ISO 9001:2015, and what it actually means.
A process certification, audited rather than asserted. It is worth understanding what it covers before it is treated as a measure of teaching quality.
What the certification covers
ISO 9001:2015 certifies a quality management system: documented processes, defined responsibilities, records, and a cycle of internal audit and corrective action. In our case it covers teaching delivery, tutor recruitment and administration.
It does not certify teaching outcomes, and we do not present it as if it did. What it tells a parent is that the way tutors are recruited, matched and reviewed is written down, followed and audited, rather than improvised.
What a certified process changes for your child
The standard is about consistency. These are the places a parent would actually notice it.
Tutor recruitment
Subject qualifications and teaching experience are verified against a written checklist before a tutor takes a class, and the record is kept. The same checks apply to every tutor, in every subject.
Matching and handover
What the trial class finds is written down and carried into the plan, so the tutor who teaches week two is working from the same notes. If a tutor changes, the record moves with your child.
Lesson records
Each class is logged with what was covered and what to work on next. That log is what parent-teacher meetings draw on, which is why the feedback is specific rather than a template.
Complaints and correction
When something goes wrong there is a defined route: it is recorded, assigned, resolved and reviewed for cause. Corrective action is a requirement of the standard, not a gesture.
How certification is kept
Certification is not permanent. It is granted after an external audit and withdrawn if the system stops working.
External audit
An independent certification body examines the documented system and tests it against practice, interviewing staff and sampling records rather than reading the manual alone.
Surveillance cycle
Audits continue on a regular cycle through the life of the certificate, with full recertification at the end of it. Findings have to be closed out with evidence.
Internal review
Between external audits the system audits itself, and management reviews the results. This is where most corrections happen, long before an auditor sees them.
What the processes themselves say about teaching is set out in our coaching methodology. For what families report in practice, our parent reviews are published in full, including the ones that are not glowing. You can also read about who we are or book a free trial class and judge the teaching directly.