Schooling:

General.  Turkey is not set up for special Needs Children, and as a whole personnel posted to here should be aware that children will need to be screened prior to approval of the posting.  There are crèche and kindergarten facilities, but they are prohibitively expensive (£3000 per year) and there is no assistance in funding until the child is 3 years old. 

Ankara.  The British Embassy Study Group is available to children under the age of 11 but there is no local secondary option that is SCE endorsed.

Istanbul.  There is a British International School in Zekeriyaköy that is approved for children up to the age of 11 but does take children up to 18.  The syllabus is English National Curriculum up to IGCSE and then 16 – 18 years it follows the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBD). 

Izmir.  Children attend an international school, which is 53km from the accommodation at Urla.  The syllabus is IBO although the school has just been accredited to deliver Cambridge GCSE and A-level courses.  It is just 3 years old and, whilst the school’s performance has improved dramatically in the past year, personnel are advised to seriously consider whether or not to bring children over the age of 11 to Izmir.

ISTANBUL

Prior to your assignment you are advised to contact the UK NSE and discuss your children’s educational requirements. Currently, all Secondary Education children attend boarding schools in UK. However, pre-school (nursery education), primary and secondary education is available to a good standard here, delivering GCSEs and A levels or the IB. Families are very pleased with the standards, which are generally better than those achieved by many schools at home, although the school currently lacks sports facilities. If you have primary aged children, they will go to The British International School, which is conveniently based in Zekeriyaköy.

Tel: 0212 257 3114 Fax 0212 257 7628 bisadmin@bis.k.12.tr

The BIS is fee-paying and these costs are paid on your behalf by the UK NSE. You should note that school uniform is expensive. Make sure you apply for the children’s allowance in your Disturbance Allowance Claim which will help offset some off the cost. It is worth checking the requirements for any uniform before coming out here. You may find it easier to source suitable clothes in the UK.

Pre School. Pre School (nursery education) is for 15 hours a week and is provided from the beginning of the term after the term in which a child has his/her third birthday. The dates by which a child must have had his/her third birthday to qualify for free Pre School are as follows:

• 1st September for Autumn Term admission.
• 1st January for Spring Term admission.
• 1st April for Summer Term admission

It should be noted that the 3rd birthday must fall before, rather than on, the relevant cut-off date. Further information on nursery education can be obtained from the UK NSE.