Date: August 07, 2008

School Profile 2007-2008

Cambridge International Examinations Centre NP 704

Background

Established in 1992, Rato Bangala School is located at Patan Dhoka in Kathmandu Valley and imparts child-centered education to Nepali students between the ages of 6 and 18. The enrollment from Grades I through A Level is 810. Affiliated with Bank Street College of Education in New York since its inception, Rato Bangala has brought the best of the American education system and its democratic values to Nepali children, and has created a Nepali model that can be replicated around Nepal and South Asia.

Accreditation

The school is accredited by the Nepal Government's Ministry of Education and by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate. Rato Bangala School is an accredited Cambridge International Examinations Centre with Center Number NP704. The CEEB code for Rato Bangala School is 689010.

We believe in building a positive environment which cultivates critically thinking individuals who want to learn and grow into cooperative, loving, confident concerned global citizens. Mission Statement of Rato Bangala School

Curriculum

Rato Bangala is a college preparatory school. The curriculum strives to nurture the student's social, emotional, physical and cognitive development. From Grades I through VIII the school has a child-centered program based on the Bank Street model. The curriculum is enriched with focus on the skill of inquiry, observation and experimentation. Student projects are designed to maximize reading, writing and Math skills. These foundational years allow RBS students to excel in the Nepal government standards in Grade IX and X.

Rato Bangala Students have been preparing for a dual degree: the Nepal government's School Leaving Certificate examinations taken after Grade X, and the International General Certificate for Secondary Education (IGCSE) conducted by the University of Cambridge (UK) taken six months after the SLC. After IGCSE students enroll in the two-year Advanced Level Examinations (A Levels) which is also a University of Cambridge degree. Thus students who complete the SLC, IGCSE and A levels have completed thirteen years of schooling.

The following courses are offered in SLC. All subjects are compulsory.

English Language Nepali Language Mathematics

Science Health, Population and Environment Education

Social Studies Optional Math. or English Computer Studies

IGCSE requires seven subjects. Transfer students who join Rato Bangala for the A Level program complete four to five IGCSE subjects as a prerequisite for A Level. Listed below are the subjects offered at RBS Additional information on IGCSE is available at www.cie.org.uk.

First Language English English Literature Mathematics

Coordinated Science (double award) Nepali Additional Mathematics

History Development Studies Computer Science

A-Levels students are required to take a minimum of six credits. The subject choices offered at Rato Bangala are listed below. Additional information available at www.cie.org.uk.

Accountancy Business Studies English Language English Literature English Language and Literature

Mathematics with Statistics and/or Mechanics Physics Chemistry Biology Environmental Management

Economics Psychology Geography General Paper Sociology Art and Design

Calendar

Since students work towards two different degrees, there are different academic calendars at the school. In Grades I to X the academic year is from May through April. A Level students attend classes from February and sit for their examinations in November of the following year after completing a two-year course. Students will be sitting for the June A Levels from 2008.

Teaching staff

There are 80 teachers working at Rato Bangala School. Academic qualifications of the instructional staff are as follows:

PhD: 2

Masters Degree: 31

Bachelors Degree: 41

Intermediate/A Level: 6

Extra-curricular Activities

RBS has a rich extra-curricular activities from Grades I to A Levels. These services are mandated and class-wise in the lower grades. While students in Grades I to VIII have extra-curricular activities like dance, music and crafts integrated in their curriculum, students from Grades V to VIII also join after-school activities, which are held for an hour twice a week. In the higher grades, there is a large scope for selecting activities like martial arts, dance (classical, folk and modern), music (guitar, keyboard, drums), craft, various sports (football, basketball, volleyball), theatre, cooking, nature club, gymnastics and art.

High school students are involved in a variety of club activities in student initiated special interest clubs. Over the years we have had the following clubs: photography, basketball, football, chess, mountain biking, aviation, astronomy, debate, hiking, economics, film, theatre, dance and poetry.

Grade IX students spend two weeks at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute where they take the adventure course. Rato Bangala organizes the Model United Nations every alternate year for grades VIII-A Levels. Selected students participate in a international Model UN conference in India or in other international conferences in different parts of the world. A major theatrical performance is produced every other year at A Levels. Productions in the past years have included Macbeth, A Midsummer's Night's Dream, West Side Story and A View from a Bridge.

