For Immediate Release

Media Contact:

Casey De La Rosa, PCI
312-558-1770, ext. 129
cdelarosa@pcipr.com

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British School of Chicago Unveils Plans for New School
School will be part of Chicago’s new “education corridor”

CHICAGO (May 9, 2006) – The British School of Chicago (BSC) has unveiled plans for a new school building to be located at Halsted Street and Eastman Avenue, along what is envisioned as Chicago’s new “education corridor.”

The 5-floor, 74,000-square-foot building is scheduled to open in January of 2008. Construction will begin in summer 2006. The new building features a rooftop playground, regulation-size gym, specialized learning centers and laboratories. With a maximum capacity of 600 students and class size restricted to 20 pupils, the new building reflects both the growth of the BSC and its uncompromising commitment to providing an education of the highest caliber.

Speaking to parents at a May 4 meeting at nearby Kendall College, Sheree Speakman, chief operating officer of the British Schools of America, noted that the new building provides a facility in line with the quality of education provided by the BSC. Along with Kendall College and the new Experiencia immersive learning facility just down the street, the BSC will anchor an education corridor that runs along the Halsted border between the Lincoln Park and River North neighborhoods. “We very much wanted to be an urban school and this location allows for strategic partnerships with our new community,” said Speakman.

The new building’s graceful and modern design is in line with the BSC’s forward vision of education in the 21st century. “We wanted to make the building look like it was leaning into the future,” said Speakman. The building also embraces a “co-location strategy” and will include retail space with a separate entrance on the first floor of the building. Tenants have not yet been named for the space. A 15-foot walkway will separate the school from surrounding buildings.

Currently, the BSC is housed in the former St. Gregory’s Elementary School at 1643 W. Bryn Mawr, where the school first opened its doors in 2001 with 11 students. In just five years, the BSC has grown to 222 students.

“This is a landmark moment for us,” said Michael Horton, headmaster of the BSC. “We have been very well received in Chicago and that has helped us meet the goals we set five years ago.” Horton noted that the BSC’s student body is 85% American and that parents have been very supportive of the school’s emphasis on developing the skills of lifelong learning.

The BSC is one of five schools operated by British Schools of America. The others are located in Boston, Houston, Charlotte and Washington, D.C. The BSC places an emphasis on individualized learning, and its curriculum is structured into “ key stages,” following the International Primary Curriculum and the British National Curriculum. In Chicago, plans for a high school (key stages 4 and 5) are underway, based on the successful expansions in the British Schools in Houston and Washington, D.C. These graduates receive the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma, a measure of academic excellence recognized by top universities worldwide. BSC will begin its application process for the IB diploma in the fall.

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