IBAT College Policies & Procedures 2016
Class timetable
Morning class times:
Monday
09.00
10.45
Break
11.00
12.15
Tuesday
09.00
10.45
Break
11.00
12.15
Wednesday
09.00
10.45
Break
11.00
12.15
Thursday
09.00
10.45
Break
11.00
12.15
Friday
09.00
10.45
Break
11.00
12.15
Afternoon class times:
Monday
1.30
3.00
Break
3.15
4.45
Tuesday
1.30
3.00
Break
3.15
4.45
Wednesday
1.30
3.00
Break
3.15
4.45
Thursday
1.30
3.00
Break
3.15
4.45
Friday
1.15
3.00
Break
3.15
4.30
Please note: Students who arrive more than 15 minutes late for class will not be
permitted to enter the class until after the break. You will not get attendance for the
lesson you miss.
Social programme
General activities are scheduled on Friday mornings for the afternoon groups and Friday afternoons
for the morning groups. Longer trips will take place on Saturdays.
Assisted Study
We also offer extra help for students.
If you are having difficulties, one of our teachers can work individually with you to help
with any questions you might have. You can ask at reception to sign your name on the list.
Levels
The morning class levels are: Beginners, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate,
Upper-Intermediate & Advanced.
The afternoon class levels are: Beginners, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, UpperIntermediate & Advanced.
Classrooms
Students are expected to respect the classrooms. Please be sure to put any
litter in the bins provided and keep the classroom tidy. Food should not be eaten
in the classroom, but in the break rooms at break times.
Class size
We have a maximum class size of 15 students per class.
Course material
IBAT College has a course book rental system in place for the English language students. You will be
given a book for your level. All books are provided to you on a rental basis, which means that you must
bring the book back if you change level or finish your course. The 3 course books we use are New
Cutting Edge, Speak Out and New English File.
You must take care of the course book so that, when you return it, other students can also
use it. If you lose or damage your course book, you will need to pay €30 to replace it.
IBAT College Policies & Procedures 2016
Teachers
All our language teachers are experienced and qualified to Department of Education & Skills required
standards. They all have ACELS-recognised English teaching certificates and diplomas. So if you want to
improve your general English or prepare for English exams such as the TIE, FCE, CAE or IELTS, we have
the experience to help you succeed.
Course information:
If you have any questions, suggestions or problems to do with the course you can make an
appointment to meet the Director of Studies. The Director of Studies is available from 1pm – 2pm
from Tuesday to Friday; just ask at reception.
Your teacher will give you advice on which books to use in the library for home study –
vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, graded readers and useful websites to practice your
English or to improve a particular area.
Social and cultural programme:
All information on our excursions, social activities, sport and other entertainment can
be found on the student notice board on the first floor and on the classroom notice boards.
The Academic Administrator and your teacher will also tell you about activities and excursions
in class. Many local excursions and activities are free. However, some excursions have a fee
but we will tell you about any costs when we promote the activity.
Hours per week and attendance
Under Garda National Immigration Bureau regulations / visa requirements, students
must attend classes for a minimum of 15 hours per week. The total weekly class hours
amount to the required 15 hours. Students must have an attendance rate of a minimum of
85%. If you miss lessons, or if you are late and not allowed to attend a class, your attendance
level will drop. If your attendance falls below 85%, we will send you an email to tell you that
your attendance is low and you must attend class every day until your average attendance is
more than 85%.
If there is no improvement in attendance, you will receive a second warning email, and if
your attendance still doesn’t improve, you will be called by email to attend a meeting with the
Director of Studies.
If you do not improve your attendance (100%) after your meeting with the
Director of Studies, we will have to contact GNIB and you may be expelled from
the course.
Warning 1
↓
Warning 2
↓
Warning 3
↓
Meeting with Director of Studies
↓
Expulsion
(you are asked to attend a meeting)
(written agreement to attend ALL classes)
(letter will be sent to GNIB)
It is the student’s responsibility to provide documentary evidence (e.g. medical certificates, hospital
appointments etc.) if you miss a class because you are sick. This documentation will be copied for our
student files.
IBAT College Policies & Procedures 2016
Certificates
You will receive a certificate of attendance and a teacher report from IBAT
College Dublin at the end of your programme. A Certificate of Attendance will
confirm the level you have reached. Visa students will also receive a certificate from
their chosen exit exam. This is currently the TIE. Cambridge examination
certificates are received from the awarding body.
