UK DfE Recognition

AoBSO is the only DfE recognised membership association exclusively for the leaders of those schools who have undertaken a DfE BSO inspection within the last 3 calendar years.  As such, AoBSO is the only membership association that fully represents those unique demands of leading a BSO school, wherever it is in the world.

As an association AoBSO is uniquely placed and regarded by officials within the UK government.  AoBSO has developed very strong and important links with the UK Department for Education (DfE), Department for International Trade (DIT) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) along with the British Council. These key relationships are allowing us to be the voice of British international education in the UK and regularly result in ministerial attendance at the AoBSO conference each November.

Lord Theodore Agnew attended the 2018 AoBSO Annual Conference in Westminster and reaffirmed the DfE position that BSO inspection and the BSO Standards Framework would remain the gold standard for British international schools worldwide.  In addition he cited a change in interpretation of the BSO Standards to allow those schools unable (due to local law) to fully meet the standard in relation to Protected Values to achieve full BSO accreditation and join the family of BSO schools worldwide.  As a result of this shift in government policy, achieved directly through the lobbying of the AoBSO Executive on behalf of member schools, we have seen widespread growth in the number of BSO accredited schools worldwide.  Currently there are BSO accredited schools in Europe, Latin America, Africa, The Middle East and Asia.

We expect the number of accredited schools to continue to rise in coming years.