As a growing network of schools, we needed to find innovative ways of engaging with families during a time of social and physical distance. As a result Nova Pioneer has adjusted their application process and created The Virtual Admissions Experience to answer all your enrolment needs from the safety and comfort of your home.
For Parents: Our Virtual Open Day
Whether you have put in an application or not, you are welcome to attend the Nova Pioneer Virtual Open Day. Each Nova Pioneer campus in our network hosts their own open day via Google-meet.
- The first step is expressing interest in attending this event. You can RSVP right now using this form
- One of our admissions associates will be in touch and send you a calendar invite with a link for our one-hour virtual experience.
- You will receive the two videos below as pre-event ‘homework’.
- At the Virtual Open Day, School Leadership will share details on our enquiry-based learning model, curriculum, student-teacher engagement, extra-curriculars, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) Focus, hybrid learning, health and safety protocols, behaviour management and much more.
- We encourage you to ask questions directly or through the chat box so that we can address them.
Want to add the Open Day Link to your Calendar?
Click on the name of your closest Nova Pioneer campus to do so. We have events every two weeks.
For Students: Our Virtual Assessment
Nova Pioneer hosts entrance assessments for all new joiners. We do this because students come from a different learning environment and we would like to get a sense of what they have covered at school. It is a grade-level assessment and is not designed to trick the child, but rather allows us to get to know them. For the months of July and August we have waived our R350/R550 admissions fee, so make sure you book your virtual tour and assessment before the end of August. We host virtual assessments one learner at a time to ensure they can be comfortable and ask questions whenever they want to. We will give you and our school teams feedback so we know how we can support the student best. Here is what you can expect at a Nova Pioneer Virtual Assessment:
For Grade 00 and 000
This assessment is merely a meeting/introduction with a member of our school team. Please note: this is only observed at only some of our campuses.
For Grade R and 1
A trained admissions associate or teacher will send a calendar invite for a live virtual assessment session and engage directly with your child. You will need to gather some preparation material such as pencils. In the 30-45 minute session we assess comprehension, counting, matching objects and motor skills testings with the student. Please note, we have designed the assessment so that the learner feels like they are playing.
For Grade 2, 3 and 4
This is also a live virtual engagement with a member of our team. This assessment is structured more like a test and has two parts: comprehension and math. We will send you a calendar invite and the two forms to download just before the time. The assessment is completed on the form directly (whether printed or on the computer). We will briefly engage with the student and observe them while they complete the assessment. The learner should have a notepad/paper and pen/pencil with them. As far as possible, parents need to give the students space to complete the test independently. Afterwards, you will need to email us the completed assessment for processing. You will receive feedback within 24 hours.
Grade 5 and up
Students complete an intuitive online assessment, which is literacy and math based. This test assesses academic capability and potential. Once you have paid the admissions fee, you will receive an assessment link and a time to complete the assessment by. We do not have a team member observing this assessment and we trust that parents ensure learners complete the assessment independently and in a quiet space.
The Next Steps
So you have attended a Virtual Open day and your child has completed a virtual assessment, what next? You will receive a letter of acceptance from our team which will also remind you submit documentation to our online parent portal. Our finance team then completes an affordability check, after which you will be asked to pay an enrolment fee to secure your child’s place.
We are so excited to e-meet you and your young innovator and leader. We hope you enjoy your virtual experience with us as you become apart of the Nova Pioneer family!
