FAQs

Our school opened in 2002 and was originally named the British International School of Shanghai (BISS), Pudong, but we changed our name to Nord Anglia International School (NAIS) Shanghai, Pudong in 2015 to reflect the fact that we are part of our Nord Anglia Education family of more than 80 schools around the world. What we offer as a school remains the same and we are proud of our history and heritage within Shanghai. Indeed, we are the longest-running British international school in China!

Read more about our history here.

Nord Anglia Education is a British provider of the world’s leading premium international schools. Founded in 1972, it has developed and grown into a network of 80+ international schools, educating more than 70,000 children in over 30 countries around the globe. Due to its scale of operations, Nord Anglia has been able to forge unique, world-class collaborations with MIT, UNICEF, The Juilliard School and most recently, IMG Academy, all of which greatly benefit both the students and staff at each one of the schools, including NAIS Pudong.

Read more about Nord Anglia Education here.

We're a truly international school with students from over 40 different nationalities represented here. We’re also the longest-running British international school in China, meaning we have a long history and tradition within a community that we know and understand very well. Our diverse and inclusive school provides our students with a global perspective that will help shape the rest of their lives.

NAIS Pudong students achieve academic excellence, learn to lead, and make the world a better place. Our core values revolve around making our students, confident, creative, and considerate learners who are extraordinarily well prepared for their futures. We believe students shouldn’t just be strong academically – they need to become leaders, be flexible and be understanding.

Our school environment is designed to offer a personalised learning experience for every student and to be a warm, welcoming, and inclusive space for all. We have small class sizes, allowing us to customise and differentiate the teaching and learning practices to ensure every child is catered for and to ensure they have the opportunity to grow and be stretched academically. 

Despite being a non-selective school, our academic outcomes are outstanding, with GCSE and IBDP results well above the global average, allowing our students to graduate into the world’s best universities every year.

Our unique collaborations with The Juilliard School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), UNICEF and IMG Academy offer exclusive engagement with world-class organisations and establishments which can’t be accessed within any other group of schools. These links mean our students have direct access to outstanding performing arts, STEAM, and sports curricula and professionals while also developing their awareness of global issues with a United Nations group: a truly unique experience.

Further the Nord Anglia Global Campus connects our students with teachers and 70,000+ students from our 80+ sister schools around the world. Students can work with, and learn from, others and experience a truly global learning environment.

Our website goes into more details above all of these incredible opportunities, and these are explored further in these FAQs.

We are proud that our school is represented by more than 40 different nationalities. This gives our students a wonderful opportunity to engage with others from across the globe, something which is explored even further when taking part in our Global Campus programme, working with 70,000+ students around our sister schools. 

Our facilities give students the best education possible – one that prepared them for success. Our purpose-built learning spaces are packed with advanced technology and our beautiful green surroundings enable your child to learn and grow beyond the classroom. Our campus has a multi-purpose Performing Arts Centre which includes multiple music spaces and a 300-seat theatre for musical performances, theatrical productions, and assemblies. We have an MIT Maker Space which allows our students to fully engage with various elements of our STEAM curriculum, along with dedicated STEAM teaching and learning spaces in both Primary and Secondary school. Our outdoor, natural grass sports pitches complement our two indoor gymnasiums and our 25m indoor swimming pool so that our sports classes and fixtures as well as our after-school activities are very well catered for. 

In Summer 2023 we also completed a full renovation of our library spaces and refurbished a whole variety of teaching and learning spaces across Early Years, Primary and Secondary schools.

Explore video and pictures of our beautiful campus here.

We have an easy-to-use online application form which can be found here. You will need input some information about your child and your family and to upload documentation such as passports and school reports. If you have any questions above the process, the Admissions team will be happy to assist. You can contact them via email at admissions@naispudong.com, by telephone at +86 (0) 21 5812 7455 ext.1015, or by WeChat by adding our account ID ‘NAISPudong’.

Read more about, and apply to NAIS Pudong here.

We comply with Shanghai Education policy, and can accept applications from families who qualify within one of the categories below:

1. A foreign national parent with a Shanghai Alien Work Permit.
2. A working parent who holds a Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan passport.
3. A Chinese national working parent who is married to a non-working, non-Chinese national, residing in Shanghai will a child who is a Chinese national.
4. A Chinese national working parent whose child is born overseas (B1) or in Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan (B2).
5. A Chinese national parent with a residence permit whose child is a foreign national and holds a valid residence permit which has been issues in Shanghai.
6. Chinese national parent and child with a foreign permanent residence permit and holding a SHMEC waiver letter. 

