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Sri Lanka, Colombo
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OSC supports social and emotional development through a structured counseling program in both Primary and Secondary. In Primary School, prevention is the focus, ensuring all students are safe, happy, and supported, with counselors delivering individual and group programs and a comprehensive social and emotional curriculum. The Primary School counselor provides classroom guidance and consults with parents and teachers to support students. In Secondary School, counseling offers social-emotional support and guidance for college applications, with one-on-one and group sessions and classroom lessons on topics including mental health awareness and safeguarding. OSC is committed to the wellbeing of every student and views this support as essential to success inside and beyond the classroom.
OSC provides Learning Support for students with mild learning differences. Services are offered by specialist teachers within the Primary and Secondary schools, using an inclusion model. Some students may receive one-to-one instruction outside of regular classrooms depending on need. OSC does not undertake to provide for all specialized educational needs or for all types of learning differences. Admission requires disclosure of the child's educational needs, and failure to disclose may result in withdrawal. If, during the year, an educational or emotional assessment is needed to support the child's learning or wellbeing, parents are required to cooperate.
English is the language of instruction at OSC, and an English as an Additional Language (EAL) program is maintained. In Primary School, EAL provides ongoing support as proficiency develops, with individualized instruction to develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills; as proficiency increases, confidence and independence grow; a Student Learning Plan is developed in consultation with teachers, parents, and the student. For Early Years and Kindergarten, English immersion is recommended. In Secondary School, EAL aims to build language proficiency and provide equitable access to the MYP curriculum for English language learners; entry, exit, and level of support are determined by proficiency assessments, achievement testing, and teacher observation; proficiency is assessed using the WIDA MODEL and MAP reading data; exit occurs when proficiency allows the student to work in English medium classes.
OSC prioritizes student mental wellbeing through a counseling program available in both Primary and Secondary. Primary counseling focuses on prevention and ensuring students are safe, happy, and supported, with a social-emotional curriculum and classroom guidance, in addition to individual and group counseling and consultation with parents or teachers. Secondary counseling provides social-emotional support and the knowledge and skills students need for the college counseling process, with one-on-one sessions, group sessions, and classroom lessons covering topics from mental health awareness to safeguarding. OSC is committed to supporting the wellbeing of each student inside and beyond the classroom.
OSC aligns with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Task Force on Child Protection (ITFCP) safeguarding standards and expects all individuals affiliated with the school to act with integrity and to keep students safe. Applicants must undergo thorough background checks, including police clearance every two years and reference checks. OSC strives to be a Child Safe Organisation, aware of signs and dangers of child abuse, and able to respond and report concerns regarding student safety and wellbeing. Reporting a concern is done by speaking with the Head of School, Principals, or Counselors, or by emailing the child protection officer.
Founded more than 65 years ago, the Overseas School of Colombo is a non-profit, co-educational English-medium day school serving ages 3 to 18. It offers the International Baccalaureate continuum—PYP for Early Years to Grade 5, MYP for Grades 6–10, and the Diploma Programme for Grades 11–12—with self-taught mother-tongue support and online Pamoja options. OSC is the only IB World School in Sri Lanka. The school's motto, Unity in Diversity, guides a holistic, inquiry-based approach; the curriculum emphasizes international-mindedness, learner ownership, and, in the DP, Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and CAS. The five-acre, green campus houses six buildings, four science labs, three design labs, two libraries with over 25,000 volumes, and extensive arts and IT facilities, plus a 25-metre pool, gym, auditorium, and multiple playing fields. A broad after-school program includes AMC Math Club, Linguistic Adventures, COMUN, and SAISA, with service learning through CAS and Week Without Walls.
