Times City Membership Report

Part 1: Basic Inoormation
Narrative
Vinschool Primary, Secondary and High school is part of the Vinschool Education System, a non-profit
1-12 educational system that started in 2014. There are currently 3 campuses, 2 in Hanoi and 1 in HCMC.
Each campus is headed by a Principal who has the ultimate responsibility regarding the learning
process and well-being of students. There is a central office that define the standards, processes and
policies by which individual campus operates, regarding HR, curriculum, and administration matters.
Vinschool has been offering the national curriculum since the start, and in addition, began to offer the
Cambridge curriculum this school year (Math, Science, ESL, Global Perspectives). We are authorized by
the Ministry of Education in Vietnam, and by Cambridge International Assessment and Examination to
teach Cambridge subjects. Recently, we are going through a transformation phase where we are
increasing the teachers standards and redesigning the curriculum to make learning more effective (for
example, restructuring the approach to teaching and learning, introducing culminating projects and
service learning into the program and make them the compulsory, revising the content of subjects
relevant to the future need of skills and knowledge, introducing more English-based subjects...).
Feedback Report: Council of International Schools (CIS)
Part 1: Basic Information
The information required is contextual: how the school is structured, accreditation history
and any recent changes to the school.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Membership Evaluation
There is no Rubric for this response.
Rating:
No Rating
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Reason for Rating
This provides a good reflection on the nature of the Vinschool Vietnam (VSC) project.
This Membership Evaluation report covers the following Campuses:

Times City - Primary
Times City - Middle and High
Although Gardenia - Primary Campus was visited, this was to ascertain how the Vinschool
project overall may be evaluated for CIS Membership and CIS Accreditation. Campuses other
than Times City will need to be the subject of a further CIS Membership visit as soon as
practical.
Part 1: Refective Statements - Head oo Sccool

Narrative
Vinschool’s vision is to become a Vietnamese school of international standards, building upon the
values and cultural identity of the nation, at the same time incorporating lessons from the world’s best
educational achievements. Our mission is to educate students to become responsible and passionate
individuals with the capabilities to build a happy life as well as contribute to the development and global
integration of Vietnam. As part of our strategic plan, we always knew that we need to strive for CIS
accreditation as this is the ultimate test of our commitment to deliver the best quality education to our
students. After 3 years of operation, we now have almost 12000 students from Grade 1 to Grade 12,
earning the trust of thousands of families in the community. In terms of quality, we are seen as a school
that focuses on developing the “whole person”, not just math or language literacy, especially the 21st
century skills. We provide students with many opportunities to discover their abilities and excel in their
own ways. However, we still have many areas of improvements, such as how to optimize learning, how
to bring about more equal and effective development of teachers and foster collaboration, how to
better ensure student safety and wellbeing, how to make education inclusive and accessible to all our
admitted students. We believe we have reached a point where we need to bring quality to the next level
in order to achieve our vision and mission.

Part 1: Refective Statements - Head of Sccool
The Head of School has the opportunity to relate the application for CIS Membership or
Accreditation to the school's own Guiding Statements.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Rating:
No Rating
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Reason for Rating
This provides CIS with a clear statement of intent to use the CIS process to really support the
school improvement process. The reflective comment is also evaluative and suggests the
journey that the Vinschool project has come on and the journey it wishes to embark on in the
future.
Part 1: Refective Statements - Governors and Board

Narrative
As the custodian of the school’s mission and vision, we fully support the application of Vinschool for CIS
Membership and Accreditation. We have the vision that Vinschool will become the pioneer in the
transformation of education in Vietnam, and will help create a new generation of Vietnamese who will
become future leaders of the country. We believe that working with CIS and earning CIS Membership as
well as Accreditation will help Vinschool in achieving our vision and mission.
Part 1: Refective Statements - Governors and Board
The Board, as the custodian of the school's mission and vision, is able to reflect on the
application for CIS Membership or Accreditation, the CIS Code of Ethics and the school's
Purpose & Direction.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Rating:
No Rating
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Reason for Rating
This provides a clear statement of support for the school in going ahead with the CIS process. It
would be helpful if there was evidence in minutes of meetings for example and if these had been
uploaded to confirm that this has been discussed formally at board level, although it has been
noted that a communication to parents has been circulated which has publicly committed
Vinschool to CIS processes. This was a little premature and CIS would ask respectfully for the
Board to check protocols in the future.
Part 2: Domain A - Evaluative Commentary

Narrative
Vinschool Vietnam (VSC) has very clear guiding statements (Vision, Mission, Core Values and Strategic
Intent). These have been developed within the context of striving to be an innovative school and in the
best interests of the current generation of talented students. The guiding statements have been shared
best interests of the current generation of talented students. The guiding statements have been shared
with members of the school community. The guiding statements are aligned with the CIS Code of
Ethics and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. VSC is a Vietnamese national school hence
the learning environment by default is not multi-culture. We do understand that our students are not
yet fully aware of intercultural learning and meaningful feelings of being global citizens. However, the
school aspires to and tries to promote intercultural learning through ESL lessons introducing cultures
around the world, as well as student activities that include student exchanges and hosting of events
that involve students of other countries. The school’s mission and direction has been developed by our
Board of Education and is reviewed every year. The mission shapes the WIGS of each school year,
which informs the action plans by the school Principals. The action plans are tracked against the
strategic direction. To this extent, the school closely follows its guiding statements and ensures it is
channeled down to all the actions at the school/class level.
Part 2: Domain A - Evaluative Commentary
The school uses the Essential Questions and Guided Development Questions to inform its
investigation and support the gathering of evidence and self-evaluation against the
Standards in the Domain.
Commendations
D
Recommendations
None at this time.
Rating:
No Rating
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Reason for Rating

Overall, Vinschool Vietnam (VSC) in Hanoi has developed purpose and direction in line with the
vision and mission of CIS Member Schools, although core learning related to global citizenship is
not yet developed in practice. Vinschool Vietnam (VSC) has a clear vision and mission
statement and core values to which has been added the VINSER [the name given any student at
the school] profile. These include references to cultural and inter-cultural learning as well as
global citizenship although these are relatively new and are yet to be fully developed and not all
staff and students are sufficiently aware. The core values [integrity, caring and respect] provide
clear opportunities to foster well-being in the school community. There is also an underlying
philosophy of education statement which is used in communications to prospective families and
existing parents. This is the subject of conversations with parents on admission and provides a
framework for implementing high quality learning and teaching. Parents interviewed were very
aware of the philosophy. All these statements are being deployed in the school, however, there
is a need to clarify how these statements are used at different stages of a VINSER's
education. Furthermore in order to achieve the next level, more explicit reference to global
citizenship will be needed in the new curriculum on offer.
Part 2: Domain A - Standard A1

Narrative
Met
VSC has very clear Vision, Mission, Core Values as well as a Strategy Intent that is communicated widely
with all staffs and parents. What needs to be done further is the understanding and practice of the core
values among teachers, students and parents.
The school's purpose, direction and decision-making is guided by clear guiding statements
that are appropriate for the needs of all constituent groups.
Commendations
Domain A Standard 1 - The Vinschools Board and Leadership for their ambitious vision and mission
and through this demonstrating a commitment to student learning and well-being, and
communicating this effectively to parents and in advance of enrolment.
communicating this effectively to parents and in advance of enrolment.
Recommendations
Domain A Standard 1 - That the leaders at each campus be clear which of the guiding statements
are emphasised and ensure that they are visible, and stressed more clearly in classrooms by
teachers, so that the students can be more articulate and confident and live them through their
behaviours on a daily basis.
Membership Evaluation Criteria A1i. The school has appropriate Guiding Statements in place to
give it purpose and direction.
Rating:
Not/Partially
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Reason for Rating
VSC has a clearly written guiding statements which have been developed to establish the
Vinschool approach and therefore the school meets the Membership Criteria at this
stage. There is an education philosophy which is used effectively in communications to parents
and prospective families. There is an emphasis in the guiding statements on bilingual education
which was clearly explained and understood by parents interviewed. In addition, there is a
document that shows how the core values will be developed through the age groups which is
less well-understood. There remains some variation in implementation across campuses. The
core values are adapted for different age groups although they were much more evident at
Gardenia Primary than in Times City Primary. In addition, the VINSER profile was more evident in
the middle and high school than in the primary schools. The most pervasive element of the
VINSER profile proved to be 'Leader in Me' programme which was evident throughout the
school on signs and in classrooms and seemed to be embedded. Other aspects of the VINSER
profile were much less evident.

Narrative
Met
1. We seek to fulfill the promises stated in our guiding statements, policies, contracts and
promotional materials.
2. Strive for excellence. --> We always strive to be the leading institution, focused on best
practices, that shape education reform in Vietnam to educate future leaders for the country.
3. Nurture a culture of care in which the education, safety and well-being of students and others
are paramount. --> We have always been consistent with a student-centered approach and all
staff are aware and practice this. However, it might not be consistent across staff/ teachers as
some are still used to teacher-focus approach; this takes more training.
4. We comply with applicable laws and regulations of Vietnam
5. We respect the dignity and equality of all individuals, groups and cultures and seek to promote
global citizenship.
The school's Guiding Statements conform to the CIS Code of Ethics.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Membership Evaluation Criteria A2i. The Guiding Statements are in alignment with the CIS Code
of Ethics.
Rating:
Not/Partially
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Reason for Rating
Vinschool's guiding statements are aligned with the CIS Code of Ethics. There is clear
commitment to excellence and clear commitment to caring and well-being. The original
commitment to excellence and clear commitment to caring and well-being. The original
framework of a for profit schooling system has been altered to a not-for-profit basis in order to
strive for smaller class sizes which will allow the school to embed more of a personal approach.
There is a commitment to global citizenship and intercultural learning but this is as yet at the
early stage of being implemented.

