COBIS Accredited Member (NEASC) Case Study
We recently spoke to Rosemary Kiernan, Deputy Head of British International School, Houston, about joining COBIS as a NEASC Accredited Member, how this has impacted her school, and what they enjoy the most about COBIS membership.
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Tell us a bit about your school. What are you particularly proud of?
We are a British international school located in a suburb of Houston, Texas. I am proud to be a part of such a welcoming and inclusive community that feels like a ‘home away from home’. We are a wonderfully diverse community, with many local American families as well as those from over 70 different nationalities. This brings a rich vibrancy to life in our school as there is always an exciting festival or interesting cultural day to learn about, whether it is British, American, or from what feels like almost anywhere else in the world!
Why did you want to pursue COBIS membership? What about it was important to your school?
This is an exciting time for us to join COBIS as we are primed to celebrate our 25th anniversary this year! We are an active member of the British American Council, the British American Foundation of Texas and support the British Consul General to Texas in his work to promote British culture in the state of Texas. Our British ethos is an important part of our legacy, so the timing of joining COBIS as we approached a milestone year felt right. We are looking to our next 25 years too, so finding organisations with aligning aims and values is crucial to help us ensure we are providing the best for our communities both in school and beyond.
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Why did you want to pursue COBIS membership alongside your NEASC accreditation?
When seeking accrediting bodies, we are looking for the rigor that will help us drive the improvements in learning we are so passionate about, while also wanting organisations that will represent our unique blend of British, American and international identities. Our stakeholders feeling that sense of belonging is always of paramount importance to us. We want everyone to feel like they have a place and are represented here, so pursing COBIS membership alongside NEASC accreditation and combining it with our use of British and international curricula in our American context feels like a harmonious balance.
Your school joined COBIS using your NEASC accreditation, how did you find the application process?
During my career I have led on accreditations from a number of different organisations, each with their own varying protocols, and I was so impressed with how smooth and straightforward the process of joining COBIS using our New England Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation was. Accreditation on the ACE learning pathway with NEASC is so thorough that we had all required documentation and evidence ready to share.
The team at COBIS were incredibly supportive throughout the journey and so communicative at each stage. We were able to move relatively quickly to bring everything together thanks to their clear direction and assistance.
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What do you hope to gain from COBIS membership?
As a school we believe that great academics open doors, but well-rounded individuals will walk through those doors and thrive, thus we aim to provide an many opportunities for our learners as possible.
Our children are wonderfully ambitious and truly passionate about having a positive impact on the world, so I am thrilled to see what new prospects we can offer them through COBIS’s ‘Student Engagement’ activities and competitions.
Professional learning for our teams is crucial too. We have worked hard to find talented professionals to join our team and want to continue investing in their development. I was amazed by how much COBIS had to offer not only our teachers but those in our operational and administrative teams too. Having just begun our newest cycle of Annual Performance Management earlier in September, it has been great to have such high-quality resources to signpost colleagues to.
What impact will COBIS membership have on your school?
A COBIS membership is a mark of excellence in British international schools. Our team displays incredible effort in providing engaging and challenging learning experiences for our children while nourishing their wellbeing and helping them to grow as individuals, so I am proud to have the distinction of our work externally recognised.
A membership with COBIS shows parents and other schools that we really care about high-quality education.
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You’re also a Nord Anglia school. How does your COBIS membership complement this?
Both Nord Anglia and COBIS have strong international reputations for high-quality education which also focuses on positive social impacts for learners. Having worked within Nord Anglia for over a decade now, I was always drawn to the connections it provides. Whether that is the collaborations with exceptional institutions such as Juilliard, MIT, IMG, and UNICEF, or the support network of 80+ schools and educators around the world. Our COBIS membership is a perfect complement to this as it also promotes collegiality and opportunities to connect with colleagues globally. I continue to be inspired by practitioners in our field and love the opportunity to ‘magpie’ a great idea to share with our team in Houston.
What would you say to other schools thinking of joining?
Absolutely do so! You are well supported throughout the simple application process, and the benefits for all your stakeholders are extensive. Plus, having a well-recognised and renowned kitemark can be a great way to generate interest in your school from a variety of audiences.