Beijing BISS International School

Beijing BISS International School
Address
No. 17, Area 4, An Zhen Xi Li
Chaoyang District
Beijing, 100029
China China
Information
Type Independent school
Founded 1994
Head of school Mr. Randal Eplin
Grades Pre K-12
Enrollment 340 (2012)
Language English
Campus size 11,000 square metres (120,000 sq ft)
School colour(s) Maroon
Accreditation International Baccalaureate (IB)
Affiliation EARCOS, ACAMIS
Website http://www.biss.com.cn/
School sign

Beijing BISS International School (BISS) (simplified Chinese: 北京BISS国际学校; traditional Chinese: 北京BISS國際學校; pinyin: Běijīng BISS Guójì Xuéxiào[1]) is an independent co-educational English-language day school located in Chaoyang District, Beijing, People's Republic of China.[2]

Founded in 1994, BISS provides instruction for kindergarten to grade 12 students from the expatriate community of Beijing, using all three International Baccalaureate (IB) programs: the Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme.[3] As of 2012, 340 students from 40 different nationalities attend the school.[4]

Luo Wangshu of Xinhua (printed in the Shanghai Daily) has reported that the school "has a reputation for providing high-quality education, with its graduates having been accepted by top universities, such as Harvard and Columbia."[4]

History

Beijing BISS International School was founded in 1994 by its sister school, the International School Singapore (ISS), as an independent proprietary, co-educational, English-language day school offering an international curriculum for Kindergarten - grade 12 students from the expatriate community of Beijing.[5]

BISS was the first International School licensed by The Beijing Educational Commission, and the first school in Beijing to offer all three IB programs.

Campus

The school's 11,000 square meter campus is located near major expatriate residential areas in central Beijing, just off the North Third Ring Road. The campus is close to central Beijing, the Asian Games Village and the Olympic Stadium, the Bird Nest.

The main building holds more than thirty classrooms, a central library, music, drama and art studios, science labs, design and technology lab, multi-purpose auditorium, cafeteria and administration offices. There is a five aside football (soccer) pitch with a newly constructed multi-sport dome for badminton, volleyball and basketball. Air purifiers are installed in every hallway of the building.

Program

Curriculum

BISS offers the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP) [3] to all students, from kindergarten through grade 12.

Accreditations, Authorizations, Memberships and Licences[6]

  • Authorized by the International Baccalaureate (IB): BISS was the first school in Beijing and one of the first in China to be authorized to offer all three IB programs
  • Accredited by the National Centre for School Curriculum and Textbook Development (NCCT)
  • Licensed by the Beijing Education Commission
  • Member of the Association of China and Mongolia International Schools (ACAMIS)
  • Member of the East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS)

Students

BISS provides instruction for kindergarten to grade 12 students from the expatriate community of Beijing. As of 2012, 340 students from 40 different nationalities attend the school.[4]

Class sizes

BISS maintains a relatively low student to teacher class ratios, with classes typically having 15 students or less to 1 teacher. Luo Wangshu of the Shanghai Daily reported that "BISS believes that smaller class sizes make for better academic performance and communication."[4]

Faculty

BISS faculty members hail from the USA, Canada, Australia, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, China, Japan, the Philippines, Portugal, and the U.K. In 2017, Search Associates, the most reputable international schools' recruitment agency disassociated itself from BISS because of unpaid fees. As a result, BISS now recruits most of its faculty through its website.

Tuition

As of 2009 the school tuition ranges from lower for kindergarteners to higher for older students. Kindergarteners each had a tuition of 96,000 yuan (49,217 Malaysian ringgits) while a high school senior had a tuition of 172,000 yuan (RM88,181).[7] For kindergarten and first grade classes, as of 2012 the school charged up to 109,800 yuan yearly per pupil.[4] In 2015 the tuition for the year was 300,000 renminbi ($48,330 U.S. dollars). China Daily ranked BISS as the most expensive private school in Beijing.[8]