Narrative
Partially met
Vinschool has sought to promote intercultural learning through:

1. One of the core values is RESPECT, including respecting other cultures
2. Our ESL Curriculum is centered around learning about world cultures
3. We always promote students activities that involve exchanging with students of other culture and
send students to foreign countries, etc.
However, due to the homogeneous nature of the school (both students and staff are mostly
Vietnamese, and the school is following the national curriculum), this integration with other cultures is
not immersed throughout all activities but limited to a few activities and a few groups of students/
teachers.
The Guiding Statements endorse the school's commitment to developing intercultural

learning.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
Domain A Standard 3 - That Vinschool's Board of Education, senior and middle leaders develop a
programme of teacher professional learning in order for the staff to be equipped to develop global
citizenship more broadly in all curricula and establish more clearly a whole school community
commitment within the staff.
commitment within the staff.
Membership Evaluation Criteria A3i. However defined, the Guiding Statements include reference
to international education/ intercultural learning.
Rating:
Not/Partially
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Reason for Rating
The school meets the requirements for this standard, the criteria at the Membership Evaluation
stage. The guiding statements include references to global citizenship. The VINSER profile has
clearly stated that the school will foster traits of citizenship in both a national and global
context. As the school reports there is a clear statement in relation to the core values under the
heading of Respect which states what is expected of all students and staff related to cultural,
religious and gender differences and offers an opportunity for students to reflect on how well
aligned they are with this core value to Vinschool. The school acknowledges that this is new
dimension and the leaders and teachers will work to add further strength to the experiences of
students. It has made a good start with a service learning curriculum which is in the process of
being implemented. There will need to be further training for teachers to fully internalise what
this means for different age groups and subjects as some teachers interviewed could articulate
ideas, but others could not.

Narrative
Partially met
Our guiding statements are not in conflict with the Rights of the Child, but further work is needed to
promote the concepts in the Convention, especially regarding student safety and well-being.

The school is committed to the values inherent in the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child (1990).
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
Domain A Standard 4 - That Vinschool's leaders and staff make more explicit to students the nature
of their rights and responsibilities in relation to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Membership Evaluation Criteria A4i. The school’s Purpose and Direction Statements are aligned
with the spirit of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the CIS Code of Ethics.
Rating:
Not/Partially
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Reason for Rating
Vinschool clearly states in the school's mission that, 'developing successful and happy students'
is a priority. The core values of integrity, caring and respect are explicitly focused on improving
the well-being of individuals and in the school community. Structures are in place to deliver
well-being education. There is support in place for students who have well-being issues,
although this is newly established. Policy tends to be focused on rules and what not to do for
the individual rather than what to do for the benefit of themselves as individuals, relationships
with others and the community as a whole. Overall the size of the school makes rigorous
systems of monitoring well-being very necessary and this is the next stage of development
along with staff induction and professional development so that more staff are supporting these
issues.
Part 2: Domain A - Planned Actions

Narrative
The school is looking to develop areas for all staff to get a greater understanding of the guiding
statements e.g. during orientation. The Core Values have been revised recently and more focused effort
is required to develop understand amongst students.
While the school has undertaken certain initiatives to implement intercultural learning, more concrete
planning is needed to promote a global environment and a global mindset for both teachers and
students.
Some curriculum initiatives are underway, including planning for the introduction of Global Perspective
(Cambridge) as a subject for all K-12 students.
The school is currently reviewing our student safeguarding and safety policies to ensure students feel
safe at school.
Part 2: Domain A - Planned Actions
As a result of the self-evaluation, the school identifies the actions necessary to strengthen
this aspect of school life. The Self-Study should be action-orientated, with evidence-based
evaluation leading to informed planning and proposed actions, in line with the school's
Guiding Statements.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Rating:
No Rating
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Reason for Rating
The school's planned actions need to be stated more explicitly in line with the recommendations
in this report and include specific actions and timelines.
Part 2: Domain B - Evaluative Commentary

Narrative
Overall, Vinschool is very clearly structured and well led. At the Vingroup level, big strategic decisions
are made regarding the market segment that the school should target, the tuition fees, and operational
strategies (like centralizing purchasing and auxiliary services). Vingroup has registered Vinschool as a
non-profit institution and committed financially to support the school’s development.
At the school governance level, there is the Board of Education (consists of representative from
Vingroup, the Head of School, the Principals, the Academic Heads) who make decision on the
curriculum and the academic goals and directions for each school year. The Head of School has the
ultimate responsibility in operationalizing and implementing the strategy and curriculum. The Head has
a centralized office that define the processes, policies and regulations by which each individual school
operates. The Principal at each campus, who report to the Head of School (or to the Regional Head),
should operate within these policies and is ultimately responsible for all that happen at their school.
The school’s vision and mission are approved by Vingroup chairman and supported by all strategic
decisions.
All strategic as well as operational decisions are defined clearly as to who can make what decision in
the Operations Handbook.
Financial statements and budgets are reviewed once every 6 months to ensure most principals operate
within budget and if they need help they can raise it in time. Financial statements are audited annually
by an independent accounting firm.
Tuitions and all other fees are communicated clearly before parents make a commitment to the school.
Changes in tuitions are announced as soon as decisions are made to ensure parents have adequate
time to prepare.
As the school is moving towards a true bilingual school and introduce more English-based subjects
(specifically Cambridge) in place of the national curriculum, we also have a growing number of foreign
teachers and academic coordinators and directors. Vinschool need to do a better job of including
foreign teachers in all communications and activities.
foreign teachers in all communications and activities.
Part 2: Domain B - Evaluative Commentary
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Rating:
No Rating
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Reason for Rating
Overall, Vinschool Vietnam (VSC) has a clearly defined governance structure which is described
in an operations handbook. All the standards at Membership Criteria are met. There are some
strong suggestions that the leadership of the school has good intent and expertise, however, the
scale of the campuses makes policy documents at Board of Education level very hard to
implement. The Board of Vingroup make strategic and financial decisions as is stated clearly in
the letter to parents from September 2017. The Board of Vingroup recognised the need to
improve the quality of education and needed to reduce class size as well as implement some
international curricula alongside the Vietnamese curriculum. Evidence from class observations
suggest that this was necessary to ensure that students receive more individual teacher
attention.
attention.
Although there is clear operational description of roles, given the size of the schools and the
growing number of schools, there needs to be a review of leadership and management to
enhance middle leadership in order to ensure that there is clearer responsibility for both pastoral
aspects of education and the academic subjects and that these aspects are more carefully
integrated. Leaders were complemented by the parents for their responsiveness. However,
students were less clear about the leadership of the school and how it operated. There seemed
to be a lack of adult presence during breaks. It is strongly advised that the leaders of Vinschools
overall, consider a stronger, more evident approach to 'schools within schools' in order to ensure
that student behaviour and belonging is improved. As the school notes, the clarification of the
roles and operations of owners and governors are necessary in English in order to be inclusive
for all staff.
Part 2: Domain B - Standard B1

Narrative
Partially Met
Roles regarding all aspects of management are defined clearly in the Operations Regulation and
understood by all Vietnamese staffs. VSC has obligation to report to the Group (owner) in terms of
financial results and other operations.
Changes in core curriculum strategies are decided at the Board of Education level (consisting of the
Head of School, all Principals and Head of Academic Departments, and representative of Vingroup)
However, for foreign staffs, this Operation Handbook is not yet understood or relevant as foreign
teachers are operating in a different process. Academically they report to the Cambridge Program
Director, not the Principal. Administratively, they communicate through a program assistant to get what
they need (like ordering supplies, stationeries, etc.). We need to work further to include foreign teachers
in all processes and policies to make it truly ONE school.

The respective roles and responsibilities of governance and ownership, and leadership and
management, are suitably defined in writing and respected in practice for the sustainable
development of the school.
Commendations
Domain B Standard 1 - The Vingroup for establishing effective documentation in the roles of
governance and cross-school leadership which has established many successful practices in the
schools.
Recommendations
Domain B Standard 1 [Major] - The Board of Education review the leadership structure within each
campus to improve the learning culture of the school as a whole.
Membership Evaluation Criteria B1i. The roles and responsibilities of ownership, governance,
leadership and management are clearly defined and set out in written form.
Rating:
Not/Partially
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Reason for Rating
stage. The Board of Vingroup and the Board of Education have distinctive roles and
responsibilities. Each level of governance and leadership is defined in written form in
Vietnamese and, as the school has acknowledged, there is a need to ensure more systematically
that these documents are available in English in order for international leaders and staff to be
clearer. The Board of Education is inclusive of representatives of the Board of Vingroup,
appropriate senior educators, and involves the heads of the school campuses. The Board of
Education have enabled many initiatives which have been well researched and the
documentation and the resourcing related to provision is decided strategically. It is at school
leadership level where there is clarity of role in writing, but the scale of each campus requires
careful thought as to how it is managed from day to day to improve student learning and also to
ensure that pedagogical initiatives are enacted more effectively.
ensure that pedagogical initiatives are enacted more effectively.

Narrative
Met
At each campus, the principal is the ultimate decision maker who is responsible for implementing the
strategy and curriculum, working with teachers and staffs to ensure student's wellbeing and learning, as
well as manage the relationship with parents.
The principals report to the Head of School, who has the ultimate responsibilities for everything that
happens at Vinschool. Head of School approve all matters relating to the implementation and
operationalization of the strategy.
The Board of Education (consist of representative from Vingroup, the Head of School, the principals,
and Academic Heads) approve the school strategic plan and curriculum design.
Vingroup, as the holding company, control fundamental and important strategic decisions or changes
that affect the business structure, value proposition and market segment of the schools.
The Head of the School is empowered to be the educational leader of the school,
implementing the mission and has ultimate responsibility and accountability for the students'
education and well-being.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
Domain B Standard 2 – The roles of Principal and other middle leadership positions are considered
in operational terms to improve the learning culture of the school and ensure that initiatives
become embedded.
become embedded.
Membership Evaluation Criteria B2i. The Head’s role as the educational leader including the
responsibility for implementing the mission and having the ultimate responsibility and
accountability for the students’ education and wellbeing is articulated in a formal job description
and fully understood by all members of the Board.
Rating:
Not/Partially
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Reason for Rating
stage. The Board of Education is clear on their role. The Head of Vinschool is also clear on her
strategic role across all the schools in the group. The Principals and Vice Principals interviewed
could also explain their roles too. It is the practical and day to day aspects of leadership of a
school which are less clear and the Principal of each campus has a very large number of staff
and students to manage. There is some evidence that there are too many initiatives at senior
level and insufficient middle leadership in schools to implement the initiatives. The quality of the
research is good which leads to good documentary evidence. There is no doubt that
professional development is also well supported. The impact was less evident in the classroom
and on the corridors which would suggest the roles and responsibilities of middle leaders are
less well-defined, less well understood and/or insufficiently supported and monitored.

