The North London Collegiate School Approach to International Education
North London Collegiate School (NLCS) is the oldest of the independent academic girls’ day schools in the UK, educating girls aged 4-18. It was founded in 1850 by a pioneering Victorian educator, Frances Mary Buss, and is situated in a stunning 35-acre landscaped estate within easy commuting distance of central London. NLCS has consistently over the last twenty years been one of the highest performing schools nationally for GCSEs, A Levels and the IB. The school has an enviable record of getting students into their university of choice, with over 20% going to Oxbridge and an increasing number choosing to study at top US Ivy league universities. We have replicated this success in our co-educational international schools where over 60% of our graduates attend Times Top 100 universities, including Oxbridge and Ivy League institutions.
An NLCS education is built on three main educational principles. The first is an unswerving commitment to academic excellence irrespective of the type of school we operate. We employ teachers who are passionate about their subject above all else, not just teachers who are good at teaching syllabuses. Teachers who are good communicators; adept at classroom craft; but above all who can light the flames of enthusiasm in their students. It goes without saying that the minimum we expect of our teachers is that they cover the syllabus, but NLCS teachers are expected to go above and beyond the mandated topics. We select, nurture and develop our teachers’ own love of learning and passion for their academic discipline, which leads to them inspiring in students a deep love of learning of their own. We believe this is a key reason why we achieve the results we do and the university places that parents and their children aspire to.
NLCS (UK) achieved an IBDP average of 40.73 out of 45, 87% of A-Level students achieved A* and 94% of all GCSE grades award were grade 8/9 (2022)
Our second key educational principle is providing a unique depth and breadth of extra-curricular provision. We do not pretend that the breadth of facilities and activities we offer is any different from other top rated schools – indeed this is what parents expect of any premium brand. All our schools have sports, art & design, music and drama, all of which are important in building confidence and leadership in students. However, the extra-curricular programme in NLCS schools is most notable for its academic focus. We make sure that our wide range of academic societies are run by students – this supports them in developing leadership skills, a love of their subject and both academic and overall confidence, as well as learning how to manage projects and events. NLCS UK has over 50 societies developing everything from sponsored fashion magazines (Anna Wintour of Vogue is an Old North Londoner), science symposia and giving lectures. This programme is supported by the teaching body, who not only provide guidance to students, but who also give their own talks on areas they are passionate about – our Nicholson lectures- which demonstrate their commitment to their subject and to our extending the knowledge of our students.
Our final pillar is a pastoral ethos rooted in the philosophy that ‘everyone matters’. No student is ever ‘written off’ or allowed to slip through the net. Our pastoral and academic teams work very closely together to ensure all students are supported, notably over the last few years as the pandemic and the challenges of unregulated social media add unforeseen stresses to student lives. Each student is part of a tutor group and a larger house group. The role of the tutor is particularly important in providing support when a student might be having difficulties either at home or at school, in being prepared to develop individually tailored programmes and in ensuring that every student is well known. If students are finding a particular subject difficult, we don’t write them off, but encourage teachers to change their teaching approach so they find what works for that student. In other words, it is our teachers’ responsibility to ensure students grasp their subjects. NLCS is a very intense place to study, but we believe it is also incredibly rewarding.
NLCS Jeju achieved an IBDP average of 38 out of 45 with 2 students achieving a perfect score of 45. 78.3% of iGCSE students achieved A*-A (2022)
A core principle for us in opening international schools is that they are able to offer the same education as exists in the home school. We have sought to work with local partners who share our deep commitment to the creation of an outstanding educational experience not just the use of our name or the desire to create a big network at the expense of quality. We were approached by JDC in South Korea to open a co-educational school on Jeju Island; they felt that our transformative approach could make a difference in making 21st Century Korean students more outward-looking and in promoting skills of research, flexible thinking and academic creativity. This resulted in our first co-operative franchise partnership, a co-educational boarding school, opening in 2011. The school now has nearly 1,500 students and has established itself as one of the leading schools in N.E. Asia., achieving an average IB Diploma score of 39. We took time to learn what worked before opening our second campus, a co-ed day school, in Dubai’s highly competitive market in 2017. Dr. Abdullah al Karam of the KHDA described the School as follows:
“Parents choose a school sometimes because of the price point or because other children go there, or have seen ratings on the website.”
“The 250 kids and parents have chosen this school because they have done their research and know they will not find this kind of education anywhere else here.”
“It is important they have the choices to help keep these people in Dubai.”
This was followed by the opening of our Singapore campus in the middle of the pandemic in 2020. We believe that the commitment to education quality both from ourselves and our partners has been key to the success of all three schools, and which has ensured that all grew their rolls consistently through COVID19, such that they are either at capacity or will be in the next few years.
NLCS Dubai achieved an IBDP average of 38.1 out of 45, with 40% of students achieved 40+ out of 45 points. In addition to this, MYP students achieved an average of 49 out of 56 and 52% of students achieved 50+ out of 56 (2022)
We believe passionately that our educational ethos applies to any school type. We adapt the curriculum offering and the type of school to address the needs of the market, particularly given that many students aspire to both US and UK universities. We want to be able to learn from the countries within which we operate and adapt our education models to incorporate their educational best practice. In Korea, where virtually all our students are Korean nationals we have developed extensive EAL programmes, but above all else the language of the School is English which permits the School to provide a full immersion in the language – something that is vital if the students are going to have a confident grasp of academic English and do well at university entrance. Embracing the different cultures in which we operate creates a rich environment within which our schools can exchange ideas and share best practice.
Successful local operators understand the investment needed to develop a school and the long-term nature of the enterprise. There is always a tension in the early stages of a school between financial results (driven by admissions and prudent financing of the school) and educational standards (driven by the quality of teachers); schools compromise their long-term future if they get the latter wrong or relax their admissions standards. Inadequately stress-tested business plans or poor initial market research can undermine partnerships if the market conditions suddenly become unfavourable. Schools offer great educational and financial reward to investors, but they need long term commitment if sustained results are to be achieved.
At the same time, the international schools arena is becoming an ever more crowded place as traditional markets such as China have become less attractive, and an increasing number of independent UK schools seek to open overseas franchises in order mitigate financial pressures at home. This can lead to intense pressure on fee levels and therefore quality if the barriers to entry are low. The tuition fee levels in many developing countries also do not support the traditional international school model with its dependency on expatriate teachers and small class sizes. It may be that schools will need to develop different models to break into these markets, but this will challenge the ability of UK Plc. to maintain its reputation for academic quality as increasingly sophisticated parents look for a brand which offers consistency with the mother school back home.
In order to protect our brand standards, we take a very hands-on approach both to the pre-and post-opening phases of the school, providing education support services in school design, recruitment, teacher training and a programme of developmental inspection. This is underpinned by a group approach to education strategy involving all our principals, and an increasing ability to provide rewarding careers to teachers who can (and do) move between our schools. We and our partners believe that this approach will allow us to build and sustain our schools for the long term. Time will tell whether this model works – there have been a number of well-publicised school failures in Asia, but we believe that the investment we have made in a dedicated international team, who work closely with our partners and principals, puts us in a really good position to create a very successful international network. We are interested in expanding in major international education markets and welcome contact from parties who share our pioneering and ambitious educational approach.
Source
Ian Callender, COO & Director, NLCS International
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