Many parents may not be aware of some aspects of the school such as: the way the school is governed and managed, the rationale behind development projects, the way the school's development is planned, the financial structure of the school, the kind of staff development that is going on and so on. In the series of “FAQS” below, we aim to respond to some of the most frequently asked questions or concerns that have been expressed by parents.
We trust that these “FAQS” will be a start in sharing with parents some of these issues. There are no doubt many other questions which may not be covered. Should you have such questions, please feel free to send in your doubt, query or concern to the Director, Mr Paul Wiseman, in either Portuguese or English and we shall endeavour to get answers back to either individuals or the whole parent body, as appropriate.
Finally, thank you to those parents who have been offering their constructive criticism and suggestions. This is both positive and helpful. Through our discussions, both the Board and the school's management have improved their perception of our parents' concerns and needs.
Governance and Management
School Growth and Development
Financial issues and Fees
Other Issues
Who are the Board of Governors?
The Board of Governors is a group of fourteen people, mostly currently parents of The British Schoool. The Board is guided by a set of statutes that have been established for over twenty years.
There are six members elected by the 'custodians' (mantenedora) of the school - the Associação Britânica de Educação (ABE) - who are in fact the body of parents of British and Commonwealth origin. To be an elected member you must be responsible for paying your own school fees. There are also five ex-oficio members representing British institutions in Rio and up to four co-opted members. The final member represents the ex-students (ex-oficio). Currently, three of the Board are Brazilian and eleven are British.
Also invited to all Board meetings are the President and Treasurer of the PTA, key members of the school's management team and a representative of the teaching staff. A wide range of interests is therefore represented and every Board meeting has up to 22 people attending, all of whom freely give their opinion. Nine of them are Brazilian and thirteen are British. The budget and fees for every year, for example, were openly discussed by the full Board.
Do the parents on the Board pay school fees?
To be one of the six elected Board members you are required to be full fee-paying. It is in the spirit of schools such as The British School that parents will voluntarily give something to their children's school as part of their contribution to the community effort. Board members gain no benefits whatsoever and, indeed, it is a central part of the ethos and code of practice that Board members should not bring to discussion any matters relating to their own children.
Who are on the Board Committees and what do they do?
There are three Board committees: Education, Finance and Development. These committees are composed of Board members, school staff and invited parents. Three of the six elected Board members are expected to chair the committees and the other three are required to serve on the committees.
The three committees meet regularly and are responsible for forging policy in the three areas of the school. The Finance Committee meets monthly and undertakes a thorough review of the day-to-day finances and controls as part of its agenda. It is this committee, chaired by the Board's Treasurer, that prepares the annual budget and makes recommendations to the Board on fees.
There is also a Board-Staff Committee that makes recommendations to the Board regarding salaries, benefits and working conditions of school staff, balancing the needs of staff, students and parents.
Is the school in Botafogo/Urca getting bigger?
It is the opinion of the Board that school growth in the last ten years has created the necessary income to finance the improvements of facilities, education, staffing and standards that we have witnessed. Much of this recent growth has been the result of the establishment of a full and successful Senior School since the introduction of the IB programme in 1991.
Since 2001, the growth of the school in Zona Sul (Botafogo and Urca) has been very small as all year groups are reaching their ceilings and the school population has now levelled off.
The Board has set firm limits on both class sizes and year group sizes. As year groups move from Infants to Class 5, the school has a clear policy to limit the entry of new students and only replace leavers if absolutely necessary. The purpose of this is to ensure that a year group of a maximum of 80 pupils enters Class 6 at Urca. Unfortunately, this has meant that many families – including British families newly arrived in Rio – cannot enter our school.
How has the school invested the Development Fund (Entrance Fee) in recent years ?
The major force at work over recent years has been a determined effort to improve the quality of the environment for our pupils to work and play in.
Various major projects have been undertaken in Botafogo and Urca in recent years:
- Building a fourth floor on the Cashman Building (1997-1998).
- Acquisition and construction of the Urca Unit (1998-1999).
- Acquisition of a house (Reid House) next door to the Urca Building (1999) and subsequent total refurbishment as a Music Centre (2002).
- Acquisition of two houses, Matriz 90 (1999) and 92 (2000) in preparation for the Matriz Project.
- Setting up the Nursery Unit on Rua da Matriz (2000).
- Setting up the Recreio Unit (2002)
- The refurbishment of Jakurski House as an Art Centre (2002-3), donated to the school in 2000.
- Total refurbishment of the Thompson Building, internally and externally (2001-2003).
- Refurbishment of the Cashman Building: its foundations, structure and ground floor of the Cashman Extension (2004-2005)
- Building the Cashman Extension completely (2005)
- Refurbishment of Cashman ground floor and building new kitchen at Reco-Reco House (2005-2006)
- Total refurbishment of the new Barra Unit (2005-2006)
- New Urca House (2007)
These facility developments have all been very carefully planned and financed and brought a huge quality improvement to these various parts of the school. These projects have all been paid for by fundraising or Development Funds derived from entrance fees. For these developments to happen, the generosity of our parents has been remarkable.