Narrative
Met
Our school is registered as a non-profit organization as of Oct 2016. Originally the school system is a
private company. The owner decided to turn it into an NGO, which means that all profit will be re-
invested into the development of the school, the curriculum and the teachers. The Vingroup owner also
has expressed that he is committed to invest in education as a long-term endeavour in order to
educate the next-generation of Vietnam.
The Proprietors/ Governors ensure there are educational and financial plans to support the
school's viability, the mission, the programmes used to fulfil that mission, and that these
plans are explained to the school community.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Membership Evaluation Criteria B3i. The Proprietors/ Governors are able to demonstrate through
a strategic plan that the school’s short and long term finances are sufficient to support the
school’s mission and programmes and sustain the school’s operations into the foreseeable future.
Rating:
Not/Partially
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Reason for Rating
stage. There are strategic growth plans for Vinschool opening new campuses, recognising the
demand from Vinhomes' families as well as the growing number of parents in Vietnam who can
afford a fee-paying education. There is recognition that some growth has been very rapid and
there is a responsive plan to ease congestion in the original campuses as well as build new
schools.This is evident in the transfer of students from Times City to the new campus in January
2018. There are also financial plans in place for the foreseeable future. Vingroup communicated
to parents the need to increase fees to continue to ensure improvements in the quality of
education. Parents interviewed largely support this move. The Vingroup also made a decision
that Vinschools are now a not-for-profit organisation in order to support the financial and
structural decision to reduce class sizes systematically over a three year period. The size of
campuses does afford some economies of scale, and the campuses are largely well-built
facilities. There is now significant recognition at senior level that more needs to be done to
facilities. There is now significant recognition at senior level that more needs to be done to
improve learning and well-being on each campus. There has been further recognition of the
need to hire internationally-recognised and qualified teachers and not just English Language
teachers. This move should enhance the quality of education, however it will need more careful
induction and management than this current year in order that these international teachers
impact on Vinschool consistently and positively.
Part 2: Domain B - Planned Actions

Narrative
One area of improvement is the school want to empower Principals, Head teachers and teachers more
to really step up and take ownership of the curriculum and programs in order to make student learning
most effective. The current state is that sometimes they depend on and wait for instruction from the
Academic Department at the central office. We do this by continuous on the job training and feedback.
In order to make the culture of the school more diverse and inclusive, the school is hiring more
personnels (administrator, coordinator and manager level) who have experience working with foreign
teachers and in international schools. We also plan on reviewing processes and policies to make them
relevant to foreign teachers. As a whole, at the management level, we are increasingly mindful of
creating a culturally rich and diverse environment.
Part 2: Domain B - Planned Actions
Guiding Statements.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Rating:
No Rating
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Reason for Rating
The school's planned actions are appropriate and need to be stated more explicitly in line with
the recommendations in this report.
Part 2: Domain C - Evaluative Commentary

Narrative
Vinschool is unique for its mission to provide high quality education with a holistic approach, thus it has
decided to pioneer among the Vietnamese schools to implement a 5-in-1 comprehensive curriculum.
The bilingual program also includes the Cambridge curriculum, following the standards set by
Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) of the University of Cambridge. As a result, Vinschool
students are not only well-prepared for Academic and English language competences but also Physical
Education, Arts, and Life Skills. In addition to following the national curriculum, Vinschool partners with
prestigious international education experts and institutions to obtain copyrights of leading programs to
offer to its students namely the Cambridge program, the Leader in Me (TLIM), the 21st Century Skills
and the Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Vinschool also offers a wide range of optional after-school
clubs for students to sign up based on their interests. Every component of the curriculum has an
Academic Director responsible for the development and management of that component. They also
work together to promote interdisciplinary learning and ensure a coherent and sequenced curriculum
throughout Vinschool from grade 1 up to grade 12. The curriculum is constantly reviewed and annually
updated to reflect the changes in direction of the school, e.g. when we changed our Core Values, a new
character program was added to help students understand and be able to uphold these values. All
curriculum and lesson plans are uploaded to a shared drive that all teachers have access to. Many
components of the curriculum allow students to develop into global citizens having cultural
mindfulness and understanding such as the ESL program uses a set of textbooks that has diverse
intercultural contents, many projects are focused on helping students gain an understanding of the
world, and the school required reading lists include books written by foreign authors to expose students
to different cultures. In another word, the school’s curriculum and activities are aligned with its Guiding
Statements and support students to develop as a whole with global and digital citizenship.
Part 2: Domain C - Evaluative Commentary
Commendations
Domain C - Vinschools' leaders for providing additional areas of learning and well being to
complement and enhance the Vietnamese National Curriculum thereby ensuring a broader, more
balanced programme for all students that aligns with their guiding statements.
Recommendations
Domain C – Curriculum and programme leaders create a shared understanding of global citizenship
and intercultural learning for the Vinschool context in order to integrate these key driving concepts
for international schools into the curriculum for all their students in both the Standard and
Advanced streams.
There is no Rubric for this response
Rating:
No Rating
i
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
Overall, Vinschool Vietnam (VSC) in Hanoi offers a curriculum that is considerably broader and
more balanced than that offered by the Vietnamese National Curriculum. Sport, the Arts and
Life Skills are highly valued areas of the curriculum and their inclusion supports the holistic view
of education espoused by Vinschool. In interviews, teachers explained that these curriculum
additions are possible in the Standard System as the Vietnam National Curriculum from Ministry
of Education and Technology [MOET] can be completed in half a day, leaving the rest of each
full day to be utilized for other programmes to broaden the curriculum. The school now needs to
full day to be utilized for other programmes to broaden the curriculum. The school now needs to
consider how global citizenship can be meaningfully incorporated into the programme for all
students. To achieve recognition as an international school, students of all ages in the Standard
System and the Advanced (Cambridge Bilingual) System need to have equal access to learning
about global citizenship and global perspectives, in line with the intent of the guiding statements
as expressed in the “Vinser Profile” diagram shared with the Evaluators during the Visit. The
examples shared in the report and in meetings during the visit indicate that there is not yet a
clear or shared understanding of what this might mean in the Vinschool context and how global
citizenship might be developed alongside the stated goal of developing Vietnamese identity. By
creating a shared understanding and definition of global citizenship, the school should then be
able to develop a meaningful curriculum to achieve this goal. In terms of teaching practices
being aligned to the school’s purpose and direction, indicators of high quality teaching at
Vinschool are articulated clearly and expectations are known and understood by teachers. They
are working hard to change and improve their practices and achieve these expectations. An
equal focus should now be placed on defining high quality learning and exploring how the needs
of the enrolled students can be met and how all students can be successful learners in relation
to the written and taught curriculum.
Part 2: Domain C - Standard C1

Narrative
Met
Vinschool's mission is to provide holistic education with the whole-child development. As such, the
school follows the 5-in-1 program where students are prepared with the academics, physical education,
arts, music, life skills and English.
Part 2: Domain C - Standard C1
The documented curriculum is broad, balanced and sequenced in a way to promote students'
access and progression, and is guided by the mission of the school and the needs of the
enrolled students.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
Domain C Standard 1 – the school leaders define high quality learning with reference to the guiding
statements learning and outline key learning principles, focusing on the qualities and outcomes of
effective learning, ensuring the needs of the enrolled students can be met and that all students can
be successful learners in relation to the written and taught curriculum.
Domain C Standard 1 – the curriculum managers develop a more consistent format for the
documentation of curriculum to support the teachers as they plan learning opportunities for
students.
Membership Evaluation Criteria C1i. The school’s curriculum design, teaching practices, and
student learning are aligned to the school’s purpose and direction.
Rating:
Not/Partially
j
k
l
m
n Met Met
i
j
k
l
m
n Exceeded
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
The school meets the criteria for this standard at the Membership Evaluation stage. The
curriculum for both the Standard and the Advanced (Cambridge) system is documented in terms
of scope and sequence. Progression of expectations from one grade level to the next is clear.
The curriculum is influenced by a number of different published programmes (Cambridge Maths,
Science and English, 21st Century Skills, The Leader in Me, Multiple Intelligences) that have been
selected to match the mission and vision of the school. The curriculum is still being developed
and is subject to review with new programmes (e.g. Global Perspectives) to be added soon. The
school is also considering more STEM and ICT. The plan to use the strengths of the Cambridge
curriculum to influence the development of other curriculum on offer at school is helpful and,
although this may take time to achieve, it should lead to a more cohesive and coherent
approach to curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment. The pedagogical theories
underpinning the various programmes selected by the school leaders align with the educational
philosophy of the school and support a holistic approach to student learning. Professional
training and development have been provided for the teaching staff who have taken on a
significant number of new initiatives and teaching methodologies in a relatively short period of
significant number of new initiatives and teaching methodologies in a relatively short period of
time. More time is needed for teachers to embed these different teaching strategies into their
classroom practice and for the school leaders to ensure there is more consistent application in
all classrooms by all teachers.
Part 2: Domain C - Planned Actions

Narrative
Currently, the bilingual program is a combination between Vinschool 5-in-1 comprehensive curriculum
and the Cambridge curriculum. There are some overlaps in the contents of both programs, especially in
Math and Sciences. Vinschool’s intention is to review and eliminate the overlapping parts in the
Vietnamese curriculum. Moreover, more collaboration is needed between Vnese and foreign teachers
of different subjects so they can plan lessons and activities that can support each other’s subject and
enhance students learning most effectively.
While the school has undertaken certain initiatives to implement intercultural learning, more concrete
planning is needed to promote a global environment and a global mindset for both teachers and
students. Some curriculum initiatives are underway, including planning for the introduction of Global
Perspectives (Cambridge) as a subject for all K-12 students. School is also having a plan to organize
overseas field trips for students.
As part of the ICT and 21st Century skills curriculum, students are prepared with digital awareness to
support their learning. However, there is more to improve with regards to bringing in STEM and
introducing a more vigorous, sequenced ICT program (Cambridge) from grade 1 up.
Starting this year, the school is taking a new approach in its extra-curricular activities, making sure field
trips, projects, events, and after-school clubs are learning oriented and serve to enrich the curriculum.
At the end of the semester, the school will need to review this initiative to decide how to move forward.

