Establishing an Independent School

• This policy applies to all proposed new schools wishing to receive certification as a B.C. independent school and to all entities offering schooling to 10 or more students, with the exception of the exempted entities described in Section 19(1) of the Independent School Act.
• Authorities of formerly certified independent schools that have ceased to operate need to reapply in accordance with this policy if they seek to re-open.
• Authorities wishing to transfer a school from one authority to another or to open another educational program are required to contact the Ministry well in advance of the proposed date of transfer or initiation, as there may be a requirement to apply under this policy. This includes school acquisitions, the opening of a secondary campus and group funding classification changes. 

• The New School Application Process follows an annual cycle, leading to a September school opening. Mid-year school start-ups will not be considered. Applications are only accepted for schools planning to commence operations the following September (i.e., it is not possible to apply more than one year in advance of a planned school’s opening).
• Only in extraordinary circumstances, where an applicant can satisfy the Ministry that extraordinary circumstances require special consideration in order to address emergent risk to the well-being of children or youth, will an application be permitted to proceed outside timelines set out in this policy. 
• If successful at the Interview stage, early submission of required information, along with complete and satisfactory documentation will allow for prompt issuance of interim certification. 

• Information on the four groups of independent school certification can be found in the Classification of Independent Schools Policy.
• All schools wishing to pursue Group 1 certification start as Group 2 schools for their first year of operation. Following the issuance of a regular certificate after interim certification, Group 1 certification is determined through the Statement of Per Student Operating Cost Report (SOPSOC). Please refer to the SOPSOC information through the previous link for additional details.   

• The Ministry of Education and Child Care is not currently entering into Provincial Online Learning School Agreements for new online learning schools.

• No new Inclusive Education Schools are currently being designated by the Ministry of Education and Child Care.

• After the submission of an Expression of Interest, a prospective school authority may develop a web presence that clearly and prominently states on the home page the prospective school is seeking certification and is not yet currently certified. This website may be used, for example, for the purpose of recruiting prospective school staff or securing a letter of municipal/local government compliance. The school may not recruit or enroll students through any means until after interim certification has been achieved (Step 5).  The website should not facilitate student recruitment in any way until that time.
• In extraordinary circumstances, where a prospective school authority is able to demonstrate exceptional value to a community, the Ministry may consider permitting limited marketing prior to receiving an expression of interest.
• New schools must have 10 or more school age students who are enrolled and in physical attendance with the school and reported as 1.00 FTE each as of September 30, in accordance with the 1701 instructions for independent schools for the September data collection. Failure to do so may result in the termination of the interim certificate.
• Prior to the 1701 data collection, schools must report their overall enrolment and the number of resident and international students to the Inspector of Independent Schools no later than September 20 (Step 6.) Schools seeking Group 2 or 3 Classification must ensure that at least 50% B.C. resident students are enrolled as of September 30. Failure to do so may result in the cancellation of the interim certificate.
• The Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada requires that a school be certified, at least on an interim basis, prior to considering study permit applications from students.
• All marketing materials (e.g., websites) for a school must accurately reflect the school's current Certificate of Group Classification and the programs offered.
• For Group 3 Schools only: Student registration/enrolment forms and school website must indicate school is a Group 3 independent school and is not required to hire B.C.-certified teachers nor teach the B.C. curriculum and is not permitted to offer B.C. Graduation certificates. Curriculum review is not included in Group 3 Ministry inspections.

