ICEQC-ORG-2200 — International Schools and Programmes Education Quality Certification Standards

This document specifies scope classification, route selection, module composition and conformity controls for international schools, bounded school-based international provision and international early childhood provision.

The certification object is the accountable education organization within its confirmed scope. This document does not authorize a curriculum or confer governmental permission, accreditation, qualification recognition or an examination result. It establishes no score, ranking, grade, star or award level.

For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions in ICEQC-QF-1000 and the following terms apply.

conformity (C): fulfilment of the complete applicable requirement, demonstrated by verified evidence.

nonconformity (NC): failure to fulfil an applicable requirement, established by a verified fact.

confirmed non-applicability (NA): verified absence of the expressly stated application condition, approved and recorded by ICEQC.

evidence limitation: a gap or contradiction that prevents a reliable conclusion about fulfilment or applicability. An evidence limitation is unresolved evidence, rather than a conformity conclusion.

complete academic year: the complete approved and published annual teaching cycle from its ordinary opening through its ordinary closing, including the assessment, reporting, promotion, transfer or completion activities by which the organization evaluates the year's implementation.

bounded international provision: a defined international section or school-based international programme that forms only part of a wider education organization or school.

financial viability: the demonstrated ability to maintain the personnel, services, facilities, learner protections, records, refunds, transition and completion arrangements required for current commitments; it does not mean that ICEQC issues an audit opinion, credit assessment or solvency rating.

governing authority: the board, proprietor, governing body or other identified person or body holding ultimate oversight and corrective authority for the affected education organization or scope.

high-consequence assessment: an assessment whose outcome materially affects grade placement, credit, progression, completion, an external submission or another important learner decision.

host school: the wider accountable school within which a bounded international section or school-based international programme operates.

international early childhood education scope: an early learning or preschool scope in which a declared international education model is materially integrated into the educational provision.

international education model: a declared educational model in which cross-national, international, intercultural, multilingual or internationally mobile learning purposes and pathways are materially integrated into governance, curriculum, delivery, learner support and public information.

international education scope descriptor: controlled public wording that identifies the exact whole-school, bounded programme or early childhood scope assessed under these Standards.

international school: an operational school whose complete included school scope is governed and delivered through a material international education model.

international section: a defined organizational unit within a wider school that has identifiable leadership, learners, personnel, programmes and operational records for international education while remaining under the accountable control of the school organization.

programme owner: an external entity that owns, controls, authorizes, registers or licenses a curriculum, syllabus, programme, assessment, qualification or related protected material.

material: capable, individually or together with related matters, of affecting learner access, learning, assessment, protection, completion, the certification conclusion, the certified scope or the accuracy of a public claim.

protected reporting: a confidential or otherwise safeguarded route through which a learner, family member, worker or other person may report suspected wrongdoing, interference or serious risk in good faith without retaliation.

route: the controlled module-selection class identifying whether the affected scope is a whole international school, bounded school-based international provision or international early childhood education.

school-based international programme: a coherent and bounded sequence of education delivered under a school's accountability, materially affecting a defined learner pathway and incorporating a declared international education model.

school system: a group of schools or campuses operating under common accountability and an effective education-quality system sufficient to satisfy ICEQC-ORG-2000 multi-site requirements.

teach-out: controlled completion, transfer or other protection for current learners when a programme, pathway, site or organization is discontinued or can no longer be delivered as committed.

through-school: one accountable school organization providing both early childhood education and one or more K–12 grade spans through connected governance or operations.

The certification object remains the education organization and the exact organizational system and scope confirmed under ICEQC-ORG-2000.

A school, early childhood component, international section or school-based international programme may be included only where the responsible organization demonstrates accountable and effective control of its educational operation.

A curriculum, syllabus, qualification, examination, textbook, learning resource, platform, trademark, licence, person or public claim does not become certified merely because it is used by or associated with the organization.

Application of these Standards determines voluntary ICEQC education-quality requirements only.

It does not confer or imply:

A route, component module, profile, delivery mode, curriculum model or scope descriptor under these Standards shall not create a score, percentage, grade, rank, star, tier, award level, maturity level or comparative position.