The process of improvements at Botafogo and Urca will continue. In Botafogo, for example, the Matriz Project will provide spacious and modern facilities for the Upper Primary and Lower Senior classes. At Urca, small projects are continuously being implemented and the school is on the look-out for new spaces to allow further development of the curriculum offered.
Why did the Board start the Barra Project?
Various Boards have been discussing development in Barra for more than twenty years. The Board statutes state that the school should endeavour to provide services for families who would benefit from a British School education within Rio state. For this Board, perhaps the deciding factor was the number of families from Barra who were no longer able to access a British School education. Traditionally, some 20% of our children came from Barra. However, in very recent years, this has been dropping significantly. Parents from Barra understandably do not like their three-year old children to travel such a long journey and thus have not been joining the Nursery. The problem is that, since the school in almost every year group is constantly full, Barra families rarely ever get the chance to join our school.
Does growth mean that quality at Botafogo and Urca will be affected?
School growth in the last ten years has created the necessary income to finance the improvements of facilities, education, staffing and standards that we have witnessed. After considerable study and discussion, the Board concluded that the development of a healthy Barra school will create synergies, links, opportunities and benefits which will give the whole British School greater flexibility, advantage and strength in its further development.
The only growth in pupil numbers now is in Barra as the Botafogo and Urca schools reach their established ceilings. The development of the Barra school is being carefully planned in controlled stages. Aspects such as management structures, staffing, staff training and the provision of resources will continue to be appropriately developed and improved across the school. The process of improvements at Botafogo and Urca will continue. Indeed, we believe that, through carefully planned and controlled growth, the Barra development will bring benefits of all kinds to the whole school.
How does the budget work?
The budget process takes three months of thorough preparation, analysis and debate. Initial requests for staffing and development are made by the Heads of Sections who are working within clearly stated longer-term plans. The Director collates projected student numbers and analyses staffing and other needs and, with the school's Financial and Administrative Manager, develops an initial budget which is presented to the Finance Committee of the Board. This initial budget is analysed in considerable detail and is reviewed and challenged line by line. Initial recommendations are made to the full Board for discussion and the Board's response results in further review. The budget is again reworked and reviewed by the Finance Committee before being once more presented to the full Board for final approval.
What controls are there on costs in the school? What is the school doing about reducing costs on a day-by-day basis?
The Finance Committee meets each month and reviews monthly spending against budget. Every effort is made to keep all costs down through appropriate authorisation controls, through negotiation and by procuring a range of estimates for all purchases and projects. The annual auditor's report always brings with it recommendations for greater efficiency.
On a day-to-day basis there are constant reminders to staff and students regarding the use of energy, water and educational materials. Some aspects of the school's costs are difficult to reduce in that there is little flexibility or no alternatives. Many parents are not aware that most of the school's facilities are rented. School buses present a difficult area for negotiation. Unlike many businesses, it is virtually impossible to restructure school staffing and make adjustments and cuts of the nature commonly practiced in industry.
The Urca Project - Are we parents still paying for this project? What effect is the pre-payment of fees for fundraising and the loans the school took out having on the budget?
The finances of the school are managed within two Funds – the General Fund and the Development Fund. The month-to-month income and expenditure of the School is recorded within the General Fund. All major capital projects are paid for from the Development Fund.
The source of financing of the Development Fund is primarily entrance fees. The Urca project was also partly financed from pre-paid fees. The Development Fund reimbursed the General Fund every month, as if the fees had never been pre-paid. The income of the General Fund, and the budget, are therefore not affected by the pre-payment scheme.
The Urca project was also partly financed by external loans. In 2007, the project was completely
paid for.
Barra - What effect is this project having on the school budget? Does it have any impact on school fees?
None. As in the case of the Urca Project, the development of the Barra Unit is being financed by the Development Fund. Entrance Fees at Barra are expected to cover all initial investment.
As regards the setting of school fees, the budget process considered first the projected costs at the Botafogo and Urca sites, and the fee increases were calculated to cover costs at those sites. This process defined the new fee levels and these same fees were implemented at the Barra
site.
The Matriz Project - Are the fees covering this project?
The Matriz Project is being financed only with Development Fund money (from entrance fees) and what can be raised from various fundraising efforts. School fees have absolutely nothing to do with this or any other major building project. The project will not be initiated until these funds are assured. A successful fundraising campaign will be the major factor in effecting this much-needed development at Botafogo.
There has been a devaluation of the US $ against the Real. Doesn't this have a positive effect on the school's finances?