Part 2: Domain C - Planned Actions
Guiding Statements
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Rating:
No Rating
i
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
The identified planned actions are appropriate, especially with regard to the development of
global citizenship and intercultural learning. Many of the actions to enable high quality learning
have been effectively researched and some teachers are aware of these expectations. However,
the school's leaders should beware of a lack of capacity at middle leadership level and overload
on teachers by introducing too many initiatives too quickly or simultaneously before pedagogical
approaches are more embedded.
Part 2: Domain D - Evaluative Commentary

Narrative
The Vinschool comprehensive curriculum is designed based on the national standard curriculum of the
Ministry of Education with an innterdisciplinary approach. Students learn through hands-on
experiences; therefore, not only do they remember the content knowledge but also have a full
understanding and be able to apply it in real life. Upon completion of Grade 5, Grade 9 and Grade 12,
understanding and be able to apply it in real life. Upon completion of Grade 5, Grade 9 and Grade 12,
students are awarded with a diploma recognized by the Ministry of Education. Moreover, Vinschool
developed its own curriculum for the subjects of Arts, Physical Education, Life Skills and English. The
national curriculum is kept at the department of each subject to make it easily accessible to all
teachers. The Vinschool components are stored in a shared drive to make it available to everyone and
can be updated annually. Every lesson plan is also uploaded this drive for teachers to download and use
as reference. The curriculum was developed based on the mission of the school and serve the needs of
its students, which are to be well-prepared with core fundamental knowledge of the national curriculum
for college entrance exam (if applicable), English proficiency for successful academic endeavors in
international schools in Vietnam or abroad, essential social and study skills, and have the appreciation
for arts, and good health. This mission from the very beginning has been clearly communicated to all
teachers and receives strong support from teachers and parents alike.
The school has admission policies that are aligned with the Guiding Statements, available on school’s
web site and Admissions office. Vinschool screens all incoming students and only admits students who
meet the school's entrance criteria. Therefore, the majority of the students can benefit from the
school's curriculum. A small number of students who are advanced or need to catch up will be provided
with after-school tutoring free of charge. Students are also placed into classes based on their English
proficiency to make sure students can succeed in their learning. Student screening is also a good way
for teachers to learn about their students’ aptitude, interests, and personality beforehand.
Teachers apply both summative and formative assessments at Vinschool. At the beginning of the year,
parents are provided with the school calendar which clearly notes down the exams periods and parents
meetings. Parents receive grades and feedbacks from teachers weekly via text messages, and progress
reports 4 times/year in hard copies. Progress reports provide remarks of all teachers teaching the
student in that semester, showing the student’s strengths and areas that need improvement. The
remarks show the student’s progress in comparison with his or her previous performance, not with his
or her peers. Results from students’ assessments are evaluated, analyzed and used as basis for
curricular adjustments, if needed.
Students are taught to set goals at the beginning of the year and periodically review these goals, make
changes or updates to their action plan. Each lesson’s objectives and success criteria are presented to
students at the start of the period. These help to direct, engage and motivate students to work towards
the learning outcomes.

Part 2: Domain D - Evaluative Commentary
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Rating:
No Rating
i
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
Overall, Vinschool Vietnam (VSC) in Hanoi, has good intent with regard to teaching and learning,
and this is evident in the documentation of the curriculum and in the knowledge of the
teachers. However, the nature of the assessment, which is very test-driven seems to be having a
dominating affect on teacher pedagogy and student expectations in classrooms. Most
classroom observations showed students to be either quietly working on worksheets or when
other pedagogies were being deployed, students seemed to lack skills in concentrated effort
with these approaches; group work for example. Teachers did seem to tolerate minor disruptive
behaviour and involuntary calling out. Teachers skills in behaviour management to establish
better climates for learning in these circumstances are not well-established. Furthermore, there
was no evidence of differentiation methodologies as a matter of routine. Assessment and
testing is thorough, regular and individual, and so tracking is also thorough in quantitative
terms. However, there is a need to establish more variety of assessments on a systematic basis
to ensure that students learn different ways of being assessed in order to be fully in-keeping
with the school's holistic philosophy.
Part 2: Domain D - Standard D1
Narrative
Met
D1i: All teachers have been trained to carry out the school's curricular programs. Every year, school
provides professional development courses to support teachers in enhancing the quality of delivering
the curriculum, especially with newly introduced programs.
D1ii: The majority of the students in the school can benefit from the curriculum. Teachers also spend
time after-school to tutor advanced and need-to-catch-up students.
Teaching enables all students to gain access to the curriculum and to have the opportunities
for success in their learning, relative to their abilities.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
Domain D Standard 1 [Major] – That teachers, with the support of their leaders, consider how their
professional development can be deployed more effectively to improve expectations and
engagement of students in lessons to enhance the climate for learning.
Domain D Standard 1 [Major] – That teachers develop more presence and behaviour management
techniques in classrooms to reduce disruptive behaviour in order that learning in a variety of ways
can be more effective.
Membership Evaluation Criteria D1i. Teachers know how the school’s curricular programmes can
meet the needs of all students, regardless of age or learning challenges. D1ii. Teachers support
the expectation that all students admitted to the school can succeed within the existing school
programme.
Rating:
Not/Partially
i
j
k
l
m
n Met Met
j
k
l
m
n Exceeded
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
The school partially meets the requirements for this standard, the criteria at the Membership
Evaluation Stage. There has been a great deal of professional development and teachers are
complementary about the provision. Classroom observations suggest that teachers are familiar
with the expectations of the programme and with the philosophy of the school, but are yet to
embed their learning in day to day practices in the classroom. Engagement was observed to be
an issue in many classrooms when the pedagogy did not involve worksheets. When it did, the
class was quiet and the teachers seemed to be passive. There is little or no differentiation in
classroom practiced. There is an over reliance using English proficiency to create class groups.
Whilst this may support differentiation for English Language Learning, other subjects are not be
catered for in this way, therefore further differentiation is essential.

Narrative
Met (from D2i to D2iv)
D2i:
All students who plan to study at Vinschool need to pass an evaluation for admission organized by the
school. Each student is allowed to apply for evaluation once every school year. Any student who fails
the evaluation may apply for a re-evaluation of the result.
Vinschool follows a strictly scientific procedure in accepting applications and evaluating students for
admission so as to maintain neutrality, fairness and effectiveness in selecting the most suitable
students to study at our school.
D2ii:
The school’s admissions policy is widely published in the website as below:
In English: http://eng.vinschool.com/admissions/admissions-policy/admissions-policy-and-
procedure.html
In Vietnamese: http://vinschool.com/vi-vn/tuyen-sinh/quy-che-tuyen-sinh.aspx
D2iii:
The Boards of rectors arrange different classes based on the English level of each student. From the
beginning, the teachers will discover each student's strengths and weaknesses based on their
achievement, learning styles, awareness... then they will divide all students into different groups. All
members of each group will support each other in learning. Besides of that, if there are some students
who lack of skills or not good at some subjects, the teachers will spend some break time such as after
school to tutor for those students. They also guide good students to help not good students...
For examples, the Grade 1 of Cambridge programme, there is one more Vietnamese tutor (besides of
Cambridge teachers) in the class to support the students in learning Mathematics...
At the same times, the gifted/ talented students are fostered and trained to develop their knowledge
and skills. When filling out the registration form, students will have the opportunity to inform the school
of any talents and strengths that need more attention from the school. Other than that, in the form
students/parents can indicate whether the student requires special needs education. Students can
attach any awards or certificates in their registration profile for further consideration.
D2iv
The teachers will discover gifted/ talented student abilities through their study process, the score, the
achievements... then they support the students to develop their skills, experience and knowledge. They
will have chances to join the national/ international competition (The Word scholar's cup), exchange
cultures, and receive full scholarship from high rank universities (IPAG; Waikato...).
The school also has scholarship policy to attract excellent students and it will be the motivation for
others students. In order to attend the scholarship exams, the students need to have outstanding
education background, high performance during all the years... and take part in 2 competition rounds:
one round is written test, final round is presentation. English is an indispensable element in the
competition.
Talented students can join annual Vincamp competition and have chance to win a free trip to UK/US or
some other countries for 10-15 days. They will take part in many student exchange activities, learning
skill that will benefit them to become global citizens.
There are effective procedures in place, supported by policies, to identify the varied needs of
students, both at admission and whilst enrolled, to ensure that all students may benefit from
the school's programmes.
Commendations
Domain D Standard 1 – The admissions department and school's leaders for a very thorough
process of admission, which enables potential parents to understand the criteria.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Membership Evaluation Criteria D2i. The school has a written admissions policy that is aligned to
the Guiding Statements and which offers clear information concerning the alignment between
students’ learning needs and proficiencies and the programmes offered. D2ii. The school’s
admissions policy is published and made available to all community members including
prospective families. D2iii. As part of the admissions process, the school secures relevant
diagnostic information about an individual student’s proficiencies, learning differences, talents
and learning styles to assist in determining whether the student’s educational needs can be met
by the school and its programmes. D2iv. The school has, or is in the process of developing, means
of identifying and referring the learning needs and special gifts or talents of students already
enrolled in the school.
Rating:
Not/Partially
j
k
l
m
n Met Met
j
k
l
m
n Exceeded
i
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
The school exceeds the requirements for this standard, the criteria at the Membership
Evaluation Stage. Admission processes are very thorough with quantitative and qualitative data
establishing whether the school is appropriate for each applicant. There is on-going data from
assessments, tests in particular which allow the school to track progress.
assessments, tests in particular which allow the school to track progress.
Part 2: Domain D - Planned Actions

Narrative
Although Vinschool has been recognized as one of the two Microsoft Showcase schools in Vietnam,
technology and media-embedded lessons are somewhat limited, mostly to the use of PowerPoint and
video as supporting classroom presentation. We still need to encourage teachers to incorporate and
make better use of technology in their teaching.
We are also in the process of purchasing academic achievement assessments to determine students
with learning needs or special talents.
Moreover, VSC is a Vietnamese national school, students’ exposure to a multi-culture is limited, and
thus students do not yet have an intercultural perspective. However, the school aspires to and tries to
promote intercultural learning through ESL lessons introducing cultures around the world, as well as
student activities that include student exchanges and hosting of events that involve students of other
countries. More concrete planning is still needed to promote a global environment and a global mindset
for both teachers and students.
Part 2: Domain D - Planned Actions
Guiding Statements.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Rating:
No Rating
i
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
The school's planned actions are appropriate. There is also a need to take into account the
recommendations in this report.
Part 2: Domain E - Evaluative Commentary

