Guidance

British schools overseas: how to get accredited

How to apply for the voluntary accreditation scheme for British schools overseas (BSO) and where to get support.

Applying to become a BSO

BSO is DfE’s voluntary accreditation scheme for overseas schools.

Schools must meet the British schools overseas: standards for schools to get BSO accreditation. Approved inspectorates will use these standards when they inspect your school.

These standards are comparable with:

They show how BSOs align with the standards for independent schools in England.

Become accredited as a BSO

To become a BSO, you will need to :

  • arrange an inspection by an approved inspectorate
  • show to the inspectorate that your school meets the BSO standards
  • have an inspection every 3 years to show that your school continues to meet the BSO standards

Arrange an inspection

DfE approves organisations to inspect overseas schools and produce inspection reports. The organisations are:

Ofsted monitors these inspectorates and reports on the quality of their inspections yearly.

Schools in Dubai should request an inspection through the Knowledge and Human Development Authority of the Government of Dubai, which works in partnership with the Education Development Trust.

Inspection fees

DfE has no role in setting fees for overseas inspections as these are set by the inspectorate.

Inspection reports

Inspectorates publish the results of all inspections for the past 3 years on their websites.

DfE also publishes BSO inspection reports.

School reference number

If your school meets the standards, it will be allocated a unique reference number on the national school reference system, get information about schools.

Early career teachers (ECTs)

Schools without BSO accreditation cannot offer statutory induction to ECTs.

Inspections affected by coronavirus (COVID-19)

DfE has contacted schools where COVID-19 affected their inspection cycles. We have asked schools that have not been inspected in the last 3 years when they are planning to schedule their next inspection.

Support for BSOs

These organisations support BSOs in arranging and preparing for inspections:

Jurisdiction

DfE has no jurisdiction over schools operating outside England. You should take up complaints directly with the school.

Contact

You can send any queries to BritishSchools.OVERSEAS@education.gov.uk.

Published 24 May 2023
Last updated 3 November 2023 + show all updates
  1. Added link to Latin American Heads Conference in 'Support for BSOs'.

  2. The guidance has been corrected to clarify that to get accredited schools need to arrange an inspection and demonstrate they meet the BSO standards.

  3. First published.