Colombo, Sri Lanka Report of what it's like to live there - 10/04/24
Personal Experiences from Colombo, Sri Lanka
School Name:
Overseas School of Colombo
Background Information:
1. Are you the parent of a child(ren) attending this school? A teacher at the school? Or both?
Parent of kids attending (3, one of whom graduated from OSC)
2. What grade or grades do/did your children attend at the school? During what year(s) did they attend the school?
Middle school and DP (high school)
3. What years did you live here?
2020 - 2024
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
Government assignment
5. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
Yes, other schools. We choose OSC because it has a good reputation for offering a strong IB curricula. It is also the only IB school in Sri Lanka, and an assisted school with OOS. While the OOS support isn’t a deal breaker, it helps. Quality IB instruction is very important.
Admissions & Welcome:
1. Are the admissions and placement procedures clearly stated to prospective families, either on the school website or through other means of communication?
I thought so, yes, and the admissions procedures were not overly complicated. The platform has a family layer and then you add on for each child. It was similar to other international schools. I had a few questions, and the admission person was very helpful.
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
All three of my kids were offered student “ambassador” support (meaning kids that were already enrolled who reached out to them prior to arriving). The kids reaching out to my eldest became his dearest friends; they are still in touch regularly even though they are all at different universities. I think this is a point I feel really strongly about, and made them respond to the outreach even though they were not super excited about it initially (I mean, what teenager wants to write to a kid they don’t know?). They have all participated in a similar outreach each year to new kids. We arrived in COVID times so parent welcome wasn’t awesome, but I do know it is better know, and participate as a new parent buddy family myself. We have to build the community we want, right?
Administration & School Procedures:
1. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
Mostly, we hear what’s going on through Managebac, but I regularly email teachers, and have had separate PTCs as well as always taking advantage of the scheduled parent teacher conversations. Teachers seem to welcome these conversations because they are at the school to teach, and they do this best by knowing what the kids need.
2. Aside from school fees, are there required expenses such as uniforms, laptops/tablets, musical instruments, or field trips that parents are expected to cover? What are the approximate costs?
PE uniforms, uniforms for any sports’ teams. Laptops are required, and you have to bring them with, as locally available ones are hugely over-priced. WWW trips and other class trips are covered. Duke of Edinburgh is extra, but most other trips are covered. A couple DP courses do excursions to Maldives which are not required (but wow did the kids appreciate the experience). That is extra. SAISA trips are additional cost.
Academics & Resources:
1. What personal or academic counseling resources are available at this school? Is there a dedicated college counselor at the school? Is he/she familiar with universities worldwide?
They’ve done a good job building up the counseling and SE support team. The HS/College counselor does a great job encouraging conversations and introspection for prospective Uni applicants (all over the world, not just US).
2. Is there before and/or after-school daycare available? What are the costs?
No day-care but after-school activities for most ages are available at no cost.
3. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
A super well varied library considering the size. Students and families can borrow books and magazines.
4. What are the technology requirements for students? Do they need their own laptops/ipads? How is technology integrated into the classroom and homework?
Laptops are required, school does not cover this cost nor supply. The laptops are definitely necessary as much of the class work is on google classroom.
5. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
The IT support is very well-informed. They seem up to date (this is not my area of expertise, sorry!). They support the kids on the laptops on all platforms; they have loaners if they can’t take care of the problems expediently.
6. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
PHE is a component of the curricula through Grade 10 (MYP5). At that point, the facilities are available for the kids and there openings in their schedule that they can stay active. There are also after school sports and athletics for all ages. The pool is available for the kids on the weekends, too. Swimming is required for younger kids. The playing fields are well-maintained and offer a full soccer field or multiple smaller ones. The school just put in a new indoor course surface and there is also a newish outdoor court. Kids are required to wear hats to help protect them from the sun when playing outdoors.
7. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
8 to 1 or so. Some grades are ballooned, and have a higher student-teacher ration.
8. Are Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses available in upper grades? If this is an IB school, is the full diploma required of all students?
OSC is a full IB school offering PYP, MYP and DP programs. DP is not required; OSC offers its own diploma that is equivalent of a High school diploma and is accepted as such.
9. Are students generally challenged appropriately by the curriculum? Please describe any particular strengths or weaknesses in this area. Do you have any thoughts how the curriculum is applied and implemented at this school?
