Foreign national schools

Background

The United States of America, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Iran, Japan, Norway, Spain and Sweden all have their own national schools in this country, mostly based in London. The schools mainly serve the foreign communities, who may not all be permanent residents in this country. Some of the pupils may have parents who work for an embassy for a fixed number of years, or have a short term contract with a multinational company in the UK. Such schools also accept pupils who are permanently resident in the UK but have dual nationality, where, for example, one of the parents comes from the country concerned.

The age range of pupils in these schools is wide and extends from 1 to 19 years depending on the school. These typically offer the national curriculum from their own country; this offers continuity of education to pupils who are in the UK for a variable period of time. It is worth noting that the American schools do not have a national curriculum as this often differs from state to state, and that the German School in London caters for pupils from all German-speaking countries.

The foreign national schools are classified as independent because UK government funding does not maintain them. However, they are often heavily subsidised by the governments of their countries of origin and usually have strong links with their embassies. The American schools are the exception.

Teaching is conducted in the home language, and key documents such as teachers' planning, school policies and the curriculum are usually in a language other than English. It is therefore imperative that members of the inspection team are moderately fluent in the language used by the school. Where this cannot be guaranteed, the use of a bone fide translator may be required for the inspection. In such instances, it is the responsibility of the National Inspection Service Provider (NISP) to engage a suitable translator.

All but the Japanese schools in this country are inspected by their own national inspectorate, but the systems for inspection vary considerably and do not cover the regulations in place for independent schools in England. In some cases, for example in French schools, individual teachers are inspected rather than the whole school. It is, however, advisable to read any available inspection reports. Inspectors must ensure they have sufficient evidence to support judgements which do not concur with those made by a school's own inspectorate.

If schools have a specific religious affiliation a consideration of a dress code is likely. For more information, please refer to the guidance on inspecting Muslim schools in the Independent schools inspection handbook.

Cultural sensitivities which inspectors are asked to respect:

It is forbidden for staff and pupils in French schools to wear any form of religious apparel including jewellery and headdress. These schools are likely to take offence at inspectors who do not observe this.
In Japanese schools it is customary to remove your shoes when entering from the outdoors. Inspectors are advised to bring a pair of indoor shoes or slippers to change into.

The quality of the curriculum

Foreign national schools are diverse in nature and in the curriculum that they provide. Nevertheless, every school is required to implement a reasonably broad curriculum which conforms to the regulations for registration of independent schools in England. There must be some written plans and schemes of work, although these may not be devised by the school itself, and could be foreign national documents. In judging whether the plans and schemes of work are appropriate, inspectors must be sensitive to other ways of curriculum planning and will need to take account of what happens in practice.

The requirement to offer full-time education for pupils of compulsory school age is a difficult issue, as pupils in other countries often start full-time education later than in the UK. Five-year-olds in Germany are still in the kindergarten, for example, and may go home at lunchtime. In these circumstances, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) is prepared to be tolerant and acknowledge cultural differences.

In schools where English is not the main language of instruction there must be lessons in written and spoken English. The foreign national schools are exempted from this regulation if they are providing solely for pupils who are temporary residents in the UK and are following the curriculum of another country.

The teaching of religion or any form of religious observance is not allowed in French schools. Nevertheless, the curriculum includes learning about the world and other cultures. Regulations 1(2)(f) and 1(2)(j) may present a challenge for some schools, as they will not offer a personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme as such. As with any school, examples should be sought in the range of activities they provide, including science, the arts and music.

Quality of teaching and assessment

Teaching styles should reflect the age and attainment range of pupils. As with all schools, inspectors should consider the level of pupils' engagement and the strategies employed by teachers to meet the needs of all pupils. Inspectors should assure themselves that the teachers are providing sufficient challenge for the highest attaining pupils and appropriate support for the lowest attainers. The teachers' planning and teaching should denote an understanding of pupils' aptitudes, needs and prior attainment.

The schools should have a framework in place by which the progress of pupils can be assessed. This should include both internal assessment and access to external accreditation where appropriate. These schools may offer a range of British and international examinations as well as their own national accreditation.

Teachers should be aware of the code of practice (COP) in relation to special educational needs (SEN). Inspectors will need to satisfy themselves that schools are adhering to the principles of the COP and that the SEN of individual pupils are being met.

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

As with other independent schools, inspectors may need to look carefully for evidence of where the regulations are being met. Most schools will provide the similar opportunities as their British counterparts to enable pupils to develop self-confidence, but inspectors will have to look critically at both the curricular and extra-curricular provision. In meeting the regulation for 2(d), foreign and national schools should offer pupils the opportunity to acquire knowledge of British institutions and services to prepare them for living in this country, even on a temporary basis. It is important, also, that pupils in these schools do not become isolated, and that the school is taking seriously its duties under regulation 2(e), by promoting community cohesion both through its curriculum and in providing opportunities for the pupils to integrate into the host country.

Welfare, health and safety of the pupils

The admission registers should comply with regulations even where systems in a school differ from those in this country. Particular attention should be given to how attendance is recorded and monitored.

The policies for the welfare, health and safety of pupils adopted by the schools need not refer specifically to DfES guidance but they must express the spirit of it. Inspectors should take nothing for granted in relation to fire checks, records, health and safety issues, and other regulatory matters. Where appropriate, schools might be reminded that compliance with regulations protects the school as well as their pupils.

Suitability of the proprietor and staff

It is important to determine the nature of proprietorship before the inspection. For some schools their own government has complete ownership of the school whilst in others they are only responsible for the buildings and premises or just paying the salaries of the teaching staff. The majority of American schools are privately owned by boards of trustees. The schools which are not privately owned usually have either a board of trustees or a parents' association which provides a useful link between parents and the school management and on occasion the associated embassy.

Since February 2005 an additional regulation has been inserted in standard 4 in relation to staff checks of foreign nationals. Where a foreign national is either the proprietor of the school, or is employed as a member of staff, and for whom a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check is inappropriate, that person is subject to checks for overseas teachers set out in DfES guidance Child protection: preventing unsuitable people from working with children and young persons in the education service (DfES publication number 0278/2002).

In the case of British nationals employed in these schools - for example teachers of English, sports coaches, caretakers, secretaries and so on - inspectors must ensure that the school has run CRB checks at the appropriate level on these staff.

Premises and accommodation

As with all independent schools, the premises and accommodation should meet the regulations and be suitable for the education of pupils of compulsory school age.

Provision of information and the manner in which complaints are to be handled

Many of the foreign national schools will be following the regulations set out by their own governments and may be unfamiliar with the need to comply with our regulations also. Most of the schools will have a prospectus of sorts, but they may provide the requisite information to parents in another form. In some cases, inspectors may find that schools need clarification in how they can fully meet the regulations. The schools usually have their own methods of dealing with complaints, but they may not be used to informing parents about procedures.

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