Academic Excellence and Accreditations

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OIS prides itself on individual academic excellence for all students. This means that our teachers will do the very best for everyone, maximizing their potential and encouraging them to be ambitious for themselves. We believe that there are no limits to what you can achieve if you have the right attitude and good, professional support, and that is exactly what we aim to provide.

Many of our students achieve outstanding grades in International Baccalaureate examinations, and we are justifiably proud of them and their efforts, but of course there are those students whose grades may not be quite so high, but who have worked hard to achieve every single point, and we are equally proud of them too.

Regardless of ability, there is no substitute for doing the best you can. As we all know, “Hard work will always overcome natural talent when natural talent does not work hard enough,” (Sir Alex Ferguson, former Manchester United manager).

At OIS we will be proud of you no matter what you achieve, so long as you did your very best and tried as hard as you could. Whether it’s Oxbridge and Ivy League or somewhere a little less well known, we will be right there to support you at every step through school and on to the next stage of your learning journey.

International Baccalaureate Continuum

We are an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School (www.ibo.org) offering the Continuum from Year 2 to Year 13:

Primary Years Programme 

PYP1 to PYP5: ages 6 to 10

  • Year 2
  • Year 3
  • Year 4
  • Year 5
  • Year 6

Middle Years Programme 

MYP1 to MYP5: ages 11 to 16

  • Year 7
  • Year 8
  • Year 9
  • Year 10
  • Year 11

Diploma Programme 

DP1, DP2: ages 17 to 18

  • Year 12
  • Year 13

Accreditations and Affiliations

In 2019 we were accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). To gain this accreditation schools must commit to an ongoing cycle of reflection and improvement, monitoring facilities, curriculum and staff.

In 2022 OIS became a member school of the international accreditation agency, the Council of International Schools (CIS), giving access to a wealth of networks, research and resources in the fields of Child Protection and Safeguarding, University Guidance, among other things.

In 2023, when preparing for our school’s next accreditation cycle, the decision was made to move away from the national accreditation body to the international organisation, namely CIS. OIS began the self-study process in the same year and held the Preparatory Visit in May of 2024. Following this visit, approval was given to move forward in our reflective cycle to prepare and submit our school’s self-study ready for the final accreditation visit that will take place in November of 2025.

OIS is authorized by the International Baccalaureate (IB) to offer the PYP, MYP and DP. The IB review OIS every five years as a part of the ongoing quality management of the school. With the collaboration between the IBO and CIS, our re-evaluation visit will be synchronous with the CIS team in November 2025.

We are members of the Educational Collaborative for International Schools (ECIS) that acts as an umbrella group, providing training, insight, news and other support for a network of over 500 schools in Europe. We are also members of Association of Independent Private Schools in Portugal (AEEP). AEEP is important in giving OIS a voice on the wider national stage. OIS is also a member of CHESS (Council of Heads of English Speaking Schools) that links international schools throughout our host nation to provide a space for healthy competition for our students in the arena of sports, as well as for staff to collaborate and learn together.

Documents and Certificates of authorization

Student parent handbook 2022-2023 PYP Authorisation
MYP Authorisation
DP Authorisation