Dear ACS Egham International School Parents and Staff,

The NEASC/IBO Accreditation Team will be on campus next week to review our Accreditation Self-Study Report, visit classrooms, and talk with staff, parents and students. The Team will write an accreditation report about our school, which will be available possibly in April 2009 and shared with you. The report will provide us with commendations and recommendations for continued development of our school for the future and will be helpful in updating our School Development Plan.

The school has had several inspections or accreditation visits and I welcome their input to our future planning and ensuring that we meet international standards. In the past we have had affirmation of our strengths and vision as we all contribute to making ACS Egham the exceptional school it is. Here is a summary of some of the comments from past inspections:

“The atmosphere for learning at the school is excellent; a genuine team building approach is evident. An excellent rapport exists between faculty, students, and parents. School expansion including facility and IBO Program development has been in focus enabling the school to continue to prosper and grow.

Our report reflects the outstanding quality and quantity of work done by the school limiting most of our recommendations to the continuance of the good work already being done and the expansion of enrollment in programs already in place…… During the visit, the dedication and hard work of the entire staff was clearly evident.

There was an atmosphere of friendship and support and a commitment to helping students achieve to the highest levels. Together the staff and administration are providing excellent education opportunities that are recognized by students and parents. The entire school is to be commended for its creativity and willingness to improve the education environment for its students."

We look forward to the next report and hopefully it will be similar! This will also be the first inspection in the world to be conducted jointly by the two organisations - NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) and the IBO (International Baccalaureate Organisation). ACS International Schools asked the two organisations to work together so that we could reduce the work load on the school so that we did not have four inspections over the next couple of years and instead have them all within one week! We hope their experience will be a positive one for them so that other schools might benefit from these joint visits.

Please note the appointment of the new ACS Board Chairman. We welcome Mr. David Thomas to this role, he has been associated with ACS schools for several years and will continue to realise our schools’ vision and lead the Board in their strategic plans for the future.

Moyra Hadley
Head of School