How matching works
How we identify relevant schools
Matching compares what your family needs against the school information we maintain, in two stages: which schools can admit your child, and which of those suit your circumstances.
Prepared by InternationalSchools.orgPublished July 2026Last reviewed July 2026
In short
- Eligibility gates decide whether a school can be considered at all.
- Fit considerations decide which of the eligible schools are worth a family's attention.
- Both stages run on family requirements and maintained school information.
- The school confirms current availability and entry requirements from there.
Stage one: eligibility gates
These are pass or fail. A school clears all three to be considered, which is what makes a short list dependable.
Curriculum coverage
Whether the school teaches the programme the family needs at the stage the child is entering. A school teaching an entirely different system is not a near miss; it is a different pathway.
Child age and entry year
Whether the school admits a child of that age into the corresponding year group. Age cut-offs differ between systems, so the same child can be placed in different year groups depending on the curriculum.
Operating status
Whether the campus is currently operating and admitting. Announced, relocating, merged or closed campuses are excluded rather than shown with a caveat.
Stage two: fit considerations
These shape which of the eligible schools are presented, judged against the family's circumstances.
Location and practical travel
Where the school sits relative to the area the family expects to live or work. Distance matters differently in every city, so this is treated as a consideration, not a hard rule.
Budget range
Published tuition for the relevant year group compared with the range the family gave. Fees change and extras vary, so any figure shown is indicative and confirmed with the school.
Intended start
Whether the school's intake pattern is compatible with the point in the year the family needs to start.
Stated preferences
Requirements the family tells us matter, such as language of instruction or day and boarding arrangements, weighed against what the school offers.
Question it answers
- Eligibility gate
- Can this school admit this child at all?
- Fit consideration
- Among the schools that can, which deserve the family's attention?
Type of answer
- Eligibility gate
- Yes or no
- Fit consideration
- Better or worse for these circumstances
Effect on results
- Eligibility gate
- Sets which schools can be considered
- Fit consideration
- Sets which of those are presented, with the trade-off stated
Examples
- Eligibility gate
- Curriculum coverage, child age and entry year, operating status
- Fit consideration
- Location, budget range, intended start, stated preferences
| Attribute | Eligibility gate | Fit consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | Can this school admit this child at all? | Among the schools that can, which deserve the family's attention? |
| Type of answer | Yes or no | Better or worse for these circumstances |
| Effect on results | Sets which schools can be considered | Sets which of those are presented, with the trade-off stated |
| Examples | Curriculum coverage, child age and entry year, operating status | Location, budget range, intended start, stated preferences |
How the two stages fit together
What the school confirms next
Matching works from recorded school information: which programmes are taught, which ages are admitted, published tuition, campus location and intake pattern. Live availability sits with the school: whether there is a free seat in Year 4 in September, whether a waiting list has moved, whether a class has just been capped.
That is why matching narrows the field to the schools that can realistically work, so every question you put to an admissions team is worth the time it takes to ask.
Worked example
Three schools, three clear answers
A family needs a Year 9 place from January in a British-curriculum school within a defined budget and area. Three schools meet every requirement, and all three appear in the results.
The family contacts all three. One has a place. One has a place for a September start. One holds a waiting list for that year group. Three conversations gave the family the answers that twenty enquiries would have taken weeks to produce.
What we confirm, and what the school confirms
We confirm
- Whether a school can admit a child of that age into that entry year.
- Whether the curriculum the school teaches matches what the family needs.
- Whether the campus is currently operating and admitting.
- Which eligible schools best suit the family's location, budget, timing and stated preferences.
The school confirms
- Current availability in the year group the family needs.
- Assessment, entry and documentation requirements.
- Visit dates, tours and meetings with the admissions team.
- The admissions decision and the offer itself.
The full family sequence, and where our school information comes from, is set out on how it works.
What happens to a family's information
Families stay in control of who receives their details, at every step.
The form is read as a set of requirements
Destination, children and entry years, start date, curriculum, budget and area. Nothing is shared with any school at this stage.
Eligibility gates are applied first
Schools that cannot admit that child, into that year, in that programme, at a currently operating campus are removed. This is a yes or no test, not a score.
Remaining schools are assessed for fit
Location, budget, timing and stated preferences are weighed to identify which of the eligible schools are worth the family's attention.
A focused shortlist of up to five schools is recommended
Each with the reason it may suit and a consideration to weigh against it. Where fewer schools genuinely fit, the family sees fewer. The shortlist is a starting point: other suitable schools remain available to explore, and the family can add, remove and swap schools as it decides what to consider.
The search is private to the family and is not indexed by search engines.
The family selects up to three admissions teams
The family chooses who receives their details, and only the selected admissions teams do.
The request reaches the school
Where a school participates with us, the request reaches its admissions team directly. Where a campus does not participate, it receives an anonymised notice of the enquiry and has seven days to take up access to it. That seven-day window applies to the school, not to the family's search.
Common questions
Continue reading
Last reviewed: July 2026
This page describes how our own matching process operates. It contains no third-party data.
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