The applicable education-organization Foundation requirements, ICEQC-ORG-2000, ICEQC-ORG-2010, ICEQC-QF-1000 and each selected sector or delivery module form the certification baseline. Applicability shall be recorded for each scope component.

These Standards supplement and do not replace the primary sector module required for each affected scope component.

Applicable obligations are cumulative where they can be fulfilled together. A more specific provision does not cancel an inherited obligation unless a controlled ICEQC document expressly establishes that relationship.

Annex F identifies the principal inherited requirements addressed again by these Standards. An entry in Annex F shall be treated as a route-specific application or control of the cited requirement, not as a replacement requirement. Conformity with the cited requirement and with the additional route-specific condition shall both be established; the same evidence may support both where it is sufficient and traceable.

No requirement authorizes conduct contrary to applicable law. Where an applicable law prevents the organization from implementing a requirement in its ordinary form, the organization shall identify the authoritative source, exact conflict, affected scope and learner consequence and shall implement every lawful alternative control reasonably available. A legal conflict does not automatically establish NA. An unresolved conflict, an inadequate alternative or a resulting protection or evidence gap shall prevent a positive conclusion for the affected requirement or scope.

Annex G identifies the normative ICEQC documents and controlling editions applicable to this edition. A later edition shall apply only through a controlled incorporation or transition decision.

ICEQC shall resolve an apparent normative conflict through a controlled interpretation before relying on either reading for a positive conclusion. The record shall identify the provisions, affected scope, reasons and authorized interpretation. A verifier shall not invent a criterion, choose an obligation solely by personal judgment or waive a published obligation.

The route and profile terms in clause 3 identify scope conditions. They do not establish a quality level or replace the selection tests in clauses 9 to 19.

The ordinary or local use of the word international does not by itself establish the operating conditions in those definitions.

Each affected scope component shall be assigned one of the following routes:

A route identifies the certification object and scope treatment and is not a quality level.

Route selection shall be based on verified operating facts and shall not depend solely on the applicant's name, marketing category or preferred characterization.

An international school or school-based international programme route shall be used for initial certification only where completed educational operation exists to verify implementation and effectiveness across a representative period. Except under clause 10.4, the minimum completed operation is:

An applicant without sufficient operating evidence may receive a non-decisional readiness enquiry under ICEQC-ORG-2000 but shall not receive certification under these Standards.

Project plans, intended policies, forecast enrolment, untested systems or construction completion do not replace operating evidence.

A scope extension by an already certified organization may be assessed before the periods in clause 10.1 are complete only where:

A positive decision shall not rely on clause 10.4 where the organization claims complete-pathway outcomes, graduation, destination or longitudinal effectiveness that cannot yet be verified.

The eligibility record shall distinguish actual operating evidence from a proposed school, unimplemented pathway or future authorization. A period of operation shall be supported by enrolment, teaching, assessment and completion or progression records for the period claimed.

A gap in operating history shall identify the affected route or scope and the evidence still required. A simulation, prospective timetable or unverified future plan shall not be described as completed operation.

Before route selection, the applicant shall identify the legal and trading names, responsible operator, licensing or registration dependencies, governing authority, school leadership and every entity controlling a material part of the proposed scope.

The accountable applicant shall possess or demonstrate enforceable authority to require correction and continuing conformity throughout the proposed scope.

A brand owner, investor, consultant, agent, curriculum provider or management company shall not be treated as the school operator unless actual accountability and control are established.

Determination — Conformity exists only where the accountable education organization and control relationships are unambiguous and verified for every proposed scope component.

The scope record shall identify each legal operator, owner, governing authority, site leader and external entity exercising a material control. A contract, franchise or group relationship shall not obscure who is accountable for a learner, record or corrective action.

The applicant shall demonstrate authority to obtain the necessary evidence, require correction and maintain learner protection throughout the included provision. Where that authority is absent, the affected activity shall not be included solely because it shares a brand or curriculum.

The organization shall define its international education model, intended learners, learning purposes, curriculum or pathway structure, implementation responsibilities and claimed international characteristics.

The model shall be materially evident in current governance, curriculum, teaching, assessment, learner support, personnel arrangements and public information throughout the affected scope.

A name, teaching language, foreign textbook, foreign employee, foreign learner, overseas activity, examination entry, membership or commercial partnership alone is insufficient to satisfy clause 12.2.

