What is BSO?
BSO are schools around the world that are maintained and accredited against criteria set by the UK Government’s Department for Education. These reflect the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and respect. In doing so, local laws and customs take precedence are fully taken into consideration, and do not affect the outcome of inspection.
The term BSO may only be officially used by a school that has been inspected by a UK government-approved BSO Inspectorate (such as Penta International) within the last three years. Only schools with valid BSO accreditation can call themselves ‘British Schools Overseas’.
Further information is available on the GOV.UK website.
What is BSO accreditation?
International schools offering a UK curriculum, such as the English National Curriculum, can seek recognition of the quality of their provision through the Inspection of British Schools Overseas (BSO) process. With endorsement from the Department for Education (DfE) in London and using a transparent framework of quality expectations, inspection under this system is benchmarked against the standards expected of effective independent schools in England. The BSO process is monitored and quality-assured by the government school inspection agency for England, Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education).
There are many schools worldwide that see themselves as having a British style or characters. For these ‘British schools overseas’, this inspection process provides a means to reassure parents that educational standards are comparable with independent school standards in the UK. The inspection process leads to the production of a report that will provide the school community with an official view of quality. The inspection report will be posted on our website as per the Department for Education’s requirements.
The value of the BSO inspection lies, above all, in the rigour of the inspection process that gives recognition to a school and highlights both its strengths and weaknesses with clearly defined UK standards and expectations. This reference provides reassurance for current and prospective parents and a focus on further development.
JHC BSO Reports
JHC BSO Report 2018 View report
JHC BSO Report 2023 View report
