Springboard International Bilingual School

Springboard International Bilingual School (SIBS) is in Gucheng Village, 15 Huosha Road, Houshayu Town, Shunyi District, Beijing — a suburban area northeast of central Beijing with a large expatriate/residential community and shopping/restaurant amenities. The campus is in Shunyi, near major roads and served by local bus routes; it is commonly described as accessible from nearby districts such as Wangjing and other parts of the city.

SIBS is a K–12 school covering Kindergarten, Primary (lower and upper), and Secondary (middle and high school) year groups. The school advertises programs from early years through Grade 12 and offers IB Diploma in the senior years alongside other international qualifications.

The school is co-educational and bilingual (English and Chinese) and operates as a private international day school; several listings note that it also offers boarding options or mixed day/boarding arrangements. SIBS is authorised to offer the IB Diploma and lists other international curricula (Cognia/ Cambridge/AP elements) in its programme mix.

The school is based in China (Beijing) and is not affiliated with another country as its governing body; it is authorised by local education authorities to accept foreign-national students.

SIBS does not advertise any religious affiliation and operates as a secular international bilingual school.

Typical published hours show a morning start around 08:30 with the standard school day ending mid-afternoon (commonly cited as 15:30 on most days); the school also runs after-school programmes/activities that extend some days until about 16:20 or later. Breaks and an on‑site cafeteria are mentioned in school materials; exact daily timetables and after-school activity schedules are set by year group.

The school runs multiple school-bus routes serving Shunyi villa communities, Wangjing and wider districts of the city; local admissions information lists several dedicated校车 routes. For specific pick-up points, route availability and costs you should request the current bus route map and schedule from admissions, as lines and stops can change each academic year.

Springboard International Bilingual School (SIBS) delivers a bilingual English–Chinese K–12 curriculum and is authorised to offer the International Baccalaureate Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes. At foundation and primary levels the school combines inquiry‑based IB approaches with elements of the U.S. Common Core and aspects of the Chinese national curriculum to deliver bilingual literacy, mathematics, science and Chinese language programmes. Students move through the MYP into senior secondary where SIBS runs the IB Diploma (Grades 11–12); the IB listing shows the school registered for standard DP subjects such as mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, economics, English A (Language & Literature), Chinese A and Theory of Knowledge. The school is also reported to offer Advanced Placement courses and to hold Cambridge/Cognia affiliations in school profiles, so older students can access AP options and multiple external pathways alongside the Diploma. Across all stages SIBS emphasises bilingual instruction, modern languages (French and Spanish), laboratory and STEM provision, and a programme of co‑curricular activities; some programmes on the school profile note both day and boarding arrangements depending on year group.

Public materials about SIBS emphasise teacher-led character development, a sense of belonging and attention to students' “mental attitude,” as described in profile pieces and interviews with the school's founder and leadership. The school's IB listings confirm it operates IB programmes (PYP/MYP/DP) but do not describe a named, school-wide SEL programme or dedicated SEL staff on the IB profile or school directory entries. SIBS also promotes small classes and bilingual learning in publicly available descriptions, which the school presents as part of its educational approach. The school does not, in the sources reviewed, publish a specific, detailed SEL curriculum, job titles for pastoral/SEL leads, or formal SEL initiatives on its website or IB profile.

SIBS's public listings note English and Chinese as languages of instruction and describe a bilingual programme; however, those sources do not set out a named EAL/ESL programme, entry-level testing, or specialist EAL staffing. I found no published EAL policy or specific EAL curriculum on the school's IB profile or in directory entries. Consequently, the school does not publicly disclose a dedicated EAL provision in the sources reviewed.

Profile articles and interviews with SIBS leadership highlight the school's stated focus on creating a supportive campus culture, staff investment, and students' mental attitude and sense of belonging. The IB school listing confirms the school delivers IB programmes but does not detail an on-site counselling team, named wellbeing programmes, or a published mental-health policy. I was not able to find a public counselling or mental-health services page on the school's website or in its official listings during this search.

I did not find a published child-protection or safeguarding policy for SIBS on the school website or in the IB school profile and major directory listings consulted. The sources reviewed (news profiles, IB listing, school directories) describe the school's curriculum offerings and leadership but do not provide a publicly accessible, detailed safeguarding statement or named safeguarding lead in those entries. If you would like, I can continue searching for a published safeguarding policy (for example on archived pages or Chinese-language sections of the school site) and report what I find.

1. Initial enquiry and information gathering. Parents should check which year/term the school is admitting for (SIBS runs an August–June school year) and confirm whether the year or grade you want has places before paying any fees.

2. Submit application and supporting documents. The school (and third‑party school listings) report an application/processing fee is required to complete an application; published amounts vary between platforms (historical figures include RMB 1,600 and more recent listings show one‑off application fees reported around RMB 2,000), so expect to pay a non‑refundable processing fee when you submit forms. Typical documents requested by international schools include the child's passport or ID, birth certificate, past school reports/records, and immunization records — have originals and translated copies ready and ask the admissions office which exact documents they require.

3. Assessment and interview. SIBS pages and local school guides say the school arranges an interview (often with the principal and a Chinese teacher) to assess English and Chinese levels; older applicants normally also take subject tests or written assessments appropriate to the grade. Parents should prepare the child for a short oral interview and bring recent schoolwork or reports; for older students, check whether the school requires entrance tests in maths, English or science and whether tests are in English, Chinese or both.

4. Offer, deposit and enrollment paperwork. If a place is offered, SIBS and directory listings indicate the school typically issues a written offer and requests completion of an enrollment contract plus payment of a one‑time admission/placement fee (historically this has been reported in the range of RMB 10,000–20,000 for different year groups) and the first term or year's tuition/deposit to secure the place. Parents should check refund/transfer rules for deposits, ask for an itemised fee schedule (tuition vs. one‑time fees vs. optional costs such as bus, uniforms, lunch) and confirm billing currency and payment methods.

5. Registration, visas (if relevant), and start‑of‑year steps. For families coming from outside Beijing or from overseas, allow extra time for visa/formal registration paperwork and any local residency documents the school requires; SIBS is reported to accept both local and foreign passport holders and to operate as a day school with boarding available for older students, so check whether you need to register as a boarding student. Before term starts, the school will typically provide an orientation pack and timetable; confirm start dates, uniform requirements, immunization/health checks and the school's transport routes if you plan to use the bus service.