Click here to access our International Student Application Form
St Benedict’s School is a signatory to the Code of Compliance for International Students. We accept enrolments for International students who are living with at least one parent or legal guardian in New Zealand, or for Year 7 and 8 students, living with a caregiver chosen and approved by the parents or legal guardians.
Our students at St Benedict’s have a welcoming and inclusive attitude to international students which helps them to quickly settle into the life of the classroom.
Soon after international students arrive, they are assessed to ascertain their English skills in terms of writing and grammar, reading level, vocabulary, and oral and listening skills. Students receive ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) support individually, in pairs and in small groups according to their needs.
The tuition programme for Year 5 – 8 has two aims: to generally improve English language skills and to support students in their classrooms.
The first is done through:
- The teaching and practice of writing and editing skills with a needs-based focus on grammar.
- Extensive reading of texts at the appropriate level including both books and computer-based interactive texts.
- Vocabulary acquisition – students keep vocabulary notebooks and word-learning strategies are taught.
- Oral language and listening activities.
The students are supported in their classroom programmes by working with language features that they need to understand in classroom topics so that they can participate successfully in class work. The annual science fair and speech competition are examples of times the international students need this type of support.
The language programme for Year 1–4 focuses on reading skills to boost reading levels. Reading texts and language experience activities provide the impetus for writing, and oral activities to improve speaking fluency and vocabulary.