Blog
We awaited the first state pedagogical professional evaluation with excitement and curiosity. This is part of the state's quality assurance system. A professional team made up of trained and experienced teachers and school principals visits schools every five years and reviews the pedagogical work done there. This is mandatory for all institutions involved in public education, including us, but this was our first time as we received our accreditation in 2020.
And the result? Not only reassuring, but truly joyful!
During the evaluation, the experts gained deep insight into how Budapest School operates and how we support children’s development every day. They reviewed how we organize learning, how our mentoring supports children’s development, how we function as a team, and how we connect with parents and the broader community. Both the high school and the elementary school were evaluated.
According to the evaluators, Budapest School meets all the expectations set by the system for a school and even exceeds them in many ways with its unique solutions. Our everyday child-centered focus, mentoring-based learning organization, community operation, and active parental involvement are not only “acceptable” within the education system—they can serve as models.
The results clearly showed that our feedback system, mentoring, support for individual learning paths, active cooperation with parents, and strong community spirit truly work!
Learning Organization – The experts observed that learning here does not follow a rigid, predetermined pattern but adapts to the children's interests, pace, and goals. At BPS, children are active participants in the learning process: they set their own goals, work on projects, and make independent decisions about which topics they want to explore in depth.
Mentoring – Our mentoring system received particular praise during the evaluation. It is not only focused on achieving learning outcomes but also on developing children’s independence, self-confidence, and problem-solving skills.
Teamwork and Knowledge Sharing – At BPS, not only do the children learn from one another, but mentors also constantly inspire and support each other. The evaluators highlighted that cooperation among teachers is a real strength here: we regularly share best practices, collaborate on organizing learning, and remain open to new solutions.
Parent and Community Connection – The evaluation emphasized that our relationship with parents is particularly strong and positively influences the children’s development.
This evaluation not only confirmed the strengths of BPS's operation but also made it clear that elements of our model—such as personalized learning paths, regular mentoring, and community decision-making—can be valuable in other schools as well. According to the experts from the state system, these solutions are not just compatible with official frameworks; they are innovations that can point new directions for public education.
We believe that what we are building at BPS can be a source of inspiration and growth not only for us but for the entire educational environment.
Naturally, the evaluation also identified areas for improvement, which we have already begun to reflect on.
Developing an Institutional Self-Evaluation System – We need to design a self-evaluation process to provide continuous feedback about our operations at the institutional level.
Analysis and Integration of Competency Assessments – Although the BPS model is not based on grades, it is important to analyze the results of competency assessments and use these insights to improve the learning processes.
Building External Relationships – While our internal collaboration is strong, building external professional relationships could further support the institution's development—for example, through experience exchange with other alternative schools.
This evaluation was not only a milestone for us but also an opportunity to view what we do every day from an external perspective. We are happy that the values and pedagogical methods of Budapest School have been validated, and also that the evaluation highlighted areas for improvement—since growth has always been part of BPS’s DNA.