International education has become big business, with many of the most prestigious and well-known schools in the UK seeking to move into the international market place. But how can you navigate this ever changing terrain? How can you make sure you are making the right decisions for your child?
Here is a few ideas for questions you should ask any potential school that you are considering for your child:
Are you an accredited international school?
There are a vast array of recognised overseas educational bodies, all having slightly different approaches to how schools can achieve accreditation and the levels of accreditation they offer - bronze, silver, gold etc. These include Council of British Independent Schools in the European Communities (COBISEC), the Federation of British International Schools in South and East Asia (FOBISSEA) or The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and for schools based on a British curriculum, The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI). In many ways, these offer a similar service to OFSTED in the UK, but tend to be a more collaborative process rather than a gotcha style, spot inspection. A word of warning, don’t assume that a school with a ‘gold’ level of accreditation is necessarily better for your child than a lower level; schools tend to work their way up through the levels over a number of years and inspection cycles so it may well be that the school has simply been working with that body for a long time. Equally, it can take a number of years of preparation, working alongside an accreditation body, for a new school to be ready for their first inspection, as such, if a school tells you that they are not accredited your next question should be if they are working towards accreditation and with whom.
Are all your teachers qualified to teach in their country of origin?
In my experience, no amount of fancy facilities can compensate for poor teaching. Having fully qualified teachers, particularly in Thailand, is what should differentiate international schools from their competitors - it is what you are paying for. For example, British teachers should have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and preferably some experience of teaching in the UK.
What qualifications does your school offer?
Broadly speaking, international schools will offer either British curriculum based IGCSEs and IA Levels or IB (International Baccalaureate), or a combination of the two. Some may also offer the US based GED (General Educational Development Test), which will enable students to apply to US universities. Both IB and IGCSE/IA Levels are respected globally but, depending on the location of the university your child wishes to apply to, there may be extra administrative hurdles to leap if you choose one rather than the other. My advice would be to carefully consider these two paths early in your child’s school career. Although both offer academic rigour, they have very different approaches to teaching and learning which may make it difficult for a child to switch from one system to the other, at a later date. IB has embraced an inquiry based approach to learning, whereas the British system is increasingly moving towards a knowledge based curriculum. Also, IB typically suits students who are capable across a broad range of topics whereas IA Level may suit students who would like to specialise, focusing on sciences, arts or humanities, for example.
You know your child best.
Make sure you ask questions specific to your child. While some students will thrive in a highly competitive, tier one school with a large student body, others may feel suffocated and withdraw - so just going to the most expensive or most prestigious school you can find, might not be a good fit for your child. What about their EAL needs - what systems do the school have in place to support their journey towards language acquisition? Do you have concerns that your child may have some form of learning difficulty - does the school have a full-time SENDCo who will be able to support your child? What is the breakdown of nationalities at the school - would you like your child to have a more multicultural experience or is it important to you to maintain a strong link with their background? What about your child’s interests - what extracurricular activities are available? What is the school’s ethos regarding sport and activities - does every child who practices get a go or is it strictly competitive?
Above all remember - happy children learn. Where will your child thrive and be happy?
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