CHOOSING & APPLYING ...Read the big print WHAT SCHOOLS OFFER The biggest print is used for the name of the school.


‘British School of Lilliput’ is the clearest message of what is on offer, but what can we find out about ‘The International School of Brobdingnag’? To be sure, the name ‘international’ is a claim to be different from the national model, but of which nation, and how different? It is often the case that those running the schools have little awareness of these national values, which they themselves take for granted. The deep values in a school system are felt intuitively, and so, unfortunately, are the emotions with which newcomers react to unfamiliar experiences.


The character of a school emerges from the curriculum, the teachers, and the student community. The choice of curriculum boils down to established national models, usually of either the US or England and Wales, perhaps enriched with the International Baccalaureate or International Primary or Middle Years curriculum.


For example, in the expatriate growth centre of


Dubai, where 185 private schools educate the whole expat community (and more than half the host community), 39 per cent of children follow the UK curriculum, 18 per cent the Indian, and 23 per cent the US. Due to the boom in demand, 120 more schools are expected to open by 2026. Increasingly, schools are being opened by big chains such as GEMS, Nord Anglia or Taaleem, which follow central policies. These are the non-governmental organisations of education, supranational education undertakings, but they invariably draw upon national models and traditions.


SIGNS OF THE SYSTEMS How can we see the difference if it isn’t in the name? Look at the terms used in the prospectus: are years named in UK or US terminology? Are the teachers qualified in the US, the UK, the host country, or around the English- speaking world? Do the biographies of the administrators quote distinguished service in home systems, long experience in this locality, or many postings around the globe?


Look at the client community; in many areas, the student population may be up to 90 per cent from the host country. This is the group from which the child’s close friends – crucial social models at secondary age – will be drawn, whatever the curriculum and staff.


Look at the programme (or ‘program’) and the target


exams. If children are being prepared for more than one set of exams, what is the proportion? What are the main offerings among the after-school activities, and are they what you expected at home?


Look at the ‘news’ section on the school’s website; what activities do they feel proud to advertise? The staff themselves may not understand the gulf between national norms as well as the experienced expat family does.


There is often a well-intentioned ‘transition’ programme to induct newcomers, but children may not be rewarded for their efforts to be good in the way they have previously learned.


Local conditions and local markets inevitably compel


schools to compromise. All around the world, directors are trying to square circles, making their notion of the perfect school t the local situation. Overseas branches are devised in the home country, based on a long reputation in a specific market, but they have to be developed in very different conditions – legally, socially, climatically and economically– abroad. Teachers also need to adjust when overseas. A good school will have a professional development programme for its teachers, which is worth examining. An overseas national school will fly out experts whose reputation has been built within the home country to keep teachers up to date with ‘best practice’ in the home system. However, there is no such thing as ‘international best practice’. A consciously international school will help teachers – and administrators – by giving cross-cultural training, to broaden their vision of the variety of needs and norms of the community they serve.


DIFFERENCES IN VALUES This is a huge field, but let’s look at some key differences between the commonest choices, US and English schools. School values reflect national values. At primary level, the systems have more in common, but they diverge progressively with age. In principle, US education is democratic, tailored for the whole population. Final academic specialisation is delayed until the third year of university (which is often still referred to as ‘school’).


Courses are aimed at the great majority of the population, and exams are there to confirm that the child has mastered the material. Scores for tests are therefore high, and failing means taking the course again, or at least getting no credit for it.


Above right: Culford School 62 | relocateglobal.com | Keep Informed


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