Narrative
Vinschool believes that each child is unique and has his/her own strengths. As such, Vinschool
implements a 5-in-1 curriculum that places the importance of academic subjects at the same level as
Life skills, Sports, and Arts. Teachers at school adopt the multi-intelligence approach to ensure students
have the opportunity to maximize their potential. Different learning programs for students that need
extra support or want a bit more challenge are provided free of charge after school.
In general, Vinschool has a number of regulations and procedures to ensure student’s safety and
security at school. They are reflected through the rules at the nurse’s office, labs, kitchen, pool, sports
hall and rules for visitors and contractors. These rules are enforces and periodically checked by the
Quality Assurance associates. Cameras are installed in common areas of school such as hallway, sports
halls, school yard, and records are kept for references.
Students are empowered to lead student organizations and events. The leader of the student body is
the Student Council, whose members are selected through an open voting process. The Council
manages more than 10 different student clubs and holds big events throughout the school year such as
Halloween Party, Teacher’s Day Celebration and Prom. The school holds annual Vincamp initiative for
students to demonstrate their leadership qualities through starting their own projects that serve the
community. Students set their own goals at the beginning of the school year, monitor and assess their
performance according to their set goals. They also present these goals and progress to parents in a
student-led conference at the middle of the school year.
The school facilities include both indoor and outdoor sports center, with cooling and heating available
in every room. Nurses have required credentials and are continuously trained by Vinmec doctors, and
are present whenever students are in school. Professional support from Vinmec doctors are also
are present whenever students are in school. Professional support from Vinmec doctors are also
available.
Part 2: Domain E - Evaluative Commentary
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
Domain E - Vinschool's leaders consider carefully the approach to behaviour management to
improve the well-being of learners to enhance the positive attitude to learning for the students'
themselves and others to enable collaborative and cooperative learning to take place more
effectively and enhance well-being of the whole community.
Domain E - The Board of Education consider how matters of Child Safeguarding will be taught to
staff, students and parents in order to ensure there is widespread awareness in the community;
Rating:
No Rating
i
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
Overall, Vinschool Vietnam (VSC) in Hanoi needs a significant effort to improve the school to
enhance well-being and learning about well-being given its stated commitment to a holistic
education. There are initiatives to develop pro-active age appropriate learning about well-being
in the Life Skills curriculum with knowledgeable teachers - however these teachers are separate
in the Life Skills curriculum with knowledgeable teachers - however these teachers are separate
from other staff engaged in pastoral care. There are colleagues employed to focus on student
behaviour and welfare. These staff are in small numbers compared with academic staff who
have an unclear role with regard to pastoral matters. There are now specialist psychologist and
counselling services whose relationship with the pastoral staff is still new and not yet fully
established who have plans to establish proactive as well as reactive matters related to well-
being. The scale of the school requires careful consideration of systems to support well-
being. Overall, the students are enthusiastic and keen to learn and they also claim there is
respect for teachers, but there is in general a lack of classroom conventions and behaviour
management which would enable more effective learning to take place and improve mutual
respect. Nothing witnessed was malicious or deliberately negative, most was minor disruptive
behaviour, typical of primary and middle school age students. This seemed to go unnoticed by
the teachers and other adults despite school rules clearly displayed at the end of every
corridor. This inconsiderate behaviour was also evident in the corridors in break times with
students unsupervised. Adults seemed to be unaware of boisterous play and the dangers
associated with them. Teachers spoke of a different relationship with students compared with
schools that they had worked in before. However, this informal relationship has created an
overall lack of consideration for other students and their well-being and learning in the
pedagogical methods that the school aspires to. Students interviewed expressed a desire for
more orderly learning. Teachers who lack confidence with group work and other collaborative
learning methods often resort to worksheets and individual learning which did not reflect the
guiding statements and the professional learning provided by the school. There is also further
need for a concerted and systematic effort related to child safeguarding awareness among staff,
students and parents in order to meet the criteria.
Part 2: Domain E - Standard E1

Narrative
Met (from E1i to E1iii)
E1i
Two of Vinschool's core values are Integrity and Respect. They are re-enforced every day in all students'
learning and extracurricular activities.
Vinschool also implements The Leader in Me curriculum to develop student's leadership qualities.
Students are encouraged and empowered to be proactive in their learning and experience at school by
leading and participating in many student-led events and projects.
leading and participating in many student-led events and projects.
E1ii
Vinschool has partnered with many institutions around the world to provide opportunities for student
exchange. Also, parents take part actively in supporting students' learning through sharing with
students about their jobs, topics of their expertise like child protection, environment, motivation,
company tour...
E1iii
Vinschool has student and staff policies to ensure an environment of fairness, trust, and mutual respect,
thus developing a positive school culture.
The school environment is characterised by openness, fairness, trust, and mutual respect to
support students' learning and well-being, listen to their views and develop their leadership
qualities.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
Domain E Standard 1 [Major] – The Board of Education and schools' leaders create a clearer
implementation plan for 'schools within schools' in order to enhance the community feel, climate for
learning and enhanced well-being for students.
Domain E Standard 1 [Major] – School leaders enhance teachers understanding of positive behaviour
management especially in the primary and middle schools to enhance the climate for learning in
classrooms.
Membership Evaluation Criteria E1i. The school has a culture of openness, fairness, trust and
mutual respect. E1ii. Collaboration, external partnerships, shared responsibility and partnerships
with parents support students’ learning and well-being. E1iii. There are policies, procedures and
practices in place that support the development of a positive school culture.
practices in place that support the development of a positive school culture.
Rating:
Not/Partially
i
j
k
l
m
n Met Met
j
k
l
m
n Exceeded
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
Evaluation Stage. There is a climate of openness and a degree of trust expressed between
students and teachers. However, in lessons, there seemed to be lack of mutual respect between
teachers and students on both primary and secondary campuses. Students reported a caring
and friendly attitude by teachers, but at times in the lessons witnessed in the primary and the
secondary school, there was a lack of intervention by teachers with regard to minor disruptive
behaviour which slowed learning. This was reported by primary students as being disruptive of
learning. This was less evident in the High School, but seemed common in the Middle
School. Policy and practice related to behaviour management is not yet clear and not yet
embedded. This is due to a lack of conversations with students about what makes effective
group or collaborative work. Some teachers revert to worksheets to support quiet behaviour
rather than continue to establish cooperative and collaborative learning that is
effective. Although there are rules, they seemed not to be fully enforced. There are some
measures that will support improving the climate for learning, reducing class sizes, however, this
is not yet sufficient as positive discipline is not well understood by teachers or
students. Furthermore, although there are two sections on a campus, the need for 'schools
within schools' is essential to create a community and holistic ethos and be able to monitor
behaviour more effectively. This is recognised by some leaders.

Narrative
Partially Met
E2i - Partially Met

VSC has many provisions to ensure students' safety and welfare. However, we are in the process of
drafting a complete child protection policy.
E2ii - Partially Met

Teachers and staff are following current regulations in their respective departments. However, there is
not yet any school-wide efforts/campaign on these issues. We are putting together to plan to raise the
not yet any school-wide efforts/campaign on these issues. We are putting together to plan to raise the
awareness of staff and teachers about child protection.
E2iii - Not Applicable
E2iv - Partially Met

Vinschool is currently requiring criminal check for all incoming teachers and staff, and service providers
to run criminal check for all of their staff who work with Vinschool students. However, we are reviewing
our policy regarding this matter.
E2v - Met
We have a regulation for HR staff to cross check references of all incoming teachers and staff.
The school has documented effective written policies to safeguard and promote the welfare
of all enrolled students.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
Domain E Standard 2 [Major] – The leaders and appropriate staff complete the work on child
safeguarding and child protection policy and implementation plans of international standard, in
order to ensure that child abuse and the potential for it are appropriately minimised in the school
and there is a clear process of what is to be done should a case arise.
Membership Evaluation Criteria E2i. The school has documented effective written policies and
procedures to safeguard and promote the welfare and protection of children who are students at
the school. E2ii. There is a sense of shared responsibility to address awareness, prevention and
responsiveness to issues including all forms of child abuse, sexual harassment, substance abuse,
hazing or bullying and discrimination in any form. E2iii. If applicable, the school has specific child
protection policies and procedures to ensure the safety and welfare of all students within
boarding facilities, homestay and residential arrangements. E2iv. Formal procedures exist for
boarding facilities, homestay and residential arrangements. E2iv. Formal procedures exist for
conducting criminal record checks for prospective and existing faculty, staff, contractors and
volunteers. E2v. Formal procedures exist to verify references for prospective and existing faculty
and staff.
Rating:
Not/Partially
i
j
k
l
m
n Met Met
j
k
l
m
n Exceeded
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
VSC partially meets the requirements for this standard, the criteria at the Membership Evaluation
Stage. The school's own assessment of this standard is accurate. There is a Student Affairs
Office on both campuses, as well as a new psychology and counselling service. These services
were reported to work well together, however the latter is new and not well established as
yet. The numbers involved in pastoral matters seem small in number for the size of the
school. Both teams are involved in considering how to involve the community in child
safeguarding awareness and practices, but this work is as yet incomplete.

