Massive Step Forward Towards Raising Standards of Education in British Schools Abroad

Education is a profitable business – just how profitable it has become is proven when one looks at the rate of growth in the numbers of international schools, preschools, colleges and universities cropping up around the world.  Further proof of how profitable a business education is – if it were needed – comes from the fact that parents face ever increasing school fees when they choose to educate their children privately when living overseas. 

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a country annexed and ignored by most of the rest of the world following the war in Cyprus in 1974, funds a significant portion of its economy with international colleges and universities for example.  Other locations such as Dubai and Qatar have invested significantly and in a sustained way into education – Dubai has Knowledge Village, Qatar has Education City.  Both are dedicated areas specifically for educational establishments to develop, prosper and thrive.

However, as an expatriate parent moving abroad, the number one concern you will still be faced with will be getting your child into a decent school with as little interruption and upset in terms of their education as possible.  No matter how many new schools open their doors around the world, until now it was an impossibility to try and compare like for like and find the best school abroad.  Fortunately, thanks to the British government’s Department of Children, Schools and Families, a massive step forward has been taken towards raising the standards of education in British schools abroad, and in reporting on the performance of international schools that claim to follow the British national curriculum.

The British education system is regarded as one of the best in the world.  It’s why we have high levels of international students applying for places at our universities, and it is why schools around the world call themselves ‘British’ in a bid to add instant prestige to the establishment in question!  As snobby as that sounds, it’s a fact!  However, as expat parents will know, many international schools abroad simply teach a mish-mash of the local curriculum and some form of international curriculum perhaps based on the International Baccalaureate, the British National Curriculum or even the American State Education system, and because they do so through the medium of English, they deem this sufficient to claim to be some how affiliated with British standards of schooling.

If your child ends up in such a school there is nothing necessarily wrong with the education they will receive – as an individual you would have to look into the suitability of the school environment as well as the learning environment for your own child.  However, where the problems do enter the equation are if/when you plan on your child re-entering a school in the UK or applying to attend a British university or tertiary education college in the United Kingdom.  If your child has been following a less than conventional path of schooling they may well find it very hard to readjust to schools in the UK, or gain a much in-demand place at a British university.

The Council of British International schools (COBIS) has long worked hard and tirelessly behind the scenes to bring some standards in schooling to so called ‘British schools abroad’ in a bid that parents can read consistent and comparable reports and results from such institutions internationally.  This would give parents the knowledge they need to judge a school based on its performance etc., to see whether it is indeed right for their child.  Now, the Department of Children, Schools and Families has agreed that COBIS’s work is very valuable, and that there is a requirement for the standardisation of international schools, which wish to be associated with the British national curriculum, and that this can be achieved through inspections and reporting.

As a result, a new voluntary scheme has been proposed that will allow schools to apply to be inspected and reported upon – and this information will then be made available to expatriate parents looking for the right school to educate their children in.  Diana Johnson, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools, said in an interview with the Telegraph: “We believe these arrangements will allow parents access to good quality, comparable and consistent school inspection reports that will set out the extent to which participating British institutions overseas measure up to a rigorous set of standards rooted in the British education system.

“Children attending British schools overseas will therefore be better prepared to enter or re-enter the British schooling system and will, at secondary level, be better prepared for entry to British universities if they choose.”

This is welcome news for expatriate parents, and news that we will certainly keep an eye on and keep you updated about…