Controversy

In recent years the school has experienced near 100% turnover of staff every two years, coinciding with the conclusion of two year contracts. Salaries, gratuities and other entitlements are also paid late or not at all. Numerous teachers have taken the school to the education bureau over unpaid entitlements. Parents recently staged protests in the lobby of the school and at the front gate. In 2017, disgruntled parents barricaded the front gates forcing the temporary closure of the school. Heads of school have admitted that the school is in the midst of a "Cash crunch". Students and staff have reportedly had to bring their own toilet paper and soap to school. Since 2016 the school cancelled their flagship events BISS On The Road and International Day in addition to several others. In the same period of time fees have increased at least once and remain among the highest in the country. Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Council of International Schools (CIS) recently revoked the school's accreditation because of the above and other ongoing problems at the school. .[9]

In response to ongoing non-payment of staff salaries and entitlements BISS teachers went on strike on September 20th 2018. Some current and former staff are owed as much as 120,000 yuan. Teachers wrote parents a letter stating that "Faculty contracts have not been honored and wages, health insurance[10] and housing allowances have not been paid". The Head of School, Mr. Randal Eplin then sent an email to staff stating that the school would be closed the next 2 school days for "internal business reasons". He also wrote "During this time the business office staff will work with the owner of BISS (Mr. Elvis Tan) to bring stability to the financial challenges that the school is facing.


https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/singaporean-owner-of-troubled-beijing-school-promises-to-pay-wages-owed-to-teachers

“BISS北京国际学校校长埃普林：若学校被迫关闭会确保所有学生顺利转校.” 早报, 联合早报, 27 Sept. 2018, www.zaobao.com/zfinance/news/story20180927-894501.

  1. ↑ "教育部公布经批准设立的外籍人员子女学校名单." (Archive) Jiaoyu Shewai Jianguan Xinxi Wang (教育涉外监管信息网 Jiàoyù Shèwài Jiānguǎn Xìnxī Wǎng "Education of Foreigners Oversight Information Network"), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. November 21, 2012. Retrieved on July 19, 2013. "5、北京BISS国际学校 (1996/06/11）"
  2. ↑ "Home." Beijing BISS International School. Retrieved on June 19, 2013. "No. 17, Area 4, Zhen Xi Li, Chaoyang District, Beijing 1000029, People's Republic of China"
  3. 1 2 http://biss.com.cn/Curriculum/11.html
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Luo, Wangshu. "High kindergarten cost credited to good teachers." (Archive) Xinhua at Shanghai Daily. March 27, 2012. Retrieved on June 19, 2013.
  5. ↑ http://biss.com.cn/about/01/2.html
  6. ↑ http://biss.com.cn/about/02/
  7. ↑ Balazovic, Todd. "Expats resort to home schooling." The Star. September 13, 2009. Retrieved on June 19, 2013.
  8. ↑ Sun, Chengdong (2015-06-12). "No 1 Beijing BISS International School". China Daily USA. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
  9. ↑ http://www.internationalschoolsreview.com
  10. ↑ Cheong, Danson. “Teachers on Strike at Singapore-Run Beijing International School over Unpaid Wages.” The Straits Times, 22 Sept. 2018, www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/teachers-on-strike-at-spore-run-beijing-international-school-over-unpaid-wages.

Cheong, Danson. “Teachers on Strike at Singapore-Run Beijing International School over Unpaid Wages.” The Straits Times, 22 Sept. 2018, www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/teachers-on-strike-at-spore-run-beijing-international-school-over-unpaid-wages.

Further reading

  • "北京BISS国际学校师生到大堡学区开展实践交流活动." Zhuolu County Communist Youth League (涿鹿县共青团) Zhulu County Group Council (逐鹿县团委) Zhuolu County Group Council (涿鹿县团委) 2011-10-17 14:06:27. (Archive)
  • Flat Classroom Conference
  • Cheong, Danson. “Teachers on Strike at Singapore-Run Beijing International School over Unpaid Wages.” The Straits Times, 22 Sept. 2018, www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/teachers-on-strike-at-spore-run-beijing-international-school-over-unpaid-wages.
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