Application — Applies before any route under these Standards is confirmed.

Non-applicability — NA is not available.

Determination — Conformity exists only where consistent and verified evidence establishes a substantive international education model rather than an isolated activity or promotional identity.

The route determination shall trace the declared model to governance, curriculum, teaching, assessment and learner support. The record shall identify the evidence examined and the scope to which it relates.

An imported resource, examination entry, foreign-language title, overseas visit or external membership alone shall not establish a material international education model. The determination shall state how the selected route reflects actual operation.

Route IS-W shall be selected only where the complete school scope proposed for the international school descriptor operates through the international education model.

The scope shall include every material school function, learner group, grade span, programme, site and delivery mode that a reasonable reader would understand to form part of the claimed school, subject only to explicit and non-misleading exclusions permitted under ICEQC-ORG-2000.

A selected department, international section, programme, grade span or high-performing site shall not use Route IS-W where the wider school remains outside the international education scope.

Determination — Route IS-W is confirmed only where whole-school identity, completeness and control are verified.

The whole-school boundary shall include every learner, grade and pathway represented as part of the proposed international school. A school shall not omit a pathway that contradicts the claimed whole-school model while retaining a whole-school descriptor.

Where a campus contains separate early childhood and K–12 provision, their route and primary-module requirements shall be determined separately. Common governance and evidence may be shared without extending a conclusion to an unassessed component.

Route IS-P shall be selected where a school controls a bounded international provision but the complete school is not within a whole international school scope.

The bounded provision shall have identifiable learners, educational purpose, responsible leadership, curriculum or programme structure, delivery period, personnel, records and entry and completion boundaries.

Route IS-P shall use one or both of the following profiles:

The profile shall not be represented as a separate certificate, quality level or recognition status.

Determination — Route IS-P is confirmed only where the organization can separate the bounded provision from the wider school's unassessed activities without concealing any material dependency or shared control.

The record shall identify whether the bounded provision is an organizational section or a coherent programme and shall state the factual basis. The host school's responsibilities, shared services and remaining activities shall be distinguishable from the bounded scope.

Where the selected profile no longer reflects actual provision, ICEQC shall reconsider classification and the scope statement before relying on the earlier route determination.

Profile IS-P1 applies where the bounded provision has a defined organizational identity, delegated leadership and separately traceable learners, personnel, programmes and operating records within a wider school.

The wider school's governance, safeguarding, finance, facilities, complaints, records or other shared controls remain within the assessment boundary wherever they affect the section.

Use of Profile IS-P1 shall not permit the international education scope descriptor to apply to the complete school.

Profile IS-P2 applies where the bounded provision is a coherent educational pathway but does not operate as a separately organized international section.

The programme shall extend beyond isolated content exposure and shall comprise a controlled educational pathway with:

A short course, single subject, standalone credit-bearing course, extracurricular activity, examination entry, preparatory class, resource purchase or overseas visit alone shall not qualify for Profile IS-P2. Use of an external curriculum or qualification name does not change this rule.

Programme coherence shall be supported by a coordinated sequence, learning outcomes, teaching responsibilities, assessment and entry-to-completion conditions covering at least two subjects or learning domains. Merely listing unrelated courses shall not establish coordination.

A single-course, test-preparation or examination-entry service shall be assessed through the applicable service or sector arrangements and shall not acquire an international-school programme descriptor through this route.

Route IS-E shall be selected for each early childhood scope component that satisfies the international education substance gate.

Route IS-E may describe:

The scope descriptor shall distinguish the cases in clause 17.2 and shall not describe a bounded programme as the complete organization.

Determination — Route IS-E is confirmed only where the age group, care-education boundary, international model, responsible organization, site and service scope are verified.

The record shall identify whether the early childhood provision is a complete organization, a component of a through-school or a bounded programme, and shall identify the corresponding IS-E profile. Age groups, sessions, care responsibilities and primary-school interfaces shall be recorded.

Early childhood conformity shall be determined from age-appropriate learning, interaction, care and protection. Examination preparation or a promise of future school admission shall not establish the required educational model.

A through-school including early childhood and school-age provision shall map Route IS-E to the early childhood component and Route IS-W or IS-P to each affected K–12 component.

