British International School of NY

My children have really enjoyed this school. Very good expectations and high academic standards both in and outside the classroom.. A real gem!
—Submitted by a parent

My children have thrived at this school. They actually love going. They're engaged, they're challenged. I'm very impressed with what they're learning and the level they're at with regard to reading and math. We're on our third year there. Small class size. Excellent teachers. Very hands on and involved. I love the British/International Baccalaureate approach -- which is not only superior to anything we'd come across in the past, but also includes requiring children to *behave*. This school has rules, and kids are expected to obey them. Clearly some parents have issues with that as evidenced by some of the one-star reviews I've seen here. My guess is those are the parents whose kids are beyond reproach and who believe that paying a hefty tuition entitles them to special privileges when it comes to discipline. Not so here, and I love that fact.
—Submitted by a parent

My child won't be coming back to this school next year. We should have known better, if we wanted a real-British Education, we should have sent our child to a school in Great-Britian. The teachers are rude, the Headmaster does not value parents opinions; if you complain about the teachers, he will immediately look as if you are causing trouble... Not impress one bit.
—Submitted by a parent

We have recently enrolled our son in BISNY and have had nothing but positive experiences to date. Our interactions with the teachers and staff have been extremely positive and have demonstrated a committed and thoughtful understanding of our son. Their accessiblity and communication with us has been exemplary. We have generally found that the cirriculum has lived up to our expectations and have been very pleased with everything we have seen and observed about the school- with one month under our belts!
—Submitted by a parent

This school was a total let down to me as a parent who values quality education. I had two children enrolled in this school, and the end result was a disappointment. Immediately, when I enrolled the children I saw all the bitterness that goes on behind closed doors. After investing a good amount of money in Private School for your children, beside getting quality education, you expect to receive Great Customer Service, and I have to say, I did not receive none of the above... I won't go in depth of all the flaws, because I would run out of space to write, but I have to warn parents who are looking to place their children in a top school here in NYC-that BIS-NY is not the one to consider. I would not recommend this school to my worst enemy. Immediately, I decided to pull my children out and hope that I never come across a school like this again.
—Submitted by a parent

We've had a great experience at BISNY. The curriculum challenges the students while at the same time accommodating different learning levels. We've always felt the teachers and administrators truly know our children. It's obvious from the feedback we get at parent teacher conferences and the communications/support throughout the year. They give serious thought to matching students with teachers, and in our experience, it has always been a good match.
—Submitted by a parent

Not nurturing, very cold, and punitive school. If you are a good observer, you will soon discover something is going wrong under the sheer cover of warm environment. There are some good teachers, but there are teachers you have to avoid not to hurt your child's feeling. Kids hear about who is naughty or who is not publicly on a daily basis and it is not a good environment to raise a happy, healthy child. Even though, teacher student ratio is not too bad, teachers are tired so they yell 'frezze" during the recess.
—Submitted by a parent

Advice for the new headmaster of the British International School: - Employ more British teachers. It's what the parents are paying top dollar for. - Be proud of the school: BISNY needs a little more attitude. It's unique. - Do not lose your British accent. The moment you adopt a Transatlantic twang is the moment your currency will start to fade. - Stay enthusiastic. You have a fantastic job at a very special little school.
—Submitted by a parent

In spite of a hardworking body of teachers and a strong curriculum, I have not been impressed by the school's weak leadership and management and their stubborn unwillingness to try and meet our particular child's needs. I have not always felt that they have had our child's best interests in mind and I have been unhappy with their negative attitude. I thought that a good school should always try to see the best in a child and should aim to raise their self esteem, not lower it.
—Submitted by a parent

I am so impressed with BIS-NY. My children are thriving at the school. Both have become independent, caring, thinking individuals. The teachers and staff truly care about the students. This is a first rate school.
—Submitted by a parent

I absolutely love the school. The teachers are among the best in NYC, the curriculum is challenging, and my child is thriving there. I would recommend this school to any parent.
—Submitted by a parent

When I made a post in November 2009 we were new to the school and therefore gave a balanced view of policies that we thought were 'evolving' but not fully in place. However, now at the end of the year, we have a feeling that due to regular change of Principals and teachers who keep leaving the school, the management appears to be weak in making teachers accountable. Some teachers have real attitude problems and we felt that one of them in particular did not have the best interest for our child in mind. The management was unable to resolve her inactions and negative behaviour with parents like us who are paying huge fee for two children in the school and yet teachers have the audacity to ignore our concerns completely. Meet the teachers before you select the school.
—Submitted by a parent

I have a similar experience with the parent who made a post on February 18, 2010. We come from UK and my child is advanced in reading and maths. We found that the teacher neither had the power of observation to take a note of the skills in the half-yearly reports nor was she interested in encouraging the child to explore his/her advanced skills. Since she was American educated she had no understanding of the UK standards either. I am not aware of support policies for adavnced kids in the school at the reception stage. However, I do not know what is the policy of the school in its later stages.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent of a child being educated in the UK Private system we found the move into this school very difficult. The curriculum was very far removed from his British school - he was considerably more advanced at reception level due to the type of work he'd already done in the UK. The teacher could not cope, and offered no extension work. It has good points (music in particular) but if your child is in Britain - in private education - take care to check the level of teaching being offered matches your expectations and your child's current educational experience.
—Submitted by a parent

We transferred our son in the middle of Kindergarten (Year 1) from another private school to this school. My son has flourished. BIS-NY is an excellent school - a stimulating (and challenging) curriculum, extremely competent teachers (who are caring, enthusiastic and professional), an impressive student body (confident and well spoken) and a supportive and involved parent body. The school encourages the children to be active learners and supports children of all abilities. The school day is very structured and plenty of sport. There is a well implemented discipline policy. My son's nut allergy has not been a problem.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been at the British School since Kindergarten (Year 1). She loves going to school and has learned far more than her friends at other public and private schools in the city. She has had wonderful teachers and feels a part of the community. The IB PYP program is extraordinary.
—Submitted by a parent

We transferred our son from a public school and the difference is like chalk and cheese. We cannot say enough good things about the school - the academic standard is very high and our son really enjoys going to school each day.
—Submitted by a parent

We're very pleased with all aspects of the school particularly the dedicated teachers, weekly in-school swimming, 2x weekly French Class and great mix of students. We've also been impressed by the healthy lunch menu.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent school, excellent facilities, small class size, very nurturing environment & plenty of indivisual attention for each child, genuinely caring & very competent teachers , excellent inquiry based teaching methodology, very involved parent body, very welcoming and friendly parents.
—Submitted by a parent

Great school. Aggressive curriculum. These children are being taught at a pace comparable to Horace Mann and Dalton, if not ahead. Good discipline, and genuinely caring staff and administration. The parents are a group of sophisticated business and diplomatic people with all the accomplishments of the others at NYC private schools with none of the nasty competitive attitude.
—Submitted by a parent