North London International School

The North London International School is an independent co-educational school-foundation providing programmes prepared by the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organisation as an alternative to the British national curriculum. Most notably, employing the IB Diploma in favour of traditional British A-Level studies after pushes by staff to "raise the bar" of academic achievement at the school.

The establishment comprises senior, junior, preparatory and nursery departments in the North Finchley and Friern Barnet areas of north London, educating children from the ages of 2-18.^[1]

The school initially developed from the Holmewood boys’ preparatory school founded in 1885 at North Finchley, which in 1985 was acquired by the Dwight Franklin Foundation and the family of the then chancellor of the Dwight School, New York, which remains the sister school of NLIS.^[2]

In 1988, Holmewood merged with St Alban’s School, becoming co-educational and being renamed Woodside Park Preparatory School, which in 1995 consolidated with the Friern Barnet Grammar School for Boys to form the Woodside Park School (eventually Woodside Park International School), for education of pupils from the ages 4 to 18.^[3]

In December 1995 the senior department was accredited by the International Baccalaureate Organisation to teach the Diploma Programme; in 2003,to teach the IB Middle Years Programme, and the following year the junior department the IB Primary Years Programme. Consequently, the school became one of only a handful of British establishments to deliver the full range of IB teaching programmes for pupils aged 3 to 19.^[4]

Though senior pupils continued to be prepared for GCSE examinations, abandoning the national curriculum emphasised the school’s international culture whilst realising the ultimate aim^[5] of establishing an international school in north London.

It is very easy to travel to the school, since it has its own minibus and the Junior Department has an Underground station very close to its site. The Senior department is close to several bus stops and New Southgate overground.

In May 2006, the school came under sole ownership and was listed as a limited company with an age range of 2 to 18 years old.^[6]

In September 2008, the school was rechristened The North London International, to better reflect its status as an IB World School.

Head of School: Mr David Rose

References

• Independent Schools Inspectorate Inspection Report: 18 to 19 January 2011, 16 to 18 February 2011
• http://www.nlis.org/

1. ^ www.nlis.org
2. ^ Independent Schools Inspectorate Inspection Report: 12th to 15th November 2007
3. ^ Independent Schools Inspectorate Inspection Report: 12th to 15th November 2007
4. ^ Independent Schools Inspectorate Inspection Report: 7-11 Feb 2005
5. ^ Independent Schools Inspectorate Inspection Report: 7-11 Feb 2005
6. ^ Independent Schools Inspectorate Inspection Report: 12th to 15th November 2007

Coordinates: 51°36′50″N 0°09′33″W / 51.6139°N 0.1592°W / 51.6139; -0.1592