International School Startup: Implementation Roadmap & Guide
Posted by: Mansour Baker
Each stage sets new milestones for an International School from pre-operations to full operation of a school.
Stage 1 - Pre-operations
- Complete building construction
- Hire school leadership and staff
- Start marketing and admission
- Prepare curriculum and content
Stage 2 - Full Operation
- Ramp up classes overtime
- Open up school
- Implement "gap" semester in grade 9
- Extend the breadth and depth of the curriculum
- Develop partnerships with international schools and industry professional
Each stage sets new milestones
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Five work streams for pre-operations (stage 1)
1. Setup school and project governance
- Appoint Startup Committee
- Setup School Board of Directors
- Select members for Executive Committee and Audit Committee
2. Develop infrastructure
- Select architect and develop design
- Tender construction
- Commission and handover School
- Develop information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure
3. Appoint leadership and staff
- Appoint School leadership
- Appoint teaching staff
- Appoint non-teaching staff
4. Develop curriculum
- Design the curriculum
- Develop the curriculum content
- Obtain the required approvals from the International Baccalaureate (IB) or relevant international curriculum
5. Start marketing & admission process
- Start marketing the school
- Start admission process and financial aid
School Startup Committee Charter and Composition
Purpose
- To oversee the complete implementation of the school including infrastructure development, leadership and staff recruitment, curriculum development, and marketing and admission.
Key Responsibilities
- Identify, interview, and appoint school director and other school leaders
- Ensure design and construction of the school infrastructure is progressing in line with the blueprint
- Review progress of the implementation (infrastructure, recruitment, curriculum, marketing, and admissions)
- Decide upon direction and critical issues (within the boundaries of the blueprint)
- Approve large purchases and capital transactions, e.g., facilities, furniture, IT infrastructure, etc.
Composition
- 1 architectural/design expert
- 1 finance expert
- 1 marketing expert
- 2 education experts, e.g. top school principals
Meeting Frequency
- The Startup Committee shall meet twice a month, to drive and monitor implementation progress
Duration
- Startup Committee dissolves upon completion of a fully-functioning school
School start-up committee to oversee pre-operations phase
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Setup School and Project Governance
Appoint Startup Committee
- Appoint 2 school board member
- Appoint 1 architect/infrastructure expert
- Appoint 2 education expert, e.g. school principal
Setup School Board of Directors
- Appoint 2 top international private school principals
- Identify 10 principals from top international schools
- Shortlist 4 potential interested candidates
- Select and reach out to 2 of them and offer seat
- Appoint 1 education expert
- Appoint 2 industry leaders
- Appoint 1 finance expert
Develop Infrastructure
- Select architect
- Develop school design
- Tender construction
- Construction of school
- Develop ICT infrastructure
- Commission and handover
Appoint Leadership and Staff
- Appoint of school director
- Appoint school leadership
- Appoint teaching staff
- Appoint non-teaching staff
Develop Curriculum
Design Curriculum
- Identify 1-2 model schools that implements the IB or relevant curriculum
- Send 1-2 teaching staff to the model schools to emulate the practices
- Identify the subjects and standards for the IB in Grade 1-7
- Create timetable for each grade in 1-7
- Identify textbook and additional resources to design the courses
- Construct teaching plan detailing the material, teaching activities and assessment methods
Implementation
- Engage model schools of final design for expert opinion
- Obtain approval from IB Program teaching consultant
- Obtain approval for the curriculum from the relevant education authorities
- Communicate program and train new faculty
Start Marketing & Admission Process
- Start marketing of school
- Start admission and financial aid process
Necessary Actions to Mitigate Four Risk Areas
1. School director not hired on time or appointed director not suited for role
Direct Consequences
- Entire school implementation delayed
- Negative impact on quality school leadership & implementation
Mitigation Actions
- Identify necessary recruitment channels and activate search immediately
- Create comprehensive job profile requirements
- Have backup candidate in mind in case replacement is needed
2. School leadership not appointed on time
Direct Consequences
- School cannot launch
Mitigation Actions
- Identify and prioritize hiring of critical staff
- Sign employment contracts one year in advance of school inception
3. Admission process not implemented correctly
Direct Consequences
- School will not have required number of students
Mitigation Actions
- Begin admission process 18 months before launch of school
4. School architecture blueprint or construction delay
Direct Consequences
- School cannot launch
Mitigation Actions
- Startup committee to define frequent milestones and monitored their status to ensure progress
- Hold responsible committee members accountable for delays
Recommended Resources
- It’s tough to know what a fair package looks like in a new school market, so this survey helps you avoid overpaying or losing great teachers to better offers.
- Things move fast during a launch, and this delegation of authority keeps the Board and the school from constantly second-guessing each other's roles.