Parent's Review of British School of Houston in Houston,

What is the name of your child's school? (Please report on one school per survey.)

British School of Houston

In what town or city is this school located?

Houston

How would you describe this school? (i.e. American, British, International, Local, etc.)

British

What grade levels are represented at this school?

Nursery to IB

How do most children get to school everyday? (bus, train, walk, etc.)

Either by car or school bus. The bus service is organized by the school and very expensive.

How would you describe the facilities at this school? What extra-curricular activities are available?

Overall the facilities are poor. The building itself is decrepit. Students regularly tolerate leaking roofs, inadequate temperature control, burst pipes, disgusting loos, mounds of fire ants in the fields etc. etc. Provision of equipment is patchy. There is some organized, competitive sport, and a variety of activities on offer a couple of nights a week after school.

What has this school done to help your child transition from the curriculum in your home country into the curriculum in your new country? Are there programs to prepare your child for repatriation?

The British National Curriculum is taught at BSOH. This is helpful for students coming from or returning to the UK, especially if they attended or will attend state schools in the UK. Unfortunately, the standards of BSOH just aren't up to the standards of most good private schools in the UK. (Many of the teachers at BSOH are recruited from the state sector and it shows.)

How would you describe the social activities available for parents through this school? Are there parent-teacher organizations?

There are numerous opportunities available to parents for social activities and involvement in school life. The school thrives on parent volunteers. In many cases they take on responsibilities above and beyond what parents are normally expected to do.

What advice would you give to someone considering enrolling their child in this school?

As a parent you will probably feel very comfortable about the other children your own kids are mixing with in this school. There do not appear to be any serious issues relating to inappropriate behaviour, bullying, drugs or alcohol here. In fact, the social climate is very positive. For students up to and including Year 9, the education on offer is adequate, and nicely balanced by the postive ethos of the school. Beyond Year 9, students are very vulnerable to the impact of the high staff turnover, low expectations for academic achievement, the inadequate provision of books and materials and decreasing numbers of peers as class sizes dwindle. Think twice if you are the parent of a secondary school aged student. Don't even consider this school if your child has special educational needs of any description.

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