To discuss your specific case further, contact our Admissions team here.

Of course! We encourage families to visit the school at any time, including during academic holidays. Our Admissions staff are always happy to meet with families and to provide tours of our beautiful campus and facilities. If you’d like to book a tour of the school you can contact the Admissions team at any time. We also offer a range of Open Days throughout the year, details of which can be found on our website and social media channels.

We are located in the Kangqiao area of Pudong district, Shanghai, not far from the Disney resort. We’re nestled into peaceful surroundings, with a river flowing along the front of the school and beautiful housing complexes located very close by. You can find us navigation systems using our address: 2888 Junmin Road, Pudong, Shanghai 201315 (or 上海市 浦东新区军民公路2888号 邮编201315).

Check out our location here.

We understand that it isn’t always possible for families to visit the school – either because they’re not currently located in Shanghai, or perhaps because of busy schedules. In these cases, the Admissions staff will be more than happy to meet with you online during a Virtual Discovery Meeting, at which time you’ll be able to ask all of the questions you need about the school. We also offer Virtual Open Days at various times throughout the year.

Message the Admissions team to set up a Virtual Meeting or Tour here.

While NAIS Pudong is an inclusive, non-selective school, we will assess all possible entrants to the school in some way to ensure that we are able to support them in all the most appropriate ways. Our Early Years students will meet our teaching staff and may take part in less observation, during which time we will observe how they interact with our other children in our learning environment. Possible entrants to Primary and Secondary school will undergo entrance assessments, which will be written papers, online testing, or a mixture of both. These can be done in school or remotely online if needed. Our most senior students are also likely to have an interview with our Secondary academic staff to discuss study options and to ensure they are prepared for our academic programmes.

All students will be assessed for any EAL or Learning Support needs during the Admissions process and we will confirm with you if we identify any support needs and how we will support your child. All our EAL support is provided free of charge.

Read more about the general Admissions process here.

In most cases we will try to make an offer of a place on the same day as the assessment takes place, but this would certainly happen within 48hrs in all cases. The process from the start to finish can be completed very quickly and our Admissions team will support you every step of the way. If you accept the offer of a place our Finance team will then send you an invoice for the relevant fees which would secure your child’s place at NAIS Pudong once settled.

Read more about the general Admissions process here.

Our students from Pre-Nursery to Year 11 all wear a smart and durable school uniform. We offer options for students which allow for appropriate comfort during cold and hot weather, while we also have a dedicated sports uniform. All our uniform is available to purchase online direct from our supplier and we have a small shop located with the main reception area of the school. Our parents group also operate a limited number of second-hand uniforms for sale. Although our Sixth Form students don’t wear dedicated uniform, they are expected to attend school wearing business-like attire.

Check out our uniform options and make purchases here.

Our school fees range from RMB 250,000 to RMB 360,000 for the full year depending on which year group you child would join. We also offer half day fees for our Pre-Nursery and Nursery students. There are additional costs such as uniform, school bus, trips, and lunch fees. Where needed, all our EAL fees are included in tuition costs.

We offer a 3% ‘Early Bird’ discount for those who pay annual school fees ahead of a dedicated deadline each summer. Families with three children of more who attend the school at the same time are also entitled to sibling discounts.

Get a full breakdown of the school fees here.

All our teachers hold a minimum bachelor's degree along with a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) which is a specific and targeted teacher training qualification. Teachers from outside the UK have equivalent qualifications. Many of our teachers have master's degrees or other higher qualifications. Further, all teaching assistants (TAs) are degree qualified and are recruited based on their previous teaching experience. They are all bilingual and provide essential language and teaching support in the classroom.

Our teachers have access to the best professional development opportunities through Nord Anglia University. We bring together teachers from Nord Anglia Education’s 80+ schools worldwide to share knowledge and experiences to continually enhance teaching and learning.

You can meet all of our staff and learn more about how they teach here.

We are serious about protecting our students from potentially harmful air pollution.  We have clean air filters in every classroom and all communal areas throughout the school. Even on the highest of pollution days, indoor air quality is better than international health standards.  We maintain our filtration system regularly and always monitor the internal air quality.

We have an outdoor play policy based on the best available advice from the US Department of Health, the recognised leader in the field. Accordingly, we take regular readings for the Air Quality Index (AQI) and PM2.5 (the most dangerous particles) throughout the day at four set times, and more regularly where required. When readings exceed the healthy range, students’ outdoor activities are limited or, during any high pollution, cancelled.

