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Applying to become a BSO

BSO is DfEs voluntary accreditation scheme for overseas schools.

Schools must meet the British schools overseas: standards for schools to get BSO accreditation. Approved inspectorates will use these standards when they inspect your school.

These standards are comparable with:

• the independent school standards

• the national minimum standards for boarding schools

They show how BSOs align with the standards for independent schools in England.

Become accredited as a BSO

To become a BSO, you will need to :

• arrange an inspection by an approved inspectorate
• show to the inspectorate that your school meets the BSO standards
• have an inspection every 3 years to show that your school continues to meet the BSO standards

Arrange an inspection

DfEapproves organisations to inspect overseas schools and produce inspection reports. The organisations are:

• Education Development Trust
• Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI)
• Penta International

Ofsted monitors these inspectorates and reports on the quality of their inspections yearly.

Schools in Dubai should request an inspection through the Knowledge and Human Development Authority of the Government of Dubai, which works in partnership with the Education Development Trust.

Inspection fees

DfEhas no role in setting fees for overseas inspections as these are set by the inspectorate.

Inspection reports

Inspectorates publish the results of all inspections for the past 3 years on their websites.

DfEalso publishes BSOinspection reports.

School reference number

If your school meets the standards, it will be allocated a unique reference number on the national school reference system, get information about schools.

Early career teachers (ECTs)

Schools without BSO accreditationcannot offer statutory induction to ECTs.

Inspections affected by coronavirus (COVID-19)

DfEhas contacted schools where COVID-19 affected their inspection cycles. We have asked schools that have not been inspected in the last 3 years when they are planning to schedule their next inspection.

Support forBSOs

These organisations support BSOsin arranging and preparing for inspections:

• Association of British Schools Overseas (AoBSO)
• British Schools in the Middle East (BSME)
• Council of British International Schools (COBIS)
• Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA)
• Latin American Heads Conference (LAHC)
• The National Association of British Schools in Spain (NABSS)

Jurisdiction

DfEhas no jurisdiction over schools operating outside England. You should take up complaints directly with the school.

Contact

You can send any queries to BritishSchools.OVERSEAS@education.gov.uk.