• All schools should have clear policies and procedures in place with regard to fee refunds. Please review the School Fee Refund Guidelines (PDF). All schools are required to implement and abide by the Ministry’s  Anti-Money Laundering/Cash Payment Policy restrictions.
  • Fees include tuition fees, boarding fees, and any other fees, charges, or deposits collected by the school authority.
• Prior to interim certification being issued, no fees for prospective students may be collected.
• In the period between receipt of interim certification and July 1 of the year the school intends to begin operating, a deposit of up to CDN $500 per student may be collected. No other fees from families may be collected during this time.
• After July 1 of the year the school intends to begin operating, an authority may collect fees for the school year commencing the following September only after the authority has posted its fee refund policy online and in any relevant printed materials, e.g., parent handbook.
• School authorities must not collect fees for multiple years.
• If a proposed school with interim certification does not commence operations or does not receive certification following its initial external evaluation, interim certification will be revoked.
• As set out in the School Fee Refund Guidelines (PDF), Group 1, 2, and 3 schools’ refund policy must include the following statement in the first year of operation:
  • The Inspector of Independent Schools expects schools with interim Group 1, 2, or 3 certifications to have access to enough cash-on-hand to provide fee refunds in the event that the school fails to open or fails to receive certification after an initial external evaluation inspection or otherwise closes during its first year of operation.
• Group 4 schools’ fee refund policy must include the following statement in the first year of operation:
  • The Inspector of Independent Schools expects start-up schools with interim Group 4 certification to have access – without recourse to the Group 4 Independent School Bond – to enough cash-on-hand to provide fee refunds in the event that the school fails to open, fails to receive certification after an initial external evaluation inspection, or otherwise closes during its first year of operation. Ministry of Education and Child Care administration of a Group 4 independent school bond for the purpose of providing partial refunds can be a lengthy process, taking up to 40 months, and parents should not rely on partial refunds derived from this bond for any payment required before this time period (e.g., parents should not rely on the partial refund coming from the bond to pay fees at another school).

• Prospective new schools should consider involving a B.C. certified educator, ideally with experience establishing new independent schools in B.C. and/or recent school administrative experience to advise on the development of the education program early in the application process. Insufficient B.C. education sector expertise is a common reason for rejected applications. FISA BC maintains a list of individuals willing to serve in this capacity as an educational consultant.
• Certification will only be granted for schools seeking to offer continuous grades, for example, Grades K-6. A discontinuous program offering, such as Grades K-3 and Grade 6, for example would not meet this requirement.
• A prospective school, planning to offer Grades K-9, may start by offering one grade or multiple adjacent grades. If a school seeks to alter its certificate to add grades in a subsequent year, the school would apply in the spring for a Program Review. Approval will only be given to the addition of grades that expand what the program that is currently offered, in a continuous manner. For example, if a school is initially certified to offer grades K-3, it would not be approved to offer Grade 5 without also offering Grade 4.
• A prospective school seeking to offer grades that comprise the Graduation Program (Grades 10-12) will be required to demonstrate satisfactory understanding and knowledge of the full (Grades 10-12) Graduation Program’s requirements, even if it is only seeking certification for initially offering Grade 10. The school must demonstrate an understanding of, and planning to, meet all requirements in the Graduation Program. Schools should create a pathway to graduation for students who enter the program at the school. If the school is initially, approved to offer part of the B.C. Graduation Program, it may, in subsequent years, seek approval to offer further sequential grades. It is generally expected that a school that applies to offer the B.C. Graduation Program will be building towards offering the full three years of the program. If a school intends to offer part of the Graduation Program, it would be expected it has worked with local schools that will receive its students mid-way through the program.  
• In Grades 10-12, the school’s educational program must offer a sufficient number of required and elective graduation program course credits at each grade level that the school offers. Students must be able to earn sufficient course credits in each offered grade to ensure they can earn the required minimum graduation credits at the school itself. Students may select elective course credits from Online Learning programs but only over and above the required 80 graduation program credits offered at the school.
• In the first year of operation, new schools can only offer programs to school-aged students and are not permitted to enrol students in adult graduation programs. Prior, written approval from the Inspector of Independent Schools is required before enrolling adult students in subsequent years of operation; the Inspector’s decision will be based on the school’s history of offering a successful graduation program to school-aged students.

• Independent school authorities and principals will be granted access to information bulletins from the Deputy Minister of Education and Child Care. The Deputy Minister’s Bulletin is the Ministry's main communication tool to independent school authorities and principals. New school principals will be provided access to the Bulletins after receipt of interim certification. Communications are posted each week and sent to the Ministry contact for the school only. School authorities and principals are encouraged to share this information as appropriate with staff.
• Schools may choose to join MyEdBC once interim certification has been issued. Schools should contact the MyEdBC - MyEducationBC Support - Independent and First Nation Schools - Helpdesk.

• Any significant changes during the application process, such as substantive changes in the authority responsible for the prospective school, facility location, proposed grade ranges, intended school classification or any other major change must be clearly communicated to the Ministry prior to implementation. Failure to report such changes may result in the denial of an application or revocation of interim certification.

