Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi Achieves CIS Accreditation

We are delighted to share that Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi has achieved International Accreditation from the Council of International Schools (CIS).

CIS International Accreditation provides a mark of quality assurance to parents, students, and the wider Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi community; indicating that the College has undergone a rigorous evaluation process against internationally recognised standards and has demonstrated the provision of a high-quality education.

The CIS Team Evaluation Report commended the staff, students, parents and other members of the Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi community in a range of critical areas, praising our “commitment to student well-being and high-quality learning and teaching as well as to global citizenship and intercultural learning”. In particular, the report included the following praise;

Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi has encultured a community spirit of togetherness which enables students to experience a tangible sense of belonging. The College community has demonstrated compassion and kindness towards ensuring the health and well-being of all stakeholders…With intentionality, Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi has created a supportive and positive learning and working environment to benefit student learning. The College is continuously looking at data and ways to improve communications with parents to ensure a high degree of positive parent involvement/engagement which supports student learning, student well-being, and student global citizenship.

David Ingram | Head of College
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This is meaningful milestone for our College. We are delighted to share our achievement with the community. More importantly we look forward to working together to build upon this success in the next phase of the school’s growth and development.

What are the Characteristics of a CIS-Accredited School?
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As per the Council of International Schools (CIS) website [https://www.cois.org]:

The final award of CIS accreditation shows that the school has achieved high standards of professional performance in international education and has a commitment to continuous improvement. In particular, the award of accreditation shows that the school:

• is devoted to its mission and vision for students
• has thought deeply about the services it offers to students, family and community
• invests the time and resources for validation from a globally-recognized accreditation authority
• focuses on the quality of teaching, student learning, as well as student safeguarding and well-being
• is committed to the development of the students’ global citizenship
• has a suitable philosophy of education suitable for its students
• promises only what it can deliver
• is open to regular evaluation by its own school community and peer evaluators
• constantly seeks improvement in all areas of the school plans strategically for the future

The CIS Team Evaluation report included a number of distinct commendations on areas that we are extremely proud of:

Community

A trusting environment which is conducive to promoting the social emotional well-being of students, and for promoting strong partnerships with parents ...which ensure the overall well- being of students.

Learning, Curriculum and Pedagogy

A high-quality, innovative curriculum to meet the intellectual, physical, and social emotional needs of all students.

Curriculum innovation through the Curiosity Approach which extends learning opportunities for all students.

Deliberate opportunities for students to have choice and agency in their learning across a wide range of disciplines and topics outside of the core curriculum.

Consistent implementation of high-quality learning practices that are reflective of the College values which enables engaging and challenging learning context for all students.

Recursive pedagogical approaches…enable personalised learning to meet the needs of all students.

College-wide literacy strategies to improve literacy skills that are both general and subject specific for all students.

Range of pathways to support the specific needs of language learners.

Global Citizenship

Commitment to sustainability and global citizenship…and implementation of the global competency framework that provides meaning and purpose for students in their development as global citizens.

A plethora of local and international service learning opportunities for students across the College to foster ways for students to live out the school’s guiding statements.

A learning environment that is reflective of the host country to maintain respect for, and pride in, the students' cultural and linguistic heritage.

An inclusive, extensive [University Counselling] programme to ensure readiness of students for College and life after school.

Well-being

A prominent commitment to well-being which promote kindness and respect across the College community.

A comprehensive well-being curriculum and programme which provides a range of opportunities for social and emotional development that are age-appropriate.

Digital citizenship programme aligned to the Common Sense framework which covers a range of areas across all year groups to safeguard students and support their well-being whilst in an online environment.

Supportive and positive learning and working environment to benefit student learning.

Professional Development

Range of professional learning opportunities for staff to strengthen their practices …to improve inclusion and access for all.

Timely professional training for teachers to ensure that teaching practices are in place to support learning for all students.

College-wide professional development and training so that teaching and non-teaching staff can carry out their duties and responsibilities in delivering high-quality learning.

CIS accreditation is a 5-year cycle involving the entire school community. From preparatory evaluation to a rigorous year-long self-study involving students, staff, parents and other stakeholders, the accreditation process culminated with our official team evaluation visit in November 2022. The process was thorough and supported by passionate engagement from our community members. In addition to recognising our achievements to date, CIS international accreditation also provides us with a framework for continuous improvement. As we always say, “Getting better never stops”!