ACISC School Membership Standards
The ACISC School Membership Standards establish the principal institutional expectations associated with participation in the ACISC school membership community.
The standards connect educational purpose, governance, curriculum, teaching and learning, student well-being, safeguarding, staffing, facilities and community relationships within a coherent framework for responsible institutional practice and continuing development.
Standards Connect Institutional Expectations With Everyday School Practice
Membership standards are most useful when they are reflected in the way a school actually operates. Policies and institutional statements establish expectations, while leadership, implementation, evidence and continuing review demonstrate how those expectations function in practice.
Schools can use the standards to examine existing arrangements, identify relevant evidence, involve responsible institutional teams and establish priorities for continuing development.
The standards should therefore be understood as an institutional framework rather than a checklist considered only during membership application.
Expectation → Implementation → Evidence → Review → Development
Each applicable standard should connect with identifiable institutional responsibilities, established practice and information demonstrating how the school addresses the relevant area.
Membership Standards and Accreditation Standards Serve Different Institutional Functions
ACISC maintains separate frameworks for school membership and institutional accreditation. Schools should use the standards applicable to the institutional relationship or process they are undertaking.
School Membership Standards
Membership standards establish expectations associated with participation in the ACISC school membership community and provide a framework for responsible institutional practice and development.
Accreditation Standards
Accreditation standards form part of the separate institutional accreditation process involving eligibility, institutional evidence, self-study, external evaluation, professional review and formal accreditation decision-making.
Core Areas of School Membership Practice
The ACISC School Membership Standards address nine areas contributing to responsible school operation, educational quality, student experience, institutional leadership and an effective environment for learning and development.
School Purpose and Direction
Schools should maintain clear and appropriately defined statements of purpose and direction reflecting student and community needs and the context in which the school operates.
Institutional purpose should support high-quality learning and teaching, global citizenship, intercultural understanding, cultural diversity, student well-being and responsible educational practice.
Governance, Leadership and Ownership
Schools should clearly define the roles, responsibilities, authority and accountability of owners, governors, governing bodies and institutional leadership.
Governance and leadership arrangements should support appropriate educational, operational and financial planning and effective institutional oversight.
Curriculum
Schools should provide a curriculum offering appropriate access, engagement, challenge and support for students’ intellectual, physical, social and emotional development.
Curriculum planning should reflect institutional purpose, student needs and operating context while supporting appropriate international and intercultural dimensions of learning.
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
Teaching practices should support high-quality learning and respond appropriately to the diverse needs, abilities, backgrounds and circumstances of students.
Assessment should provide meaningful information about student learning and contribute to teaching, educational planning and appropriate student support.
Student Well-Being and Safeguarding
Schools should promote fairness, trust, inclusion, mutual respect, student voice, agency, responsible citizenship and student well-being.
Documented and effectively implemented safeguarding and child-protection arrangements should reflect the school’s context and applicable requirements.
Staffing
Schools should maintain sufficient faculty and support personnel with qualifications, experience, skills and competencies appropriate to their responsibilities.
Recruitment, suitability, professional development, performance, professional conduct and collaborative working arrangements should support institutional and educational effectiveness.
Premises and Physical Facilities
School premises and facilities should be safe, suitable, accessible and appropriately resourced to support institutional purpose, curriculum delivery and student well-being.
Health, safety, accessibility, security, inspection and risk-management arrangements should be appropriate to the school’s operations and applicable requirements.
Community and Home Partnerships
Schools should maintain effective and respectful communication with parents, guardians and other members of the school community.
Constructive school-family relationships should provide appropriate opportunities for parents and guardians to engage with and support student learning and well-being.
Boarding, Homestay and Residential Provision
Where residential services are provided, arrangements should support student learning, development, safety and well-being.
Residential provision should include appropriate safeguarding, staffing, accommodation, health and safety, emergency procedures and other arrangements relevant to the services provided.
Standards Become Meaningful Through Demonstrable Institutional Practice
Schools should be able to connect relevant membership expectations with the policies, responsibilities, practices and institutional information through which those expectations are implemented.
Policies & Procedures
Maintain appropriate documented policies, procedures, responsibilities and institutional expectations relevant to school operations and educational responsibilities.
Implementation
Demonstrate that institutional arrangements are understood and implemented by the people responsible for putting them into practice.
Evidence
Maintain reliable institutional information, records and documentation that can demonstrate how applicable membership expectations are addressed.
Leadership
Ensure that institutional leadership understands the relevant standards and supports their implementation through planning, communication and oversight.
Student Focus
Keep student learning, development, well-being, safety, inclusion and support central to institutional policies and practices.
Continuous Development
Use institutional evidence and reflection to identify priorities, strengthen practice and support continuing development over time.
Different Standards Require Different Forms of Institutional Evidence
Evidence should relate directly to the institutional practice being considered. A policy can establish an expectation, but additional information may be needed to demonstrate implementation and institutional effectiveness.
For example, safeguarding evidence may connect documented procedures with designated responsibilities, staff awareness, reporting arrangements and relevant records. Curriculum evidence may connect program documentation with planning, teaching, assessment and student learning information.
The objective is to establish a coherent relationship between what the school says it does, how the relevant practice operates and the information available to support that understanding.
Documented ≠ Implemented
Strong institutional practice connects documented expectations with responsible people, implementation, relevant evidence and continuing review.
From Membership Standards to Institutional Action
Schools can use the standards before application and throughout their participation in the ACISC membership framework.
Understand
Review the nine Core Membership Standards and identify the expectations relevant to the school’s context and educational activities.
Reflect
Consider current policies, institutional practices, responsibilities, evidence, strengths and areas requiring further development.
Prepare
Organize relevant institutional information and documentation and involve the leaders and teams responsible for applicable areas.
Demonstrate
Connect institutional evidence with actual practice to demonstrate how applicable membership expectations are addressed.
Develop
Identify practical priorities and use the standards as a reference for strengthening institutional practice.
Continue
Maintain attention to educational quality, student support, safeguarding, responsible leadership and institutional development.
Use the Standards Before Submitting the Membership Application
Before applying, school leadership should review the applicable standards, identify the people responsible for relevant institutional areas and organize the core information needed to describe the school accurately.
This preparation helps the institution present a coherent school profile and respond efficiently to requests for information during the applicable membership review.
Standards → Institutional Information → Application
Understanding the standards before application helps institutional leaders identify relevant responsibilities, evidence and information needed for the membership process.
Continue Through the ACISC School Resources
Membership standards connect with wider ACISC resources addressing school participation, institutional development, safeguarding and quality assurance.
School Membership
Review membership participation, benefits, application information and the school membership pathway.
Child Protection
Explore ACISC resources addressing safeguarding and child protection within school environments.
Benefits & Services
Explore membership resources and services available through the applicable school membership relationship.
International Accreditation
Explore the separate institutional accreditation framework, standards, evaluation and decision process.
Ready to Apply for School Membership?
Review the membership framework and current fees, prepare the school’s institutional information, and begin the ACISC School Membership application.
Purpose → Practice → Evidence → Development
The membership standards provide a common institutional reference for responsible school participation and continuing development within the ACISC membership framework.