FAQs

Students entering Nursery and Reception will undertake a practical task where the teacher will observe and assess the student’s physical, emotional, social and cognitive skills to obtain a baseline result. The parents will also be interviewed.

Students entering Year 1 upwards will be required to also meet with a member of the overseas staff to assess their command of conversational English and ability to follow simple commands in English.  An informal assessment of their oral, reading and written skills will also be carried out. The parents will also be interviewed.

For external students applying for entry into Year 3-6 they will also be required to sit a written examination in Thai Language and Mathematics.

All external students applying to enter ANS Secondary Phase are required to sit entrance tests spanning the curriculum both in English and Thai.  Students will also be assessed through an informal discussion with members of the Secondary Leadership Team.

On most occasions, siblings of current students are given priority for admission into the school. However, admission is not automatic and there may be occasions where the school assesses that a sibling is likely to thrive better in a different school environment.

Currently there is a heavy demand for places at ANS despite the expansion of some year groups. There are waiting lists in place for many year groups.

Where an applicant meets the entry criteria but there are no spaces available, the applicant will be placed on a waiting list. Parents will be contacted as soon as a place becomes available in the appropriate year group.

There are many definitions as to what exactly a Thinking School is. At ANS, we aim to create a school where all members give careful thought to everything that takes place. We aim to encourage both students and staff to think critically, creatively and reflectively. We aim to ensure that our curriculum is meaningful and focuses on skills and techniques and not solely on content. We aim to help are students to develop and demonstrate independent and cooperative learning skills by using a range of thinking tools and strategies. We aim to create an atmosphere where pupils experience high levels of achievement and both enjoyment and satisfaction in lifelong learning.

The model for bilingual education was adopted from ideas observed in Japan and Korea.  Students in Reception to Year 6 are organised into two groups. Group A and Group B.  Each classroom will have two full-time teachers: one qualified Thai teacher and one qualified Overseas teacher.  Group A may be learning Science with the Thai teacher whilst Group B are studying mathematics with the Overseas teacher at the same time. The groups will then swap over.  This allow pupils to be taught in very small group sizes.

The Synchronised Dual Teaching Model is a very successful model for bilingualism.

Teachers are not translating each other’s lessons. We have blended the Thai and UK curriculum and identified common skills that need to be addressed; often through an over-arching topic or theme.

To access the broad curriculum offered at ANS, students need to be able to communicate, read and write in English and Thai at an appropriate level for their age. For those students who are not at the expected level of English, we offer Language Support through the Engage/Enhance/Excel programme. There are additional costs with this programme and attendance may be a compulsory condition of acceptance.  We also offer similar support for Thai Language and also 1:1 tuition for students after school.

Some students may be working at a level of English below our expectations. Sometimes this can be due to a lack of phonics, readings or writing skills, misconceptions or a lack of confidence. The Engage/Enhance/Excel programme has been designed to provide the necessary support to students at different ages.  Students requiring the Enhance and Excel programmes will be required to be withdrawn from regular classes to work in a small group with a specialist teacher for up to three sessions per week.  There is an additional cost for attending these sessions.

We recognise that some pupils may require additional support in one or more subjects. To accommodate this we offer small group tutorials after school. Attendance at a tutorial class is by referral from the Headteacher only and is not at the request of parents.  There is an additional cost for attendance at these sessions.

Students attending ANS will study both the Thai and UK curriculum and therefore will sit both ONET and IGCSE/ A-level examinations. All students at ANS will study upto seven IGCSEs. In Year 12 students will have the opportunity to select the pathway of their choice. Students selecting the International Pathway will study up to four A-level subjects enabling them to apply to universities overseas. In 2017, 20% of our graduates attended universities overseas.  Students selecting a Thai Pathway will study up to two A-level subjects. This will still allow them to apply overseas and will also provide them with a very competitive edge when applying to Thai universities. Eighty-percent of ANS graduates gained places at the top three universities in Thailand.

The maximum number of pupils in a class is 24. This gives a teacher: student ratio of 1:6 in the nursery, 1:8 in Reception-Year 1, 1:12 in Year 2-6 and 1:24 in the Secondary Phase. Students in the Foundation Phase and Primary Phase are not grouped by ability. All classes are mixed ability. As students move into the Secondary Phase they may be grouped for some lessons such as English or Mathematics.

Currently the school does not provide transportation. There is a good system for traffic management in place where parking spaces are reserved for families with younger students only.  All other parents are requested to use the Drop Off/Pick up zone only.  The school also launched the Kidsup app this year which provides greater assistance to parents in collecting their child from school.

The school is located within close proximity to the BTS Phaya Thai Skytrain station.

At ANS we follow the Thai academic calendar and therefore the new academic year begins in May.  The calendar is organised in two terms. Term 1 runs from May to October and Term 2 is from October to March.

Lunch is provided by specialist school caterers Epicure who operate across a number of schools in Bangkok. A selection of Asian and Western style dishes are offered each day, together with a live cooking area and a salad bar. The tuition fee includes the cost of the school lunch.

Pupils in Nursery to Year 7 are provided with complimentary milk in the morning.  Students in Year 8-13 have the opportunity to purchase snacks at school. An afternoon snack is provided for pupils in Nursery to Year 1.  

There is also a school shop that provides a range of food items which students can purchase from after school. The ANS Cafe also serves students from 2.35pm. Year 12 and 13 students have special permission to purchase from the ANS Cafe during the school day.

As a school we are committed to encouraging students to make healthy choices in the food they eat.