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 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.
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.
15 Fundamentals and links for a British International School:
Vision, Mission and Values (Create the culture and aligning the community) Creating a Vision.
Change Management (Create a Change Management plan) Kotter's 8-Step Change Model.
Teaching and Learning - Department for Education, Teacher Standards. then develop further moving towards High Performance Learning for best practice.
Curriculum - The English National Curriculum.
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.
Accreditation to help an audit of current state/moving to desired state. COBIS (Council of British International Schools)
Safeguarding/Training - Online training courses for Safeguarding.
Governance - Governance Training.
Quality Assurance/Inspections - AoBSO (Association of British Schools Overseas) Approved Inspectorates - Approved by the DfE and monitored by Ofsted.
Mental Health and Wellbeing/Pastoral Support - Mental Health and Wellbeing Training.
Community - International Schools and how they build communtities.
British Values - Guidance on promoting British Values in schools
Professional Development - Guskey's 5 critical Levels of Professional Development Evaluation
British Embassies -check out my post on LinkedIn below about the advantages of working with embassies as an International school.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
Published by Dr. Paul Walton. @paultwalton
Principal, Educator, Leadership Coach.
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