| 1.Q | : | When was Nantawan International School (NIS) established ? |
| A | : | NIS was established in 2000. |
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| 2.Q | : | How many students study at NIS? |
| A | : | There are now over 350 students at NIS. |
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| 3.Q | : | What age groups can study at NIS? |
| A | : | NIS accepts students in 4 sections: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, Primary and Secondary.
Pre Kindergarten students are aged 1.5 -3 years. The Kindergarten accepts students aged 3-7 years; the Primary section enrols students aged 6-13 years, while the Secondary section is for students aged 13+. |
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| 4.Q | : | Where is NIS? |
| A | : | NIS is situated in a suburb of Bangkok called Bangplee. It has good access to major routes including the Outer Ring Road, Bang Na Trad Road, Srinagarindra Road & Theperak Road (near the Outer Ring Road’s THEPARAK exit). |
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| 5.Q | : | How many teachers & staff are there at NIS? |
| A | : | This year NIS has 44 teachers and 19 staff from 8 different countries. |
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| 6.Q | : | Does NIS have specialist subject teachers? |
| A | : | Yes, it has specialist ESL, Chinese, Mathematics, Science, Computing, Music, PE and Thai Dance teachers. |
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| 7.Q | : | What curriculum does NIS follow? |
| A | : | NIS is licensed by the Thai Ministry of Education, which approves our curriculum. We cover all aspects of what the Thai MoE prescribes and supplement this with addenda derived from various international curricula. In Mathematics and Science we use a curriculum from the US; our English curriculum is from the UK. Our policy at NIS is to make selective use of whichever curricula have proved themselves to be most beneficial for our students. |
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| 8.Q | : | What is an English Programme (E-Programme)? |
| A | : | In 1992 Thai Government allowed local parents to send their children to international schools in Thailand if they so wished, and since that time there has been growing interest in this prospect. While the number of international schools in Thailand has increased as a result, there is also a feeling that the latter may not invariably provide the best training in Thai language and culture. Consequently a further educational reform was enacted by the quondam government enabling private schools in the Kingdom to use a bilingual approach when following the Thai Ministry of Education-approved curriculum with English as the principal medium of instruction. |
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| | | The result is that various Thai schools now offer English (or E-) Programmes, which both deliver a substantial part of their education in English and retain express provision for Thai language and culture. |
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| 9.Q | : | Why does NIS refer to its ‘Superior English Programme’? |
| A | : | Nantawan Trilingual School offers a Superior English Programme supplemented by Thai and Chinese classes. It is licensed by the Royal Thai Ministry of Education and holds Cambridge International Centreship. Its trilingual orientation offers an excellent preparation for higher education and life after studies. |
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| | | Primary Level students at Prathom 1-6 have 9 lessons per day in English, Maths, Science, Thai, Chinese, Computing, Art, Music, PE and other subjects. Secondary Level students from Mathayom 1 upwards follow a broadly similar timetable, with greater scope for pursuing individual academic interests as students grow older. |
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| | | We call this a Superior English Programme for 4 reasons. |
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| | | Firstly NIS students speak English all day. This is unusual and very beneficial: NIS has been consistently commended by Thai MoE E-programme inspectors for its exclusive use of English throughout all E-programme lessons. This helps NIS students think as well as speaking and writing in English. |
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| | | Secondly all NIS Superior E-programme students take Cambridge Examination Board (UK) ESOL tests as part of their studies. Each year NIS is proud to announce the names of those of its students who receive Cambridge ESOL certificates following their studies on its Superior E-programme. |
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| | | Thirdly NIS’ Superior E-programme supplements its syllabuses with various international ingredients (e.g. its Science and Mathematics syllabuses are both derived from the USA). This enhances students’ exposure to international education as a complement to their Thai MoE-approved syllabus. |
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| | | Fourthly NIS is an approved Cambridge International Centre fully authorised to deliver courses within the excellent academic framework provided by Cambridge International Examinations (the international examining board linked to the 800-year old University of Cambridge in the UK). |
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| | | NIS’ Superior English Programme thus has a number of special features other schools’ E-programmes lack. Together these special features make NIS’ Superior E-programme unique and superior to others. |
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| 10.Q | : | What are NIS’ Thai and foreign teachers’ qualifications? |
| A | : | As a general principle Thai and foreign teachers wishing to teach at an English Programme School in Thailand should hold a Bachelor’s degree in a subject relevant to the subject(s) they wish to teach together with a valid teaching qualification. |
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| | | Foreign teachers must evince a competent and clear standard of English pronunciation (as would be expected from native speakers). They should also have received training in how to address significant local conditions (such as the nature of Thailand’s education system, the MoE-approved as curriculum and Thai language and culture). |
