British International School of Washington

British International School of Washington
File:British International School of Washington logo.png
Address
2001 Wisconsin Ave NW Washington, DC 20007 United States
Information
School type	Private, for-profit
Established	1998
Headteacher	David Rowsell
Grades	Nursery to Year 13
Age range	2.5 to 18
Enrolment	430
Accreditation	IB, Learning-Focused School

The British International School of Washington (BISW) is a non-sectarian, co-educational college preparatory day school located in the Georgetown neighbourhood in downtown Washington D.C.. BISW offers education for ages 3 to 18 (UK Nursery to Year 13/US Pre-K to Grade 12). The school was opened in September 1998 by Dr. Lesley Stagg. In 2013, BISW joined Nord Anglia Education, a for-profit international education provider with 28 international schools and over 18,000 students.

The British International School of Washington relocated in 2008 to its current location in Georgetown. The school shares property with Georgetown University.

Curriculum

The British International School of Washington offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) for students in Years 12 and 13 (Grades 11 and 12) and the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) in Years 10 and 11 (Grades 9 and 10). The Primary School, which includes Nursery to Year 6 (Pre-K-Grade 5), offers the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) and adopts best practices from the British National Curriculum (England and Wales).

Students at the British International School of Washington sit externally graded standardised tests in English, Maths, and Science as recommended by the British National Curriculum (England and Wales) at the end of Years 2, 6 and 9. Optional tests are taken at the end of Years 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 in Maths and English. IGCSE and IB students take external examinations at the end of Years 11 and 13. The school also features a student council.

Teachers

The vast majority of the BISW staff are British and are educated in the United Kingdom. They all hold mainly UK degrees as well as teaching qualifications. Some teaching staff hold master's degrees.

The school actively promotes the professional development of teaching staff through an ongoing programme of training carried out in the US, UK, and Europe to promote world class learning practices through adapting and adopting examples of best educational practice from around the world. Whilst the teaching staff are primarily British educated and teach British curriculum, courses are designed to reflect a global perspective and the international nature of the student body.

Nationalities

Although the majority of students at the British International School of Washington are American or British, the school still hosts over forty different nationalities including Irish, Dutch, American, Kazakh, Italian, Botswanan, Nigerian, Finnish, Australian, Egyptian, German, Venezuelan, Bruneian, Indian, Iraqi, French, New Zealand, Spanish and Sri Lankan.

Affiliation and Associations

The British International School of Washington is accredited to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IDBP). The school is also accredited by Fieldwork Education as a Learning-Focused School. The British School International of Washington is an active member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the European Council of International Schools (ECIS), the Council of British International Schools (COBIS), the Council for International Schools in the Americas (CISTA), and the British American Business Association (BABA).

BISW has an active Parents' Association, governed by a Board of 11 elected parents, that organises social events and represents the views of all parents.

External links

• British School of Washington
• BSW YouTube channel
• British Schools of America
• Nord Anglia Education