The full text from a recent speech given by COBIS CEO Colin Bell on the quality of provision and high standards in BSOs is published below:
---
Ensuring quality of provision and high standards
Quality and standards - supporting the premium brand of British international schools
Colin Bell, Chief Executive Officer, Council of British International Schools
Westminster Education Forum 2016
---
Lord Moynihan, thank you ladies and gentlemen, it's great to be here with you and looking out in the audience there are many, many faces that are already friends of COBIS and I'm sure that the rest of you that aren't already will be by the end of today.
Now commonality is something we all share, we're all here for education, I think we've all been to school at some stage in our own history. Standards and also quality are keen to my heart, being a parent, but also having spent my career post-university working overseas teaching; Asia, Europe, here with the DfE with local Government, Richmond upon Thames, schools in the UK, higher ed, also Government office for London.
So a couple of things in my five minutes are to share our story, the story of COBIS; how it relates to standards, how it relates to quality and also the external validation which is brought to us via colleagues such as the DfE for the British Schools Overseas Standards.
Now COBIS is one of many associations that supports international British schools overseas, we're the only one with a global footprint. However, there are other colleagues in associations such as BSME, FOBISIA, LAHC and NABSS who do a great job and fantastic job supporting BSOs.
Here's something about our COBIS story, our oldest school was opened in 1896, majority of our schools are cross-phase, average pupil number about 650. We have candidate schools which are new schools, schools in set up, established schools and UK independent schools that talk to us confidentially about establishing overseas. Some of our schools have up to 99 nationalities; from our latest research with GL Education and our colleagues at ISC Research, 108 curricular subjects are taught in COBIS schools, 153 co-curricular activities, 58% of our schools offer bursaries and above average UK results in terms of standards for IGCSEs, GCSEs, A-Levels, AS and IB.
This year we've had about 3,500 colleagues that have been through COBIS CPD and that's across the whole school workforce, bursars, business managers, admissions/marketing officers, heads, governors, teachers, support staff, you name it. Student competitions; great to hear from Jo earlier on, Haileybury Astana hosted our COBIS Primary Student Games which was held two weeks ago over in Kazakhstan, we had about 650 participants, students, officials and spectators at that event, so a public thank you to our colleagues at Haileybury Astana.
Networking, lobbying is also something that we do and we're very keen to represent our members through lobbying activities, for example, as a result of COBIS lobbying, the DfE introduced of the BSO inspection system back in 2011. Providing high quality assurance is obviously what COBIS does and what we stand for. In COBIS membership standards we consider and look at Governance, quality of curriculum, CPD provision for all staff, quality of staff qualifications staff and school development plans. Safeguarding and child protection runs through everything that we do and we do ask our schools to provide evidence of their commitment to this important area. It's mandatory that our senior leaders, of schools, undergo child protection and safeguarding training.
COBIS member school's facilities, resources, policies, complaints policies and employment contracts are also evaluated. It is by no means easy to get into COBIS and once schools are members, they are quality assured, currently on a 3 year cycle. Quality assurance is of high importance to COBIS, so as not to dilute our brand and the excellent brand of British schools overseas.
So the experiment which started back in 2011, running through to the current day; is the DfE inspection system for British Schools overseas. COBIS led the lobbing in order to get this inspection system off the ground. It looks at governance, quality of curriculum, CPD, leadership, governance but there are ways in which Westminster Education Forum Keynote Seminar: Promoting UK education abroad: implementation, standards, exporting qualifications and assessment, and international student recruitment we feel that this can be improved and can be developed. As you know, there are six inspectorates, now the take up has been limited, just over 100 from across the world and only 32% from our members of which there are 260. Why is this? What are the questions? What's the barriers for the take up of this international scheme for standards and also quality? These are highlighted on my slides.
Now there was a consultation process opened in November of last year, closed in February of this year and COBIS was well positioned to reflect the voice of our 400 plus member organisations (schools and commercial supporting members) and other members within the international education sector. The three main things that the COBIS member consultation highlighted was that any inspection scheme is a) fit for purpose, b) remains relevant and c) represents the best interests of the growing BSO sector. So basically we want it to reflect the real world in which international British schools overseas operate.
We've heard obviously about the challenges domestically and overseas relating to teacher recruitment, I'm not going to go into it but there have been incidents and comments which are not particularly supportive to the BSO sector and to the growth of the sector. An external validation and/or inspection system is valued, that is clear, a couple of reasons our members gave to highlight the benefits are up there in the slide in front of you but there are certainly areas in which external validation and/or inspection can develop and improve. COBIS feels as though we can do more to support and develop BSOs, to evaluate quality and to raise the bar of standards and achievement by focusing on and supporting, safeguarding, SMSC, leadership, handling of school complaints, internal and external school communications, and demonstrating/developing international understanding through education. These are areas in which COBIS believes that external validation/inspection/accreditation that can be improved.
Again in terms of the international context in which our schools operate, some of the legislation and laws which apply here in the UK are difficult or impossible to apply overseas, whilst we all agree Equalities Act is an excellent thing, it's very difficult to transpose that into an international context and setting. Also, our members have identified inconsistencies of inspectorates and our members have asked that external validation/inspection systems are more developmental and more supportive but also internationally sensitive.
We would certainly like there to be more school improvement and this is a key area which covered in our consultation response, which has been submitted to the Government. We're waiting on the BSO standards and inspection consultation response from the DfE. COBIS wishes to be supportive to the DfE and is positioned also to consider any complimentary alternatives.
COBIS is very proud to be recognised by HMG as a UKTI Trade Challenge Partner and we're very grateful for the support which UKTI gives us and also to the support from colleagues such as Richard Gaskell, Andrew Wigford, Russell Speirs and the other 170 plus commercial exporters who are valued COBIS supporting members.
So, to really look ahead, what Systems will be in place to quality assure standards in BSOs? Certainly, without question external validation is very important and that also goes for any future projects connected to initial teacher training or recruitment supply projects specifically designed for BSOs which our colleagues have already shared with us.
So watch this space and remember, COBIS is certainly well positioned to share with you any developments in relation to quality assurance and ways to validate standards for international British schools overseas.
Thank you.