Utahloy International School Guangzhou

Utahloy International School Guangzhou is at 800 Sha Tai Bei Road in Baiyun District, Guangzhou — a lakeside campus in the north of the city. The school provides pick-up zones across major districts (Tianhe, Zhujiang New Town, Haizhu, Yuexiu, Liwan, Panyu and Zengcheng) via its bus service, which can be useful if you are relocating from those neighbourhoods. For the exact campus address and to arrange a visit, contact the admissions office.

UISG delivers the full IB continuum: Early Years (nursery/early years), Primary (PYP), and Secondary (MYP and IB Diploma). Program pages on the school site outline age-group provision from early childhood through Year 12.

UISG is a co-educational, secular international day school serving expatriate and eligible Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan families; it does not offer boarding. The school is operated under the Utahloy Education Foundation (UEF) umbrella.

The school runs a whole-school English as an Additional Language (EAL) programme (using WIDA frameworks and tiered support) and offers targeted small-group and in-class support. Admissions notes and application forms state that families must provide reports if a child has diagnosed learning needs; UISG aims to support English-language learners and students with mild learning support needs while assessing the school's capacity to meet more significant needs.

The school is not affiliated with a single foreign country; it is an international school in China operated by the Utahloy Education Foundation (UEF).

UISG is secular and does not have a religious affiliation.

Buses are scheduled to arrive at school between about 7:50–8:15am and regular afternoon buses depart around 3:30–3:40pm; a late bus for after-school activities typically leaves at about 5:15pm. Office hours and admissions availability are listed as Monday–Friday 8:00am–5:00pm; for exact daily bell times, break and lunch schedules for specific year groups, check with Admissions or the division offices.

UISG operates an optional two-way school bus service using licensed, government-authorised yellow school buses with licensed drivers and assistants; parents register during the admissions process or by contacting the Busing Office. Routes cover two main zones (Zone 1: Tianhe, Zhujiang New Town, Haizhu, Baiyun, Yuexiu, Liwan; Zone 2: Panyu, Zengcheng); route management and daily changes are handled through the SchoolsBuddy app and the school provides WeChat groups and QR codes for route communication. If your area is not currently covered the school asks families to contact the transportation team to investigate feasibility.

Utahloy International School Guangzhou delivers the International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum across its Early Years, Primary and Secondary stages.
The Primary Years Programme (PYP) runs from Early Years through Year/Grade 6 and is an inquiry‑based, transdisciplinary curriculum integrating language (English and Chinese), mathematics, science, social studies, arts, design and specialist PE/music, with a PYP exhibition at the upper primary level.
The Middle Years Programme (MYP) covers Grades/Years 6–10; students take eight subject groups (Language and Literature, Language Acquisition, Individuals & Societies, Science, Mathematics, The Arts, Physical & Health Education, and Design), complete a Personal Project, and may sit Grade 10 eAssessments leading to an IB MYP certificate.
The Diploma Programme (DP) is offered in the final two years (typically Years 11–12) and requires study across six subject groups (three Higher Level, three Standard Level) plus the core components—Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and Creativity, Activity, Service—culminating in the IB Diploma.
Across the school there is whole‑school EAL support, a Mother Tongue programme (Chinese, English, Korean, Japanese, French, German, Spanish), and provision for technology, arts and extensive extracurricular activities.

UISG provides confidential individual and group counselling delivered by a Primary Counselor (Sharon Lun) and a Secondary Counselor (Julie Mullen); counsellors work with parents, teachers and leaders to support academic, personal/social and career development. The counselling service lists common areas of support such as adjusting to a new culture, anxiety, friendships, time management and examination stress. The school also runs whole-school programmes that promote belonging and student agency, including a House system, student council, student leadership roles and regular experiential learning (camps and field trips). These leadership and community activities are described as part of classroom and student experience provision.

UISG describes itself as an inclusive school and states it aims to offer appropriate services for English language learners and students with mild Learning Support needs; the admissions information asks families to provide detailed reports if a child has a diagnosed learning need or has received learning support previously. School communications and newsletters reference Learning Support Assistants and list a Secondary Learning Support Coordinator among staff/vacancy roles, indicating in-school learning support capacity. The website does not publish a detailed list of specific SEN categories it can support, nor does it describe itself as a specialist SEN institution. For specific diagnoses, placement or detailed provision the school requests prior documentation and conducts assessment during admissions.

UISG runs a whole-school EAL programme that uses the WIDA framework and specific resources (for example Read Write Inc, Comprehension and Fresh Start in Primary) to scaffold students' English development. Primary EAL uses collaborative push-in support and WIDA screening on admission; Secondary offers an “EAL Enhanced” pathway with small-group instruction, push-in/pull-out options and six-week cycles framed by WIDA assessments, with students exiting the programme once they can work independently in mainstream classes. EAL teachers monitor progress, provide standards-referenced feedback to families, and collaborate with classroom teachers and subject departments. Assessment and placement are based on admission data, prior evidence of proficiency and the school's WIDA screener.

Mental wellbeing support at UISG includes confidential counselling for individual and group needs, with counsellors explicitly addressing anxiety, depression, family or personal crises, and strategies for balanced lifestyles and resilience. The school operates two on-campus clinics staffed by nurses who log clinic visits, attend sporting and school events, and can access doctor support when needed. Wellbeing is further supported through curricular and co-curricular activities (life-skills/PSPE lessons in primary and secondary) and student leadership/house systems that build community and social skills. For medical or severe incidents the nurse will contact parents and, where necessary, accompany students to external medical care.

