The Council of British International Schools (COBIS) serves English International Schools around the globe, representing over 450 Member Schools in 79 countries and over 150 Supporting Associate organisations.

Objectives

COBIS exists to serve, support and represent its member schools – their leaders, governors, staff and students by: * test member schools with the

British Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

, educational bodies, and the corporate sector * Providing effective

professional development Professional development, also known as professional education, is learning that leads to or emphasizes education in a specific professional career field or builds practical job applicable skills emphasizing Praxis (process), praxis in addition t ...

for senior leaders,

governors A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

teachers A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

and support staff * Facilitating, coordinating and supporting professional networking opportunities for British International schools * Providing access to information about trends and developments in UK education * Promoting career opportunities within the global COBIS network * Brokering a cost-effective consultancy service between schools and approved educational support service providers

Actions

COBIS hosts a range of conferences and professional development events for teachers, middle leaders, support staff throughout the year, plus an annual conference in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in May for school leaders and Governors. COBIS represents its members with the British Government, educational bodies, the corporate sector and Ministries of Education worldwide and is committed to advancing the interests of British schools and British education overseas.

The Patron's Accreditation and Compliance

In October 2016, COBIS announced a new external validation scheme for British schools overseas to be known as The Patron's Accreditation and Compliance. The new scheme will officially be available to schools from April 2017 and will be offered as an alternative to inspections carried out by the

Department for Education The Department for Education (DfE) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for child protection, child services, education in England, educati ...

for British Schools Overseas.

Structure

Founded over 30 years ago, COBIS is governed by an elected

executive committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

consisting of headteachers and governors from member schools worldwide. The association is a constituent member of the

Independent Schools Council The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is a non-profit lobby group that represents over 1,300 private schools in the United Kingdom. The organisation comprises seven independent school associations and promotes the business interests of its ...

and operates on a

not-for-profit A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...

basis to reflect being a UK-registered company 'Limited by Guarantee'. The

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

is Mr Trevor Rowell. COBIS is led by

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

Colin Bell{{cite web , title=Education Sector Advisory Group minutes 1 September 2020 , url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-sector-advisory-group-minutes/education-sector-advisory-group-minutes-1-september-2020 , website=www.gov.uk/ , access-date=25 November 2020 and supported by the COBIS team based in London. In August 2015, COBIS

head office Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

moved from

Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

Russell Square Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, built predominantly by the firm of James Burton (property developer), James Burton. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Mus ...

in London's

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...

area.

References

Educational organisations based in the United Kingdom International school associations Private and independent school organizations