Work Experience

A-Level students are encouraged to intern at a work place during their vacation or when they have free time. Some help with placements is offered to interested students.

Community Service activities

We believe that interacting constructively with the people in the community in order to identify and solve problems together provides us with the opportunity to enlighten and empower others as well as ourselves and ultimately to help make this world a better place. Mission Statement for Community Service. 1997

The community service program begins in grade I. It is part of the class program from grades I to X. At A levels, there is a requirement that the students commit 100 hours in year 1 and 40 in the second year. Examples of some of the community service activities are as follows:
Teaching: in schools around the community, coaching high school students of local schools, going to village schools and working for extended periods of time, holding classes for out of school economically disadvantaged students, helping to establish community libraries in villages and working with street children.
Hospital Service: RBS students work in two hospitals in Kathmandu where they work in the general wards, the physiotherapy department, at the reception, as well as in the in-patient department.
Kathmandu Municipality: Students work with the Kathmandu Municipality on various projects, such as greening of the valley, the problem of pollution and garbage, the Bagmati river, kennel club.
Habitat for Humanity: A Level students help build low-cost houses in a village.
With special students: Rato Bangala seniors work with children with disabilities, and with children who are on rehabilitation.

In addition to these, students make their own community service plans to suit their interest and timing.

High School Enrollment

Grade IX: 60

Grade X: 56

A Level Year 1: 67

A Level Year 2: 53

Grading Scale

There are three terms in the junior school and two at A levels and grades are reported every term. The report card is comprehensive and is based on continuous assessment. Rato Bangala does not rank students. The graduating class consists of 53 students this year (2007). Many of them share similar ranks and the rank may not always reflect the true capabilities of some of the students exhibiting multiple talents other than traditional academics. Students also register for a variety of subjects that does not permit ranking them traditionally as one single group.

Test Results

SLC (School Leaving Certificate) Rato Bangala students have secured excellent results in the highest percentile in the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examinations since they started sitting for it in 1999.

IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) conducted by University of Cambridge International Examinations. The results of the IGCSE conducted by Cambridge International Examinations have been excellent over the years.

IGCSE 1999: Total Score: 39 A*, 32 A, 20 B, Nine Distinctions, Four Merits	IGCSE 2000: Total Scores: 40 A*, 47 A, 19 B, 5 C, 1 D, Twelve Distinctions, Four Merits	IGCSE 2001: Total Scores: 32 A*, 57A, 24 B, 11C, 1D, Twelve Distinctions, Six Merits	IGCSE 2002: Total Scores: 33*, 50 A, 25 B, 10 C, 1D, Twelve Distinctions, Three Merits
IGCSE 2003: Total Scores: 20*, 39A, 30B, 10 C, 2 D, Eight Distinctions, Six Merits	IGCSE 2004: Total Scores: 23*, 50 A,45 B, 9 C, Nine Distinctions, Six Merits	IGCSE 2005: Total Scores: 33*, 44 A, 33 B, 11C, 3D, Twelve Distinctions, Seven Merits	From 2006 RBS students take the IGCSE English Language Paper and move on to A Levels after SLC as per the Government's policy.

SAT1, SAT Subject tests and TOEFL

Rato Bangala students sit for the PSAT in their junior year and SAT1, SAT Subject tests and TOEFL during the process of applying to colleges.

GCE Advanced Levels Results

Rato Bangala students graduate after the GCE A Level exams conducted by Cambridge International Examinations. The results of these examinations have been consistently good with 100% pass in all subjects entered in last year's results. Rato Bangala students have received awards from Cambridge International Examinations for securing the highest mark in the world in Environment Management in the June 2005 Examinations and in Sociology in November 2005. Students have also received awards for securing the highest mark in Nepal in A Levels in Mathematics, Biology and Economics in 2005. In 2006, two Rato Bangala students were awarded by Cambridge International Examinations for securing the highest mark in the world in Psychology and Sociology. Rato Bangala students were also awarded for securing the highest marks in the country in 2006 for Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and Economics.

College Placements

Rato Bangala graduates are attending /have graduated from the following colleges and universities: