Parent's Review of The Overseas School of Colombo in Colombo, Sri Lanka

What is the name of your child's school? (Please report on one school per survey.)

The Overseas School of Colombo

In what town or city is this school located?

Colombo

How would you describe this school? (i.e. American, British, International, Local, etc.)

International

What grade levels are represented at this school?

preK to 12

How do most children get to school everyday? (bus, train, walk, etc.)

Most taken by parents or their drivers.

How would you describe the facilities at this school? What extra-curricular activities are available?

The school facilities are showing their age, although there is a big remodeling going on. Hopefully when finished the toilets will flush and the roofs wont leak. It has most of the things your local school back home would have, playground, field, outdoor pool, performing arts centre. Three days a week there are activities after school which are optional. There are many community service programs that have been developed by the Sri Lankan staff members over the years. These are excellent and the local staff should be thanked for all their hard work in developing these programmes.

What has this school done to help your child transition from the curriculum in your home country into the curriculum in your new country? Are there programs to prepare your child for repatriation?

There are ESL and SEN programs. The Dutch and German governments sponsor language and culture programmes for their nationals.

How would you describe the social activities available for parents through this school? Are there parent-teacher organizations?

This is one of the best things about the school. There is an excellent PTA that does a lot to keep the school running. The school is 50 years old and many great traditions have been developed that students really enjoy, like the Food and Fun Fair.

What advice would you give to someone considering enrolling their child in this school?

The headmaster of the school is quite charming, at least on the surface. The school appears to be in decline. Some of the classes seem to have lost half their students in recent years. One should also consider the security situation in Sri Lanka before bringing children. Check with your High Com or Embassey. This year the airport was bombed and closed to all international travel for a time. Conditions are getting worse, so do your research before arriving.

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