Wahaha International School

Wahaha International School is located at 5 Yaojiang Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou — one block from the Qianjiang River in central Hangzhou. The campus is in the city centre (Shangcheng) and is reachable by local public transport; parents relocating should check local bus/metro routes for exact connections.

WIS serves Grade 1 through Grade 9 (Primary Years Programme for Grades 1–5 and the IB Middle Years Programme for Grades 6–9). The school is organized into a primary (Grades 1–5) and a middle/MYP section (Grades 6–9).

WIS is a non-profit, English‑language immersion international day school that accepts both boys and girls (co‑educational). It offers an IB‑based curriculum alongside a strong Chinese language programme.

WIS provides a Student Support team with teacher advisors and a school counsellor; the school runs EAL (English as an Additional Language) and CAL (Chinese as an Additional Language) programmes and uses differentiated instruction to meet individual needs. The Student Support team also guides families through high‑school placement and overseas transition where needed.

The school is based in China and operates as an international (IB) school; it does not indicate formal affiliation to another country's national school system.

WIS does not state a religious affiliation on its official materials; programming is presented as secular and curriculum‑focused.

Public information about daily bell times is limited on the school site; third‑party listings indicate a typical school day runs roughly from about 08:00 to 15:40 (confirm with admissions for exact daily bell times, breaks and any grade‑specific variations). The school's academic calendar and admissions team can confirm the precise timetables for each division.

Wahaha International School delivers an IB-based program for Grades 1–9 and is authorized to offer the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP). The PYP is taught in Grades 1–5 and uses six transdisciplinary inquiry units per year with daily instruction in language acquisition (English and Chinese), mathematics, sciences, social studies, the arts, and physical/social/personal education. The MYP covers Grades 6–9 across eight subject groups—language and literature, language acquisition, mathematics, sciences, individuals and societies, design, arts, and physical and health education—and includes specialised options such as Chinese language and literature, programming, public speaking and maker courses. WIS maintains a distinct Chinese language and culture programme with separate curricula and school‑based textbooks for native and non‑native speakers and specified weekly Chinese lesson allocations. The overall curriculum integrates the IB framework with standards such as Common Core, NGSS and elements of the Chinese national curriculum, and emphasises STEAM, EAL support, design/innovation and service learning (including UN Sustainable Development Goals).

WIS assigns every student a teacher advisor who tracks academic, social and emotional development and supports home–school communication. The school states it uses restorative practices and positive-discipline approaches to give students a voice in creating class and school rules. Classroom-level examples of SEL-focused practice appear in PYP posts that describe mixed-class collaborative projects that develop caring, open‑minded and cooperative behaviours. The Student Support team is described as working with teachers to provide differentiated and pastoral support.

WIS describes a Student Support Team that collaborates with classroom teachers to provide differentiated teaching and extra support, and notes language and counselling support are available. The school emphasises purposeful differentiation to meet individual learner needs. The website does not provide details about specific categories of special educational needs it can support, nor does it state that it is a specialist SEN institution. For this reason, the school does not publicly disclose which types of SEN it supports or whether it offers specialist SEN provision.

WIS states it offers English as an Additional Language (EAL) and groups students by English proficiency, with specialised EAL courses and small‑group instruction to build social and academic language. The school says EAL teachers collaborate closely with homeroom teachers and the language‑support team to help students access the curriculum. EAL staff and programmes are listed among the faculty and in articles describing differentiated learning at the school.

The school lists a School Counselor role and describes counsellors working with families; counsellors are named on faculty pages and have counselling and PSHE experience. A recent faculty profile names a counsellor (Ashley Zhang) with qualifications in social work and experience in youth mental‑health, suicide‑prevention and PSHE teaching. The Student Support page notes the counselor works closely with families and advisors as part of student guidance and transitions. These descriptions indicate dedicated staff and pastoral structures for student mental‑wellbeing, but the site does not publish a detailed mental‑health policy.

