Recently, YCIS Shanghai hosted a five-day visit from the accreditation team from the Council of International Schools (CIS), one of the world’s most respected international school accreditation organisations and a recognised benchmark for excellence in international education.

Since first achieving CIS accreditation in 2005, YCIS Shanghai has successfully maintained its accreditation status through multiple review cycles. This latest visit marks another important milestone in the school's ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and educational excellence.

During the visit, the CIS team engaged in classroom observations, campus tours, interviews with students and teachers, meetings with parents, and discussions with school leadership. The review covered key areas including teaching and learning, student wellbeing, governance, community culture, and future development. 

The CIS team commended our community for being very positive and welcoming, and commented that the school was very mission driven.

For YCIS Shanghai, accreditation represents more than external validation. It is an opportunity for meaningful reflection and growth. 

School leaders emphasised that the process keeps student learning and wellbeing at the centre of decision-making, using international standards to continually refine and strengthen educational practice.

Mr Edward Beechey, Head of Collaboration and Innovation at YCIS Shanghai and coordinator of the accreditation process, shared: 

We do not see accreditation as a checklist, but as a mirror that helps us recognise our strengths and identify areas for growth. Most importantly, it reminds us to listen carefully to students, parents and teachers, because genuine improvement comes through open dialogue and shared purpose.

Mr Damien Hehir, Regional Executive Principal of YCIS Shanghai added:

Being accredited by an international body provides our community with the assurance that we are held accountable to rigorous international school standards. External professionals visit our school to verify that these standards are consistently met. CIS accreditation is also highly valuable for our graduating students, as universities worldwide recognise and respect the quality of education at CIS-accredited schools, strengthening our students' university applications.

This is not the end of the CIS process. Over the next eighteen months, we will commit to four development initiatives which we believe will have a positive impact on our school community going forward. 

These initiatives were developed by our leaders in collaboration with the CIS visitors, based on community feedback. The initiatives will be:

Further strengthening our English language environment

Developing a robust stretch and challenge programme for our most able students

Developing AI in our school, including a focus on ethical and safe use

Streamlining our school-home communication with parents

CIS will send a team of visitors to our school again during the 2027-28 academic year to enable us to share the progress we have made on our initiatives and the impact this has had on the development of our school. We will again involve members of the community and will keep parents informed throughout the process.

As YCIS Shanghai continues its accreditation journey with CIS, the school remains committed to providing an exceptional international education that prepares students to thrive in a rapidly changing world.