Common governance and shared services may be assessed once where evidence remains sufficient and traceable, but age-specific module requirements shall not be replaced by the common assessment.

The organization shall record every model profile material to the affected scope, including as applicable:

A model profile describes operating context and is not a separate certification, endorsement or quality level.

Selection of a model profile does not establish authorization, recognition or ownership of any named curriculum or qualification.

ICEQC-ORG-2110 shall apply to every primary, secondary or through-school component under Route IS-W or IS-P.

ICEQC-ORG-2120 shall apply to every early childhood component under Route IS-E.

A scope containing both early childhood and K–12 education shall apply both primary sector modules to their affected components.

The composition record shall identify the Foundation requirements applicable to the education organization, the primary sector module for each component, this route controller and the selected international module. A selected international module supplements the applicable baseline; it does not require every module to apply to every school.

The controlling edition and content identity of each normative reference shall be frozen with the scope. A later publication shall not alter an existing frozen baseline without a recorded transition or scope-change decision.

ICEQC-ORG-2150 shall apply in addition to the route and primary sector module wherever remote, online or digitally mediated delivery is material.

Online delivery does not by itself establish or prevent international school status.

A platform or resource provider that does not accept accountable control of the complete educational provision shall not be treated as an online international school.

ICEQC-ORG-2160 shall apply where language education is itself a material learning object or separately represented programme within scope.

Use of more than one language or use of a language different from the host jurisdiction does not by itself establish an international education model.

Language-of-instruction support integral to an international school remains subject to the applicable requirements of ICEQC-ORG-2210, 2220 or 2230 whether or not ICEQC-ORG-2160 separately applies.

ICEQC-ORG-2180 shall apply where tutoring or preparation for an examination, admission process or competition is a material service within scope.

A tutoring, test-preparation or examination-entry service shall not be represented as an international school or school-based international programme unless every applicable route condition is independently fulfilled.

Boarding, residential provision, homestay, guardianship, transport and extended-care arrangements are conditional scope characteristics and do not create a separate international school route.

Every arrangement in clause 24.1 that is provided, arranged, required, recommended or materially relied upon by the organization shall be identified and mapped to applicable ICEQC and recognized external evidence requirements.

ICEQC assessment of an arrangement in clause 24.1 is limited to the education organization's responsibility, selection, information, supervision, handover, monitoring, complaint, incident and continuity controls. Compliance of accommodation, transport, guardianship status, fire safety, building safety, health regulation or another regulated matter shall be supported by suitable recognized external evidence and shall not be independently approved by ICEQC.

Where evidence necessary for a material safety or regulated matter is unavailable, unsuitable or materially limited, ICEQC shall withhold the affected conclusion or limit the certification scope and public wording. The organization shall not claim comprehensive ICEQC certification, accreditation or approval of boarding, residence, homestay, guardianship or transport.

The application shall identify the responsible operator, learners covered and handover points for each service. Provider selection, suitability, incident response, missing-learner arrangements and family communication shall be included in the evidence plan.

A family-appointed arrangement shall be distinguished from a school-provided or school-arranged service. The distinction shall not be used to omit an interface over which the school exercises control or has accepted responsibility.

An international trip, exchange, placement or mobility arrangement shall be treated as a conditional activity and shall not independently establish an international education model.

The activity shall remain within scope wherever the organization selects, arranges, controls, requires, represents or accepts educational responsibility for it.

A multi-campus or school-system scope shall satisfy ICEQC-ORG-2000 requirements for common accountability, effective control, complete population information, corrective authority and reliable sampling.

Each school, campus and central function shall be separately identified and mapped to the applicable route, module, profile and conditional requirements.

A central-office conclusion shall not automatically establish conformity at every school or campus.

A school or campus outside the assessed and decided scope shall not use the international education scope descriptor or certification mark.

A multi-campus composition shall identify the common controls, site-level differences and the person authorized to resolve a failure at each site. Evidence shall cover every included site and material pathway; representative sampling within a site shall not be represented as assessment of an omitted site.

A common weakness shall trigger consideration of all components using the affected control. The scope statement shall identify a site or component excluded because evidence or operational control is insufficient.