The school's website does not publish a standalone safeguarding or child‑protection policy. WIS does describe pastoral arrangements — teacher advisors, counsellors and restorative/positive‑discipline approaches — but there is no publicly available page labelled as a formal safeguarding or child‑protection policy on the site. Therefore, the school does not publicly disclose a dedicated safeguarding/child‑protection policy document online. For further clarification, contact the school's admissions or administration office.

1. Initial inquiry and tour. Start by scheduling a school tour or classroom visit so you can see teaching and student interaction in person; WIS recommends this as the first step and offers campus tours. During the visit ask for the Admissions calendar and whether there are upcoming assessment dates for your child's grade. (Source: WIS admissions/FAQ).

2. Confirm eligibility and prepare documents. WIS admits students in Grades 1–9 and gives priority to dependents of foreign nationals legally residing in China, residents of Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan with appropriate documentation, and Chinese nationals with foreign permanent residence — you will need passports, residence permits, Home Return Certificates or green cards as applicable. Before applying, gather those identity/residency documents, past school transcripts, recommendation letters (if available) and any standardized-test records the school requests. If you are unsure which documents apply to your family, request a short checklist from Admissions.

3. Submit the application and pay the application fee. Applications are submitted through the school's online application system (the site points families to hwis.openapply.cn) and require a non-refundable application fee (listed on the site as RMB 2,000). Complete the application form and upload the required documents carefully — the application fee confirms your application is processed but does not guarantee a place. If you have questions about forms or file formats, contact the Admissions office before submitting.

4. Assessment and parent interview. After the application is received, WIS's process typically includes a classroom observation/assessment and an interview with parents; for primary applicants there is a reading diagnostic and for middle-year applicants expect diagnostic tests plus English and math testing. The classroom observation shows how your child behaves in a real class setting; parents should prepare to discuss their child's academic history, learning needs, and family plans during the interview. If your child uses additional learning support or has health/IEP needs, disclose this early so the school can explain available support.

5. Decision timeline and offer. The school states applicants are usually notified within about two weeks after assessment, and WIS accepts applications year‑round and offers places on a rolling basis; this means decisions can come relatively quickly but availability depends on class capacity. Ask Admissions at your visit whether the specific grade you are applying to currently has spaces (each grade is divided into two classes with a maximum of 22 students per class). If offered a place, read the offer letter carefully for deadlines to accept and for any deposits or paperwork required to reserve the seat.

6. Enrollment, fees and next steps. If you accept an offer you will move to the enrollment stage, sign the school contract and arrange payment of tuition and associated fees; WIS publishes a fee schedule for each academic year (for 2025–2026 the site shows annual tuition of RMB 162,500 for Grades 1–5 and RMB 180,500 for Grades 6–9, plus meal and activity fees and uniform arrangements). Verify which fees are annual vs term, whether meals and activities are charged per year or per term, and how uniforms are purchased (the site indicates uniforms are bought by parents from a designated online shop). Confirm due dates, refund rules, and the school's preferred payment methods before completing enrollment.

7. Mid‑year and practical points. Because WIS runs rolling admissions, mid‑year applications are accepted but the school will place students according to available space and assessment results; ask Admissions how the school handles curriculum continuity and any pro‑rated fee arrangements. Also confirm start‑of‑school orientation dates, immunization or medical form requirements, and whether the school has any restrictions or requirements for international travel/visas relevant to enrollment. Keep copies of all submitted documents and receipts, and maintain contact with the Admissions office during the final steps.

WIS's public materials state the school accepts applications year‑round and offers places on a rolling basis, and the FAQ notes that parents are usually notified within about two weeks after assessment. The school website does not include a published, detailed waitlist or pool policy (it does not describe how a waiting list is maintained, the order for offers, or conditions for moving off a waitlist). If you are applying to a grade that is full, contact Admissions directly (phone or admission WeChat listed on the site) to ask whether the school operates an internal waiting list and how to register or keep your application active; Admissions can confirm current capacity and any family actions needed.