History

The idea of forming an association of British schools in Latin America was conceived in September 1995 in Buenos Aires at a conference organised by ESSARP and the British Council. A subsequent meeting in Santiago College later that year laid the foundations for the association and it officially came into being at a meeting of the founder members in The British Schools, Montevideo, in 1996.

 

The original concept of an association of heads has been broadened to that of an association of schools represented by their heads, committed to "sharing expertise for school improvement". To this end the LAHC Review was developed in 1998 and has become a cornerstone of LAHC's educational purpose.

 

In 2001 a full-time Executive Officer was appointed to take care of the day to day operation of the association and coordinate the development and implementation of the review. In 2005 non-heads were welcomed to the Annual Conference for the first time and in 2014 students were also invited to attend.

 

Growth in numbers and in presence within the region has led to recognition and collaboration with international educational organisations such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) and Council of International Schools (CIS), as well as close cooperation with similar associations in other parts of the world (BSME, FOBISIA, COBIS, NABSS) and recognition by the British government. At the same time the educational focus of the association has broadened to include schools with a more international vision, although the British traditions and origins of the majority of member schools remain a defining characteristic of the association.