Navel Gazing?

Background

In 2010 the UK Government established a voluntary scheme to recognise overseas schools which describe themselves as 'British' and which are able to meet a set of standards set by the DfE. The scheme applies to schools which provide full-time supervised education for pupils of compulsory school age. The original standards were derived from the Independent School Standards (ISS) which independent schools in England must meet.

Schools overseas can choose to adopt these standards and be inspected against them by an inspectorate approved by the DfE for this purpose. Schools meeting the standards at inspection are recognised by the UK Government as British Schools Overseas, are given an Edubase number and are entitled to display the BSO emblem. This recognition currently lasts for three years from the date of inspection and can be renewed at each successful inspection.

Parents of pupils in a BSO school can therefore assess how standards measure up against the standards that apply to independent schools in England. Inspection reports inform parents and prospective parents about the quality of provision within the inspected school and its compatibility with independent schools in England. An essential element of the inspection is considering the extent to which the British character of the school is evident in its ethos, curriculum, teaching, and care for pupils and pupils’ achievements. By achieving UK inspection-based approval, participating schools demonstrate that they provide a British education that has similar characteristics to an education in an independent school in England.

Changes

The current BSO standards are set out in DfE advice issued in February 2014. Since then, the ISS have been reissued and the consultation run by DfE earlier this year proposes to align the BSO standards much more clearly, both in form and substance, with the latest ISS. Whilst this is sound in principle, it throws up real challenges for schools and inspectorates alike.

For example, current inspection of the quality and effectiveness of a BSO school's provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of its pupils includes the question:

'Does the school promote a general knowledge and understanding of modern British life including UK attitudes towards tolerance, democracy, respect for freedom of expression and other human rights?'

The intended equivalent standard would require the BSO school, amongst other requirements, to 'actively promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs' and 'actively promote principles which encourage respect for other people, paying particular regards to the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010'.

As COBIS Vice Chairman Dr Steffen Sommer has pointed out, this includes encouraging respect for gay, lesbian and bisexual people, even though the practice of homosexuality is illegal in certain countries, particularly in the Middle East and parts of Central Africa. 'It is simple – if that is what I am teaching in my school, I would be arrested immediately,' Dr Sommer is reported as saying.

Facing the challenge

The DfE appears to recognise the challenge, albeit without proposing any solution, instead posing the question to respondents to the consultation: 'Having regard to the local context of host countries do you see issues with applying the same SMSC standards for BSOs as for independent schools in England? Please comment on what they are and how they might be overcome.'

Similarly, there are changes afoot for the standards on governance, leadership and management of BSO schools. BSO schools were ahead of English schools to some extent, since questions on the effectiveness of leadership and management were introduced for BSO schools in February 2014, preceding the Part 8 changes to the ISS by 11 months.

And whilst the BSO standards ask potentially demanding questions about the relationships between proprietors, leaders, managers and others with delegated responsibilities, they do not pose the one question which is increasingly the focus on compliance failings for schools in England: does the proprietor ensure that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school actively promote the well-being of pupils? 'Well-being' bears a very wide definition, comprising physical and mental health and emotional well-being; protection from harm and neglect; education, training and recreation; the contribution made by them to society; social and economic well-being.

The changes could also result in challenges for some organisations currently authorised to carry out inspections against the BSO standards. There are seven approved providers currently undertaking BSO inspections, although only two are approved to carry out inspections of schools in England*.

Quality approved

Ofsted exercises a quality assurance role in relation to all these inspectorates and all received a clean bill of health in November 2015. But if the new standards are focused on ensuring complete comparability between a BSO school in Beijing and an independent school in Bognor, those inspectorates without experience of current inspections in England - particularly as it undergoes yet further change - may find it increasingly challenging to satisfy Ofsted of full comparability and compatibility.

This will be particularly the case for boarding schools, where the current BSO standards are contained within two pages: future inspection and compliance will be against the considerably longer and more detailed National Minimum Standards.

VWV offers training to independent schools in England and overseas on regulatory compliance. Please contact Simon Bevan on 0117 314 5238 for information about Safer Recruitment training and Matthew Burgess on 0117 314 5338 for governance and leadership training.

This article was first published in the June 2016 edition of British International Schools.

* The seven BSO inspectorates are Cambridge Education, CfBT Education Trust, G2G Education Ltd, Independent Schools Inspectorate, Penta International, School Inspection Service and Tribal Education Ltd. Additionally, the Department for Education approved a partnership between the Dubai School Inspection Bureau and CfBT to conduct inspections of British schools overseas in Dubai.