Uplands school offers an international education to students from all over the world. To gain admittance into the School, students must have a certain level of proficiency in English. They must be able to learn in English and be able to benefit fully from the curriculum offered.  The level of English required to study effectively at secondary level is obviously higher than that required in the primary section.

Primary

In the Primary section, a trained ESL teacher provides both withdrawal and in- class support for ESL students. These classes are made up of small, mixed age groups. Activities are designed to promote confidence in listening, reading, writing and speaking.

A wide range of stimulating and challenging activities is provided and tolerance and respect for others is encouraged. In order to build self-esteem and self-confidence, ESL classes are small and held in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere where individual learning styles are taken into account.

Secondary

Secondary Students whose first language is not English take the Oxford Online Placement Test  as part of the admission procedure. The test assesses their level of English and grades them according to the CEF (Common European Framework) levels.  As the level of English needed to function in the school increases the higher up the school a student is studying, so the level required to enter each year group also increases.  A student may enter Year 7 with A1 level (minimal English) but will need to be at B1 level to enter Years 9 or 10.  However, the students writing skills and oral skills (assessed during interview) are also taken into account.