A franchise, brand licence, membership, curriculum supply or management-support relationship shall be recorded according to its actual control and responsibility.

A collection of independently controlled operators shall not be certified as one international school system solely because it shares a name, owner, curriculum, service supplier or marketing identity.

Certification held by a brand owner, parent, member or affiliate shall not transfer to another entity without assessment and an express scope decision.

The organization shall identify each material external programme owner, awarding organization, examination organization and authorization, registration, licence or centre relationship on which the declared provision or public claim depends.

ICEQC shall verify the identity, holder, scope, site, programme, status, effective period and material limitations of evidence relied upon without making the external decision itself.

Absence, expiry, suspension, limitation or uncertainty of an external status shall not be concealed, replaced by an ICEQC conclusion or represented as pending approval where no such status exists.

A verified external status does not by itself establish conformity with these Standards.

The external-status register shall identify the holder, owner or awarding body, programme, site, scope, conditions, validity and permitted claim. Status shall be checked against an authoritative source and reconciled to the precise scope proposed for certification.

A lapse or restriction shall trigger a review of learner commitments and public information. ICEQC shall verify control of the relationship; it shall not confer the external status or decide the recognition of an external qualification.

A third-party name, mark, descriptor or protected material shall be used only on the basis of authority held by the organization and in a manner consistent with the evidenced status and scope.

ICEQC records and certificates shall use neutral descriptions unless a third-party name is necessary for accurate scope identification and its use is lawful, factual and non-endorsing.

An ICEQC mark shall not be combined with a third-party mark to create a joint, composite or endorsed identity.

ICEQC shall not select, prescribe, approve or rank a substantive curriculum, subject, language, national model, pedagogical doctrine or examination system through these Standards.

Assessment shall address how the organization defines, governs, implements, supports, evaluates and accurately represents its declared educational provision.

A module requirement shall not make compliance with a proprietary external standard an undisclosed or unavoidable condition of ICEQC certification.

The applicant shall provide the information in Annex C for every proposed scope component.

Information shall distinguish applicant statements, official or external records, verified facts and unresolved claims.

Omission of a material school, learner group, programme, site, delivery mode, operator or external dependency shall prevent scope confirmation until resolved.

Application information shall disclose material ownership or financing dependencies, planned or reasonably foreseeable opening, expansion, suspension or closure, and any condition that could prevent the organization from completing commitments to current learners.

For each component, the application shall identify curriculum pathways, languages, learner groups, external dependencies, providers and material ancillary services. Original records may be supplied in their source language only with the complete English-language evidence set required by the application rules.

The applicant shall confirm the final application package and arrange formal transmission by an effective mandated regional partner. Initial applications, formal supplementary evidence, corrective action, surveillance, scope changes and renewal materials use that route. Complaints, appeals and reports may be made directly to ICEQC.

The confirmed scope shall identify at least:

The scope shall not use an unbounded group, brand, global-operation or all-programmes statement unless every included component is identified and assessable.

The certificate and public register shall identify the applicable route and exact assessed scope using the controls in Annex D.

Route IS-W may use an international school scope descriptor only for the complete school scope confirmed under clause 13.

Route IS-P shall use a school-based international programme delivery scope descriptor and shall not identify the complete organization as an ICEQC-certified international school.

Route IS-E shall state whether the certified scope is a complete early childhood organization, a through-school early childhood component or a bounded early childhood programme.

A module code, route or profile shall not be displayed as an additional certificate, accreditation or quality award.

A public claim shall remain limited to the certified organization, route, programme, learner group, site, delivery mode, edition and validity period shown in the public register.

A claim shall not imply ICEQC approval of the curriculum, qualification, examination, legal school status, external authorization, graduate outcome or unassessed part of the organization.

Database listing, application, readiness review, consultation participation or draft use shall not be represented as certification.

Where a third-party status is mentioned near an ICEQC claim, the identity and separate authority of each issuer shall remain clear.

The assessment plan shall identify route-specific evidence, shared controls, affected scope components, independently selected samples, live remote verification, recognized external evidence and unresolved limitations.

Evidence shall cover a representative operating period and material variation in learners, programmes, personnel, sites, delivery modes and outcomes.

