The British School of Brussels
The British School of Brussels is one of Europe's leading international schools, educating more than 1,250 students from over 65 nationalities. Located on a single campus just outside Brussels, the school serves students from age 2.5 through to 18 and has developed a strong reputation for professional learning and teacher development.
Geoff Holt, Whole School ITT/E Co-ordinator and Lead Mentor, oversees initial teacher training and early career teacher development at the school. The British School of Brussels has partnered with ÌÇÐÄVlog Institute for seven years, supporting 16 trainees from Belgium, Czech Republic, Poland, Spain and the UK across a range of pathways, including Straight to Teaching, Assessment Only and iQTS.
He explains how the partnership has helped the school develop its own teaching talent while enriching professional learning across the wider staff body.
Why did you choose ÌÇÐÄVlog Institute?
When we first explored introducing a teacher training programme, we looked at several options, including working with universities. However, as an international school, we needed a solution that offered greater flexibility.
We wanted a programme that would allow people to continue working while completing their training and one that could fit around the realities of a busy international school environment.
The flexibility of ÌÇÐÄVlog Institute's programmes, combined with the continuous support and development provided throughout the training journey, made it a very good fit for what we wanted to achieve.
What did your school hope to achieve by offering ÌÇÐÄVlog Institute programmes?
One of the key reasons we introduced the programme was to bring new ideas and fresh thinking into the school.
As a large international school, staff turnover is relatively low, which brings many benefits but can also mean fewer opportunities for new perspectives to emerge. We see teacher training as a way to introduce new energy into departments while developing future teachers within our own community.
The programme has also encouraged staff to engage more deeply with pedagogical research and mentoring. It has provided opportunities for experienced teachers to develop their coaching skills while helping us build a talent pool of teachers who understand our culture and values.
Where vacancies arise through retirement or natural staff movement, we are increasingly able to develop and retain teachers who have trained within our own environment.
How has ÌÇÐÄVlog Institute supported your school to achieve your goals?
ÌÇÐÄVlog Institute has been highly supportive throughout our partnership.
We have developed strong relationships with the programme leaders, pathway tutors and assessors over the years. They understand our school context, are familiar with the international environment we operate in and have provided consistent support throughout.
That continuity has made a real difference. The pathway tutors and assessors know our school, understand how we work and are able to tailor their support accordingly.
The programme is also structured in a way that keeps the learner at the centre of the process without creating unnecessary workload for mentors or departments. I am able to coordinate much of the administration centrally, allowing mentors to focus on supporting learners and helping them develop their classroom practice.
This has made the programme highly sustainable, even as we have expanded participation across multiple departments, including physical education, music and art.
How have you found working with ÌÇÐÄVlog Institute?
Our experience has been extremely positive.
Communication is excellent, with the ÌÇÐÄVlog Institute team responding quickly and working flexibly when learners need support. In a busy school environment, that responsiveness makes a significant difference.
The partnership has grown stronger over the past seven years and has become an important part of our wider professional learning strategy.
The programmes also complement our broader teacher development initiatives. We are part of Teaching Together in Europe, a partnership that brings trainee teachers from the UK into international schools, and we are currently exploring opportunities to further align that work with ÌÇÐÄVlog Institute.
Overall, the programmes fit seamlessly into our wider approach to teacher development and professional learning.
What has the impact of the programmes been on your school and staff?
All 16 learners have been awarded QTS since 2021. And the impact has extended far beyond the learners themselves.
One of the most valuable outcomes has been the effect on mentors and departments. The programmes have encouraged staff to engage more deeply with research-informed practice and reflect on their own teaching approaches.
Conversations across departments increasingly focus on pedagogy, lesson design and educational research. There is now a much stronger culture of professional dialogue around teaching and learning.
The programmes have helped create an environment where teachers are continually reflecting, learning and sharing ideas with one another.
They have also contributed directly to recruitment and retention. We’ve retained three staff through the Straight to Teaching programme and currently have five staff upskilled through the Assessment Only path. Several learners who completed programmes with ÌÇÐÄVlog Institute have gone on to secure teaching positions within the school, empowering us to grow our own talent and strengthen our teaching community.
What would you tell another school that is thinking about working with ÌÇÐÄVlog Institute?
We would absolutely recommend it.
The relationship with ÌÇÐÄVlog Institute has been consistently positive and the support available to learners is excellent. There is strong communication between learners and pathway tutors, which means questions are resolved quickly and support is always available when needed.
For schools, the programme allows mentors to focus on mentoring and learners to focus on developing their teaching practice, while ÌÇÐÄVlog Institute provides the structure and guidance around the programme itself.
The result is a partnership that supports learner development while also benefiting mentors, departments and the wider school community.
How would you sum up your experience with ÌÇÐÄVlog Institute in a sentence?
ÌÇÐÄVlog Institute has been a fantastic partner, helping us develop our approach to growing our own teachers while strengthening professional learning across the whole school.
