Affiliations and Accreditation

The British International School in Belgrade has been recognized by the British Department for Education, as well as the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. Also, BIS is a regular member of the European Council of International Schools – ECIS  as well as the Council of International Schools – CIS.
The British International School is also an operator for the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.

History

The BIS began as the International High School, Belgrade which was co-founded in 1997 by Aleksandra Keserovic, a local teacher and professional vocalist who received a Master’s Degree in Musicology from the University of Belgrade, and the late Dr Jonathan Rider from California. Being the first international secondary school in Serbia based on the English language, the BIS was in the position to accommodate children of corps diplomatique, foreign business families, as well as local children interested in schooling in the English language and wanting to attend universities worldwide.

Throughout Serbia’s recent political history, IHSB successfully continued to operate and this led to increased growth as the economic and political climates in Serbia became more stable. As a result, the school moved to a new site in 2003, opened a Primary School and renamed itself as the British International School to reflect the emphasis and quality of the education we provide.

Throughout its history the BIS has changed several campuses. Today the school is spread across 4 campuses – two primary and two secondary ones.

Pastoral Care

One of the most important motivators any parent should have at heart when choosing an educational institution for their child is how the institution approaches pastoral care. Pastoral care is every staff member’s expertise which put together, aims to meet the needs of each child. At the British International School the needs of our students are not only met on a daily basis, but are and will always be the centre of our school’s focus. This is accomplished by taking an individual approach to each student on a daily basis. This sort of approach to students’ wellbeing is accomplished through well planned organisation, tradition, experience and devotion. Creating a friendly atmosphere and providing the feeling of acceptance amongst peers allows our students to build their self-esteem, to communicate freely without fear and to resolve any of their potential insecurities.

Safeguarding

Our commitment is to safeguard and promote the welfare, health (including mental health) and safety of our students by creating and maintaining an open, safe, caring and supportive atmosphere.

We have three primary aims: to prevent harm; to protect students from harm; and to support students and staff when student protection and safeguarding incidents occur.

The school achieves these aims by providing excellent pastoral care and fostering optimism and a positive school atmosphere where students feel secure and are encouraged to talk. Students are encouraged to find a person (whether a staff member or peer) whom they trust and to speak to that person about any issues that may be worrying them. Students are additionally reminded of specific individuals with whom they can share their concerns. In addition, at BIS there is a culture of vigilance, openness, trust and transparency in which any concerns about the conduct of staff, visitors and other adults in school can be shared and dealt with in an appropriate and sensitive manner.

Communication

At BIS, we hold the value of clear communication as one of our greatest priorities. We work on developing a close collaboration with our parents/guardians making all the relevant information available to them at all times. On the BIS school website you will find out about our premises, our accomplishments, our events and celebrations. It will also allow you to directly contact the BIS School Office where our staff will make sure that you receive all the necessary information about your child’s school day, homework, lunch, field trips, payments, etc. The School Office is open every day Monday through Friday including the holidays.

Our students’ parents/guardians are encouraged to take an active part in the Parent, Teacher, Friends Association (PTF). The role of the PTF is to organise fundraising and charity events. Together with the teachers and the Principal, the PTF discuss the ideas for school improvement and may be involved in addressing student academic and disciplinary issues if necessary. We also operate a Primary and Secondary Student Council, whose presidents and members are the school’s most prominent students. This body ensures that the voice of the students is heard and acknowledged at all times. Every class elects their class representative who will act on their behalf in the Student Council meetings. The Student Council helps in organising charity events including the annual BIS Charity Bazaar. They also help in the organisation of the annual study tour and social events such as student parties. Both Primary and Secondary Schools have their own Student Councils.

The school has blogs which are edited by the form tutors. The blogs allow the parents/guardians to keep track of their child’s learning activities and cross curricular projects.