Admissions
ISH is an international school registered with the Swedish School Inspectorate to offer the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) including Early Years (EY), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP) to children from the age of 2 to 19. The school does not offer modified programs.
ISH compulsory school (PYP, MYP) only teaches the IBO curricula (Förordning (2015:801) om internationella skolor, Chapter 5 and 6). This means that students in PYP & MYP, are only assessed and awarded grades according to the IBO curricula. The Swedish curriculum is not taught at the school and grades according to the Swedish curriculum are not awarded. However, students who reside in Sweden for a limited period are taught Swedish at beginners’ level. Other compulsory school pupils that are more proficient in the Swedish language are taught in accordance with the curriculum for compulsory school and the syllabus in Swedish. These students are awarded grades according to the Swedish curriculum in MYP1-MYP4.
ISH is funded by the City of Helsingborg and exists primarily to serve the educational needs of the transient and/or international community of Helsingborg. There are no tuition or school fees, however, interested families must meet specific admissions criteria established by the Swedish Education Act and students are prioritised according to the requirements below.
Students not eligible for international schooling at ISH
A student who is eligible for a place at Special schools (Specialskolan) according to the Swedish Education Act, Chapter 7 §§5 and 6, does not have access to an international school. This includes students who are deaf and/or blind or students with severe language impairment.
Applications for students aged 2 to 5 years applying to early years and students ages 5 to 16 years, applying for compulsory school, must comply with the criteria for admission that is set by the Swedish Education Act, Chapter 24 §4. The students are prioritised in the following order:
Students of international families moving to Helsingborg and staying here for a limited time.
- Students of families moving to Helsingborg who have attended an international school abroad for the majority of their education and therefore have a reason to fulfil his/her education in an international school. ISH will prioritise families living abroad when they apply.
- Students permanently living in Helsingborg who in the near future will continue their education in an international school abroad, for example children of members of staff of international organisations or companies. Families can only apply for a student to join ISH for a maximum of one school year before the move abroad.
- Students permanently living in Helsingborg who have English as a mother tongue i.e. speak it on a daily basis with one or both guardians AND who have sufficient knowledge of the English language to follow and participate in the teaching and learning.
ISH currently only accepts applicants from criteria 1 and 2, due to the high number of applications and limited places in certain grade levels.
Student that are resident outside of Helsingborg are accepted if the home municipality is part of the collaboration agreement between the City of Helsingborg and the municipalities of the North Western part of Skåne, and are handled in accordance with its criteria within the collaboration agreement.
When school places are limited, priority will be given to families living within Helsingborg municipality.
Application process for students aged 16-19 applying to high school
- Grade 9 students applying from a Swedish school apply through skanegy.se using the password given to them by their school guidance counselor (SYV).
- Swedish students applying from overseas should send their full name, current address and Swedish personal ID number to gymnasieantagningen@helsingborg.se to obtain login details to apply through skanegy.se.
- Students from overseas who do not have a Swedish personal ID number can apply through the enrolment system https://ish.openapply.com/
- Students will be invited to sit the entrance exams during the spring term prior to the August enrollment. Tests are conducted in March as well as in May and August for late applicants.
Transition from EY3 to PYP1 (Preschool/Kindergarten to compulsory school)
The Primary Years Programme at ISH ranges from the ages of 2 to 11 years old. Children aged 2-5 years old attend the Early Years section of the PYP. However, the official start of compulsory education according to the Swedish Education Act is the autumn term the year a child turns 6 years old (PYP1). EY3 parents will need to re-apply for their child to be accepted into PYP1. Students who fit the application criteria will be offered a place in PYP. However, if the school’s application criteria are no longer fulfilled, a transfer to a different school will be necessary.
Transition from MYP4 to the Diploma Programme
ISH MYP4 students that wish to continue their studies in the Diploma Programme are required to sit the entrance exam in English and Math and have an interview with the school leadership team. Students must pass the entrance exam to be eligible for the two-year Diploma programme (DP1 & DP2).
Students who do not pass the test are offered a place in MYP5 to enable them to complete the MYP programme. After completion of MYP5, the student can only progress to the Diploma Programme providing they meet the required grade average in the core subjects. If they do not, they no longer have a place at the school.
Students are provided career guidance counselling throughout MYP4 to help them make the best choice for their high school studies in Sweden. MYP4 students that wish to study a national high school program that is taught in Swedish, are required to have passing grade in Swedish according to the Swedish national curriculum (Sv, SvA).
Click here to be directed to our Application for Enrollment page.