Shrewsbury International School India Case Study
We spoke to the Headmaster and Founding Head of Shrewsbury International School India, Dominic Tomalin, to discuss the obstacles and opportunities involved in setting up a British international school, and how COBIS supported their journey.
Tell us a bit about your school. What makes it unique?
We are a fully residential boarding school located in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, literally at the very heart of India. We will be offering a world-class whole person education based on the educational philosophy developed by Shrewsbury in the UK but also making the most of India’s own heritage in education, and the vibrancy and energy of Indian culture. This is a powerful combination, one that offers the real potential for us to become a real beacon of educational excellence.
We are a co-educational school for pupils from 11 to 18 years old, and our first cohort of pupils will start with us in August 2025. As part of our approach to delivering a whole person education, we have chosen to follow a UK model for our curriculum, we will have three progressive programmes of study: Lower Secondary, for our 1st to 3rd Forms, Upper Secondary (IGCSEs) in the 4th and 5th Form, and then International A-Levels will be studied in our 6th Form.
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What have you learned about setting up a British international school overseas?
I always knew that it would be an awesome opportunity -and it has been in a literal sense! We’ve learned a lot. Schools are very complex organisations. They’re complicated to run when they’re up and running, - actually setting and institution up from scratch is an enormous task, especially when you’re in a different business culture. The biggest lesson I have learned is of the importance of checking understanding and being very clear about expectations, often at a much more detailed level than you might be used to. This goes both ways – I have found that it has been essential that I have understood in the manner intended as well as checking that I have been understood.
What kind of challenges did you face?
In India, English is of course widely spoken, but there’s still some important differences of which it is important to be aware. Even though you may be using a common language, the socio-cultural context means that actual meanings and intention may be very different from what you expect, and there are lots of non-verbal cues that will be different. The impressions left during the course of some interactions, on both sides, will be different from those you’ve had in the past. My advice would be that it’s worth taking the time to research and understand the distinction and differences between different cultures.
Why did you decide to become a COBIS Provisional School?
The recommendations of others. I was also very conscious that having a ‘critical friend’ as you’re setting up a school is really important. I’m an ISI inspector, and I have a good understanding of the BSO guidance and standards and international standards, so I’m very conscious of these things. If you’re focused in your own school’s bubble, you need to have an opportunity to talk things through and reflect.
That’s why we were keen to become a COBIS Provisional School, as a process it’s been genuinely very helpful to us, and useful for us to have the opportunity to talk to somebody outside of ourselves, about the policies and decisions we’re making.
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Safeguarding is at the heart of every successful school. What have you learned about implementing safeguarding policies and safer recruitment processes when establishing a new school?
We have a very deep appreciation of safeguarding and its importance. All of our SLT have extensive experience of operating to the British standards for child protection and safeguarding. What’s very clear is that the British approach is the most rigorous. It may well be difficult for those who have worked in less regulated settings to accept the additional requirements. I have found that taking the time to talk everyone through the risks associated of not doing this effectively is never time wasted, and I’m certainly grateful that our partners here in India have been very receptive to our guidance.
How has COBIS supported you in this?
COBIS accreditation is a valuable tool for any international school, it rightly gives potential parents and pupils confidence that a school is providing an education that prioritises student safety and wellbeing. COBIS standards are robust and rigorous, and if you want to have accreditation for the school, and have that differentiator, then the standards are non-negotiable. This makes it much easier to win support for processes that may go well beyond those in place in some international locations.
I think the strength of the COBIS approach is that it is genuinely collaborative, they’re open to discussions and concerns about how to meet the standards. Amidst all the busyness of pulling together all that is needed to breathe life into a brand new school, it was certainly useful to have a critical friend on call, someone to engage with, someone with the knowledge to advise and guide us.
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What is next for your school?
Our first cohort of pupils will start with us in August 2025. In our founding year we have taken admissions across year groups, so that we have a proper school community from the very start.
As part of our approach to delivering a whole person education, we have chosen to follow a UK model for our curriculum, we will have three progressive programmes of study: Lower Secondary, for our 1st to 3rd Forms, Upper Secondary (IGCSEs) in the 4th and 5th Form, and then International A-Levels will be studied in our 6th Form. This coupled with the very rich co and extra-curricular provision planned, makes us very different to the schools from which many of our students will be joining so, we started induction activities early with a leader programme in June and then an online bridging course during which our pupils will be able to get use to how our British curriculum works and the different expectations and teaching styles.
We’re really looking forward to getting the pupils into their boarding houses and using the facilities on our fabulous campus. Having them here will really bring the school to life. We’re also looking forward to working with COBIS to achieve full accreditation in the next year or so.
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What would you say to anyone thinking of joining COBIS?
I would say, speak to other Members of COBIS and get their opinion. The feedback I had from within the Shrewsbury group was very positive. I liked the collaborative nature of the relationship between school and accrediting body; it was clear to me that COBIS is keen to make sure that schools succeed and they do that well. The standards and advice are in place to help schools succeed, not just as a gatekeeping exercise.
My experience of working with COBIS is that it has the expertise and the experience to add value to discussions about regulatory requirements and international standards at detailed level and with an appreciation of the complexities of international settings, most importantly the accreditation team is very happy to have those discussions.
What membership benefits are you looking to take part in as COBIS Members?
What comes with COBIS membership is the opportunity for collegiality between Members. Within the network, there’s the opportunity to really understand how people are addressing certain issues, how they’re getting on, how they’ve adapted. The opportunity to speak to other international schools and engage with them is something we’re looking forward to. We’ll also be making the most of the opportunities that COBIS offers for our pupils and our staff.
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