Continuous Improvement

Over the last 18 months, we have been on a  journey of self-assessment and discovery. As a member of the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS), Brentwood is part of a 96 school family that reaches from coast to coast. Every seven years, schools take part in an accreditation process that focuses on school improvement across twelve standards – noted below. Standard 1: Mission, Vision, and Values Standard 2: Co-Curricular Standard 3: Academic Standard 4: School Leadership Standard 5: Human Resources Standard 6: School & Community Standard 7: Enrolment Management Standard 8: Governance Standard 9: Finance Standard 10: Physical Plant Standard 11: Commitment to School Improvement Standard 12: Boarding The school reviews each standard and responds to guiding questions. An internal evaluation document is created and submitted to a team of accreditors from other CAIS schools who visit campus to find evidence and confirm our self evaluation. At the end of their three and a half days in Mill Bay, they provide three forms of feedback. Commendations – “kudos to you” Suggestions – “you may want to look at this” Recommendations – “things that require your attention” While most of us prefer positive reinforcement, Brentwood looks forward to reading the suggestions and recommendations. For us this is the good stuff! Brentwood is a great school that focuses on getting better. Standing pat is not an option for us and without external feedback, we can be victims of the dreaded echo-chamber syndrome. As I write these words, our CAIS Accreditation Visiting Committee is scouring the campus, meeting staff and students, chatting with alum and parents, and getting a sense of what makes us tick – and more importantly, discovering how we can improve. Like our students, we embrace these “tests” and look forward to learning from this experience. Before I sign off, I want to acknowledge the work of our entire staff and thank them for their commitment to this process. Special thanks goes to Mr. David McCarthy, Director of Learning, and Mrs. Carey Desloges, Executive Assistant to the Head’s Office, for their leadership – without them, Brentwood would be a lesser place. Enjoy Spring Break! Bud Patel Head of School