UISG publishes a Child Protection & Safeguarding policy aligned with PRC law and referencing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and WHO definitions of abuse and neglect. The school lists safeguarding measures including a clear child protection policy, annual child protection training for staff and volunteers, designated Child Protection Officers and a Child Safeguarding Team (named staff), a Staff Code of Conduct, criminal background checks for all staff/regular volunteers, and procedures for reporting and following up suspected abuse. The site states the Child Safeguarding Team trains teachers, parents and students and manages confidential child protection documentation. The school also says it cooperates with relevant authorities as part of its safeguarding procedures.

1. Check eligibility and read placement guidance. Before you start an application, confirm your child is eligible: UISG only admits students holding a valid foreign passport or those from Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan — children with a People's Republic of China passport are not eligible. Review the school's Year Level Placement guide so you apply for the correct year level; applying for the wrong year level can delay review or change placement outcomes. If you are unsure about eligibility or the right year level, contact the Admissions Office first.

2. Prepare required documents. UISG asks that you gather and prepare the Required Documents before submitting an application: these commonly include parents' and student passport copies and any Chinese residency/visa documentation, the student's birth certificate, a passport-sized photo, at least two years of official school reports plus a Certificate of Attendance/Enrollment, an up-to-date vaccination record, and (for Grade 1–12 applicants) a confidential reference requested through the online portal. If your child has a diagnosed learning need or has previously received learning support, you must provide detailed reports and history of support as part of the application. Documents should be in English or provided with an official translation to avoid processing delays.

3. Submit the application through the online portal and pay the application fee. Complete the online application via UISG's OpenApply admissions portal and upload the required supporting documents; the school will not process an application without the application fee. The application fee is RMB 2,000 (non-refundable and non-transferable) — parents are asked to include the student's full name on remittance and may remit via WeChat Pay or bank transfer (contact admissions for bank details).

4. Assessments and interview. Depending on age and prior English-medium schooling, applicants (especially Grades 4–12 without at least three years in an English-language school) may be asked to complete an English assessment or other subject/language assessments; these can be on campus or proctored online. The school requests a student and family interview (usually with the relevant Head of Division); the interview is used to understand the child and family, answer questions, and assess fit rather than to ‘‘test'' the child on the spot. Heads of Division may also request a trial class or additional assessments in some cases; budget time for these steps when planning a mid-year move.

5. Admissions review and decision. Admissions decisions are made after the Admissions Office, Heads of Division, and Head of School review the file, assessment results, references, and interview feedback; the school evaluates both the potential for the student to benefit from UISG and the school's capacity to meet the student's needs. After the process is complete you should receive a formal admissions response: an official enrollment letter (if accepted) plus a debit note listing payment deadlines required to secure the place. UISG aims to issue a decision quickly (the FAQ notes a typical decision within five working days after all steps are complete), though processing can be slower during holidays. If your child is denied, the school will issue a letter explaining the reasons.

6. If accepted — secure the place and note fee/payment policies. To secure an offered place you will be given payment instructions and deadlines; UISG offers an annual-payment 4% discount (shown on the published fee schedule) and applies sibling bursaries for second and subsequent concurrently enrolled children (bursary applies to basic tuition only). The school accepts mid-year enrollments when space is available; note the tuition policy: no basic tuition reduction is given for students admitted during the first two weeks of term, and students admitted after the first two weeks will have tuition adjusted pro rata by week. For transport, bus fees are optional and payable by semester or annually; meals are included in the 2025–26 fee structure. Keep the tuition & fees page and the Admissions Procedures & Policies brochure handy for the detailed financial terms referenced in your debit note.

UISG does offer scholarship opportunities and runs specific scholarship programmes with published criteria and application procedures. Recent school announcements (April–May 2025) describe a RMB 1,000,000 scholarship programme for the 2025–26 year that is open to new students (Years 1–12) and existing students (Years 6–12), with awards ranging from full tuition to tiered cash awards; categories include academic, artistic, athletic, creativity, community service, and multilingual/cultural diversity scholarships. The school also runs targeted scholarships for specific year groups (for example Year 10 and Year 12 awards and UEF recognition awards) with stated application criteria and deadlines. Scholarship applications typically require completion of the admissions process first (payment of the non-refundable application fee where applicable), a completed scholarship application form, supporting documents (PDFs), required essays, and submission by the published deadline; for at least some internal scholarships the school asks applicants to email materials to secondaryoffice@uisgz.org. Deadlines and exact award amounts vary by programme and year — consult the UISG Scholarships page and the specific scholarship news posts for the current application windows and instructions, and contact admissions or the Secondary Office for clarifications.

UISG operates a wait pool (waitlist) system when a requested year level has reached capacity. If a year level is full at the time of application, the school will notify you that your child has been placed in the wait pool and will contact you if and when an appropriate space becomes available. Offers are generally made on a first-come, first-served basis for available places, and the Admissions Office will follow up with an enrollment timeline and next steps if a space opens. The FAQ and Admissions Procedures both explicitly describe this wait-pool arrangement and advise families to apply early if they need a place at the start of a semester.