Birralee International School Trondheim: admissions and 2026 fees

Birralee International School is a co-educational day school at Bispegata 9c, close to Nidaros Cathedral in central Trondheim. It teaches in English from Year 1 to Year 10 and uses IPC, IMYC and Cambridge IGCSE rather than the IB programmes. The bilingual kindergarten for ages 3–6 shares the site but has separate admissions and fees.

This is a useful option for a family that wants an international curriculum during compulsory-school years without the much higher fees of an unsubsidised international school. It is not a complete route to secondary graduation. Birralee ends after Year 10, at about 16, so the family needs a clear next step into Norwegian or international upper secondary education.

Curriculum and Norwegian requirements

The school structure is:

• IPC in Years 1–5, approximately ages 6–11
• IMYC in Years 6–8, approximately ages 11–14
• Cambridge IGCSE in Years 9–10, approximately ages 14–16

IGCSE core subjects include First Language English, mathematics, science, Norwegian A or B, history, Global Perspectives and physical education. The option list published by the school includes English literature, Spanish, design and technology, computer science, art and music. Ask which combinations will actually run for the incoming cohort.

Birralee pupils also take Norwegian national tests. Reading and numeracy are administered in Norwegian, including in Years 5, 8 and 9. That matters for a pupil arriving with little Norwegian even though classroom teaching is mainly in English. Ask how Norwegian is taught at your child’s level and what preparation the school provides for the tests.

The school publishes older, strong national-test results from 2021–22. They are useful historical context, not a current league table or a forecast for an individual child.

Admissions

Birralee accepts Norwegian and international pupils who meet the criteria for enrolment in a Norwegian public school. Year placement follows Norwegian public-school age rules. A family seeking early or delayed school entry must apply to Trondheim municipality’s education office.

The main deadline for the following school year is 1 February. Applications received by then for an August or September start are considered together. Mid-year admission is possible only when necessary and space allows. If a year is oversubscribed, the school applies its published mission-based criteria, which prioritise its purpose of serving international children moving to or living in Trondheim.

After an offer, the family pays one month’s fee in advance. This becomes the first month’s tuition, but the place is not secured until payment arrives. The school does not publish a language-test threshold or current waiting-list length.

Fees in 2026

The current admissions page gives these monthly fees:

Year group	Monthly fee
Years 1–7	NOK 3,645
Years 8–10	NOK 3,733

No fee is charged in July. The page does not label an annual total, so confirm the number of invoices and the first payment date in the contract. Fees include school books and materials as well as school trips and outings.

The sibling reduction is 10% for the second child and 25% for the third child in Years 1–10. The separate 2026–27 After School Programme page lists these monthly charges:

• Years 1–3: no charge for up to 12 hours a week, or NOK 567 for full time
• Year 4: NOK 2,268 for up to 12 hours a week, or NOK 2,835 for full time
• Year 4 single days, on ordinary school days: NOK 200

ASP runs from 07:30 to 16:30 on school days and during most school holidays. Confirm holiday dates and notice terms in its separate contract.

The kindergarten’s charges are not published on the school admissions page. Families need a separate figure and contract from Birralee Kindergarten rather than assuming the school fee applies.

Planning the next school

Year 10 IGCSE is the final year at Birralee. A pupil considering Trondheim Katedralskole should understand that its IB Diploma begins at the equivalent of Vg2. A pupil coming directly from Norwegian Year 10 normally completes Vg1 or an equivalent first upper-secondary year before applying to the Diploma. Katedralskole’s Pre-IB is a Vg1 programme, has a separate county application and does not guarantee later Diploma admission.

Discuss the transition well before Year 10. The right comparison is not only curriculum: check Norwegian eligibility, application deadlines, subject grades and whether the next school recognises the pupil’s completed programme as the required Vg1 equivalent.

Our view

Birralee is a good fit for a family seeking affordable English-medium compulsory education in Trondheim and comfortable with IPC, IMYC and IGCSE rather than an IB continuum. Its central location, published fees and inclusion of trips and materials make budgeting unusually clear. The main drawback is the early endpoint. Families who want an IB Diploma must plan another admission at 16 and should not assume that Birralee Year 10 leads automatically into Katedralskole’s Diploma.

Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.