Imagine leading a school that is thriving academically, trusted by families and deeply embedded in its community, yet gradually realising that its future at the campus it has called home for more than 20 years can no longer be taken for granted.

Not because standards have slipped or demand has fallen, but because decisions beyond education itself are now shaping what happens next.

That is the situation our school community faces.

An uncertain future

For two decades, the British International School of Wrocław (BISC) has operated from the same campus, becoming a familiar and valued part of Wrocław’s international landscape.

The building itself - often described as a small slice of England in Poland - is distinctive, with its red bricks, winding wooden staircases and unmistakable sense of tradition.

For students arriving from abroad, this offers an immediate and welcoming sense of permanence in the midst of change. 

Over time, our school has become far more than a place of instruction. At BISC, families of dozens of different nationalities have built friendships and support networks that extend well beyond the classroom. Alumni return to visit the teachers who shaped their journeys. 

Academic outcomes have matched that sense of belonging. Students achieve the strongest Cambridge International examination results in the city, while the school consistently fulfils all requirements set by the Polish Ministry of Education. In short, BISC’s educational provision cannot reasonably be described as anything other than strong, stable and respected.

And yet its future is now uncertain.

Huge disruption

A municipal process has begun that could result in another educational provider taking over the premises, and our school community having to relocate.

It’s a reminder that, in international education, nothing can be fully taken for granted - not even the physical ground beneath a school community.

Logistically, this would be a major upheaval, of course - but the potential consequences extend well beyond such concerns.

Relocation would affect staff recruitment and retention, disrupt students preparing for exams, and force families to reconsider routines carefully built around stability. 

In recent years, this role has become even more significant. At BISC, our classrooms include students whose families have relocated due to war or other geopolitical instability. For some, education has already been interrupted once or more.

The school has provided continuity and reassurance during uncertain times. Uprooting such a community raises difficult questions about how educational decisions weigh human impact alongside administrative processes.

More than a building

Of course, some may counter that, at the end of the day, a building under a lease can always change hands. And in purely transactional terms, that is true.

But this situation speaks to a broader tension between education and economics. Buildings can be evaluated in financial terms; schools cannot. Educational value accumulates slowly through relationships, trust and shared experience. 

When it comes to education, progress should add value, not subtract it. Expanding educational provision should create new opportunities, not displace communities that are already working well.

For school leaders, moments like this reveal an often-overlooked reality of international education: leadership is no longer confined to curriculum, staffing and student outcomes. 

It increasingly involves navigating property decisions, public policy and long-term uncertainty - factors largely invisible to students but deeply consequential for their experience.

Our responsibility now is to plan carefully for every possible outcome. Contingency options are being explored, communication with families remains transparent, and the focus inside classrooms has not changed. Students still learn, teachers still teach, and daily school life continues, even as larger questions remain unresolved.

Hope remains

There is also reason for hope.

Decisions about education ultimately reflect values as much as procedures.

We remain optimistic that authorities will recognise the importance of continuity for students and families, and the contribution a stable international school like BISC makes to a city’s social and economic fabric.

Whatever the outcome, this experience offers a reminder for educational leaders everywhere: schools may occupy buildings, but they are sustained by communities.

Buildings can change hands, but a school community, once broken apart, cannot simply be rebuilt.

Phil Hart is head of school at the British International School of Wroclaw

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