UWC Maastricht

A Swiss non-profit, working since 1968. Its programmes are among the most widely recognised school programmes in the world. Authorisation is granted stage by stage, so a school with the final stage does not necessarily run the younger ones; which stages this school holds is set out in the line below.

What the badge means for this school. The school is allowed to run this programme and to award its certificate. This is a confirmation of the programme, not a judgement on the school as a whole. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it. At this school: PYP (ages 3-12), MYP (ages 11-16), DP (ages 16-19), CP (ages 16-19, with a vocational slant). PYP is the primary stage, ages 3 to 12. It is not a set of subjects but a frame for the whole school: learning is built around lines of inquiry, and there are no exams at the end. MYP is the middle stage, ages 11 to 16. There are no exams here either; at the end an optional electronic assessment of pupils' work is possible. DP is the final stage, ages 16 to 19: six subjects plus a compulsory core of theory of knowledge, an extended essay and CAS. The diploma is accepted by universities all over the world, and in a number of countries it counts for admission on the same footing as the local leaving certificate. CP is the final stage with a vocational slant, ages 16 to 19: some of the DP subjects plus an applied qualification. It is meant for those heading into a trade or an applied degree rather than an academic one.

It accredits international schools and is a paying association at the same time. It examines governance and ownership, the curriculum, teaching, student wellbeing, staff and premises; a team of volunteers from other CIS accredited schools visits the school. Membership and accreditation are different things here, and schools confuse them more often than anything else.

What the badge means for this school. The school has been through this organisation's accreditation. It was judged as a whole: governance, safeguarding, staff, premises, teaching. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it.

A movement of eighteen colleges on four continents, selecting pupils from all over the world regardless of what their families can pay. A new college does not join the network, it is founded from scratch: the route takes two to six years and requires an endowment and non-profit status.

What the badge means for this school. The school is one of the eighteen UWC colleges. That is not an accreditation, but the status cannot be bought either. Be careful with similar wording elsewhere: a "link to UWC" through a national committee that selects pupils is not the same thing at all. The entry is confirmed in the organisation's open directory.

UWC, United World Colleges, describes itself not as an operator of schools but as a movement: "a global movement made up of schools, short courses and national committees in countries around the world", with a mission to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures. The movement takes in 18 schools and colleges on four continents; the main stage is ages 16 to 19 and the International Baccalaureate diploma, in the drafting of which UWC took part, while some of the institutions also admit younger pupils. The figures on different pages of the site differ, and both are given here: the front page speaks of more than 9,000 students, the schools and colleges section of more than 12,000 a year; the front page puts alumni at more than 91,000, while the "What is UWC" and "Our history" sections say more than 85,000. The share of students on financial support is likewise given twice: 88 per cent among those selected by national committees on the front page, and more than 80 per cent receiving full or partial help in the section about the movement. Selection is done by national committees - volunteer groups that find, select and prepare students; the site names more than 4,000 volunteers in over 150 countries and territories, but gives no exact number of committees. The point that matters for this note: the schools do not belong to the centre - "Each of the 18 UWC schools and colleges is a separate legal entity from UWC International", each with its own obligations in its own jurisdiction, while UWC International answers for overall strategy, the approval of new schools and committees, global fundraising and communications. The movement dates its history from a speech by Kurt Hahn in 1955 and the opening of UWC Atlantic in 1962; it took its present name in 1968, and the later joiners are UWC Thailand in 2016, UWC ISAK Japan in 2017 and UWC East Africa in 2019.

What this means for this school. The network owns or operates the school. Its accreditation and programme authorisation the school obtains separately, in its own name.