Examinations
All visa-required students must take the Test of Interactive English (TIE) at
the end of their course of study. Other examinations (e.g. Cambridge exams –
FCE, CAE and IELTS) can be arranged and paid for separately.
Just ask your teacher or any member of the Academic team.
Work
If you need a visa to study in Ireland, you are entitled to work up to 20 hours
per week when while you are studying, and up to 40 hours per week when you are on holiday. All
visa-required students must take a recognised exit exam. This exam is currently the TIE exam for
General English students and Cambridge FCE, CAE or IELTS for exam preparation classes.
Visa
Students from EU member countries do not need a visa to enter Ireland. Students from non-EU
countries should check with their nearest embassy or consulate, as a study visa may be required.
For further information visit: www.justice.ie
Insurance
Students are not insured by IBAT College Dublin or their homestay against
illness, theft or loss of personal belongings, and the school accepts no responsibility if
any of these situations occur. We advise all students to take out full medical and
personal insurance cover prior to departure. Students travelling from EU countries
should bring their European Health Insurance card with them, and students from nonEU countries must organise medical insurance. This is available on request at each
school, and is a visa requirement.
Student Holiday Policy
To request a holiday, students must complete a Holiday Request Form at reception
at least 2 weeks before the holiday date. If holidays are requested less than 2 weeks in
advance, the delayed period will be taken from attendance.
Students who enrol for 25 weeks can request holidays after they have attended classes
for a minimum of 10 weeks. If a student has been with the college for less than 10
weeks, the Director of Studies might make an exception (only in exceptional
circumstances) if a flight ticket or medical certificate is produced.
If a student enrols for less than 25 weeks e.g. 2 months, holiday requests have to be
considered on an individual basis.
Note: In all cases, we require students to provide documentation for holiday requests.
Holidays must be taken during the calendar week (they must begin on a Monday and end
on a Friday and the student must return to class on a Monday).
Note: If a student is sick and cannot come to class, they will not get attendance. They
can take a medical certificate to the GNIB when they go to renew a visa.
We cannot add extra classes at the end of a student’s course if they miss individual days.
IBAT College Policies & Procedures 2016
A student can request holidays for a minimum of 2 weeks to a maximum of 4 weeks. They
will need to have a minimum of 70% attendance.
In special situations, if a student wants longer holidays (health or family issues or
returning to their country) attendance has to be a minimum of 85%. These situations will
only be approved directly by the Director of Studies.
(GNIB rules state that a student must have a minimum of 85% at all times. If a student goes
on holidays with low attendance, they cannot increase this while they are absent from class.
Ibat could be inspected by GNIB at any time, and asked to show our attendance records for
all students. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for allowing students with poor attendance
to go on holidays.)
Students can make up to 2 holiday requests (maximum 4 weeks) in a 3-month period and a
total of 4 in a full 25-week course. This will vary if the student is enrolled for a shorter
period.
No extensions to a holiday period will be allowed while a student is still on holiday. The
entire period has to be requested and the dates indicated on the Holiday Request Form
before the student goes on holiday.
Level tests and moving to the next level
We have in-class level tests every six weeks to see if students are ready to move to the next level.
These tests examine the four general language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking as
well as grammar/vocabulary). They are usually done over three days in the sixth week (normally
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays).
The decision to move students is not based only on the level test result. Other factors include the
following:





a minimum of 85% in 5 consecutive summative tests (at least one progress
or end-of-book test)
an average of 2.5/3 in at least 4 weekly formative tasks
attendance must be higher than 85%
teachers’ opinions are also very important
students must participate fully in class and do all of their homework
Students will be given the level test dates a number of weeks before. If a student is absent from class
and misses all or part of the level test, they will have to wait until the next test 6 weeks later to move.
Please note: All students must make sure that they are familiar with all these requirements and
attend the exam. If students do not satisfy all of the criteria above, or if teachers feel that a student is
not participating in class, or not doing the homework, the student might not be moved, even with a
good score. This is to ensure that we are fair to all students who work hard in class and want to learn
and progress.
IBAT College Emergency Phone Number
The number 087-4596511 is available for students in case they have any emergencies outside our
opening hours.