While many schools pride themselves on their welcoming learning environment, teaching excellence and extracurricular activities, few can match the example set by the British School of Bucharest in Romania. This innovative school with state-of-the-art facilities and beautiful, landscaped grounds teaches the British curriculum to the highest standards to students from around the world.
The school was founded in 2000 by Corina Corda, who was impressed by her young son’s manners after he attended a pre-school that followed a British curriculum. “I had a vision in my head of the perfect school that came from so many British schools I visited,” says Corda, President of the school. “I went to Singapore, Canada, Cyprus, Australia and New Zealand, and this confirmed my personal belief that this was the best education system in the world. Even after achieving independence from Britain, many have retained that structure and philosophy because it was so powerful and effective and because it had been around for so many centuries.”
Corda welcomes the spirit of tolerance that she says is embedded in the British system. “I believe that across the Commonwealth, there is a mentality of tolerance that comes from the education system these countries share.” This is particularly important for a school such as this, where the 700 children, encompassing early years, primary and secondary school, and sixth form, come from more than 65 different countries and include Romanian locals alongside expats and gifted students on scholarships. “We started with 21 pupils and our mission throughout the years has been to expose the international community of Bucharest to the benefits of a British education.”
Corda also admires how the British system focuses on developing good character alongside academic results. She feels that A-levels are an excellent way for students to develop their passions. “I wanted to create a school where each child could achieve their best potential, including our special needs students.”
The school maintains its British ethos by employing teachers who are trained in the British system. Indeed, most of them come from Britain. The large team of support staff ensure the teachers can focus on teaching while the students get the attention they need, with many going on to study at some of the most outstanding universities worldwide.
As well as achieving excellent academic results, the school takes pride in its extracurricular programmes. Some of these take place at the Innovation Hub – a cross-department enterprise that provides students with access to cuttingedge technology. One of its programmes, Project Zephyr, enables students to design and construct electric vehicles; the results are then taken to the Arctic Circle for testing in a competition called The Arctic Challenge. Students develop technological know-how and learn leadership skills and teamwork through experimentation.
The school also places importance on the creative arts to ensure students have access to a wide range of experiences as they develop their skills. “Each child should be seen as an individual,” says Corda. “They are competing with themselves, not with each other.
“We have taken the best of everything we have seen around the world and applied it to our country and our community – that’s the staff, the student body and the parents who create our culture between them. We want our students to feel they are in a fair system, where they are cared for and where their voice will be heard.”
