What makes a school international?
International schools have become a fixture of education the world over. As business and politics have become increasingly globalised, the need for international schools has grown, but what are they? The following article identifies the characteristics of an international school, including students, curriculum, IASL criteria and a brief history.
What is an international school?
Defining an international school can be quite difficult, but loosely speaking it is a school that encourages international education. The schools are attended in the main by children who are not nationals of the country they are based in. Often children attend international schools to learn the language of the country they are in but can also study a full curriculum.
Criteria to be followed for a school to be international
At a conference in 2009, the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) drew up a list of eight criteria for describing an international school:
1. Transferability of students’ education across international schools
2. A moving population (higher than in national public schools)
3. Multinational and multilingual student body
4. An international curriculum
5. International accreditation
6. A transient and multinational teacher population
7. Non-selective student enrolment
8. Usually English or bi-lingual as the language of instruction
The criteria has been somewhat contentious with some arguing that it is not about where children are from, but more about the delivery of the educational programme that makes a school international.
International school curriculum
More often than not, international schools represent the curriculum of the host nation. They also tend to follow international curriculums such as Cambridge International Examinations and International Baccalaureate. In the UK, the IB Primary Years Programme, IB Secondary Years Programme and IB Diploma Programme are readily available.
Language courses are very popular at most international schools. In addition to the native language, schools often offer a range of other global language courses and foreign language programmes that can be of use in business.
The history of international schools
International schools began opening in the late nineteenth century in such places as Switzerland and Japan. These early schools were set up for children who always had to move around due to their parents’ jobs. As globalisation has advanced, international schools have become more of a necessity.
Organisations, companies and political movements have expanded on a global scale. This has led to an expanding market and greater need for international schools. They are now a fixture in all major countries, so if you’re thinking about where you might find an international school London, New York and Paris are some of the major cities that have plenty to offer.
Who are the students?
The student population tends to be varied at international schools. It’s not uncommon to find children from all parts of the world, who speak a multitude of different languages. Commonly they will come together to study programmes such as an IB curriculum, with some schools restricting places to certain nationalities and others being open to all comers.
Resource box
International Association of School Librarianship
The official site of the IASL
ibo.org
Website of the International Baccalaureate foundation
International students
The Guardian’s section for international student news
