The Council of British International Schools (COBIS) is a membership association that represents more than 450 schools and organisations, globally. High-quality COBIS schools, which educate over 150,000 students and employ more than 30,000 teachers, can be found in 80 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. COBIS Supporting Associates provide a wide range of services and resources to the international schools sector.

We were founded in 1934, and our first overseas offices opened in 1938, making us the oldest cultural relations organisation in the world.  Originally, we were called the British Committee for Relations with Other Countries.

BSME supports a network of high quality British international schools in the region. In addition, we facilitate an invaluable partnership between member schools and business partners specialising in educational services, products and tools.  BSME offers a robust and varied professional learning calendar to support career progression pathways at all levels, as well as providing high-level sporting, academic and performing arts events for our Students. Our Headship Induction Partner Programme provides new Principals and Heads with the support they need while they find their feet in the region. We support the accreditation of member schools and lobby regulatory bodies to the benefit of our schools.

Penta International is one of the leading independent providers of training, consultancy and inspection services in the United Kingdom and overseas. Founded in 1996, we work with primary, secondary and special schools, including Pupil Referral Units and LEA Support Services, as well as directly for local and national governments

The University of Cambridge formed the ‘Local Examinations Syndicate’, now known as Cambridge Assessment, over 150 years ago. Its aim was to raise standards in education by administering exams for people who were not members of the University and inspecting schools. For the first time in 1858, 370 school candidates in 7 English cities sat exams set by the University of Cambridge. Today this has risen to more than 8 million candidates a year in 160 countries. The Syndicate began examining internationally in 1864, and this aspect of its work grew quickly.

The story of Pearson becoming the UK's largest awarding organisation didn’t start with the formation of Edexcel in 1996. It began as long ago as 1836, when a royal charter gave the University of London its first powers to conduct exams and confer degrees on its students.