26 April 2024

Our Outstanding result in the British Schools Overseas inspection accreditation and Gold level for the International Schools Quality Mark 2024

Our Outstanding result in the British Schools Overseas inspection accreditation and Gold level for the International Schools Quality Mark 2024

We are honoured to share that King's Bangkok has been accredited by the Education Development Trust (EDT) for the British Schools Overseas Inspection (BSO) and International School Quality Mark (ISQM) reports. We received an 'Outstanding' rating in every category for BSO and a 'Gold level' for ISQM, marking the highest level of achievement in both reports.

The accreditation took 4 days. The process involved 87 part-lesson visits, 17 learning walks, 26 meetings with students, parents, teachers, and the government board, as well as observations of parent workshops, assemblies, and extracurricular activities (ECAs).

The evaluation from the BSO reports summarises that ‘King’s College International School is an outstanding school and provides an outstanding quality of education for pupils from two to 18 years.’

Moreover, the ISQM report states that ‘King’s College International School is recognised as having met the required standards for accreditation. The school has been awarded the Education Development Trust International Schools Quality Mark at the Gold level, which reflects the Outstanding judgements in all sections:

Overview of main strengths

Report Headlines

Highlights

Progress and attainment are outstanding in all subjects for all groups of pupils.
Pupils are highly motivated, display excellent behaviour and consistently display positive attitudes to learning.
High quality teaching enables all groups of pupils to make outstanding progress in acquiring knowledge, skills and understanding.
The curriculum is highly relevant and broad, whilst closely matched to the requirements of the early years foundation stage (EYFS) and the National Curriculum for England.
Pupils are well supported to understand the customs and traditions of Thailand
The school has state-of-the-art facilities that are well designed for pupils of all ages. The learning environment is highly conducive to purposeful learning.
The school recruits experienced, high quality staff with due care to safeguarding and child protection.
The school provides outstanding care and support for all pupils. Pupils state that they feel safe. Leaders ensure a strong safeguarding culture across the school.
The school listens well to parents, actively seeks their opinions and involves them in many aspects of the school's life.
The school's vision and values of kindness, wisdom and good manners are at the heart of everything that the school does. A culture of kindness permeates the school.
Governors offer a wide range of support and challenges. They uphold the values of King's College Wimbledon.

According to the reports, the inspectors highlighted several specific mentions that commend the remarkable values possessed by King's Bangkok.

The quality of the curriculum is outstanding.

The quality of the curriculum is outstanding. It is values-led and meets the school’s commitment to engage, inspire and extend pupils’ love of learning. Importantly, it includes adaptations to reflect local culture. Regular evaluation of the curriculum ensures that it remains up-to-date and relevant. Counsellors and teachers provide high-quality guidance and support for university applications. All pupils enjoy the opportunities to celebrate Thai culture and their own traditions. One parent described the school as, ‘An international school that values and understands Thai culture.’

The support for transition between phases is extensive.

The support for transitions from Early Years to Primary, and from Primary to Senior are extensive. Children in the early years visit primary lessons and the playground to familiarise themselves with new routines. Transition systems between primary and secondary involve teachers sharing data and planning joint lessons to support pupils as they move into secondary.

The Living in the Modern World (LMW) programme encourages pupils to be better prepared for life after they leave school.

Its focus on research skills and life skills, such as budget management, enables pupils to prepare for a successful university experience. Across the school, pupils benefit from the lessons that cover personal social, health, and economic (PSHE) education and sex and relationships education. In Year 10 pupils completed some thought-provoking work on homelessness, comparing the problem in the UK with the situation in Thailand.

Pupils are not afraid to make mistakes and see them as a natural part of the learning process.

Pupils enjoy their lessons, trust their teachers and are confident that their teachers will support them. The behaviour for pupils in lessons is excellent. They treat their teachers and each other with respect and they enjoy working together. They listen carefully to their teachers’ clear instructions and willingly share their ideas when working in groups and in pairs. Pupils demonstrate sustained concentration and a deep commitment to their learning. They complete tasks on time and reflect carefully on their own progress. They appreciate that they are responsible for their own learning.

Pupils state that they feel known and valued despite the rapid increase in the size of the school.

Pupils state that they feel known and valued despite the rapid increase in the size of the school. Pupils spoke of the ‘prevailing harmony’ that exists in the school and did not perceive bad behaviour, bullying or lateness to be an issue. Pupils value the weekly well-being survey which allows them to express concerns or give feedback, and they feel that the school is maintaining a balance between academic excellence and their well-being. They know they can go to their teacher or form tutor or counsellor with any issues that may arise. A number commented on how they saw the school evolving, improving and being responsive to their feedback in helping them feel secure, in a supportive community environment.

The welfare, health and safety of pupils and staff are outstanding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school which is firmly integrated into routines. Policies to protect and care for pupils and staff are well thought out. Arrangements for child protection and safeguarding are continually updated to reflect changes in UK legislation and guidance. They reflect the school's commitment to inclusion and its aim to meet the needs of all pupils. There is regular update training for all staff.

A programme of around 400 extra-curricular and co-curricular activities effectively extends pupils’ holistic development.

Participation rates are high, with around 91% of pupils attending at least one activity, ranging from sports, Thai and Scottish dancing, mindfulness, and photography. Numerous residential trips further enhance the curriculum and widen pupils’ experience of their local environment and the world. These include trips to historical sites such as Ayutthaya, conferences, and competitive sports events.

Computing and computer science are outstanding.

In the early years, almost all children are working at curriculum standards for their age. Many children have not had any experience of using computers and make strong progress from the start. Children choose from a variety of resources including, for example, light tables, programmable toys and tablets to explore and manipulate technology and digital content. They know how to use simple programs and can solve problems. Teachers work closely together to ensure that pupils have learned the necessary skills and knowledge to progress to the next phase with confidence.

The school supports the needs of pupils with EAL and SEND through well-planned curriculum adaptations.

Specialist teachers provide targeted support, enabling pupils to gain access to the curriculum and to develop wider learning skills. Pupils with EAL performed significantly better than expected and those with SEND achieved in line with expectations. Teachers provide suitable activities to support EAL learners so that the cognitive challenge in lessons remains high while supporting their language needs. Pupils with SEND are very well supported by additional staff in lessons and through curriculum adaptations, resulting in them making rapid progress

The school listens well to parents, actively seeks their opinions and involves them in many aspects of school life.

There are opportunities for pupils and parents to express their views and influence the school’s decision making. Excom spends a lot of time listening and talking to parents and plays a key role in creating links with the community. The school makes good use of several systems and methods for involving parents in daily school life. In addition to annual surveys, coffee mornings and meetings with the executive principal, there are many workshops and information-sharing events.

We would like to express our wholehearted appreciation to the EDT team for recognising our commitment to our students. We remain dedicated to continuous improvement and excellence, striving to make a sustainable impact for the benefit of our students.

Education Development Trust is an international not-for-profit organisation working to improve education outcomes and transitions into work for people across the world. Through detailed research and evidence-based insights, our experts deliver tailored programmes designed to transform education systems, schools and lives.

To access the full reports, please visit the link below:

To learn more about Education Development Trust, please visit: https://www.edt.org/