Learning
Today, Leading Tomorrow BSB’s renewed vision and Strategic Priorities
In a rapidly changing world, BSB has taken time to ask what kind of school our learners and wider community need us to be. We considered this question in the context of new technologies, environmental challenge, shifting global relationships, and evolving understandings of culture, identity, community and belonging. Students, staff, families, alumni and governors explored this question together. The renewed vision and five Strategic Priorities set out in this publication are the result of that shared work, and our young people played a leading role in bringing them into focus. Our Student Presidents helped design and lead the workshops through which this direction emerged and presented the outcome directly to our Board of Governors.
What you will find in these pages is both a continuation and a renewal of who BSB has long been: an inclusive, international learning community committed to being a force for good. Our Guiding Statements and values - confident, caring, courageous, curious, resilient and respectful - remain at the centre of school life. They continue to express something important about our heritage, our relationships and our aspirations. What this publication adds is a clearer expression of how those commitments translate into the experience of every learner and every member of our community today, through True Belonging, Empowered Learning, Transformative Learning, Intercultural Connection and Environmental Stewardship.
These priorities now mark our move from shared aspiration to purposeful action. They are supported by a Strategic Action Plan that turns each priority into practical commitments for our teaching, curriculum, wellbeing, campus, partnerships and community life. Some of that work is already underway, much of it developed with our students and the wider community. All of it is offered with the hope that has guided BSB for decades: that the children and young people entrusted to us today will leave BSB ready and willing to lead tomorrow, as a force for good.
James Penstone
Principal & CEO
About BSB
The British School of Brussels is an inclusive, international learning community in Tervuren, a green and well-connected setting close to Brussels. We welcome internationally mobile families, Belgian families and families from many different backgrounds who are seeking an ambitious, caring and globally minded education for their children.
BSB brings together learners from over 65 nations and is made up of two schools:
• Primary School - ages 2.5-11
• Secondary School - ages 11-18
English is the main language of learning, with opportunities to follow a bilingual French and English programme. Students follow a British-based curriculum up to age 16, adapted to our European context and international community. From age 16–18, students can choose from three internationally recognised pre-university pathways: English A Levels, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, and vocational courses including BTEC Business, Hospitality, Applied Science and Sport.
Across all aspects of school life, BSB aspires to the highest ethical and legal standards in its governance, management and daily practice.
Our Guiding Statements
BSB is an inclusive international learning community, working together and inspiring success.
Our aim is to be an educational force for good by:
• Developing confident, caring and courageous people who engage actively, ethically and purposefullywiththeworldaroundus.
• Fostering curious, resilient learners who enjoy life andachievethebestthattheycan.
• Encouraging respect for self, others and the wider world.
Collaboratively created by staff, students, parents and governors, 2016–17 Our
Our Renewed Vision
Nearly a decade after our Guiding Statements and Values were created by the BSB community, we asked what vision should guide us now. Through a community-wide process involving students, staff, families, alumni and governors, one clear statement emerged.
Learning today to lead tomorrow as a force for good.
Collaboratively created by staff, students, parents and governors, 2025
We’re proud of this statement because we believe it challenges us, as individuals and as a school, to live up to the best of who we can be.
Eashan Student President 2025–26
Students as Co-creators of Our Vision and Priorities
Howstudentshelpedbringthecommunity’sideas intofocus
TherenewedvisionandfiveStrategicPrioritiesinthisbooklet were developed with significantstudentleadership.During 2025, our Student Presidents in the Secondary School, alongside our Primary Student Presidents, helped design and lead the workshops, conversations and reflection sessions that brought the community together to consider what kind ofschoolBSBshouldaspiretobe.
Theyworkedwithstudents,staff,families,alumni,governors and external partners to draw together ideas from across the community. They later presented the outcome of that work directly to our Board of Governors, who unanimously endorsedtherenewedvisionandpriorities.
Students as Co-creators of Our Vision and Priorities
Their words from that process say more than we could:
The workshops gave us a chance to ask these big questions in the context of a world that’s changing rapidly … in technology, international relations, the environment, and more.
Miles
Student President 2025–26
We realised how powerful it is when a community comes together to listen to one another, to share perspectives on education’s purpose, and to co-create ideas for the future.
Julie
Student President 2025–26
It was exciting, and a little nervewracking, to be in the room where longterm decisions about the school’s future are made.
Eashan
Student President 2025–26
By the end of this process, we had a set of strategic priorities that we felt captured the heart of what our community told us mattered most.
Chloe
Student President 2025–26
Throughout the priority pages that follow, we return to the voices of the 2025–26 Student Presidents who helped bring these priorities into focus, showing how each area resonated with them personally.
Our Strategic Priorities
Our five Strategic Priorities describe the experience we want to strengthen for every learner and every member of our community.
