- Schools
Written by Akin Alufa, Senior Teacher Academics, The Regent School Abuja, Nigeria
To be recognised by the UK Department for Education (DfE), a British School Overseas (BSO) must have an inspection report which shows that its performance against all the BSO standards is at least satisfactory. This reflects the standards required for continuing registration as a school in England. Following a successful BSO inspection, schools will be allocated a unique reference number on the UK’s national school reference system, Edubase. Our May 2023 report was a great achievement as we were judged ‘OUTSTANDING’ in all areas. We were the first school in Nigeria to be judged as such and one of the very few in Africa. There are currently five BSO Schools in Nigeria and thirty-five in Africa, and this rating puts us ahead of other schools on the continent.
The inspection report has played a significant role in shaping our teaching and learning at the school. It emphasised the need to maintain a high teaching standard that aligns with UK benchmarks, before and after the inspection. Our teachers are encouraged to adopt effective teaching strategies, including differentiation, formative assessment, and student-centered approaches. Our local and expat staff are guided to deliver the National Curriculum for England and Wales in a structured manner, ensuring continuity and progression across year groups. We collected and analysed assessment data on student performance, leading to more targeted instruction. We ensured that we met and surpassed the needs of individual learners by fostering an inclusive environment where students with different abilities thrived. We set high expectations for all students by pushing both teachers and students to aim for better academic outcomes so much that attainment is consistently high. More than 90% of our students are scoring at, above or well above the UK national averages in English, mathematics and science. This puts us in the top 5% of the primary schools in England. The progress made is excellent, sometimes coming from a low baseline. Attainment is strong in many subjects: it is excellent in English language and writing.
We reviewed and refined our curriculum to align with UK standards while incorporating elements that reflect their international context. Our teaching and learning followed the Understanding by Design (UbD) approach, taught in an inquiry-based fashion. We deepened the approach through investigative questions linked to different subject areas. Our topics were organised into themes. Each theme helped our children learn contextually and thematically. Each theme had different foci for different year groups from Year 1 to Year 6 such that a class investigating ‘Sign and Symbols', for example, would have a different pathway from another exploring the same theme.
In addition, the inspection highlighted the importance of parental engagement as we involved them in the educational process and student progress. One of the key outcomes of the BSO inspection was the establishment of a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. We worked towards addressing feedback from the inspection, and this is leading to long-term enhancements.