Questions or comments on the application process should be directed to EDUC.IndependentSchoolsOffice@gov.bc.ca

Action

• A completed Expression of Interest (EOI) must be submitted via the Independent School BC Online Portal (the Portal). The Ministry will not accept an EOI that does not include all required elements at the time of submission.

Required Materials:

• Complete information for the school authority
• General information about the prospective school
• Incorporation certificate issued under the Societies Act or the Business Corporations Act
• Certificate of Good Standing if original incorporation documents are more than one year old.
• Group 4 applicants only:  Group 4 applicants should begin working with a financial institution or surety bond provider to determine eligibility for obtaining an adequate bond.

Applicants who have satisfactorily submitted an EOI submission will be invited to Step 2 – Application Submission. Applicants will receive an email notification notifying them of this step.

 Deadline:

• Fully completed EOI submission through the Portal (for school start up the following September) will be accepted between July 1 and September 15.

Action

Applicants that have passed the Step 1 - Expression of Interest stage will be invited to submit their application through the Portal. The Ministry will only review one completed application per application cycle. Once the application is submitted via the Portal it is considered final.  

Required Materials: 

1. Complete Online Application for Interim Certification (via the Portal)

2. Complete School Policy/Procedures Manual

• Must include all required policies for an independent school as listed on the Independent School Information for Administrators - Create School Specific Policies
• Must be a single PDF document with an alphabetized table of contents showing individual policies

​​​3. Business Plan

• The reasons the applicant is pursuing this project
• A brief paragraph describing the school’s intended program (if successful, the applicant will be required to elaborate on planning for the program at an interview)
• A Marketing and Student Recruitment Plan 

4. Human Resource Plan and Financial Information

• Part A: Student/Staff recruitment information (Human Resources Plan)(258KB,DOCX)
• Part B: Proforma Financial Information (34KB, XLSX)

School authorities seeking Group 4 certification must additionally provide:

• Written confirmation from a financial institution or surety provider of their eligibility to obtain a bond in the form of an irrevocable letter of credit or surety bond in the amount of $100,000, consistent with requirements of the Independent School Regulation.
• Completed draft of a school Fee and Tuition Refund Policy for Ministry review and approval. This policy is required in the event the school fails to obtain or maintain Group 4 Certificate of Classification in the first year of operation.
• Contact information (name, postal address, phone number and email address) for two business references for each director listed on the prospective school’s incorporation documents. Please note:
  • Employees, educational consultants, and co-directors are excluded from providing these references.
  • The same person may not act as a reference for more than one director.
  • References will only be contacted for school authority directors whose application is proceeding to Step 4.

Deadline:

A completed online application and all required documents must be submitted through the Portal by October 27. Late or incomplete submissions will not be accepted. (The Ministry will not accept additional documents or information after the deadline.)

Action

• The Inspector of Independent Schools will conduct an in-depth interview to review the application and to assess motivation, preparation, familiarity with provincial curriculum requirements, and readiness and ability to start an independent school that will successfully meet Ministry requirements. Prior independent or offshore school experience, viability, planning, program vision and the described school configuration will be considered, as will alignment between the applicant’s written submission and the interview. The applicant must be prepared to clearly articulate plans for implementing their educational program in a manner consistent with the level of certification being sought. Essential certification requirements and inspection processes will be reviewed and discussed in detail, including school policies, which must be school-specific with a demonstrated readiness to operationalize.
• Applicants will be evaluated on their responses to determine if they will move forward with pre-certification.
• The Ministry will make all efforts to inform the applicant of the result of the interview as soon as possible.

​Deadline:

• Successful applicants should be prepared to interview beginning Nov. 12. Upon invitation, applicants are required to schedule and complete the Interview no later than March 15. Invitations to interview will be prioritized in the order that applications have been received and processed. The Ministry will work with applicants to set a mutually agreeable meeting date, but final meeting dates will be established by the Ministry.

Action

• Prospective applicants who have satisfactorily completed the interview (Step 3) will be invited to make their Pre-Certification Submission (including supporting documentation) thereby formally confirming all outstanding requirements have been met.
• Operation as a B.C. certified school prior to September 1 and prior to having received interim certification is prohibited.
• International students may not be enrolled until after the school has been issued interim certification.