They are connected, not separate. True Belonging creates the trust from which Empowered Learning can grow. Empowered learners are ready for Transformative Learning, applying what they know to real questions, real people and real communities. Intercultural Connection deepens that learning by opening minds to different cultures, languages and perspectives, while Environmental Stewardship asks us to act with responsibility for the world we share.
Together, these priorities give BSB a clear direction for the years ahead. They are ambitious because they look outward to the future, and grounded because they grow from who we are: an inclusive, international learning community committed to being a force for good.
The following pages explain what each priority will look like for our community, and how we will work towards it.
EnvironmentalStewardship
Transformative Learning
Student Presidents: Bringing the Priorities to Life
The work begun by our 2025–26 Student Presidents now passes to our 2026–27 Student Presidents. Each has chosen a focus that connects directly with the priorities introduced in this booklet, from belonging and student voice to intercultural connection and transformative learning. Together, their words show how these priorities are already becoming part of student leadership at BSB.
Looking forward, I plan to use my role as Student President to strengthen the connection between students and teachers, with the aim of supporting meaningful change by drawing on perspectives from across our community.
Nina B
I’m most looking forward to encouraging students to share their voices with confidence, contributing to our intercultural community where everyone feels valued.
Sophie VH
In the coming year, I am looking forward to championing inclusion for students with additional learning needs, and building on the strong sense of community we already have.
Nina K
In the year ahead, I look forward to supporting students to grow in confidence, in a school where every perspective is heard and valued, and where learning helps us become more independent, reflective and courageous.
Sophie B
True Belonging
We are a force for good by nurturing a culture where every individual feels safe, understood and valued – grounded in trust, inclusion and meaningful relationships.
Belonging is built through the daily experience of being known, welcomed, respected and included. It is the foundation for wellbeing, confidence, learning and community life.
Belonging has to extend to students, staff, and families alike.
Miles Student President 2025–26
True
Belonging
Intended impact for our community
• Every child is known as a whole person, including their interests, strengths, home languages, culture, friendships and what they need to thrive.
• Respect is visible in how students and adults listen, speak and act across every part of the school.
• Students, families and staff feel welcomed, supported and able to belong at every stage of their BSB journey.
• Every learner is stretched, challenged and supported according to their individual strengths and needs, including their stage of language development.
• Students, staff and families trust that their voices matter, and that BSB listens carefully and responds thoughtfully.
How will we get there?
• We will embed a school-wide Respect Charter that sets out clearly how we treat one another.
• We will strengthen voice, representation and feedback loops, so students and adults can help shape the community they belong to.
• We will further develop Additional Educational Needs, English as an Additional Language, stretch and challenge, and social and emotional learning, so individual strengths and needs are understood and supported.
• We will refine admissions, transitions and wellbeing systems, so that students, families and staff are guided with care as they join BSB, move through the school and prepare for what comes next.
Empowered Learning
We are a force for good by emphasising learner agency, voice and responsibility, inspiring personalised growth through individualised feedback and the celebration of success.
Empowered learning helps learners, children and adults alike, understand how learning happens, how progress is made, and how they can keep growing.
Empowered Learning means creating flexibility and helping every learner find the path that works best for them.
Eashan
Student President 2025–26
Empowered Learning
Intended impact for our community
• Learners understand where they are, what they are working towards, and how to take their next steps.
• Feedback is clear, specific and purposeful, building confidence, independence and motivation.
• Every learner is stretched, challenged and supported as an individual, with learning responsive to their strengths, needs and aspirations.
• Students, staff and families share a clearer language for high-quality learning, progress and growth.
How will we get there?
• We will embed shared Teaching Practices and co-create Learning Practices with students, defining what high-quality learning looks like at BSB.
• We will strengthen assessment, feedback and reporting, with a clear focus on progress, next steps and learner agency.
• We will continue to develop stretch, challenge and support, including for students with additional needs, students developing their English, and students ready for further extension.
• We will develop a thoughtful and ethical Digital Learning and AI Strategy, so that technology supports learning, reflection and progress in age-appropriate ways.
Transformative Learning
We are a force for good by providing authentic, relevant and connected learning experiences that have positive impact on self, others and the wider world.
Transformative learning helps learners see why their learning matters. It connects knowledge, skills and values to real questions, real contexts and real people, so that learners grow in confidence, creativity, ethical awareness and a sense of purpose.
For me, Transformative Learning is when what we learn here connects to the real world.
Chloe Student President 2025–26
Transformative Learning
Intended impact for our community
• Learners connect what they learn to the world around them: Brussels, Belgium, their cultures, their futures and the issues that matter.
• Learning has purpose beyond the classroom, with learners applying ideas to real situations, audiences and questions.
• Learners develop the knowledge, skills, character and confidence to act thoughtfully and make a positive difference.
• Families, alumni, partners and local organisations help enrich learning with expertise, experience and opportunity.
How will we get there?
