Guide · Support
Special educational needs at Belgrade international schools
What is actually available, where the published limits are, and the questions to ask before you accept a place.
Schools' own pages read 24 August to 23 September 2026
Five schools in this guide publish something about special educational needs. Only one publishes where its support stops. The International School of Belgrade states that up to 150 minutes a week of additional support is included – the school's own wording is “in either EAL or LS”, and it does not say whether that ceiling applies to each separately or to both together – and that beyond this an offer of a place may depend on additional support the family funds, with the school employing the teacher and passing on the cost. Chartwell, the British International School, EDUCA and Intellectum Academy each describe provision without stating a ceiling, and EDUCA is the only school that publishes prices for it. The rest publish nothing we could find. If your child has identified needs, this should be your first question to every school and it should be asked in writing.
What each school publishes
| School | What we found published about SEN provision |
|---|---|
| BIS | Individual education plans are in place for all pupils identified with special educational needs. The 2025 inspection recorded 32 such pupils, and noted that monitoring in the primary school is close and consistent while use of the plans in secondary teachers' planning is less consistent. |
| Brook Hill | Nothing found |
| Chartwell | The school states that “children with specific learning needs are addressed on case to case basis”, and that Chartwell Primary has a full-time counsellor for students and families. |
| DSB | Nothing found |
| EDUCA | Learning support services are inside tuition. Beyond that the school prices special-needs provision openly: an individual educational plan per term, a special needs teaching assistant per day, and a gifted child programme per term. |
| Green School | Nothing found |
| Intellectum | The school runs its own psychological and speech-therapy service, an anti-bullying programme, and a Zabota o sebe course with the school psychologist built into the timetable, covering emotions, boundaries and communication. |
| IPS | Nothing found |
| International School | Nothing found |
| London Gates | Nothing found |
| Crnjanski | Nothing found |
| PRIMA | Nothing found |
| Ruđer Bošković | Nothing found |
| Ruska škola | Nothing found |
| ISB | The school states it is “usually able to provide up to 150 minutes per week of additional support in either EAL or LS”. It does not say whether that ceiling applies per area or across both together. |
| Westbridge | Nothing found |
| Young Sparrows | Nothing found |
| EFB | Nothing found |
| Russian Embassy school | Nothing found |
“Nothing found” is a statement about our search of each school's public pages in August 2026, not about what a school provides. Several schools support children with additional needs without writing about it anywhere. What it does mean is that you cannot find out without asking – so ask early, in writing, and ask every school on your list the same question.
The six questions to ask, in writing
Ask these in writing, of every school on your shortlist, before you accept a place. A verbal answer at an open day is not something you can hold anyone to later.
- What support is included in the fee, and how is it measured? ISB expresses it in minutes per week. Most schools do not quantify it at all – ask them to.
- What happens beyond that ceiling? The honest answers range from “we fund it” to "you fund an additional teacher we employ" to "we would not be able to offer a place". All three exist in Belgrade. You need to know which one you are hearing.
- Who delivers it? A qualified specialist, a teaching assistant, or a class teacher with extra time. These are very different things.
- What happens if needs change after enrolment? This is the question that matters most and the one least often asked. A child diagnosed in Year 4 is in a different position from one who arrived with a diagnosis.
- Is the building accessible? Several Belgrade schools operate from converted villas across multiple addresses. ISB states plainly that applications from students with limited mobility are difficult to accommodate because of accessibility on its Lower School campus. Others have not addressed it publicly, which is not the same as having solved it.
- What must I disclose, and when? ISB warns that failing to disclose learning differences may result in an acceptance being withdrawn. Disclose early and in writing – it protects you as much as the school.
English as an additional language is not the same thing
Schools often describe EAL and learning support in one breath. ISB's published wording – "up to 150 minutes per week of additional support in either EAL or LS” – does not say whether that is 150 minutes of each or 150 minutes across both, and we are not going to guess on your behalf. If your child needs both, that distinction is the difference between adequate support and half of it. Ask the question in exactly those terms, and ask for the answer in writing.
What the Serbian system offers
Serbian law gives foreign nationals the same right of access to state education as citizens, and requires institutions to arrange Serbian-language instruction for children who do not speak the language. State provision for special educational needs is a separate question and outside what we can report reliably – if this is your route, ask the school directly and in writing.
Questions families ask
Do Belgrade international schools support special educational needs?
To a limited and mostly unpublished extent. Only the International School of Belgrade states its ceiling publicly: up to 150 minutes a week of additional support – its wording does not say whether that is 150 minutes of each or 150 minutes across both – with anything beyond that potentially funded by the family. No other Belgrade school publishes a comparable statement, so provision has to be established school by school, in writing.
Is there a special needs school in Belgrade that teaches in English?
We are not aware of a dedicated English-medium special school in Belgrade. The realistic options are the mainstream international schools with whatever additional support they can provide, which varies and is largely unpublished. Families with significant needs should ask each school about its ceiling before applying rather than after.
Should I disclose my child's learning needs when applying?
Yes, and in writing. ISB states that failing to disclose learning differences may result in an acceptance being withdrawn. Beyond the risk, disclosure is what lets a school tell you honestly whether it can help – which is information you need before you accept a place, not after.
Are Belgrade international schools physically accessible?
Not uniformly. Several operate from converted villas and residential buildings across multiple addresses. ISB states that applications from students with limited mobility are difficult to accommodate because of accessibility on the Lower School campus. Other schools have not addressed accessibility publicly, so it has to be asked about directly.