As our extensive facilities include three indoor gymnasiums and other suitable indoor spaces, many activities are easily able to be transferred indoors. In 2014, the Chinese government developed strict regulations to reduce air pollution in China and since then the air quality has continually improved and the AQI is at its lowest levels in decades.

We are a day school only and therefore do not offer boarding options here. Those looking for boarding options at a Nord Anglia education school have a wide range of other options within our network of sister schools.

Explore our network of schools here.

Students from all over Shanghai attend our school, including from our own neighbourhood of Kangqiao, and we have a dedicated fleet of school buses to bring them to and from school each day. Each school bus is supervised by a bilingual bus monitor who is a teaching assistant at the school, and all buses are fitted with seat belts which students are required to wear. Our bus routes adapt each year to the needs of our community, and we try to offer transport options for all families who request the service, but in some cases, we may not be able to provide a bus. You can speak to the Admissions staff for more information.

You can view our current bus routes here.

We truly appreciate the involvement of parents in the learning children of their children. We offer a variety of opportunities for parents to visit the school to observe children in classes and to support those activities. We have a variety of voluntary positions in school from Class Representatives and as members of the official parents’ association. These families are critical in helping the school to better engage and understand the community and we strongly encourage regular dialogue with all families. 

Throughout the year we also have a wide range events for our families, from picnics, school productions and performances, international days, to classes and fairs/bazaars. Our parents also gather socially throughout the year, helping to build the bonds within our community.

Explore our events calendar here.

Yes, we can accept children in Pre-Nursery if they are still in the process of toilet training. We will work closely with you to ensure that the approach to this process is mirrored at home and at school so that your child has a stable routine. We have a dedicated nanny who is allocated to work with the youngest children to support this process. We would ask that diapers/nappies, spare underwear, and a change of clothes are packed in the school bag each day just in case of any accidents during the day. It would be our aim for children to have completed toilet training by the time they move up into Nursery.

We recognise that for some students, particular foods are potentially hazardous and may even cause life-threatening allergic reactions. For that reason, we are a nut-free school.   Our two full-time school nurses are highly qualified to always assist and are on call during both school time and during after-hours school events. The school nurses keep detailed records of all students with allergies or other ongoing or occasional medical needs and are always happy to speak with parents about any concerns. If you have questions, the school nurses are available to speak with you during your visit.

We engage with families in a variety of ways that reflect modern life and communication:

1. Face-to-face conversations, either formally at planned Academic Review Evenings or informally at parent or teacher request.
2. Students receive four formal reports each year, a ‘Settling In’ report after their first month at the school and then a report at the end of each of the three academic terms.
3. Emails directly to and from teachers and parents.
4. In Primary school we use Class Dojo to send messages and for teachers to post pictures and information about what has been happening in your child’s class.  Secondary school staff utilise the iParent portal for similar purposes.
5. Social media includes our school Facebook page and our official WeChat account.
6. Students use Microsoft Teams to access their work and keep track of homework.
7. Weekly updates which summarise the week’s highlights and provide important notices of upcoming events and activities.
8. A variety of events throughout the year in which parents are invited to come into school, including Parent/Teacher meetings each term, twice-yearly student showcases, and wide range of fun events.
9. Each year group has parent representatives, and we also have a parent representatives’ group, all of whom are able to communicate with school on behalf of the parent community to support the school and raise any questions or issues.

The school is committed to an open-door policy which means that parents are welcome to engage with teachers at any point to discuss their child’s progress and wellbeing. We encourage parents who wish to meet with teachers in person to make a formal appointment to do so directly with the teacher.

Keep up to date with our latest news using our social media channels or on our website here.

All our classes are highly personalised for our students and so we therefore pride ourselves on offering small class sizes in which students can get higher levels of direct interaction with teaching staff. Our youngest students in Early Years are cared for using a 1:4 staff to student ratio, while the rest of the school has an average class size of around 15 or 16. Our class sizes will never go above 24. 

For students at IGCSE and IBDP level who select subjects to study (and therefore attend different classes depending on those choices), they will naturally have even smaller classes which offers an even closer level of tutoring and in some classes an almost 1-on-1 teacher/student experience. Our academic results are testament to the fact that this approach works, with our students scoring well above world averages at both levels.

Read more about class sizes across the school here.

