Inspecting British schools overseas

Education Development Trust is authorised by the Department for Education in England to inspect British schools overseas - international schools that offer a UK curriculum.

Internationals 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. Education Development Trust is one of the inspection providers authorised by the UK government to provide BSO. 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. See the listing of Education Development Trust’s British Schools Overseas (BSO) inspection reports below.

The benefits of BSO

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 in relation to clearly defined UK standards and expectations. This reference provides reassurance for current and prospective parents and a focus for further development.

An additional benefit of BSO is that it entitles schools that successfully meet the standards, to recruit and induct newly qualified teachers. This recognition provides BSO-inspected schools with an added advantage which may assist in their teacher recruitment and in attracting and retaining new teachers in an increasingly competitive world.

Inspection with Education Development Trust

Education Development Trust has a reputation for quality. We provide schools with an inspection service delivered by quality-assured and respected inspectors with high levels of credibility and relevant experience. Our BSO inspections are organised centrally in the UK, with the added benefit of local intelligence derived from our global presence through our offices in many of the key markets for British schools overseas. We pay particular attention to team composition ensuring that our staff are suitable given the size and character of the school.

Download our inspecting British schools overseas brochure

How does BSO work?

The BSO process is simple and straightforward and a school seeking to be inspected takes the following steps:

Submit an initial enquiry
Register for an inspection
Liaise over the inspection arrangements
Manage the inspection visit
Receive the final written report and outcome

Education Development Trust has been authorised by the UK Department for Education to inspect British schools overseas and produce inspection reports. As a DfE-approved inspectorate, our BSO inspection reports are published on our website.