Narrative
Partially Met
Vinschool implements all current policies and procedures on security, safeguarding, behavior, discipline,
sanction, health, rewards and restraint. However, we still need to work on the anti-bullying and child
protection policies and implementation.
The school implements policies and procedures in relation to anti-bullying, child protection,
complaints, security, safeguarding, behaviour, discipline, sanctions, rewards and restraint,
health education and health records.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
Domain E Standard 3 [Major] – That school's leaders review and improve the implementation of
policy related to behaviour
Membership Evaluation Criteria E3i. A policy framework and supporting procedures are
implemented covering all aspects of the welfare of all students: antibullying, child protection,
complaints, behaviour, security and safeguarding and health.
Rating:
Not/Partially
i
j
k
l
m
n Met Met
j
k
l
m
n Exceeded
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
Evaluation Stage. Whilst at Vinschool, Hanoi there is policy and written approaches to well-
being, some are currently not being implemented thoroughly. One area is of particular concern
was student behaviour which was often mild forms of disruption to learning with a lack of
intervention by adults in the school. The policy with regard to behaviour is clearly written as
rules, and in places evident on the walls of classrooms and corridors. Overall, in both primary
and secondary, there was too much disruption to learning and mild inappropriate behaviour by
students was commonplace. There seemed to be a lack of presence on the corridor.
Part 2: Domain E - Planned Actions

Narrative
Vinschool is currently review all of its policies with regards to safeguarding of students, including adding
the requirement for criminal check for everyone who comes into contact with students, fire drills
procedures, and drafting a child protection policy. Efforts will also be put into training teachers on the
importance of ensuring students’ safety and wellness and raising the whole school’s awareness on anti-
bullying.
Last year was the school’s first year having grade 12 students. At that time, Vinschool worked with
external partners to provide college and career counseling to students. This year, we have recruited a
staff to work on student development and counseling, as part of the Student Affairs office. Currently, a
staff to work on student development and counseling, as part of the Student Affairs office. Currently, a
plan is being drafted for what the office is going to provide to students and parents next year.
Currently, students are not permitted to use electronic devices during class hours and no Wi-Fi is
available at school. If students use computers in the lab and library, a firewall has been set to make sure
students only appropriate contents. However, if students use 3G to access the Internet, there is no way
to control what information students access. We think the most important thing is to teach students
how to use the Internet safely and ethically. But we will also look into other schools’ best practices to
learn from them.
Part 2: Domain E - Planned Actions
Guiding Statements
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
There is no Rubric for this response
Rating:
No Rating
i
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
The school's planned actions are appropriate, however, there is a need to take into account the
specific recommendations in this report.
Part 2: Domain F - Evaluative Commentary
Narrative
In general, Vinschool has a comprehensive staffing, recruitment and development set of programs and
policies. We have developed recruitment process, performance appraisal procedure, and teacher
training and development policies. In recruitment process, there are clear steps to follow from
advertising to staff induction. In recruitment process, before offering any candidate a teaching job at
Vinschool, we carry out the background check procedure where we verify their previous employment
history, qualification and character references and also ask them to submit the police check and
medical certificate to prove that they have good health and identity to do the job. Moreover, Vingroup –
the mother company has a security department who has responsibilities to double check the identity of
all teachers. However, this process hasn’t been applied for support staff.
After faculty and staff are onboard, school principals and direct managers will assign duties and
workloads to them according to their competence and experience. During working at school, principals
and direct managers review their staff’s performance periodically to make sure they fit the job and
make revision or make change of workload, responsibilities if necessary to allow faculty and staff to be
maximally effective in carrying out their teaching duties or other responsibilities.
The professional development plan (PDP) for each staff has been developed every year before the
school year starts. All teacher’s PDP will be reviewed by their head of department and then approved by
the school board of management before implementation. The PDP will be designed following some
criteria such as (1) there must be alignment between personnel competencies and skills and the
school’s needs, school’s mission; (2) the plan needs to help to improve the strengths and fix the
weaknesses of staff; (3) the plan meets employee’s expectation about their career path.
The performance appraisal process is conducted with transparency, fairness and openness. A written
performance evaluation criteria and process are issued to all faculty and then, HR department and
school board of management work together to organize meetings, workshops to share and discuss
with faculty and staff about how they are evaluated. During the performance appraisal period, faculty
and staff will have self-evaluation before being evaluated by their managers. The performance appraisal
result will be communicated to teachers and staff members and teachers and staff will sign the
performance paper to show their agreement on the result.
One part that the school need to pay attention to is the inclusion of foreign teachers in all policies and
activities.
Part 2: Domain F - Evaluative Commentary
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Rating:
No Rating
i
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
Overall, Vinschool Vietnam (VSC) in Hanoi has gained a reputation in the Hanoi Vietnamese
teaching community for being a very professional organization that looks after its
staff. Teachers interviewed spoke with great pride about having been selected to work at the
school, after a detailed and stringent recruitment process, and they expressed a real
appreciation for the professional development and training to which they have access. They feel
well looked after in terms of salary and benefits. It was evident that these teachers and other
staff share the Vingroup’s aspirational goal to enhance the quality of education in Vietnam and
are relishing their role in that. Teachers in the ESL programme were also very appreciative of
being in the professional environment of Vinschool; many of them have moved from language
school TEFL settings within the city. There has been significant investment in training for the
teachers as they are expected to take on board the new initiatives and different and unfamiliar
teaching methodologies and approaches at Vinschool, to align with the education promised in
the guiding statements. Whilst progress has been made in terms of changing teaching practices,
and teachers are clearly committed to these improvements, more time and support is needed
and teachers are clearly committed to these improvements, more time and support is needed
for these new approaches to be effectively embedded and for there to be a measurable
difference in terms of student outcomes. The appraisal process is rigorous and teachers spoke
positively about it. Moving forward, if the school wishes to utilize best practices for teacher
reflection and growth, different ways of enhancing teacher effectiveness should be considered
to replace, for example, the biannual written exams. In general, the school should continue to
ensure fair and equal access and practices for the international staff to match what is available
to the Vietnamese staff, so they are able to take a full and active part in all aspects of school life
for the benefit of student learning and well being.
Part 2: Domain F - Standard F1

Narrative
Met
Always ensure sufficient numbers of faculty and support staff by having clear headcount and
recruitment plans.
Recruitment principles: Complete recruitment plan one month before the new school year starts with
current campuses and 1 month before opening for new campus;
The faculty and support staff is sufficient in numbers, experience, qualifications, and
competencies.
Commendations
Domain F Standard 1 - The school leaders for their plan to reduce class sizes in order to positively
impact teacher impact, student learning and well being.
Recommendations
Domain F Standard 1- The head of school and the school board investigate the professional
development support model for teachers for ongoing, sustained training and mentoring in the new
methodologies adopted by the school to ensure consistency of application for the benefit of student
learning and well being, and teacher growth.
Membership Evaluation Criteria F1i. There are sufficient numbers of faculty and support staff,
commensurate with the number of students, to ensure a satisfactory learning experience for the
students in accordance with the school’s services, curriculum and cocurricular activities.
Rating:
Not/Partially
j
k
l
m
n Met Met
i
j
k
l
m
n Exceeded
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
Stage. There seem to be sufficient numbers of faculty to ensure a satisfactory learning
experience for the students enrolled. The proposal to reduce class size should positively impact
student learning and this is a commendable change for the school in order to more closely
emulate international best practice as stated in the Vinschools Vision. In the future the school
may also wish to consider using trained teaching assistants to work alongside fully qualified
teachers for the benefit of student learning as per international standards. In order for the
school leaders to ensure there is more consistent application in all classrooms by all teachers,
the Evaluators suggest consideration be given to employing additional lead teachers/ leaders
whose role would be to coach and mentor teachers in these new pedagogical practices as a
form of ongoing, job-embedded professional development. The teachers are suitably qualified
and many are experienced in the Vietnamese Standard System. The school is able to be
selective in its recruitment with Vietnamese teachers who stated that they are better paid and
have access to better professional development as Vinschools employees than they might
expect in other schools. Expatriate teachers employed in the Cambridge programme are
expected to have full teaching qualifications and in the future ESL teachers will be expected to
have teaching qualifications, in addition to, or instead of the TEFL training that is currently
required. The number of non-teaching staff should be investigated to ensure that there are
sufficient personnel to adequately support all school services and reduce some bureaucracy, as
well as potentially increasing supervision roles.
Narrative
Met (F2i - F2ii)
F2i
All teachers and managers have undergone thorough background screening.
E2ii
Obtain and verify confidential reference for faculty staff
Prior to the appointment of all staff (including volunteers), appropriate background checks
have been carried out to confirm their identity, medical fitness, right to work in the country,
previous employment history, character references and, where appropriate, qualifications and
professional references. This information been taken into account in determining whether
their appointment will be confirmed.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
Domain F Standard 2 [Major] – As a matter of urgency the school management ensure all non-
teaching staff, contractors and volunteers are subject to the same high level of background
screening in order to comply with child protection and safeguarding requirements.
Membership Evaluation Criteria F2i. All employees have undergone thorough background
screening. F2ii. Formal procedures exist to obtain and verify confidential references for
prospective and existing faculty and staff.
Rating:
Not/Partially
i
j
k
l
m
n Met Met
j
k
l
m
n Exceeded
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
The school meets the criteria for the membership stage in terms of background screening and
confidential reference checking for faculty. However, this must now be extended to the non-
teaching staff too as a matter of urgency in order to comply with CIS expectations for child
protection and safeguarding.

Narrative
Partially Met
All teachers develop their Professional Development Plans (PDP) before the new school year starts and
follow them during the school year with the support and supervision of their managers
Support staff haven't had PDP
The school provides for the continuous professional development of faculty and staff that
relates to school priorities, the professional needs of the staff and contributes to the students'
learning.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
Domain F Standard 3 – School leaders ensure that their international teachers have equal
opportunity and access to the same standard and frequency of professional development as offered
to the Vietnamese staff.
Membership Evaluation Criteria F3i. Faculty and staff have access to professional development
(PD).
(PD).
Rating:
Not/Partially
j
k
l
m
n Met Met
i
j
k
l
m
n Exceeded
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
stage. Faculty has access to relevant and appropriate professional development in relation to the
initiatives and priorities established by the school. As new initiatives have been introduced, the
administration has ensured that training is given to all teachers. New teachers are trained during
an orientation period to ensure they are aware of the school’s chosen pedagogical approaches.
The school's leader's should now consider how to give longer term, ongoing, sustainable support
to all teachers beyond the early adoption and implementation stage to ensure fuller
understanding and broader application of the new strategies and approaches to improve
student learning. Personalized, professional development goals are identified by teachers with
their managers at the start of each year as part of an appraisal process; these goals may relate
to specific training needs. Professional development needs may also be identified by managers
based on lesson observations that form part of the appraisal process, and teachers who need
additional support are able to access further training. The school should consider how to most
effectively meet the increasingly diverse needs of their teachers in terms of understanding and
application of the new teaching methodologies.

