terms, and for families transferring from British, international and Swedish schools. Start the application via the Apply Here link to the SchoolSoft portal.
3. Preschool fees and inclusions. For 2025/2026, Preschool fees are 13,500 GBP per year for ages 2–3 and 16,200 GBP per year for ages 3–5, with a 30% discount for the third child. Fees are paid in two instalments (June/July and November/December). A non-refundable registration fee of £200 is payable with the application. Inclusions cover teaching and curriculum, learning materials, school health care, school jerseys, hot lunch prepared on site with two snacks, and diapers for 2-year-olds.
4. Grundskola fees and inclusions. For 2025/2026, Grundskola fees are 16,800 GBP per year with a 30% discount for the third child, paid in two instalments (June/July and November/December). If starting after October 30 or March 31, half of the term fee is payable. A non-refundable registration fee of £200 is payable with the application. Inclusions cover teaching and curriculum, learning materials, one school trip per year for Grades 3–9, a theatre production per year, one after-school activity per week, health care, school insurance, school jerseys, hot lunch on site, and swimming as part of physical education.
5. Registration and how to apply. A non-refundable registration fee of £200 is payable with the application.
6. General notes about admissions. Applications to the Gymnasium follow the same pathway, with guest-student options available; all gymnasium programs provide full eligibility to universities. Applications are accepted year-round for guest students or families from other schools, and the Swedish curriculum is followed throughout.
Admissions
1. The school is open to applicants who support the school ethos and wish to receive education based on the Norwegian Curriculum; the main language of tuition is Norwegian. Applicants who are not Norwegian citizens may be asked to attend an interview or prove sufficient knowledge of Norwegian (or another Scandinavian language); the Head Teacher will decide on suitability. Norwegian State Grants may also cover Special Education following separate decisions by Norwegian authorities. For those not eligible for Norwegian State Grants, full fees are payable as determined by the Governors; any costs related to Special Educational Needs will be charged additionally. The governors have absolute discretion to approve or reject any admission application. 2. Admission is based on completion of an Application Form from the school homepage and submission of the information requested therein. 3. The Deadline for Applications is 1st March for starting the following School Year; however applications may be accepted and admission granted at other times provided that there are sufficient places available. Capacity is such that all applicants who satisfy the criteria are expected to be offered a place. 4. Pupils already on roll will keep their places for the following year. 5. Applications are subject to priority as follows: 5.1 Children in the Nursery applying for place on Year 1; 5.2 Staff Members' and Board Members' Children; 5.3 Children with siblings in the school; 5.4 Seniority of application. 6. Short stay applications: 6.1 Applications for an entire School Year have priority over applications for One Term; 6.2 Short-term applications of minimum three months may be considered if there are sufficient places available in the relevant year group; applicants must pay the fee equal to one term (6 months) regardless of the actual length of stay. 7. A place must be taken up no later than four weeks after the place is available; payment is required for the entire period from the day the place is allocated as the first school day. 8. Applications submitted before the deadline will be handled as follows: 8.1 An Admission Committee Meeting will be held within one week; 8.2 The Admission Committee is chaired by the Head Teacher; 8.3 Outcomes will be provided before 15 March; 8.4 If there is a waiting list, a new Admission Committee meeting will be held in the first week of May. 9. Following initial admission to the Primary or Secondary School, all of these requirements must be met before a place is allocated and reserved: 9.1 Completion of an Admission Form with additional information; 9.2 Payment of a deposit of £250 per place; 9.3 Signing of a Contract for a School Place. 10. For pupils with Special Educational Needs, adequate and complete information in good time is essential for preparing teaching and training. 11. Complaints: 11.1 Any complaints should be handled according to the School Complaints Procedure; 11.2 Norwegian citizens will also have a separate right to file a complaint with Norwegian authorities if an application for a place is not approved. The school will provide further information in case of a rejection.
Scholarships
Scholarships
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Scholarships
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Waitlist
Waitlist
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Waitlist
Waiting list: A waiting list may be used. If a waiting list exists, an Admission Committee Meeting is held within the first week of May.