• We will develop a clear, school-wide approach to bringing real-world purpose, questions and contexts into the curriculum.
• We will strengthen links between classroom learning, enrichment, residential trips and the wider learner experience.
• We will make better use of the people, places and partnerships around us, including Brussels, Belgium and our international community.
• We will review pathways for older learners, so choices remain rich, relevant and well matched to their ambitions for university, work and life beyond school.
Intercultural Connection
We are a force for good by fostering intercultural engagement that deepens understanding across cultures, celebrates multilingualism and identity, and builds local and global connections.
Intercultural connection extends far beyond celebrating difference. It is the daily practice of learning across languages, cultures, identities and perspectives, so that members of our community deepen their understanding of themselves, one another and the world.
Intercultural Connection is really about celebrating our diversity – our languages, our identities, and our cultures – and also making sure we’re connected to the local community around us.
Julie StudentPresident2025–26
Intercultural Connection
Intended impact for our community
• Learners grow in confidence, curiosity and humility as they engage with different cultures, languages, identities and perspectives.
• Multilingualism is recognised as a strength, with the languages of our community valued, visible and, where possible, supported.
• BSB is deeply connected to Brussels and Belgium, with learners, families and staff engaging meaningfully with our local context.
• Families, staff, alumni and partners enrich school life by sharing their experiences, traditions, expertise and connections.
How will we get there?
• We will review multilingual provision across the school, including French, Dutch, English and home-language pathways, so language learning reflects who we are as an international community.
• We will strengthen connections with Brussels and Belgium through local partnerships, cultural experiences and engagement beyond the campus.
• We will create more opportunities for families, staff and learners to contribute to intercultural learning, so that community events deepen understanding as well as celebration.
• We will build partnerships, exchanges and transition experiences that help learners and families connect with people, places and perspectives beyond BSB.
Environmental Stewardship
We are a force for good through intentional sustainability, as we strive to be good ancestors.
Environmental stewardship means thinking carefully about the impact of our choices today on the people and planet of tomorrow. It is reflected in what we learn, how we use resources, how we develop our campus, and how our community acts together.
For me, this is about developing habits that reduce our footprint and learning to care deeply about the natural world, so we can be good ancestors for generations to come.
Julie Student President 2025–26
Environmental Stewardship
Intended impact for our community
• Learners develop a practical understanding of sustainability and the confidence to make thoughtful choices in their own lives.
• Sustainability is visible in learning, operations, campus development and everyday decision-making across the school.
• Our community understands the impact of its choices, including how we use energy, resources, transport, food, materials and space.
• Students, staff, families and governors work together to model the responsibility and care we hope to see in the wider world.
How will we get there?
• We will develop a whole-school Environmental Stewardship Strategy that connects learning, operations, governance and campus life.
• We will set clear sustainability targets, supported and monitored through the Board of Governors.
• We will align campus development, transport and resource use with our longterm sustainability goals.
• We will strengthen outdoor, nature-based and real-world learning, while creating more opportunities for learners, staff and families to contribute to environmental action.
From Priorities to Action
A strategy only matters when it changes what people experience. Our five Strategic Priorities describe the experience we want to strengthen for our community. Behind them sits a more detailed Strategic Action Plan, organised through six practical foundations, or enablers, which turn our renewed vision and priorities into practical work across the school.
The plan is reviewed annually and works as a rolling two-year framework, allowing BSB to set clear priorities while continuing to adapt as the school grows and learns.
Our six foundations for action:
Learning, teaching and curriculum
Strengthening how every learner experiences high-quality learning, with shared teaching practices and richer real-world opportunities.
Professional learning, coaching and leadership
Investing in our staff so they can inspire, challenge and support every learner.
Safeguarding, safety and wellbeing
Keeping BSB a safe, respectful and caring place to learn, with strong systems and a culture of listening.
Governance, leadership and policy
Supporting clear roles, responsible decision-making and policies that keep the school current, fair and accountable.
Finance, resources, systems and campus
Developing the buildings, systems and sustainability that support school life for the long term.
Partnerships, communication and community experience
Strengthening how families and partners experience BSB, with clearer communication, strong relationships and regular feedback.
Student-designed Strategic Priority Icons
The icon design project placed student artists at the heart of communicating BSB’s renewed direction. Their challenge was to translate five ambitious ideas into clear, memorable symbols that could be understood by students, staff, families and visitors.
Beginning with exploratory sketchbook work, the students generated, tested and refined ideas for each priority. They considered how different audiences might interpret the images, simplified where needed, and added detail only when it strengthened meaning.
Across the set, they created a shared visual language, using recurring motifs such as hands, circles and connected forms. Arranging the icons in a circle reinforces the idea that the priorities are connected and carry equal weight.
The resulting icons are a visible expression of student voice, creativity and ownership at the heart of BSB’s future.
Chloe
Dalya