Narrative
Met
Recruitment and retention criteria has nothing against CIS code of ethics
Staff recruitment and retention is managed in accordance with the CIS Code of Ethics.
Commendations
Domain F Standard 4 – That school leaders ensure that all policies, procedures, plans and
programmes are available in English as well as Vietnamese to ensure equal access and engagement
of international and Vietnamese staff in all aspects of school life to ensure more consistent
approaches for the benefit of student learning and well being.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Membership Evaluation Criteria F4i. Staff recruitment and retention is managed in accordance
with the CIS Code of Ethics.
Rating:
Not/Partially
j
k
l
m
n Met Met
i
j
k
l
m
n Exceeded
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
stage. The school’s recruitment and retention policies align with the CIS Code of Ethics. Matching
the needs of faculty and staff equally for PD and appraisal will further ensure the school fully
meets this criteria. It is also of utmost importance that all policies, procedures, planning and
programming are made accessible to and shared equally with non-Vietnamese speaking school
staff.

Narrative
Met
There is clear performance appraisal process which is issued to all faculty and staff members
The appraisal/performance management system is defined and implemented for all faculty
and staff, based on pre-determined, explicit criteria and is supported by a programme of
professional development and/or training which is linked to appraisal outcomes and other
school priorities for students' learning.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
Domain F Standard 5 - The schools' leaders carefully consider the methodology of appraisal in order
to ensure teacher development in practice as well as in theory.
Membership Evaluation Criteria F5i. There is evidence of a faculty and staff performance
evaluation process.
Rating:
Not/Partially
j
k
l
m
n Met Met
i
j
k
l
m
n Exceeded
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
The school meets the requirements for this standard, and in many respects exceeds the criteria
at the Membership Evaluation stage. There is a very clear and thorough process for teaching
staff with regards to appraisal that is linked to professional development. Criteria are
predetermined and explicit and the process is rigorous, including formal lesson observations and
bespoke biannual written exams for teachers to check their understanding of newly introduced
pedagogical practices. It would be interesting moving forward for the school administration to
consider different ways of encouraging and measuring professional learning, for example by
introducing action research projects and learning communities for teachers as part of their
annual professional reflection and growth. This would support embedding the professional
learning which was evident in some classrooms but not all.
Part 2: Domain F - Planned Actions
Narrative
The HR processes and procedures are now mainly focused on teachers and teaching involved jobs
where supporting positions are a little neglected. Therefore our action plan to improve staffing domain
will be applying the same policy and procedure for supporting staff as with teaching positions. Firstly,
the reference check will be carried out for supporting position to make sure anyone who works at
Vinschool having a clean and clear background fitting the school’s requirements. Secondly, the PDP will
be implemented to supporting positions to ensure a consistency and fairness throughout the system.
We will start doing these two things in January 2018 at the second semester of this school year.
Part 2: Domain F - Planned Actions
Guiding Statements
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Rating:
No Rating
i
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating

The school's planned actions are appropriate in relation to improving policies and practices for
the support staff, including the implementation of the PDP due to start in January 2018. In
addition, the school should consider the recommendations in relation to the international staff
and to the provision of ongoing, sustainable professional development and appropriate
methodologies of coaching for all staff to improve implementation of its professional
development programmes.
Part 2: Domain G - Evaluative Commentary

Narrative
Vinschool has modern facilities that can effectively support the delivery of its curriculum. In addition to
the classrooms, it has libraries, computer labs, outdoor and indoor sports field, indoor swimming pool,
music and arts rooms, Chemistry and Physics labs. Cooling and heating system are available in every
room. Cleaning and maintenance services are provided on a regular basis by contractors and supervised
by Vinschool facilities staff. School’s construction specs met the government’s standard and were
approved by relevant authorities. We are a private school and have the right to screen students for
admission. At this moment, we do not accept students with physical disabilities because we are unable
to support them in terms of available infrastructure as well as teacher’s experience.
We hire professional security service from a company to ensure the safety of students and teachers at
school. Security officers’ role is also to help with the traffic in the morning, guiding parents when
dropping off their children, and walking them across the street. When there are events like first day of
school, Christmas celebration, or New Year’s Fair, when there are more people coming to school, we
request the company to arrange added security accordingly.
Vinschool has invested heavily into developing the school’s technology infrastructure and data system.
For student management system alone, we have 3 systems, 1 developed locally to send reports to the
Department of Education, 1 tailored for Vinschool’s progress reports, and 1 recently purchased for better
communication with parents.
In short, Vinschool provides premises and physical infrastructure that are safe, comfortable, and
conducive to learning for its students and teachers.

Part 2: Domain G - Evaluative Commentary
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
Domain G [Major] - The Board and leaders enhance the well-being and learning opportunities for
students through consideration of 'schools within schools' concept with appropriate zoning of the
building with community spaces as well as classrooms and corridors.
Rating:
No Rating
i
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
Overall, Vinschool Vietnam (VSC) in Hanoi has built schools that are largely appropriate to
deliver the curriculum that the school offers. The class sizes are large although there is now a
systematic plan to reduce them which is appropriate for the classrooms that exist. The rooms
have appropriate furniture to provide flexible learning but as witnessed over two days, the
teachers do not make use of this flexibility very often. The major issue is whether the school has
been designed sufficiently well to ensure that students are well-known to adults at all times and
given that there is 4-6000 students on one campus, this is a big challenge for leaders. The
'schools within schools' concept is absent, and is urgently necessary to enhance the ethos and
community of the school. Technology is available but is as yet not fully realised and most
student learning related to educational technology is conducted in computer laboratories. The
library lacks resources for learning too given the size of the schools. There are good
supplementary services. The food is of high quality and healthy, although the scale of the dining
room necessary means that education about health and nutrition is limited. The buses are new
room necessary means that education about health and nutrition is limited. The buses are new
with seat belts, drivers are well qualified and responsible and there are adults on buses. The
security service is also good, although clearer protocols with regard to visitors are necessary and
need to be enforced.
Part 2: Domain G - Standard G1

Narrative
Met (G1i - G1ii)
G1i
VSC has periodic maintenance schedules for school facilities and equipment. Teacher / support staff is
required to check the status of facilities before usage and report to operational team.
G1ii
The school hires maintenance services that are effective in ensuring that school premises and
equipment remain in a safe and healthy condition.
The school has regular rehearsals in place to address fire or other emergency situations requiring
evacuation.
Part 2: Domain G - Standard G1
The school maintains accommodation, grounds, facilities, services and equipment to enable it
to fulfil its mission, provide the curriculum in full and offer a safe, secure, clean and healthy
environment for the students and adults at the school.
Commendations
Domain G Standard 1 [Major] – The Vingroup and the Board of Education for creating modern
school facilities which largely meets the needs of curriculum delivery for an holistic education as
promised in the guiding statements and for recognising the need to build other schools to reduce
crowding and class sizes at the Times City site.
Recommendations
Domain G Standard 1 [Major] – The schools' leaders address the major concerns related to health
and safety which include:
appropriate supervision/zoning across the whole campus to reduce boisterous and inappropriate play during breaks and on corridors;
ensure that class sizes for PE are commensurate with the size of PE spaces and activities to reduce potential injury;
include all appropriate health and safety features for laboratories, especially locked and secure chemical storage, eye wash and shower facilities in each
laboratory; and
ensure that there is increased signage re evacuation so that staff do not have to remember what to do in case of an emergency.
Membership Evaluation Criteria G1i. Physical facilities, teaching and learning spaces and
equipment are well maintained. G1ii. Due regard is given to providing a safe and secure
environment for all users.
Rating:
Not/Partially
i
j
k
l
m
n Met Met
j
k
l
m
n Exceeded
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
Evaluation stage. The Times City campuses are four years old and largely well-designed, clean
and well-maintained. The school has a very large number of students [4-6000 students] and
has a plan for the growth of student numbers by building a new campus [which is ready for
operation in January] and some 450 staff and students will transfer from Times City together to
continue their education. This is a proactive approach keeping students together which has
made parents less nervous about the move. There are specialist facilities which enable the
school to deliver the guiding statements. The school promotes an holistic education and
physical education is provided for with a range of outdoor spaces. However, the large number of
students and class sizes means that the large gymnasium and other smaller indoor spaces are
inadequate. There are also specialist facilities for science and art but there are insufficient
spaces for the performing arts. The way ICT labs are used is less effective and the school policy
on technology resources is lacking clarity and may inhibit learning in the lower part of the
secondary school. There is good security in terms of the overall ingress and egress of buses and
there is some zoning of play space on the main campus for the primary-aged students housed in
the secondary school. There is a need for the security guards to be more proactive in their
vigilance with regard to visitors.
There are some aspects of concern with regard to health and safety. There is insufficient vigilant
supervision across all campuses which leads to boisterous and inappropriate play at
times. Young students in primary were witnessed unsupervised and some secondary students
were witnessed using balls indoors and climbing up stanchions as a result of lack of
were witnessed using balls indoors and climbing up stanchions as a result of lack of
supervision. Some practices were also witnessed as potential dangers to students. For example,
PE lessons in classrooms in the primary and large classes conducting gymnastics in the small PE
rooms designed for martial arts. In the primary gym and other locations, wires to computers
were potential trip hazards. Although fire drills are practised, there is insufficient signage in
rooms and corridors to say what to do in the event of a fire. Science labs, especially chemistry
laboratories have no eyewash and shower facilities.
Part 2: Domain G - Planned Actions

Narrative
We are now in the process of reviewing all communicating channels and structure our system to best
support student learning. In addition, the emergency and fire drills procedures need to also be reviewed
although, currently, the entire school carries out fire drills each semester.
Part 2: Domain G - Planned Actions
Guiding Statements
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Rating:
No Rating
i
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
in this report.
Part 2: Domain H - Evaluative Commentary

