British International Schools - 15 Fundamentals and useful links

In this article, I will share a wide variety of fundamentals and useful links for a British International school. This may be of interest for a new school, a developing school or as a checklist for 'Best Practice'. This is by no means an exhaustive list, it is merely a starting point to refer to and to assist in a small way.

I have worked as a leader in the UK for 10 years and then overseas in 6 schools, across 4 British International Schools and 2 International schools, all following the UK or an adpated version of the UK curriculum. As a school inspector for 2 institutions, I have fortunate to visit many schools and experience best practice across a range of various communitites.

During 2018-2022, I was Principal at the British International of Ljubljana, Slovenia and in 2021 led the school to 'Outstanding in every category' in the BSO (British Schools Overseas) inspection. The school was previously rated at satisfacory/meets requirements in 2017. It was an honour and privilege to work with such an amazing community through this period of change and improvement.

Full article click here on creating an Outstanding British International School.

Most of all it was a pleasure to see the overall impact on the students, their holistic development across the school all of the way though to the 'best ever' academic progress by all students, the university placements and scholarships gained.

'Outstanding in every category'. Please see the comments about the inspection at the bottom of this article.

BSO (British Schools Overseas) Standards.

15 Fundamentals and links for a British International School.

1. Vision, Mission and Values (Create the culture and aligning the community) Creating a Vision.

2. Change Management (Create a Change Management plan) Kotter's 8-Step Change Model.

3. Teaching and Learning - Department for Education, Teacher Standards. then develop further moving towards High Performance Learning for best practice.

4. Curriculum - The English National Curriculum.

5. Academic Pathways/Examinations and Student Progress. Becoming a Cambridge International School. OR Becoming a Pearson Centre are 2 of the more popular examination accrediations schools can follow to replicate a British style examination provision.

6. Accreditation to help an audit of current state/moving to desired state. COBIS (Council of British International Schools)

7. Safeguarding/Training - Online training courses for Safeguarding.

8. Governance - Governance Training.

9. Quality Assurance/Inspections - AoBSO (Association of British Schools Overseas) Approved Inspectorates - Approved by the DfE and monitored by Ofsted.

10. Mental Health and Wellbeing/Pastoral Support - Mental Health and Wellbeing Training.

11. Community - International Schools and how they build communtities.

12. British Values - Guidance on promoting British Values in schools

13. Professional Development - Guskey's 5 critical Levels of Professional Development Evaluation

14. British Embassies -check out my post on LinkedIn below about the advantages of working with embassies as an International school.

15. Recruitment, Retainment and Development - ESP (Educational Success Partners Ltd) for International Teacher Recruitment. OR TES for International jobs.

Other areas to consider.

• Alumni Development

• Gifted and Talented

• SEN Provision

• Students Voice/Council

• Student Leaders

• Partnerships and links with schools

• Service learning projects

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The British International School of Ljubljana (BISL) is an outstanding school. It is held in high regard by the local community.

PENTA Inspection Report 2021

Inspections and improving your school.

Signing up for an inspection body is a positive step forward to school improvement. This can create an opportunity for your team to come together, evaluate the school against a set of inspection criteria that is standardised across international schools. It is also a great 'check' to see how your school is implementing your core vision, mission and values.

The purpose of regular inspections is to provide information for parents, teachers, senior managers and the school’s management on the overall effectiveness of the school, the standard of education it provides and its compatibility with independent schools in the United Kingdom and around the world.

The inspection and report covers the key areas of quality of the curriculum; quality of teaching and learning; the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of students; their welfare, health and safety; the suitability of the proprietor and staff; the school’s premises; and the school’s complaints procedures.

It is a process to promote and focus on school improvement and is more supportive than judgemental overall.

British Curriculum

The British Curriculum is also known as the National Curriculum for England, and this system of education stresses creativity, critical thinking, and flexibility. Simultaneously, the British Curriculum includes a series of measurable and achievable goals, each designed to build on what went before while preparing the student for their future work.

Outcomes

Year Group and Key Stage Structure.

Primary school education begins in the UK at age 5 and continues until age 11, comprising key stages one and two under the UK educational system. Key Stage 3 students start their Secondary journey through to 16 years old to then either leave school, join a isxth form or follow another pathway.

Some primary schools are split up into Infant and Junior levels. These are usually separate schools on the same site. The infant age range (Key Stage 1) is from age 5 to 7. The Junior age range (Key Stage 2) is from age 7 to 11.

If you would like to ask any questions about any of the points above, please reach out and contact me.

Below, are the letters of recognition by the incredible teams at the Chamber of Commerce and MEPI in Slovenia. Collectively called 'the British House', a wonderful group of supportive institutions in the community.

Letters of recognition.

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I wish you all of the very best on your journey throughout school improvement, building excellence together and putting the students at the front and centre of everything that you do! - have a wonderful academic year ahead.

#schools #education #britisheducation #britishschools #educators #teachers #leaders #students #internationalschools #teaching #CPD #Professionaldevelopment #learning

Published by Dr. Paul Walton. @paultwalton

Principal, Educator, Leadership Coach.