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| | | Non-native speaking teachers must demonstrate a high level of competence in the English language (e.g. a minimum of TOEFL 550 or IELTS 5.5 for IELTS). |
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| | | NIS applies these standards to those of its teachers who teach on its Superior English Programme on the basis of applicable laws and regulations. |
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| 11.Q | : | If parents aren’t proficient in English, does this pose any obstacle? |
| A | : | No, but if parents do have good English language skills, these will help their children by reinforcing at home what they learn at NIS. |
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| 12.Q | : | Can English Programme students transfer to Thai or international schools later? |
| A | : | Yes: there is substantial overlap between the curricula followed by the three categories of school. NIS is happy to liaise with other schools over individual students’ needs when situations of this kind arise. |
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| 13.Q | : | Are NIS’ textbooks formally approved? |
| A | : | Yes: all textbooks used at NIS are certified by the Ministry of Education’s English Programme Department. |
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| 14.Q | : | What assessment and testing systems are used at NIS? |
| A | : | NIS’ Superior English Programme student assessment procedures are based on applicable ministerial regulations. Academic, linguistic and character-based tests; study records are provided in English (with Thai versions whenever appropriate). |
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| 15.Q | : | How are NIS’ English Programme students assessed? |
| A | : | The assessment of each English Programme student at NIS is conducted in accordance with Ministry of Education criteria. Each student is assessed at levels ranging from Grades 3, 6 and 12. |
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| 16.Q | : | Does NIS offer bespoke English language qualifications for its students? |
| A | : | Yes, every year University of Cambridge External Examiners visit NIS to assess students in the world-recognised ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) tests. The latter are marked in the UK and result in each NIS student receiving formal certification from the 800-year old University of Cambridge. Our students have been remarkably successful in these Cambridge ESOL tests over successive years. |
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| 17.Q | : | What Thai certification do NIS students receive? |
| A | : | As NIS students complete their subject studies at NIS at different levels, so they receive certificates in accordance with Ministry of Education regulations. These are provided in e.g. ป.05 (Primary Report Book) and รบ.1- ต (Secondary Report Book). A certificate of basic education comprises a transcript of ปพ.1 |
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| 18.Q | : | For university entrance, do NIS’ Superior English Programme students have any advantage or disadvantage compared to graduates of ordinary Thai schools? |
| A | : | In theory they enjoy equal opportunities, but NIS’ Superior English Program students definitely have a strong advantage where English skills are concerned. |
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| 19.Q | : | Where can students, who complete grade 12 at NIS, continue in higher education? |
| A | : | Students who complete grade 12 at NIS can go to an overseas university (e.g. in an English speaking country) or attend a local or international programme at a university in Thailand or China. |
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| 20.Q | : | What extra-curricular activities does NIS offer? |
| A | : | NIS offers music (piano, violin etc), swimming, taekwondo, sports, Thai dancing and cooking. |
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| 21.Q | : | What special projects can NIS students join? |
| A | : | NIS runs special projects for Christmas, Chinese New Year, Songkran, Halloween and many other Thai, Chinese and international festivals and celebrations. Students learn about the cultural backgrounds to these festivals and always have great fun demonstrating their practical skills with suitable clothing, artefacts etc (sometimes with a little help from their parents!). |
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| 22.Q | : | Does NIS run after school classes? |
| A | : | Yes. NIS runs homework classes, extra English, extra Chinese, music & sports. |
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| 23.Q | : | Does NIS have a school ‘bus service? |
| A | : | Yes, NIS’ ‘bus service can collect and deliver your child every day. Please contact the School Office for further information. |
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| 24.Q | : | Does NIS offer boarding accommodation for students? |
| A | : | Yes. Students whose home is far from NIS can stay in our comfortable boarding home with qualified staff to look after them. |
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| 25.Q | : | Does NIS run an exchange student programme to allow students to study abroad? |
| A | : | Yes, we often run exchange programmes with other schools (e.g. in Taiwan). In the future we are planning to extend our range of exchange partners to include schools in English-speaking countries. |
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| 26.Q | : | Do students at NIS only receive 70% of an English timetable (as opposed to 100% at international schools)? |
| A | : | Actually NIS students receive more English than students at international schools. At NIS the normal teaching day comprises 8 periods (= 40 periods per week). Most international school students only study for 32-35 periods per week. The NIS school year comprises 195 days (as opposed to the c 172 days in the international school year). These generous teaching allocations at NIS mean that our students enjoy the benefit of a quantitatively greater amount of English (with all the commensurate academic, linguistic, cultural and social benefits this brings) than students at international schools do. So the 70100 ratio referred to in the question above is misleading. Please look at the total number of periods in NIS’ school day and the total number of days in NIS’ school year to see how much more of an English timetable our students enjoy. |
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