Narrative
Vinschool’s goal is to create reliable, fast communication channels so that parents will receive the latest
information about the curriculum, vision, philosophy of education. This will enhance the interaction and
cooperation between the school and parents, consequently, bringing positive impacts to student
outcomes. Vinschool communicates with parents regularly through multiple channels, both in person
and online. Vinschool’s official information channels include website, e-newsletter, software for parents,
periodic parent conferences, parent seminars… Our school always respects and is interested in hearing
parents’ views and opinions, and based on that to apply timely adjustment if they are relevant, feasible,
and beneficial to the students. Parents can contact the school with ease through a variety of forms
(email, phone, principal’s hotline, teacher’s notices, and even social medias such as Facebook page,
Facebook group created and managed by the school. Vinschool also provides an online portal for
parents called School Online, where parents can find information about student performance, alerts,
updates, etc. The school also develops communication programs/campaigns to help parents
understand the curriculum, especially new additions, as well as techniques for parents along with the
school to help the students at home. There are also campaigns for helping students catch up at school
that are available through the Student Affairs department.
Part 2: Domain H - Evaluative Commentary
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Rating:
No Rating
i
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
Overall, Vinschool Vietnam (VSC) in Hanoi has good systems of parent communication.
Academic reporting is clear, regular and valued by the parents interviewed. The school is also
considered responsive when issues arise and parents see teachers as caring. There are also
parent education sessions which are well-attended. There is a plan to enhance partnerships with
the community, with a service learning programme which has been developed in consultation
with experienced international educators. This is in the process of being enacted.
Part 2: Domain H - Standard H1

Narrative
Met
Vinschool communicates regularly with parents through different channels, including both online and
in-person methods to provide parents with as much information as possible.
Part 2: Domain H - Standard H1
Effective communications foster a productive home-school partnership and a positive

learning community.
Commendations
Domain H Standard 1 [Major] – The Vin Schools Admissions and Marketing for clear processes in
communicating the schools offer to parents which enables parents and the school to be aligned in
relation to educational goals for the students.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Membership Evaluation Criteria H1i. The school communicates regularly and systematically with
parents and guardians to explain the mission of the school, its operations and the education
provided to each individual child enrolled.
Rating:
Not/Partially
j
k
l
m
n Met Met
i
j
k
l
m
n Exceeded
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
Stage. The parents interviewed confirmed the range of effective channels open to them for
communicating about their children's learning, both formal and informal. Both primary and
secondary parents confirmed the responsiveness and speed of replies from teachers and leaders
with regard to issues of learning and well-being that arose with their children. The parents also
confirmed the quality of information they received about the guiding statements and without
prompting could cite key components of the Vinschool's guiding statements. They were less
familiar with the core values and the VINSER profile. Parents learned about the curriculum
through workshops and parent guides and their child's academic progress through reporting
processes on paper or on-line. Parents also confirmed that leaders and board representatives
provided a good rationale for the Board decisions. There had been initially an outcry related to
fees being raised. The parents did acknowledge that the fee-rise was timely 11 months in
advance and its full impact staggered over 5 years. Furthermore, parents were particularly
positive about the rationale that was given in improving the programmes with smaller class
sizes.
Part 2: Domain H - Planned Actions

Narrative
After the trial process, the school is ready to implement School Online software in primary and
secondary schools in the system, and Kids Online software in kindergartens. They have more features
and utilities for parents than the previous software.
The school will increase the quality and quantity of parent seminars that focus on two main themes: (1)
21st century skills program and (2) parent engagement at school and at home. These themes are
expected to provide specific guidelines for turning commitment into concrete actions by parents,
building a community of active, engaged parents.
Vinschool is in the process of creating particular programs for parents to participate in our major
programs/campaigns; for example, developing reading culture, English as Second Language, 21st
century skills, etc. The effectiveness of the program will be evaluated through student growth.
Part 2: Domain H - Planned Actions
Guiding Statements
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Rating:
No Rating
i
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
in this report.
Part 3: Conclusions
Narrative
Overall, Vinschool is ready to embark upon a journey of self-improvement and change. We still have a
lot to do, especially in areas such as creating a truly global and culturally diverse environment at school
for students, developing teachers esp. the Vnese teachers to reach the standards required,
development school managers and principals to become true leaders and owner of the curriculum and
the learning that is taking place… At the same time, we need to take student safety and wellbeing very
seriously and make learning exclusive for all students admitted. The school believe that with the
process of CIS evaluation, we will be able to improve and achieve our vision and mission.
Part 3: Conclusions
An opportunity for the school to summarise the self-reflection and self-evaluation process.
Commendations
None at this time.
Recommendations
None at this time.
Rating:
No Rating
i
j
k
l
m
n
Reason for Rating
Overall, Vinschool Vietnam (VSC) in Hanoi has expressed a sincere commitment to school
improvement through this Membership Evaluation. There is commitment at Vingroup, Board of
Education and school leadership levels. There is honest reflection in relation to the
criteria. Three campuses were visited during the Membership Evaluation, in addition to a new
facility which was in the final stages of development. Further Membership visits will be required
for schools beyond Times City campuses.
VSC is an ambitious project to provide high-quality education at an affordable price. In terms of

numbers of students enrolled, this strategy has worked well and the company has responded by
building schools within or adjacent to its new developments. However, the original concept of
campuses with extremely large student numbers is also creating issues of implementation of the
high quality holistic education that Vinschool states clearly in its guiding statements. There are
many well-researched ideas, well-articulated for staff to interpret and these are taking time to
embed as there is a lack of middle leadership capacity and strategy related to
implementation. This has to be the next phase of development to reduce this disconnect and
requires more clarity of 'schools within schools' so that students are clearer about behaviour,
learning and welfare. Furthermore, more clarity is required for teachers on their role in pastoral
matters, their expected pedagogy and their commitment to implementing the professional
development which is generously provided.
Overall, the following are strengths of Vinschool in Hanoi. There is:

a clear set of guiding statements which underpin operations;
a well-defined governance structure and a strategic and resource commitment to a not-for-
profit education to enable the schools to improve the quality of education;
a well-structured curriculum with two major pathways to achieve bilingualism;
a thorough admissions process in quantitative and qualitative terms to provide information on
entry;
good provision of professional development;
a well-built, well-maintained and clean building with good facilities generally; and
good systems for communicating with parents on all matters.
There are however matters that need further development and where the Membership Criteria
are not yet sufficiently implemented. These are:-
how professional development can be deployed more effectively to improve expectations and
engagement of students in lessons to enhance the climate for learning [Domain D Standard 1];
engagement of students in lessons to enhance the climate for learning [Domain D Standard 1];
improved behaviour management techniques in classrooms to reduce disruptive behaviour in
order that learning in a variety of ways can be more effective [Domain D Standard 1];
a clearer implementation plan for 'schools within schools' in order to enhance the community
feel, climate for learning and enhanced well-being for students [Domain E Standard 1];
the enhancement of teachers understanding of positive behaviour management especially in
the primary and middle schools to enhance the climate for learning in classrooms [Domain E
Standard 1];
complete the work on child safeguarding and child protection policy so it is of an international
standard [Domain E Standard 2];
review and improve the implementation of policy related to behaviour [Domain E Standard 3];
Ensure all non-teaching staff, contractors and volunteers are subject to the same high level of
background screening in order to comply with child protection and safeguarding requirements
[Domain F Standard 2].
Address the major concerns related to health and safety [Domain G Standard 1] which include:
1. appropriate supervision/zoning across the whole campus to reduce boisterous and
inappropriate play during breaks and on corridors;
2. ensure that class sizes for PE are commensurate with the size of PE spaces and activities to
reduce potential injury;
3. include all appropriate health and safety features for laboratories, especially locked and
secure chemical storage, eye wash and shower facilities in each laboratory; and
4. ensure that there is increased signage re evacuation so that staff do not have to remember
what to do in case of an emergency.
Overall, Vinschool will be required to submit evidence of progress on these matters as outlined
in the letter of outcome accompanying this report before it will be re-considered for CIS
Membership. The major conclusion is that Vinschool has well researched theoretical
foundations for the overall project overseen by the Board of Education. The translation of this
research and documentation into practice in these very large schools is still at an early stage of
development and is proving challenging to deliver consistency and cohesion.
On behalf of CIS, the Evaluators wish to express their thanks for the warm reception, the
effective planning and the cooperation of all the leaders and staff involved in the preparation of
the report and the visit.

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Part 1: Basic Inoormation

Feedback Report: Council of International Schools (CIS)

Part 1: Basic Information

This Membership Evaluation report covers the following Campuses:

Part 1: Refective Statements - Head oo Sccool

Feedback Report: Council of International Schools (CIS)

Reason for Rating

Part 1: Refective Statements - Governors and Board

Part 1: Refective Statements - Governors and Board

Reason for Rating

Part 2: Domain A - Evaluative Commentary

Feedback Report: Council of International Schools (CIS)

Part 2: Domain A - Evaluative Commentary

Reason for Rating

Part 2: Domain A - Standard A1

Feedback Report: Council of International Schools (CIS)

Part 2: Domain A - Standard A1

Reason for Rating

Part 2: Domain A - Standard A2

Feedback Report: Council of International Schools (CIS)

Part 2: Domain A - Standard A2

The school's Guiding Statements conform to the CIS Code of Ethics.

Reason for Rating

Part 2: Domain A - Standard A3

Vinschool has sought to promote intercultural learning through:

Feedback Report: Council of International Schools (CIS)

Part 2: Domain A - Standard A3

The Guiding Statements endorse the school's commitment to developing intercultural

Reason for Rating

Part 2: Domain A - Standard A4

Feedback Report: Council of International Schools (CIS)

Reason for Rating

Part 2: Domain A - Planned Actions

Feedback Report: Council of International Schools (CIS)

Part 2: Domain A - Planned Actions

Part 2: Domain B - Evaluative Commentary

Feedback Report: Council of International Schools (CIS)

Part 2: Domain B - Evaluative Commentary

Reason for Rating

Part 2: Domain B - Standard B1

Feedback Report: Council of International Schools (CIS)

Reason for Rating

Part 2: Domain B - Standard B2

Feedback Report: Council of International Schools (CIS)

Part 2: Domain B - Standard B2

Reason for Rating

Part 2: Domain B - Standard B3

Part 2: Domain B - Standard B3

Reason for Rating

Part 2: Domain B - Planned Actions

Feedback Report: Council of International Schools (CIS)

Part 2: Domain B - Planned Actions

Reason for Rating

Part 2: Domain C - Evaluative Commentary

Part 2: Domain C - Evaluative Commentary

Reason for Rating

Part 2: Domain C - Standard C1

Feedback Report: Council of International Schools (CIS)