Applicant-selected examples shall not be the sole basis for a conclusion where complete populations or independent samples are reasonably available.

The verification plan shall state the populations, periods, sites, pathways and learner groups from which evidence will be selected. Selection shall include ordinary operation, material exceptions and changes, with reasons for sample size and coverage.

A contradiction, missing population, adverse event or integrity concern shall trigger further verification proportionate to the issue. Physical safety, regulatory status and other matters that cannot be established by remote review shall require suitable current independent external evidence. A live video or applicant declaration alone shall not substitute for that evidence.

Every applicable requirement shall have a recorded disposition. C, NC or confirmed NA shall be entered only when the necessary facts are established. An unresolved evidence limitation shall remain open and shall prevent a positive decision for the affected scope. A component-module conclusion shall not conceal, duplicate or override an inherited requirement conclusion.

Conformity exists only where current, attributable and verified evidence demonstrates implementation and effective control throughout the applicable scope.

A positive certification decision is prohibited while any applicable requirement is NC, any nonconformity remains open or evidence is insufficient for the proposed scope.

Route, module or profile selection shall not be used to omit a material activity, risk or public claim.

Each conclusion shall identify the requirement, applicable scope, evidence examined, verification performed and reasons. C shall be recorded only where the complete applicable requirement is demonstrated. NC shall identify the established failure. An evidence limitation shall remain unresolved until the necessary fact can be established; it shall not be converted automatically to NC or NA.

NA shall identify the objective absence of the stated application condition and ICEQC approval. The absence of a reported complaint, safeguarding incident, emergency or closure shall not make a prevention, readiness or response control inapplicable.

A failure to satisfy an applicable route, scope, identity, external-status, public-claim or module-composition requirement is NC.

A misleading whole-school claim for a bounded provision, a false external authorization claim, deliberate scope concealment or unauthorized transfer of certification shall be classified under ICEQC-CER-003 according to its effect on learners, evidence integrity and certification confidence.

One conforming programme, campus or control shall not compensate for a nonconforming applicable requirement elsewhere in scope.

Surveillance shall confirm continuing route eligibility, international education substance, scope completeness, external-status accuracy, public claims and representative module conformity.

Surveillance shall address earlier findings, complaints, incidents, learner transitions, programme results and changes affecting included components.

Surveillance planning shall consider safeguarding, lawful operation, external status, learner continuity, material complaints, prior corrective action and changes in sites, pathways, providers or personnel. The record shall identify what is reverified and why.

A continuing certificate shall not rely on expired external evidence or on a previous positive conclusion where current evidence indicates a material change. An unresolved issue shall be routed to the applicable review, corrective action or status-control procedure.

A change in operator, ownership, legal status, school identity, route, model, curriculum pathway, authorization, learner group, grade span, site, delivery mode, external provider or public claim shall trigger applicability and scope review.

A new school, campus, section, programme or online mode shall not be represented as certified before assessment and a positive scope decision.

Loss or material restriction of an external status on which the declared provision depends shall trigger immediate impact review and any necessary scope or public-status action.

A proposed change shall identify its effect on route eligibility, module composition, learner commitments, external status, evidence and public descriptors. The applicant shall confirm the change package and arrange formal partner transmission before requesting inclusion of the changed scope.

An approved change shall retain the predecessor baseline, reasons, updated edition references and effective scope. A change of public wording alone shall not expand a certified scope or remove an unresolved nonconformity.

The route, modules, profiles, scope components, external dependencies, decision status and public descriptors shall be consistent across the application, assessment record, certificate, public register, website and machine-readable data.

A database category or search label shall not override the controlled certification scope.

The English text is the sole normative publication. Website language selection changes navigation and explanatory information; it shall not create a translated normative edition. Reader, print, download, JSON and assessment records shall resolve to the same English requirement and edition.

ICEQC certification activities, including verification, technical review, certification decision and issuance, are free of charge. Basic partner coordination and formal transmission shall not be conditional on purchasing an additional service. A partner may agree separately priced optional services under ICEQC rules. Those services shall not determine access to certification, the conformity conclusion or the certification outcome.

Verification, independent technical review, certification decision and issuance are reserved to ICEQC. A partner shall not approve an application, promise certification or represent its own service decision as an ICEQC decision.