Creating an 'Outstanding' rated International School in every Category.

Apr 26, 20216 min read

In this article, I will share my experience of transforming a British International School from 'meeting requirements' in 2017 to achieving the highest rating of 'Outstanding' in every category in 2021. During 2018-2022, I was Principal at the British International of Slovenia and in 2021 led the school to 'Outstanding in every category' in the BSO (British Schools Overseas) inspection. This was the first time in the history of the school that they had achieved Outstanding, following 3 previous inspections.

Thank You! to the entire community.

It was an honour and privilege to work with such an amazing community through this period of change and improvement. The staff, students and parents were all absolutely fanastic and this is tremendous recognition of the work, standards and exceptional quality of education that every accomplished together.

'Outstanding' report.

Full Download of the BSO report.

Effectiveness of the School.

I was very proud to have achieved not only an Outstanding rating overall but an Outstanding rating in every category assessed, making it the only Outstanding school in the region. 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.

As a leader, one of the biggest successes of the journey was the incredible development and growth of the staff team. In the leadership team of five members, three of them were involved in the previous inspection and then a key part of the transformation of the entire school. A true team effort and remarkable collaboration and work ethic by everyone.

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. An essential part of the inspection is considering the extent to which the British character of the school is evident in its ethos, curriculum, teaching, care for students and their achievements.

Impact on the Students.

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 in the full report.

It has been my absolute privilege to lead our school through this inspection, and I am incredibly proud of our achievement. With such fantastic students and a dedicated team of professionals, this is something that our community truly deserves.

Paul Walton, Principal, British International School of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Strengths of the School.

There are many strengths at the school, including the following:

The pupils, who are happy, confident, friendly, well-behaved, enthusiastic learners.
The leadership provided by the principal, ably supported by his senior leadership team, who share a united vision of high quality for the school.
Highly effective and proactive involvement by the proprietor of the school, in the strategic development of the school.
The whole school community - teaching, non-teaching, administration and ancillary staff work together as a team, promoting high quality education care for all students.
The commitment of staff to providing the best possible experiences for students, which ensures rapid progress.
Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength, both of the curriculum and in teaching. The school is effective in enabling all students to develop their personal skills and qualities.
Students are confident, thoughtful, well behaved, treat others with respect and have well developed social skills.
The standard of spoken English is high: students make excellent progress, thanks to a well coordinated and coherent policy for students who speak English as an additional language (EAL) which is a very high proportion, and to a notable whole school approach to the teaching of the language.
The opportunities provided for students to direct their own learning, through a rich curriculum and a stimulating learning environment.
The use of technology to support students’ learning, which is outstanding.

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

Selected Report Comments.

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

Letters of Recognition.

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.

Leadership and Management of the School...

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the school by the board, the principal and other school leaders is outstanding.

The principal is inspirational, with a clear vision and the capacity to create teams to continue to move the school forward. He has already created a leadership team that shares a common culture of high expectations. From an already strong starting point, the school has made excellent progress, by working as a team.

With the senior leaders, the principal provides clarity and a cohesive educational direction: this focuses on the students’ achievements and personal development. This highly effective leadership team has fully addressed all the recommendations from the previous inspection report. The senior leadership team meets several times a week to plan strategically, monitor progress and coordinate operational, day-to-day matters.

A highly effective system of self-evaluation has been implemented that is successful in ensuring that the school’s strengths and opportunities for further development are recognised and acted upon. The self-evaluation form prepared for the BSO inspection was outstanding.

The development of middle leaders has provided a further opportunity to involve staff in ensuring the quality of provision at the school is outstanding. More could be done to ensure that all aspiring middle and senior leaders are closely involved in this process.

A complete range of effective policies and guidance documents is implemented fully and monitored: this ensures a high level of consistent, high quality practice is embedded across BISL.

There are highly positive relationships between the school leadership team and the school’s governing body. The governors are successful in securing, supporting and developing sufficient high-quality staff and ensuring their suitability to work with children. The school is supported by the board, as well as being held to account.

The EAL team provides a high level of support that has a consistent focus on improving achievements for all students. The strong leadership of this team ensures excellent impact. Parents and teachers believe that the school is well led, and also that school leaders and staff are approachable and open to discussions and solutions. Regular school surveys indicate that

parents are highly satisfied with their school.

Staff have clear job descriptions, and the middle and senior leadership structure is well understood. The annual staff review, and development programme allow line managers to review and reflect on their roles and responsibilities. The school leadership team values the contribution made by all staff in ensuring each student is given the opportunity to succeed.

Both teaching and non-teaching staff are recognised as valued members of the school team. Teachers new to the school are involved in carefully planned induction activities. Additional support is provided during the year as required and appropriate. A full range of opportunities are provided for staff to attend relevant professional development opportunities. Staff welcomed these opportunities and felt they contributed to their continued professional development and encouragement to be effective practitioners.

Strategic planning for the future is realistic, rigorous and challenging. Working in partnership with the school board, the development plan is closely allied to the school’s aims.

How can you get Started?

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.

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

Final words...

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, support your staff team, most of all, have fun and enjoy working in the BEST job in the world...