Frequently Asked Questions
What would you like to know?
Here you will find some of the questions most frequently asked of Brisbane Independent School by parents and guardians who are searching for the right primary school for their children.
What are BiS’ operating hours?
Our school operates from 9:00am until 3:00pm.
A staff member greets children at the gate from 8:30am in the stop, drop and go zone. Classrooms are open and accessible to students from 8:30am.How big is BIS?
Due to the experimental nature of the school, enrolment numbers have grown and shrunk during its 50+ years of operations. Currently BIS is under 100 students.
How early should I enrol my child at BiS?
There is never a wrong time to enrol! Typically we have a waitlist for each grade, so whether you are considering transferring your child from another school to BIS or starting your child’s learning journey at BIS, it always starts with one thing: a tour of the school!
Once you have come and seen the school for yourself, you are able to waitlist and we will let you know when enrolments are open. Typically for Prep entries, we try to start the enrolment process about 1 year before your child is due to commence, so it is very low stress.
What kind of teaching environment and methods are used at BiS?
School-wide we implement the Australian Curriculum, which we’ve developed to better connect with the individual needs of our students as well as the adults who work with them. For more information see Our Curriculum.
Each classroom makes use of a variety of indoor and outdoor environments and implements a wide scope of teaching methods, dependent on the students’ needs at their particular stage. You can find more detailed information on each classroom page:
What kind of fees and levies are there at BiS?
See our Fees Schedule page for a full breakdown of our fee structure and levies.
What is BIS' COVID-19 response plan?
You can read all about our COVID-19 response plan on our Clean Air Classrooms at BIS page.
What resources will I need to provide and what resources does the school supply?
All stationary is provided by the school; you will never be sent a stationary list at BiS! We also provide computers for upper primary, library books, home readers, and all sports equipment like yoga mats.
Every term during BIStopia the school will purchase supplies for children’s projects, the cost of which is invoiced at the end of term. This cost is usually below $20.
You will need to provide your child(ren) with:
- A school bag they can easily carry,
- A library bag (Fridays),
- Lunch, morning tea and brain break,
- A water bottle,
- A spare set of clothes,
- A hat,
- Covered shoes.
That’s it. We take care of the rest.
Is there a uniform policy at BiS?
Every day your child(ren) will need to come to school with:
- Covered shoes (in case we go for a bush walk), and
- A sun-safe hat.
We have a variety of BiS-themed t-shirts and hats available to order at various times of the year, as well as a graduation jersey Dolphin families may choose to purchase for their Dolphin. Purchase of these is entirely optional.
We adopt a relaxed approach to clothing, to ensure the stress of uniform fees and compliance is removed for our students and families.
We often host pyjama days or fancy dress days, and students are welcome to come to school in the clothes that make them feel comfortable, safe, and ready to learn.
Are there any extracurricular activities my child(ren) can sign up for at BiS?
Yes! There are a number of extracurricular activities children can sign up to at BiS. Please see our Extracurricular Opportunities page for information about these exciting programs.
What sports programs do you have at BiS?
Quite a lot of our sports are integrated into the day-to-day learning of the class, like going out and playing hopscotch as part of a math class.
Our first session is morning movement, where students take part in a dance or basic cardio exercise activity, to get them ready for their day of learning. Our curriculum also includes JuJitsu classes (from Kestrels-age and up) and Tai Chi (all ages).
Our sports day, BISOlympics, is held once a year, and includes cross-country, base camp races, sprints and more with a focus on participation. We hold competitive races for those children who revel in the thrill of competition.
What language programs do you offer at BIS?
All of our students participate in a Languages Other Than English (LOTE) program at BIS. Our language of choice is currently Japanese, and each classroom takes a LOTE class once a week.
Does BIS offer a before/after school program?
BIS is currently undergoing the accreditation process for a dedicated before and after school care onsite; a program called BISy Kids. Once approvals have been granted, we are expecting the service to operate from 7:00am until 6:00pm Monday – Friday.
What does a Community School look like?
Being such a small school, we love that we get to know each other and share our experiences with each other. There are plenty of different ways for you to engage with the community at BIS including joining a volunteering team, helping out with jobs around the school, participating in a working bee, attending the end of term events, the list goes on! We have a long history at BIS and we can’t wait to see what your family can share with our community.
How can I, as a parent/guardian, be involved with the school?
The best part about being at a community school is that there are tons of ways you can be involved in your child’s learning, depending on how much time you have to offer. Please visit Our Community Teams page for detailed information.
How will BIS communicate with me, and how can I communicate with the school?
BIS uses a variety of methods to communicate with parents and guardians.
- School and general classroom updates will be sent via the SchoolStream application,
- General student and classroom updates will be sent via SeeSaw (including photos and videos of the students’ day, whenever possible),
- Educators hold Learning Journey meetings (parent-teacher interviews) with one or both parents/guardians each year, either in person or via Zoom,
- Every term BIS holds a Whole Community Meeting, which can be attended in person at the school or via Zoom, to discuss the current and upcoming news, policy reminders, and address any questions.
While we do have a Current Parents Facebook Group, we will never use this as the only mode of contact, as many of our parents and community members choose not to use Facebook
We encourage you to contact the office or educators with any questions or concerns you have, and there are a variety of ways available to do so, including:
- Send an email or text to the classroom phone at any time (Teachers do turn these phones off after 7.00pm),
- Phone the office during office hours, or send the office a text at any time (The office phone is also switched off at 7.00pm),
- Book a time to talk to the teachers before/after school, or via Zoom after hours.
Please bear in mind that during school hours, our first priority is always to meet the needs of the children at the school, so we may not be able to reply to texts instantly. Some questions will also require some resource-gathering time, and we want to be prepared with everything needed prior to replying.
But we will reply as soon as possible!
There’s so much more to tell about Brisbane Independent School – we can’t wait to hear from you. Feel free to call us on 0435 265 569, Book a School Tour, or fill out the below form with your questions and we’ll get back to you.