Exchange rate variations now have a relatively limited effect on the school budget. There is a false understanding that overseas staff salaries are linked to exchange rates. This is not the case. While the recruitment and employment of overseas teachers brings certain sterling expenses, these are relatively limited and expatriate teachers are paid in Brazil on the same salary scale as local teachers.
A minimal advantage is gained when we have a strong Brazilian currency regarding the cost of imported books, materials and equipment. However, most of these purchases are in pounds sterling and the costs of transportation and importation taxes continue to rise.
Why are the fees higher from Classes 5 to 11 and should the fees for Class 10 and 11 (the IB programme) be higher than the other years?
When the school started the IB programme for Classes 10 and 11 in 1990, the fee schedule was revised and developed. At that time, there existed a system of fees with a number of steps through the school. The Board at that time decided to simplify the system, removing some of the steps while retaining only one step from Class 4 to Class 5. This step was maintained in recognition of the fact that, in general, the secondary school programme is more expensive to run. It was decided to retain the same fee from Class 5 right through to Class 11 in order to give parents the certainty that the fee would remain consistent to the end of a student's schooling. It is recognised that the IB programme (Classes 10 and 11) is the most costly part of the school but the Board has always considered that the fee scale should broadly reflect the fact that we are providing a whole school service and most pupils will remain for the entire period.
The school is significantly more expensive than good Brazilian schools in Rio . How can you justify this?
The British School provides a completely different programme to Brazilian private schools. There are a number of distinct differences which should be considered when making such comparisons:
- we have a full and integrated day and our staff are – apart from a very few exceptions - full-time employees at the school. The British School is their only place of employment and we encourage this as being the best for our community.
- we employ over thirty expatriate teachers. The costs of all aspects of their recruitment and the provision of accommodation for them in Rio are significant. At some international schools, the respective governments make significant contributions to the cost of international teachers. The British School does not receive any such governmental funding.
- our teaching groups are small. The largest class in the school is 25 but most are well under this figure. The largest Senior School class is 20 but most are around 15 and, at the IB level, teaching groups are from 3 to 15. The overall teacher-pupil ratio is about 1:10 , which is standard for an international school like ours.
- we have a number of teachers who work every day with very small groups, for example in special educational needs, beginners Portuguese and English language support.
- we have a strong professional development programme which involves international travel and visiting professional educators.
- the international nature of our school carries a surprising number of additional costs. A few examples are: the annual fee to run the IB and be members of CIS; international telephone and postage charges; and overseas university applications and aftercare services.
- we offer a wide range of additional activities in the areas of, for example, music, art and drama, fieldtrips, outdoor pursuits and vestibular support courses. The school either makes no charge for these activities or only covers the minimal costs for transport and accommodation.
- unlike many schools, our school provides without cost most of the teaching materials and books required by the students.
How do British School fees compare to other international schools in Brazil ?
It is very difficult to compare schools, their costs and the value for money they give. Our school, for example, has had to develop and improve quickly over the last few years and, during this time, the increase in fees has been needed to reach our current standards and level of provision. It must also be remembered that, unlike some of the other international schools in Rio de Janeiro, our school has absolutely no financial support from a national government. The British government has always held a firm policy not to provide financial support of any kind to British-type schools overseas. Some European governments pay for the expatriate teachers in their overseas schools.
In general, however, when our school is compared to other similar international schools usually only two are quoted – one in Rio and the other in São Paulo . Our school fees have always been - and continue to be - appreciably lower than either of the schools we are usually compared with.
Finally, many parents are not aware that most of the properties the school uses are rented and this presents a large fixed annual cost that many other schools do not have.
We know the school has waiting lists of children wanting to join the school. Does this make the Board relaxed about raising fees?
This has never been a factor with the Board's thinking on fees. The fees are based on a thoroughly worked out budget designed to break even at the end of the year. There is never some “percentage” added on. Our aim is to keep the school's financial situation stable, support ongoing development and serve our current families in the best way we see fit. It is worth remembering that the elected Board members all have children at the school and pay the full fees. Thus they are themselves directly affected by every increase.
Why doesn't the school involve more of the parents in the debate about school fees before making the decision?
Since the full Board is composed almost entirely of fee-paying parents and the PTA representatives are present at all Board meetings, it has been felt that this gives parents reasonable representation.
What are you going to do about improving communications and providing information to parents?
Members of the Board and the Director have been discussing how better to communicate and provide clear information to parents. The e-mail system appears to now be working better and this will help. However, it is clear that improvements can always be made and the Board will continue to consider ways of enhancing communications. Particularly with regard to the budget and fee process, the Board will consider how to develop appropriate participation and contribution from all interested parties.
How can we contact the Board?
To reach any member of the Board of Governors, please send an email to governors@britishschool.g12.br or contact Mrs Beatriz Morand for contact information.
Mrs Beatriz Morand - (21) 2543-5519 (ext. 158) - edu@britishschool.g12.br
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