CIE BRITISH SCHOOL is internationally recognized and duly accredited by Cambridge Assessment under the University of Cambridge, UK, allowing CIE British Schools in Makati City, Cebu City and Tacloban City access to the benefits of the highest-quality curriculums and assessments around the globe.
All CIE British School students across all levels undergo external validation for academics. CIE British Schools as education providers also undergo strict institutional assessment through “spot checks” quality assurance visits on top of scheduled regularly QA visits. CIE British School is also ISO 9001-2008 certified.
Historically, the CIE British School located one kilometer away from the heart of the Cebu Central Business District, was the VERY FIRST SCHOOL IN THE VISAYAS AND MINDANAO REGIONS TO BE INTERNATIONALLY ACCREDITED such that its students can seamlessly enroll, transfer, to any schools, colleges, universities overseas.
CIE British School Founder, Prof. Nelia Cruz Sarcol, a renowned scholar and academic researcher, as well as a Filipino Thought Leader, advocated for “portability” of academic subjects/credentials for basic education in the Philippines in her works “Vision 21st Century: Borderless Schools,” as early as 1995.
The idea of a 12-year basic education system without any student external examinations / validation by reputable internationally acclaimed examination/validation bodies was believed to be enough to make any school an international school- but Prof. Cruz Sarcol explained during a National Congress for Educators in the Philippines at the PICC in 2000, the fact that subjects taken in grade levels 11 and 12 must be externally examined to be accepted and credited in schools, colleges and universities worldwide. That was the impetus and inspiration for other so called international schools even in Luzon, but most especially in the Visayas and Mindanao, to seek the correct and proper accreditation to make their schools truly international.
The education system adopted by CIE British School formally starts at the Reception level of the Foundation Stage which is the preparatory stage for students enrolled in the early education childhood programme, progressing to Key Stage 1 and finishing at Key Stage 4.
A Key Stage is a stage of the state education in the UK, setting the educational knowledge and competencies expected of students at various ages. The students’ progress through school is measured in key stages. Each key stage covers a number of school years. This means that CIE British School has 13 grade levels excluding the Infant, Toddler, and Nursery classes.
CIE British School students in Key Stages 1 & 2 sit for the Primary Years Checkpoints at the end of every key stage to determine their academic progress and achievement in Math, Science and English among others, in terms of global standards. These assess the students’ readiness to progress to the next Key Stage. In the same way, students sit for the Secondary Checkpoints at the end of Key Stage 3.
At the fourth and final Key Stage, the most crucial stage of High School, CIE British School incorporates the best in international education. At Years 10 and 11, students sit for *IGCSE exams which are highly valued qualifications globally. These qualifications satisfy entry requirements for all universities worldwide.
At Year 12, students sit for *GCE A-Level examinations. These qualifications are considered the “gold standard” among all academic qualifications and are among those preferred and valued by universities and employers alike.
Therefore, a combination of both IGCSE and A-Levels subjects now being offered by CIE British Schools in the cities of Makati, Cebu and Tacloban, make it possible for direct admission to the university of choice of any CIE British School students/graduates, should they decide to study abroad- since college foundation subjects have already been integrated in the Year 11 & 12 grade levels.
As a result, students who complete the CIE British School academic programme can seamlessly transfer to any schools, colleges and universities abroad without being required SAT, IELTS, TOEFL and foundation subjects of at least one more year of study.
The best part of a CIE British School Education is the fact that it has sister universities, too. Our high school graduates can proceed to study college in the CIE British School in the Philippines for two and a half years (2 ½) and proceed to the USA, Europe or Australia and finish with both a Philippine Bachelor’s degree and an American/UK/Australian Bachelor’s degree by staying for only 12 to 24 months more overseas. CIE British School has a list of more than 200 schools/colleges/universities worldwide to choose from. To top it all, CIE British School assists in the processing of VISA requirements and other travel documents for transfer, cross-enrollment for free, excluding postage and fees paid directly to the overseas schools/colleges/universities.
The unique value proposition of studying in the CIE British School is the knowledge that the students are using international standard curriculums making the CIE British School at par with the best international schools all over the world, at least cost, because all CIE British Schools are private non-profit institutions.
The CIE British School is able to do this without sacrificing academic standards, and most importantly- the most noble purpose of education- the elevation of the human spirit to be imbued with “nobilitas, dedicatio et servitium”.
IGCSE – International General Certificate of Secondary Education
GCE A-Levels – General Certificate of Education Advanced Levels