Due diligence · school tours · family fit
How to choose an international school
The most impressive campus is not automatically the safest, strongest or most sustainable school for your child. A good decision leaves a trail of evidence: verified claims, named people, written costs and a weekday route the family can actually live with.
Last verified 26 August 2026
The short answer
How do you choose well?
Start with the child, eliminate schools whose claims or capacity cannot be verified, compare the complete contract and route, and only then judge culture and preference. Do not outsource the decision to rankings, parent-group enthusiasm or brand familiarity.
The complete process
Ten checks, in the right order
Keep a folder for evidence and date every answer. School status, staffing, fees and availability can change.
- 01
Write the child brief
Define learning, language, wellbeing, medical and social needs; current records; likely next system; budget; and maximum commute.
- 02
Verify identity and local operation
Match the legal school name, campus, age range and local licence. Similar names and multi-campus groups require campus-level checking.
- 03
Verify the curriculum claim
Use the IB or Cambridge directory and ask for awarding bodies, qualification codes, subject lists and current candidate/authorised status.
- 04
Read accreditation or inspection
Distinguish membership from accreditation. Read the report, inspection date, scope, recommendations and whether status remains current.
- 05
Test safeguarding in practice
Identify the lead, reporting route, recruitment checks, training and supervision of transport, trips, changing spaces and digital systems.
- 06
Audit teaching and stability
Ask about class-size practice, teacher qualifications and turnover, leadership changes, curriculum planning, progress data and substitute cover.
- 07
Test learning and language support
Meet the relevant team, share reports, establish capacity and exclusions, and obtain the support plan and price in writing.
- 08
Build both fee totals
Calculate cash required before day one, complete first-year cost and a normal recurring year in contractual currencies.
- 09
Understand admissions and exit
Clarify assessment, availability, waitpool position, offer conditions, refunds, notice, records, references and mid-year withdrawal.
- 10
Prove the family route
Travel home to school at drop-off and collection, then overlay work, hospital, activities and disruption before choosing housing.
The evidence stack
Five checks that are not interchangeable
Local licence
Can the named campus legally operate and teach this age group in the host country?
Programme authorisation
Does the awarding body or programme owner list this campus for the exact route?
Accreditation / inspection
Which independent standard was applied, when, at which campus and with what findings?
Safeguarding practice
How does the school prevent, report and respond to harm every ordinary day?
Child-specific capacity
Can this team teach and support this child now, with space actually available?
A logo is a lead, not proof. Open the issuing body's current directory or report and match school name, campus, programme, status and date.
Pre-move research · quick reference · PDF
Reduce the school list before arranging visits
Use the guide's evidence standards to research each named campus from home. The checklist keeps child fit, official verification, safeguarding, complete fees and housing geography in the same decision.
Research from home
International-school research checklist
Use the guide's evidence standards to reduce a long list from home before arranging calls, applications or visits.
How to use it: read the section above first, then tick an item when you have captured the answer or evidence in your own move folder. The PDF is the offline quick-reference version.
1Child and pathway
2Verify the institution
3Price the complete decision
A polished website or accreditation logo is not enough. Save the current issuing-body record, written school answer or contract behind each tick.
Stop signs
Claims that require another question
“Internationally accredited”
By whom, at which campus, under which standard, until when, and where is the report?
“We can support every child”
Who delivers what support, with which qualifications and caseload, at what cost, and where are the limits?
“Fees start from…”
What is payable before day one, what is refundable, and what will this exact child cost for the full year?
“Only one place left”
Request the offer, conditions, refund terms and expiry in writing. Urgency should not erase verification.
The better school tour
Ask to see ordinary systems
Arrival
Gate control, visitor process, bus handover and younger-child collection.
Classroom
Pupil work, teaching routines, feedback, class size and inclusion in practice.
Support
Named staff, private space, records, referrals and coordination with teachers.
Safeguarding
Reporting route, training, supervision and how pupils learn to seek help.
Admissions desk
One complete invoice, contract, calendar, offer conditions and withdrawal rules.
Decision folder
Keep the proof behind the choice
- Child brief, reports, support plans and the receiving school's written placement.
- Local licence evidence and official programme-directory screenshots or links, dated.
- Accreditation or inspection report, safeguarding policy and named responsible staff.
- Admissions offer, complete fee schedule, refund and withdrawal terms in contractual currency.
- Research checklist, provider-call notes and a record of unresolved risks and mitigations.
- Transition plan: records, subjects, credits, qualifications and likely next-school route.
Straight answers
Questions about family relocation
What is the first step in choosing an international school?
Write a child brief before collecting school names: current year and curriculum, attainment, language, learning or medical needs, interests, likely next system, budget and maximum sustainable commute.
How do I know whether an international school is legitimate?
Check local licensing with the relevant authority, then verify each curriculum, accreditation and inspection claim with the issuing organisation. These checks answer different questions and none replaces safeguarding due diligence.
Is accreditation the same as membership?
No. An association may offer membership, accreditation or both. Confirm the school's exact current status, campus, scope, report and expiry rather than relying on an organisation logo.
How should I assess safeguarding?
Read the current policy and ask who leads safeguarding, how concerns are reported, how staff and contractors are checked, how allegations are handled, and how buses, trips, changing areas and online systems are supervised.
What should parents ask about special educational needs?
Share existing reports early and ask what the school can deliver in-house, staff qualifications, caseloads, external-provider arrangements, additional fees, admissions exclusions and what happens if needs change.
How can we judge teaching quality on a tour?
Ask to see ordinary lessons and pupil work, meet the relevant phase or subject leader, examine progress reporting, class-size practice, staff turnover and professional development, and ask how the school responds when pupils fall behind.
How early should we apply?
Start once the move is serious, especially for popular year groups or limited support. Ask about waitpools rather than accepting vague waiting-list language, and understand refund or deferral terms before paying.
Should we pay a deposit before the visa is approved?
Only after understanding the contract and the risk. Ask for written visa-related refund or deferral terms and coordinate school, immigration and employment timing before making a non-refundable payment.
How do we compare school fees fairly?
Create the complete first-year and recurring-year total in the original billing currency. Include application, assessment, registration, deposits, capital charges, tuition, transport, meals, uniform, device, exams, trips and support.
Should the school determine where we live?
It should heavily influence the shortlist. Test the route in term-time conditions, including rain or flooding where relevant, then compare neighbourhoods inside a reliable commute rather than signing a distant low-rent home.