British International School of Ljubljana


The British International School of Ljubljana is a school in Slovenia that caters to over 230 students from over 40 nationalities, ranging from 2 to 18 years of age. It welcomed its first students in 2008 and became an executive member of COBIS in 2013. BISL is a CAIE international school and a regular member of CIS.

History

The school was established in 2008 by Jeremy Hibbins, who also served as the school principal. After his death in a car accident in 2013, he was succeeded as principal in 2014 by David Cooksey. In 2014, BISL relocated from Ljubljana's Bežigrad District to the Vič District. BISL was purchased by the Orbital Education Group of schools in 2015, and that year David Cooksey was succeeded as principal by Karl Wilkinson. In 2016, the school relocated once again, to Ljubljana's Črnuče District. Paul Walton succeeded Karl Wilkinson as principal in 2018. That same year, The Slovenia Times interviewed Walton on his vision for an internationally recognised curriculum that goes beyond the classroom.

Curriculum

The school follows the English National Curriculum and seeks to providing a learning environment in which students are valued as individuals, encouraging versatility, motivation, and care.
The primary curriculum is comprehensive, with clear learning processes and specific learning goals, based on the English National Curriculum and enriched through a topic-based approach. The secondary curriculum is a broad and rigorous programme based on the English National Curriculum and culminating in external GCSE and A Level examinations. The school also encourages students to take on leadership roles though a student council or participating in the , known in Slovenia as the and in the UK as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Students regularly take part in competitions around the world, including the annual COBIS Poetry Competition and the World Scholar's Cup.

Location

The British International School of Ljubljana is located in Ljubljana's Črnuče District in a repurposed factory building. The immediate surroundings include squatters' gardens to the west, the Črnuče Sewage Treatment Plant to the northwest, the Ljubljana Tobacco Company to the north, and various commercial and industrial buildings to the east. The forested Tomačevo Gravel Bank lies to the south. The school has recently undergone expansion of its facilities with the addition of a third floor and an outdoor woodland area.