Required Materials:

• Proof of lease/purchase of facility
• Proof of facility inspection and written confirmation of suitability of facility by the local building, fire and health authorities or those approved by Indigenous Services Canada.
  • See Local Government/Municipal Compliance Letter (DOCX).
• Confirmation of water testing “Testing Lead Content in Drinking Water of Independent School Facilities”
• For Group 4 Schools only - An irrevocable letter of credit or surety bond (with the Minister of Finance as beneficiary) in the amount of at least $100,000 issued by a bank or surety company in B.C. is required in order for interim certification to be granted. (The bond should not be obtained from a surety provider before the applicant is advised of the outcome of the interview).

Deadline:

• Pre-certification Submission (and supporting documentation) must be received no later than June 1 – earlier submission is welcome.

Action:

Upon satisfactory completion of Steps 1 through 4, the Ministry of Education and Child Care will typically issue an interim certificate by June 30 permitting the school to begin operating as an independent school in September.

• All new Group 1, 2 and 3 schools begin with an Interim Group 3 certificate.
  • Schools pursuing a Group 1 classification will not be able to apply for this until their second year of operation. They will begin with an Interim Group 2 certificate and move to a regular Group 2 certificate after a successful inspection. Eligibility to move to Group 1 will be determined after the  school has submitted a Statement of Per Student Operating Costs at the end of its first year of operation.
  • Group 2 schools will receive a regular Group 2 certificate upon successful inspection.
  • Group 3 schools will receive a regular Group 3 certificate upon successful inspection.
     

• New Group 4 schools begin with an Interim Group 4 certificate that will be changed to a regular Group 4 after a successful inspection.

Information about Interim Certification:

• Upon issuance of interim certification, the Ministry of Education and Child Care will schedule a full inspection (external evaluation – see Step 7) which typically takes place in the first month of the school year.
• Interim certification is valid for the dates specified on the Interim Certificate unless the School Authority receives full certification from the Ministry of Education and Child Care or the Interim Certificate is revoked.
• Upon issuance of interim certification, the school may start marketing the prospective school’s intended opening in September with specific claims stating that:
  • The B.C. Ministry of Education and Child Care authorizes the applicant to offer an educational program beginning in September, and
  • The school will be fully inspected in the fall and expects, upon resolution of any compliance issues identified during the inspection, to be issued full certification by the B.C. Ministry of Education and Child Care shortly thereafter.
• Failure to maintain the requirements for certification may result in the decertification of a school.
• After receipt of interim certification, fees may not be collected, other than a deposit of up to $500 per student, prior to July 1 of the year the school intends to begin operating.
• For Group 4 schools only: If a school fails to achieve or maintain B.C. Ministry of Education and Child Care Group 4 certification during the first year of operation, collected fees and tuition will be reimbursed by the School Authority according to its posted refund policy.

Action:

• All independent schools must have 10 or more school age students who are enrolled with the school and reported as 1.00 FTE each as of September 30, in accordance with the 1701 instructions for independent schools for the September data collection. Failure to do so may result in the termination of the interim certificate.

Deadlines:

• Students must be in attendance at the school by September 30.
• Schools are required to confirm student enrolment (full FTE) counts to the Inspector of Independent Schools by September 20.
• The School must complete the required data submissions (Ministry documents 1701) by the annual Ministry deadlines.

Action:

• Certified independent schools in B.C. are regularly inspected by the Ministry of Education and Child Care to ensure the program continues to meet the requirements of the B.C. Ministry of Education and Child Care and the Independent School Act.  The Inspector of Independent Schools may inspect schools at any time. A new school will be inspected in its first year of operation.

• Inspection templates and a Guide for Administrators are updated and posted each June. Independent schools inspection documents - Province of British Columbia

For further information please see the External Evaluation and Inspection Policy for Independent Schools.

Deadline:

• The Authority/School is required to complete and send the required template and supporting documentation to the Ministry by the required deadlines (early September for new schools).

Action:

• Upon completion of a successful school external evaluation, and the resolution of any requirements identified, the interim classification will be adjusted to Group 2, 3 or Group 4 certification and the school will be eligible to offer courses for graduation credit if applicable.
• Failure to maintain the requirements for certification may result in the decertification of a school.

Deadline:

• Timelines for the resolution of any items identified in the external evaluation will be communicated to the school authority through the evaluation report.