We operate the British Curriculum with an international focus, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme for our senior students. At our Primary School, we enhance learning through the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), making learning more global, active, and relevant. The strength of the UK Curriculum lies in its formal structure. Divided into Key Stages of education, for students from 3 to 16 years of age, it develops the key skills students need to learn, with a focus on Literacy and Numeracy with a balanced study of other subjects. Study is split into Key Stages which are split as follows:

• Early Years Foundation Stage – Pre-Nursery, Nursery and Reception
• Key Stage 1 – Years 1 and 2
• Key Stage 2 – Years 3, 4, 5 and 6
• Key Stage 3 – Years 7, 8 and 9
• Key Stage 4 – IGCSE – Years 10 and 11

From the Foundation Stage, our students study Mandarin and our curriculum reflects both our Shanghai location and the diverse international membership of our school community.

Each stage gradually builds knowledge and skills towards study of the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) exams which are taken at the end of Year 11. These are a series of externally set and marked examinations which are recognised by education systems around the world. Students in Years 12 and 13 at NAIS Pudong then study the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma programme, the world’s most respected pre-college/university programme.

You can find more information about our IGCSE and IBDP options in our handbooks which can be found here.

Read more about our curricula here.

We offer the IBDP for our students in Years 12 and 13. This outstanding programme truly equips students for study anywhere in the world and is a much broader programme than A Levels. Our IBDP scores are outstanding and our students attend some of the world’s best universities when they leave NAIS Pudong as a result.

You can read more about the IBDP here.

Aside from our dedicated language classes, all other classes are taught in English by fully qualified, professional teaching staff. As we have more than 40 nationalities represented within out student body, English is the lingua franca of the school, meaning that our students will revert to English as their primary means of communication with each other. For those who need EAL support on arrival, this really helps their English skills to develop very quickly.

Yes, they can, and indeed we pride ourselves on the significant progress that our students make in English language development while at NAIS Pudong. We offer a comprehensive and proven English as an Additional Language (EAL) programme for students from Year 1 to Year 11, as well as support beyond, all at no additional cost to parents. Many of our students do not speak English at the level of their year group when they join the school, however our most recent results from externally administered examinations show that within a very short period, students are on track with their peers.

Our EAL team provides individualised support for students to assist them to fast-track into full participation in the classroom. Every teacher is trained to assist students to continually improve their English through immersion in the classroom and our bilingual teaching assistants are on-hand to support our native Mandarin-speaking students. Our programme of After School Activities (ASAs) also includes classes and activities for non-native English-speaking students and their parents, including specifical EAL support sessions.

Read more about our EAL provision here.

We are an inclusive school and are able to support students with additional needs where appropriate. Aside from EAL needs, where students have specific learning support requirements we would look to discuss these with families during the early stages of the application process to ensure that we’re able to support them. We have specialist staff in school who would meet parents and students and they would also be responsible for engaging for any other specialist teams currently involved in the student’s support network. We will ask for copies of any relevant documents such as Individual Education Plans (IEPs) or medical documentation where those are relevant.

To discuss any learning support issues with our team, email us here.

We offer a wide and varied approach to Mandarin for every student at NAIS Pudong. While our non-native speakers will learn Mandarin as a foreign language, our native Chinese language speakers will have several lessons per week to ensure their currency with the language is maintained. We are very clear in our understanding that for a student to succeed in second language acquisition that they must also have a sound understanding of their native language. As such, students from Pre-Nursery right through to Key Stage 3 students will have Mandarin on their timetable regularly throughout the week, with delivery of content dependent on the student’s current Mandarin levels.

We also offer a variety of supplementary Mandarin options within our ASA programme for both native and non-native speakers. For students at GCSE and IBDP levels, we have Mandarin as a language option available in both programmes.

Learn more about our curriculum here.

The school day for all children will include a balanced set of classes and activities. Our Early Years students will have a balance of play-based activities, outdoor activities, story time, and specialist lessons such as Music. Primary and Secondary students will have a great mix of academic, performing arts and sports spread across the week. All students will have dedicated time for lunch and breaks every day.

Our school gates open at 8am each day and students are welcomed to enjoy monitored play until classes start. Although the actual start times of classes differ ever so slightly based on individual year groups, generally students will start registration between 8.15am and 8.30am, with classes starting at around 8.40am. Our school day finishes at 3.15pm although we have compulsory After School Activities (ASAs) on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and they last one hour, with school buses leaving on those days at 4.15pm. On Thursday and Friday, we have optional ASAs with school buses leaving at both 3.15pm and 4.15pm to cater for these.

Access sample timetables for the whole school here.

In Early Years there is no formal homework, however, reading/picture books and talking through key words with parents at home may help progress. 

In Primary School, students in both Key Stage 1 and 2 will be issued homework but the amount will depend on the age of the children. Class teachers will ensure that students and parents understand the expectations and how to best manage homework tasks. Any homework set is usually a consolidation of previous work or the topic for that week and will not be a completely new concept. It will also provide scope to challenge and stretch students where appropriate. 

