International School Aberdeen (ISA) is celebrating after receiving re-accreditation from a globally recognised education body.

ISA, based just outside of the city on North Deeside Road, has welcomed an ‘exceptionally positive’ report from the Council of International Schools (CIS), an organisation committed to the highest standards of international education.

Furthermore, the school, which welcomes local children and international families alike, received 12 commendations and was congratulated by the CIS for its excellent work.

Last summer, ISA continued its 100% pass rate in the prestigious International Baccalaureate Diploma - a pre-university qualification highly regarded by universities in the UK and around the world. ISA students scored almost 15% above world averages in an already elite qualification with 95% of its students achieving grades A to C and over half achieving an A.

ISA’s head of school Nicholas Little said he was extremely proud of the dedication of the staff and students at ISA: “We are delighted to receive such positive feedback from the CIS. The report demonstrates a clear appreciation for our values, community relations and desire to provide students with the knowledge, skills and abilities to pursue their lives as global citizens.

“As well as the commendations from the CIS, we are thrilled with the feedback we have received from our wonderful parent community too.”

Due to lockdown, the CIS accreditation team were unable to visit the school in person, therefore, the school’s evaluation was conducted via a virtual team visit, backed up by a number of school documents and online meetings with different groups.

The report states that the well-being of students is particularly notable and applauds the school’s fulfilment of its vision to provide ‘exceptional care for every child’; a great area of strength for the international school, whose student population is 500 with local students forming almost half that number.

The report also commends the school’s environment as one of openness, fairness, trust and mutual respect to support students’ learning and well-being, listen to their views and develop their leadership qualities.

According to the report, ISA has created a palpable sense of belonging and community and has created a productive home-school partnership.

The school’s student-centred teaching and learning approach were identified as exemplary as the teachers were praised for tailoring their approach so that the needs of individual students are met at every stage of the learning process.

“Our student-centred approach focuses not just on what students learn, but how they learn,” continued Mr Little. “We are particularly proud of exceeding the CIS standards for community and home partnership which we regard as so vital to our students’ wellbeing.”

ISA, which educates children from age 3 to 18, was also commended in the recent report for its high standard of online teaching during lockdown despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.

“We are an incredibly resilient school community with an innate ability to face change and to thrive in the face of uncertainty,” said Mr Little.

“We have expanded our digital resources and adapted our teaching to new demands, all while maintaining a vibrant international identity of locals and expats and I am proud that our sense of belonging and community has been recognised.”

More like this…

View all