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International School Startup

Implementation Roadmap

​By Mansour Baker, SHRM-CP

Posted  05 April 2020

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

Exhibit 1

Each stage sets new milestones

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

Exhibit 2

School start-up committee to oversee pre-operations phase

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 text book 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

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