Who established AIS and what is its management structure?
What grades (or year levels) are offered at AIS?
What nationalities are the students?
What is the curriculum at AIS?
Overview of Curriculum & Assessment
International and National Testing
Who established AIS and what is its management structure?
AIS was established in August 2006 by Nigel Russell and Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy. Nigel is an Australian lawyer who has been based in Vietnam for over 16 years. Thuy is Vietnamese, and has a business management background.
The School is owned by a joint venture company established in Vietnam and it is managed by a Members’ Council (similar to a Board) and a Management Team.
The Members’ Council meets on a monthly basis, and comprises representatives of the owners of the School. It determines the strategic direction of the School, approves the School’s policies, determines the School’s budget and fees, and reviews annually the salaries of all staff.
The Management Team meets on a weekly basis, and comprises senior management staff of the School, including the General Director, Principal, Head of Primary, Chief Accountant and Business Development Manager. This Team considers and discusses all management issues that are not reserved to the Members’ Council.
The General Director is the legal representative of the company that owns the School, and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the School, including the implementation of all decisions of the Members’ Council.
The Principal is responsible for all academic issues, the administration of the School’s budget and all teaching appointments, and reports to the General Director and to the Members’ Council.
The Head of Primary is responsible for managing our Early Childhood and Primary School, and reports to the Principal.
A Parents' & Friends' Group (PFG) meets periodically and provides input to the Principal and Head of Primary.
Our teachers are our most valuable asset. We recruit internationally qualified and highly experienced teachers, predominantly from Australia. They are enthusiastic, committed, creative and passionate about teaching children. They are familiar with contemporary teaching approaches and strategies; with using Information Technology as an integral component of the curriculum; and they are committed to working in partnership with parents.
The School opened in August 2006 with 11 students. As at August 2010, we have approximately 500 students.
What grades (or year levels) are offered at AIS?
AIS is a K-12 school, and our Early Childhood “Dynotots” programme caters for children from 2 to 4 years old.
What nationalities are the students?
The students come from over 20 different countries, with approximately 35% coming from Australia.
The Academic year breaks into 4 Terms or 2 Semesters.
Semester 1: August to December
Term 1: August to October
Term 2: October to December
Semester 2: January to June
Term 3: January to March
Term 4: April to June
For further details, please see the School Calendar
What is the curriculum at AIS?
At Early Childhood and in Primary Years (ie up to Year 6), AIS teaches the Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate, currently as a Candidate School.
From Years 6 to 10, AIS teaches the Middle Years Programme of the IB, currently as a Candidate School.
The PYP and MYP provide a teaching framework. Much of our curriculum content is adopted from the best elements of well established Australian curricula.
In Years 11 and 12, we offer University of Cambridge AS and A Levels, and in Year 12 we also offer the UNSW Foundation Studies Year 12 Curriculum.
Overview of Curriculum & Assessment
AIS is registered with a number of educational authorities for each of our curricula:
3 year olds to Year 5 (3 year olds to 11 year olds) International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) *
Year 6 to Year 10 (12 year olds to 16 year olds) International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) *
Year 11 and Year 12 (16 year olds to 18 year olds) Cambridge International Examinations: AS and A Levels
Year 12 (17 year olds to 18 year olds) University of New South Wales (UNSW) Foundation Studies Year 12 Curriculum
*AIS is a Candidate School for both PYP and MYP
International and National Testing
One of the most important questions for parents is “How is my child doing?” A related question is, “Compared to what?” This is a particularly critical question for families away from home, where it is hard to know how systems and standards compare. AIS students sit a number of external examinations including the International Schools Assessment, run by the University of New South Wales. These assessments provide benchmarking for contemporary teaching and learning programmes, as well as provide parents with an understanding of their child’s academic progress relative to their contemporaries internationally.
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