Students are encouraged to apply themselves and try their hardest. Some teachers accomplish this better than others, but most are very good about engaging the kids in the learning process, building critical thinking skills, and keeping the kids trying. I would argue that OSC does a great job with IB. A particular strength is the environmental sciences option in DP.
10. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
Middle school has less, maybe 30 - 60 minutes, usually on projects. DP has considerable homework. I think the homework assigned is appropriate. Kids also have ample class time to work on assignments.
11. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
All are available. Even if one doesn’t have instruments, they can learn. Music, drama and visual arts are also available in DP at both SL and HL.
12. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
Yes, fluently.
13. What services are available for gifted/advanced students at the school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
I think, as is true for most international schools, OSC does really really well engaging and enabling kids who are in the middle of the bell curve. They do what they can for special needs, but resources are limited. Gifted and advanced kids do have options for learning extensions but a lot of this depends (heavily) on the motivation of the kids to engage and learn.
14. What services are available for students with learning disabilities at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
Same as above. I think parents need to be realistic on what their kids might need. I know USG families have a lot of support, but parents need to be clear that they have to be responsible for this extra learning and support for their kids.
15. What services are available for students with physical disabilities at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
The school has a lot of stairs, but there is an elevator. When my son badly sprained his ankle, he was on crutches for a good while. He is rather stubborn and insisted on using the stairs. The school would likely try to make accommodations but … there are a lot of stairs. If your child has physical disabilities, I would recommend reaching out to the school to see what accommodations they might be able to make.
16. What services are provided for speakers of English as a second language at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
ESL is available. No experience with this. The kids have had some classmates with limited English skills and through the ESL support and support of the teachers, they did fine, really rapidly developing their English skills.
17. What extra-curricular activities (including sports) are available at this school? Have your children participated in these activities? What activities do you feel are missing at the school?
swimming, track, basketball, volleyball, soccer, drama and plays, IT and STEAM, academic clubs … there are interests for all areas. My kids have done all sorts of sports and had really enjoyed the experience.
Social & Emotional Well-Being:
1. What is the climate for LGBT+ kids at this school? Are there resources they can draw upon? Does there appear to be any exclusionary behavior?
My kids each have friends who identify as LGBT+ and they have been treating with the same treatment as other kids, meaning with welcome and respect. We talk about this at home and the feedback is that it is a supportive school for the most part. There are conversations in the SEL sessions where they emphasize positive peeer pressure to make a difference and help build community. I am not going to say there are not some negative kids; but for the most part, the students and teachers are supportive.
2. Do expatriate students socialize with local students at the school? Are both groups successfully integrated into the school culture?
Definitely. There is no segregation. All three of my kiddos have friends of all cultures.
3. Are there are any problems with exclusionary behavior, cliques, or bullying at this school? Please describe any problems your children may have experienced in this area.
See above - there are always those kids that you just wish would go far away, but those are few and far between. And normal for a diverse student body.
4. What is the climate for students who identify as ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious minorities at this school? Are there resources they can draw upon? Have your children had any experiences in this area?
There are students from all sorts of backgrounds and cultures. This is definitely a mixing pot. What I love is they embrace and celebrate the differences, and learn from each, rather than make the differences a point of contention. This is the general culture of the school: a bracing curiosity and engaging with all cultures.
5. What can you say about diversity among the faculty and staff at the school and their experience in supporting minority students?
The staff to my knowledge treat the kids the same, regardless of their origins.
Overall Impressions:
1. What letter grade (ranging from A, excellent, to F, fail) would you assign to this school based on your overall experience? Would you choose it again?
A- We’ve had a very positive experience at the school, so much so that we extended to allow our middle child to graduate from here as well.
2. Please describe some of your child's/children's highlights and challenges during their time at this school.
Definitely the sports team experience and SAISA travel. Both of my elder kids have really loved their experience with the environmental sciences course in DP. Duke of Edinburgh is a definitely plus, too.
3. Please tell us anything else you think prospective parents and students should know about this school. Thanks for your contribution!
The school (and country) were hugely impacted by a series of big challenges: a rocky election, a bombing, COVID which brought on an economic crisis. The school’s population dipped considerably, but has managed to not only stay afloat but flourish. They are growing again, and it’s lovely to see such a great school do well. Honestly, we’re sad to leave at the end of this school year. I do highly recommend reaching out for more info from the school if you are considering it. My three have thrived here.