In Secondary School, all homework is set for students on TEAMS so that teachers and students can easily track tasks and deadlines. We operate a homework timetable so that departments don’t overload students on some days while leaving them without work on others. Students at Key Stage 3 should expect roughly 60-90 minutes of homework per day, while those at GCSE and IBDP level will naturally have more. Enrichment tasks are also available to send to parents who would like their child to have a little more homework.

Our After School Activities (ASAs) are designed to enhance student learning. We believe that every child benefits from getting involved in activities outside of the classroom. Our ASAs cover sport, performance, academics, community, and expression. Students are encouraged to try new things, take risks, and give back to the community; essential elements of becoming a life-long learner and leader.

We currently offer more than 120 CCAs, taught largely at no cost by our teaching staff. For some activities, expert coaching or teaching is brought in from outside the school and these do involve additional fees payable at the beginning of each term. The ASA programme runs from 3:15 – 4:15pm each school day, with some activities also scheduled before school and at weekends.

Explore our current ASA options here.

We pride ourselves on being an academically excellent school. Our students graduate into some of the world’s best universities and between 2016 and 2022 they have studied at Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, UCL, Imperial College, Warwick, Duke, University of California, Erasmus, Hong Kong University, KAIST, Seoul National University and many, many more. In fact, since 2016 50% of our graduates have joined universities within the world’s Top 100.

More than two thirds of our IGCSE students are awarded grades at A/A* or equivalent – the very highest grades at this level. This marks six consecutive years at which our students have performed at this level and is testament to the quality of teaching in place here.

Our average IBDP score in 2022 was 37 points, a full five points ahead of the world average. 50% of our students achieve 40 points or more, a score which is seen as the gold standard entry requirement to the world’s elite universities. Some of our students achieved the perfect score of 45 – a feat achieved by less than 1% of those who sit the IBDP exams.

Read more about our academic excellence here.

Withdrawal:

After starting school, the withdrawal of a student from NAIS Pudong by a parent or guardian must be submitted in writing (and receipt confirmed) to admissions@naispudong.com.

The withdrawal notice should be submitted at least six weeks prior to the student’s intended last day of school. If the leaving notice is submitted during a public holiday, it will be deemed as received by the school on the first day of school following the public holiday.

Any refunds of school fees and/or the resourcing fee will only be considered after the leaving confirmation letter released is sent by the admissions department and the completion of the withdrawal procedures.

The finance department will contact parents via email to complete refund procedure accordingly upon receiving the formal leaving confirmation letter from the admissions department. The below items are required to complete the refund process:

• Ensure school properties such as library books, iPad, Laptop/charger etc. are fully returned.

• Ensure there are no outstanding fees.

• Confirm bank information.

Students who do not notify the school of withdrawal will be considered as re-enrolled for the following school year.

For new students, there will be a cancellation charge of RMB16,000 if the student does not attend the school after an enrolment place has been reserved. Unused school fees will be fully refunded if parents pay in advance. 

Refunds:

•  Resourcing Fee

The resourcing fee is fully refundable when the student leaves the school, if all accounts have been settled in full, all school property returned without damage and required written notice is submitted six weeks in advance of the child’s last day of school (holidays excluded).

• Tuition fees

If a student withdraws from the school during the academic year and has submitted the withdrawal notice at least six weeks prior to the child’s last day of school, all remaining pre-paid tuition will be refunded in full.

If a six-week withdrawal notice has not been given, six weeks of tuition will be deducted from the tuition refund.

• School bus fees

Once a term commences, there are no refunds for that term whether a student is leaving school on temporary absence, or no longer requires the bus service.

Terms and Conditions

Once a student joins the school, the full fees are charged until the student leaves the school. There are no refunds for periods of absence from the school.

The resourcing fee is fully refundable when the student leaves the school, if all accounts have been settled, all school property returned without damage. The school reserves the right to deduct from the resourcing fee any amounts that are owed by the student or the parent/guardian to the school.

If a withdrawal notice is submitted but the student still attends the school for the term in which he/she supposed to leave the school, the tuition fees will be charged on weekly cycle basis and the refund will be deducted accordingly.

Any refund or release of school records is dependent upon satisfactory completion of the withdrawal procedures, the return of all school property, and the clearance of accounts with the school.

The school reserves the right to amend its policies and fee structure whenever considered necessary and appropriate. The school makes these policies available to parents through the school website. It is the parent or guardian’s responsibility to ensure that they are informed and aware of school policies.