Accreditation. Why it matters.
You’ll have noticed that here at the British School of St Petersburg we are very proud of our COBIS compliance and Cambridge International Assessment Accreditations, both of which are an impressive achievement, considering we were founded only two and a half years ago. With so many International and English language schools located around the world, and here in Russia, these accreditations help to legitimise what we promise to deliver as a British International School, as well as offering a myriad of benefits for all those involved in our community.
The accreditations we possess grants us formal recognition and offers our community the assurance that rigorous teaching and learning standards, set in line with the English National Curriculum, are being followed. With our pupils now able to work towards iGSCE and A-Level exams, parents and students are safe in the knowledge that they can be awarded an easy transition for the next step in their educational journey; be that to a boarding school in the UK, another COBIS affiliated school in their home country, or a prestigious university.
Another advantage of our accreditations is the ability to build networks for both staff and students. We are able to share ideas, innovations and draw upon a vast global community, the results of which permeate throughout the school. Our staff have had the opportunity to partake in CPD (Continuing Professional Development), such as preparing for the iGCSE coursework in Maths, Science and Computing. Headteacher conferences and leadership development programmes assist in ensuring BSSP is constantly growing and progressing. Our Head Girl was able to participate in an online COBIS Young Leadership course with students from various countries, inspiring her to lead a charity auction raising money for Christmas presents which were gifted to local orphanages. We also entered COBIS poetry and art competitions, pitting our wits and skills against hundreds of thousands of students across the globe.
Finally, and most importantly, accreditation allows for school development - which should be at the heart of every outstanding institution. Each term our teaching staff engage in a brainstorming session where we reflect on what we, and the wider school community, have achieved. We then consider what we can do better, what areas we can improve in, adapt, or adopt a different approach to, drawing upon new and up to date practices we have discovered through our accreditation networks. All of this helps to ensure that everything we do at the British School of St Petersburg is constantly evolving to provide a world leading education for our students.
By Chloe Herman, Year 6/7 For Tutor / Head of Academics
