← Back to homeThe Ostrava International School
Ostrava, Czech Republic · Private
Illustration · Ostrava
The Ostrava International School (TOIS) is a private international school in central Ostrava and, in its own words, the only IB Continuum school in the Czech Republic: Early Years and PYP, MYP and the Diploma Programme, ages 3 to 19. Its founder and director is the Canadian Brett Gray; the Ostrava-based OSTRA GROUP is a co-owner. The school has almost 200 students and about 50 staff from over 35 countries. All lessons are in English, with an English as an Additional Language course for weaker speakers. The school operates as a "foreign school on the territory of the Czech Republic" with a permit from the Ministry of Education, is accredited by CIS and NEASC, recognised by the Korean Ministry of Education and is a founding member of ACES, the association of Central European IB schools. Graduating classes usually have up to 15 students.
Key facts
Programmes
IB · PYP, MYP, DP
Admits from
3 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English
Languages taught
Czech, Korean, Spanish, German
Class size
graduating classes usually no more than 15 students
Admissions The school welcomes applications from students of all nationalities and calls its admissions policy non-discriminatory. Applications go online through OpenApply, followed by placement tests in English, mathematics and a second foreign language; Czech and Korean nationals also take a test in their own language and literature. PYP and MYP have no special requirements beyond a vacancy in the class, and students may join mid-year. Year 1 of the Diploma Programme expects English at B2; external transfers into DP year 2 are accepted only from another IB DP school. A child with weak English may be admitted but must take the EAL course. Early Years children are expected to be independent in daily routines: eating, using the toilet without diapers, dressing. Czech children completing compulsory schooling at TOIS are also enrolled at a local Czech school.
Stages and year groups The full IB continuum in English: the Early Years Centre for ages 3-5 (Early Years and a PYP Prep class), the Primary Years Programme for ages 6-10, the Middle Years Programme for ages 11-16 and the two-year Diploma Programme for the oldest students. DP subjects: English, Czech and Korean as Language A and a self-taught Language A, English, Spanish and German as Language B, History, Psychology, Economics, Business Management, ESS, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Mathematics Analysis and Approaches, Visual Arts. According to the Czech page, graduates can choose the six-subject IB Diploma or the school's own four-subject TOIS Diploma, which needs recognition (nostrification) for Czech universities.
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · PYP, MYP, DP · authorised programmeCIS · accreditationNEASC · accreditationThe IB register lists three programmes at the school: the Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes. It is accredited by CIS and by NEASC (since 2016, with the latest review in 2022).
school is in an official registryconfirmed by a school document, by membership or by taking part in a networkclaimed by the school, no confirmation, not counted in the scoreGuide to all organisations → What stands behind each entry
IBInternational Baccalaureate
A Swiss non-profit, working since 1968. Its programmes are among the most widely recognised school programmes in the world. Authorisation is granted stage by stage, so a school with the final stage does not necessarily run the younger ones; which stages this school holds is set out in the line below.
What the badge means for this school. The school is allowed to run this programme and to award its certificate. This is a confirmation of the programme, not a judgement on the school as a whole. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it. At this school: PYP (ages 3-12), MYP (ages 11-16), DP (ages 16-19). PYP is the primary stage, ages 3 to 12. It is not a set of subjects but a frame for the whole school: learning is built around lines of inquiry, and there are no exams at the end. MYP is the middle stage, ages 11 to 16. There are no exams here either; at the end an optional electronic assessment of pupils' work is possible. DP is the final stage, ages 16 to 19: six subjects plus a compulsory core of theory of knowledge, an extended essay and CAS. The diploma is accepted by universities all over the world, and in a number of countries it counts for admission on the same footing as the local leaving certificate.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →CISCouncil of International Schools
It accredits international schools and is a paying association at the same time. It examines governance and ownership, the curriculum, teaching, student wellbeing, staff and premises; a team of volunteers from other CIS accredited schools visits the school. Membership and accreditation are different things here, and schools confuse them more often than anything else.
What the badge means for this school. The school has been through this organisation's accreditation. It was judged as a whole: governance, safeguarding, staff, premises, teaching. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →NEASCNew England Association of Schools and Colleges
An American accreditation working since 1885. For international schools it uses an approach where the visitors look first at live lessons rather than at folders of paperwork: the team works in the school for about a week. It is the only one here whose public directory honestly separates accredited schools from candidates.
What the badge means for this school. The school has been through this organisation's accreditation. It was judged as a whole: governance, safeguarding, staff, premises, teaching. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →Exams and destinations from the school's official website
Average IB score
33.36 (world average 30.88)
Exam results Over the past five years: 65 IB DP candidates, 97% awarded the diploma, average score 33.36 against a world average of 30, highest score 45.
Where leavers go: Columbia University · Brown University · New York University · University of British Columbia · University of Calgary · King's College London · Imperial College London · University of Leeds · University of Manchester · Lancaster University · University of Amsterdam · Leiden University
and others, 20 universities in the school's list in allA university counsellor works with students from the MYP onwards; over the past five years graduates have been admitted to universities in the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Korea and the Czech Republic.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
✓Sports hall
✓Laboratories
✓Theatre or assembly hall
✓Library
·Cateringnot stated on the website
·School transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Also on site: Art studio
Clubs and activities: The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award · TOIS Student Councils
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
✓Teacher qualifications
·Number of teachersthe school does not say
✓Students per teacher or class sizein the key facts above
What the listings show: The Diploma Programme coordinator holds a British PGCE and QTS; heads of department hold master's and doctoral degrees.
About 50 staff from over 35 countries; leadership and IB coordinators come from Canada, the Czech Republic, Belarus, Ghana, the United Kingdom, South Africa and the USA.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
·CCTVnot stated on the website
·Security staffnot stated on the website
·Access controlnot stated on the website
·Nurse or medical roomnot stated on the website
✓Counsellor
✓Child protection policy
✓Staff training
·Anti-bullying policynot stated on the website
A child protection policy (TOIS Child Protection Policy) is in place: every staff member must report signs of abuse to the Head of School, and annual child protection workshops are held for staff, students and parents. Student Wellbeing Services with a wellbeing coordinator and special educational needs specialists.
Reviews
No reviews yet. The community rating counts towards the score once a school has five verified reviews - until then we do not show a zero, so as not to mislead.
Criteria breakdown criterion weight in brackets
Academics and programmes (16%)95 Community rating (16%)no dataparent reviews are needed: the criterion switches on at the fifth verified one Exams and destinations (12%) scored on disclosed data80 Safety and wellbeing (12%) scored on disclosed data70 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)95 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data75 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data64 Value for money (6%) scored at the median83 "Scored on disclosed data" stands where we count only what the school has written about itself on its own site: exams and destinations, safety and wellbeing, teaching staff, facilities, clubs and activities. A low score here means the school does not write about this, not that the school does not have it: a school with good security and a sparse site will score low. A school can fill in its profile, and the score will be counted again.
The score is counted from 7 of the 9 criteria.Only those with checkable data count: programmes and accreditations from official registers, the fee from a published price list. Where it says "scored on the median", the school has no data and the middle of the list is put in its place, so that a gap gives no advantage. Admissions, teaching staff and reviews come in as their data arrives.
The full methodology → Similar schools in the country