European School in Central Asia

European School in Central Asia
Address
67a Bronirovannaya Street Bishkek Kyrgyz Republic
Coordinates	42°51′13″N 74°34′50″E / 42.853729°N 74.580484°E
Information
Type	Non-profit community school
Founded	December 2010
Opened	September 2011
Teaching staff	42
Gender	Coeducational
Age	2 to 18
Enrollment	150
International students	60%
Language	English
Schedule	8.00 to 15.30 or 17.30 with Extra Curricular Activities
Campus size	0.5 ha
Houses	Phoenix, Piranhas, Snow Leopards
Accreditation	IB World School, Cambridge International Examinations
Website	http://esca.kg/

The European School in Central Asia (ESCA) is an international school in Bishkek founded by a group of international and local parents as a non-profit community school and legally registered as a non-profit foundation in the Kyrgyz Republic on December 1, 2010. The first school Advisory Council meeting was held with the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Roza Otunbaeva, on May 16, 2011 in the Ministry of Education.^[1][2] The school opened for students in September 2011, in a building which was built as a school but unused for this purpose for many years before being purchased by the ESCA foundation in July 2011. Student numbers have increased from 20 students in 2011 to over 150 students in 2016.^[3]

Accreditation

ESCA is an authorized International Baccalaureate, IB World School, offering the IB Diploma Programme. The IB Diploma is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at students aged 16–19 that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education and is accepted by many universities worldwide.

ESCA is also accredited as a Cambridge International School by Cambridge International Examinations^[4] and currently provides the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and the International Certificate of Education Group Award. ESCA is also a member of the European Council of International Schools.^[5]

Education

ESCA offers the IB Diploma Programme, a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19, providing entry into many universities worldwide.

At lower levels, ESCA currently follows the Cambridge curriculum framework for all subjects covered by Cambridge but is in the process of moving to the IB Primary Years Programme and IB Middle Years Programme. Beyond the standard academic curriculum the school provides a comprehensive education program including PE, Art, Music, Dance and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.

Secondary education runs from age 11 to 16. In Year 10 and 11 (normally age 14 to age 16) students study the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) with examination at the end of Year 11. The school offers many different course options for IGCSE and all students must choose at least seven IGCSEs from five different subject groups so that they qualify for the International Certificate of Education Group Award (ICE). In practice, students choose to study between 9 and 12 different IGCSE subjects, including 7 from the 5 different subject groups so that they all receive the International Certificate of Education Award as well as individual IGCSE subject certificates.

Primary education runs from age 5 to 11. Each class has two teachers and small class sizes. The education program includes English, Mathematics, Science, Art, Music, Physical Education, Dance, ICT, Geography, History, and Russian or Kyrgyz language as a second language option and French or Mandarin or extra English as a third language option. Independent assessment of achievement is made at the end of Year 6 with the Cambridge International Examinations Checkpoint Test.

Preschool accepts children from age 2 to 5 in three classes and currently follows the British Government Early Years and Foundation Stage Framework.

Students

ESCA has over 150 students, age two to eighteen years old, representing over 30 countries. The school accepts all students regardless of ability, gender, ethnicity, language, or religious belief and everyone is encouraged to take part in all school activities. Sixty percent of students are American, Asian and European citizens, who are children of employees of embassies, international organizations and international business or NGOs. Forty percent of students are Kyrgyz citizens. To ensure the international approach of the school and to enhance cultural interaction between students from many different countries of the world, school policy limits student intake from any single country to maximum 50% of all students. ^[3]

Teaching staff

ESCA has over forty teaching staff combining international teachers with wide experience with national teachers with specialist skills and fluent English.^[3] In 2015/16, twenty international teaching staff come from the USA, UK, Japan, South Africa, Poland, Colombia, and France.

Governance

ESCA is an independent school with an elected Governing Board of nine members who set strategy and policy and ensure funding and sustainability as a non-profit Foundation. Board members normally serve a three year term. Three members are elected by the school Founders, three are elected by the Parents Association, and three are elected by the school Advisory Council. All parents of students are included in the Parents Association and have an active role in the community life of the school. The Advisory Council represents permanent institutions in the Kyrgyz Republic with an interest in development of the school and education more widely in the Kyrgyz Republic. The school does not have a single Principal or Director but has a collegiate management structure with up to five members of an executive Management Board including: the Chair of Management Board who is responsible for International Baccalaureate leadership and development of the school; the Head of Education responsible for all education provision; Head of Administration, responsible for organisation, facilities and finance, and Head of Admissions, responsible for enrollment and communications.

Fees & Scholarships

ESCA is a public, non-profit, foundation, ‘owned’ by the community. The school receives small donations from Founders and others but has no major benefactor for investment. All costs are funded by school fees which are set at a level to ensure sustainability. Any surplus is reinvested in the school with the objective to ultimately reduce the cost of fees to make education more accessible. The school also has a Scholarship Fund for gifted but disadvantaged children who cannot meet the school fees. Scholarships are widely advertised and available on an open competitive basis through student examination and assessment of parental wealth and income.^[6]

External links

• Official website

References

1. "Информационное Агентство Кабар".
3. "iCHED".
4. "Cambridge". Cambridge International Examinations. Cambridge International Examinations. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
5. "ECIS". European Council of International Schools. European Council of International Schools. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
6. "Vercheniy Bishkek".