British International School of Houston

British International School of Houston
Address
2203 North Westgreen Boulevard
Harris County, Texas Texas, United States United States 77449
Information
Established 2000
Principal Andrew Derry
Gender Coeducational
Age range 3 to 18
School color(s)

Teal

    
Accreditation IB
Website www.bishouston.org
Former school building in Houston

The British International School of Houston (BISH), formerly the British School of Houston (BSOH), is a non-sectarian, co-educational college preparatory day school in the Greater Katy region of the Houston area. BISH, which opened in September 2000, offers education for ages 3 to 18 (UK Nursery to Year 13/US Pre-K to Grade 12). The British School of Houston is a part of Nord Anglia Education which operates 43 schools[1] worldwide, including 11 in the USA.[2] Previously it was operated by the British Schools of America [3] It moved to its current campus in fall 2016, and was previously in northwest Houston.

History

Logo for the school under its previous name of the British School of Houston

The school opened on September 11, 2000 serving children of ages 3 to 13. Each year, the British School added one additional grade by level, until it covered ages 3 to 18. The original 14.5 acres (5.9 ha) campus occupied by the school had previously housed Houston Christian High School. Grainne O'Reilly-Askew, the school's first headmistress, said that British companies encountered difficulty in convincing their executives to relocate to Greater Houston, since the area previously did not have a school using the British educational system.[4] John Major, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, attended the school's official opening.[5]

The school's enrollment grew quickly after it opened, when it had 75 students. By December 2000 the school had 82 students, with 12 on the waiting list for January, when three more teachers were scheduled to begin employment with the school. O'Reilly-Askew said that she was not surprised by the increase of interest in the school, since there are a large number of British citizens living in Greater Houston. Annette Baird of the Houston Chronicle said that, as of December 2000, the number of British citizens in Greater Houston was estimated to be over 40,000. O'Reilly-Askew also stated that several American families showed interest in the school.[4]

The school's new, state-of-the-art campus in Greater Katy opened in the fall of 2016.[6] The new campus increased student capacity from 850 to 2,000.[7]

Curriculum

The British International School of Houston 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 Houston sit externally graded standardized 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.

Since 2010, 100% of the BISH students who took the International Baccalaureate diploma test passed. One student at the British school scored 44 of 45 points, making him in the top one percent of IB diploma test takers worldwide.[8]

There is a Dutch curriculum program for temporary residents from the Netherlands.[9]

Teachers

The vast majority of the BISH 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 Masters 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 in order 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.

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Demographics

As of 2016 pupils of more than 50 nationalities attend the school, with the majority of students being British and American.[10]

As of May 2014, there were about 850 students. About 60% of the students are British, 7% are American, and the remainder are of other nationalities.[11]

As of December 2000, about 70% of the students were British. The remainder were Americans and of other nationalities.[4]

Campus

In December 2014 the school acquired a 33-acre (13 ha) site in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, in the Greater Katy area. This new, state-of-the-art, purpose built, 33-acre (274,000square feet) campus features an impressive array of facilities and exciting learning areas to enrich students' school experience and is designed specifically to enhance learning opportunities,[12] with a capacity of 2,000 students,[13] located at the southwest corner of Franz Road and North Westgreen Boulevard,[14] east of Texas State Highway 99 (Grand Parkway) and north of Interstate 10 (Katy Freeway).[13] The developer is Simpkins Group, the designer is Fanning Howey and House Partners, and the construction manager is Tribble & Stephens Construction Ltd.[6] The groundbreaking ceremony was held in February 2015 and the campus opened in September 2016.

The school's Grand Opening celebration was held on October 13, 2016.[15]

The school's previous campus, the former Houston Christian High School, was on a 14-acre (5.7 ha) plot of land in proximity to U.S. Route 290 (Northwest Freeway).[16] This campus had a capacity of 850 students,[6] and the student body there ranged from 450 to 850 students.[14]

Global Initiatives

Nord Anglia Education has a collaborative programme with the Juilliard School,[17] the world's leading performing arts school.[18] The British International School of Houston implemented the programme in the Fall of 2016 with an embedded performing arts curriculum, allowing students access to Juilliard trained professionals.

Nord Anglia Education is also working with MIT to introduce students to this innovative way of learning the STEAM subjects which encourages creativity, experimentation, and teaches them how to apply their skills to real-world situations.[19]

The British International School also offers students the opportunity to participate in the Nord Anglia Global Campus, a programme that links students attending the 43 schools to one another online for activities, challenges, curriculum and expeditions, helping students gain a global perspective.[20]

Affiliation and Associations

The British International School of Houston is accredited to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IDBP). BISH is an active member of the European Council of International Schools (ECIS), the Council for International Schools in the Americas (CISTA) and the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools.

See also

American schools in the United Kingdom:

References

  1. ↑ "Our Premium International Schools | Nord Anglia Education". www.nordangliaeducation.com. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
  2. ↑ Baker, Amy (11 June 2013). "WCL Group Sold to Nord Anglia Education". The Pie News. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  3. ↑ "Foxwell appointed head of British School of Houston." Houston Business Journal. Friday October 16, 2009. Retrieved on December 8, 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 Baird, Annette. "British school to expand to accommodate demand" (Archive). Houston Chronicle. Wednesday December 20, 2000. ThisWeek 2. Retrieved on December 9, 2010.
  5. ↑ Staff. "A major opening." Houston Chronicle. Thursday September 21, 2000. A36. Retrieved on December 9, 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 "Houston international school to develop new campus in Katy area." Houston Business Journal. November 11, 2014. Updated November 13, 2014. Retrieved on September 11, 2015.
  7. ↑ Holmes, Lisa (11 November 2014). "Houston international school to develop new campus in Katy area". Houston Business Journal. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "Briefs: Students earn outstanding IB results." Houston Chronicle. July 22, 2010. Retrieved on December 9, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Dutch Program." British International School of Houston. Retrieved on April 20, 2015.
  10. ↑ Herrera, Sebastian (27 January 2016). "Katy 'the place to be' for private and charter schools". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  11. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions" (Archive) British School of Houston. Retrieved on May 26, 2014.
  12. ↑ "School Facilities". www.nordangliaeducation.com. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
  13. 1 2 "The Deal Sheet" (Archive). Bisnow. December 16, 2014. Retrieved on September 11, 2015.
  14. 1 2 Kirk, Bryan. "Katy-area campus set to open in fall '16." Houston Chronicle. June 9, 2015. Retrieved on September 11, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Grand Opening Celebration". www.nordangliaeducation.com. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
  16. ↑ Baird, Annette. "British school director opens new doors" (Archive). Houston Chronicle. Thursday June 5, 2003. Retrieved on September 11, 2015.
  17. ↑ "British International School of Houston". The Katy News. 31 March 2016.
  18. ↑ "Juilliard Tops List of World's Best Schools for Performing Arts". Playbill. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  19. ↑ "MIT – Nord Anglia Education | Curriculum Overview". www.nordangliaeducation.com. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
  20. ↑ Milan, Gianna (3 March 2016). "Interview with Mrs. Kubach: Nord Anglia Global Campus". Brainwash.
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