The Punjab School Foundations Strengthening Story

How a branded school strengthened systems & processes, secured CBSE affiliation, and became profitable in 24 months.

Context
Between 2015 and 2017, Mrs. Nirmala Thakur served as Principal of a School in Ludhiana, which was a franchisee campus of a branded chain of schools operating across India. The school had a strong philosophical foundation. It was part of an education network known for its progressive pedagogy, and it had been awarded for its teaching approach a few years earlier. Its stated values were powerful: risk-taking, openness, ownership, honesty, and innovation. Its vision, mission, and value statements were clear, and it had access to robust technology support, teacher recruitment systems, and training structures.

On paper, the school had many of the ingredients required for excellence. It was not a school without a vision. It was not a school without a brand. It was not a school without ideas.

Yet, when Mrs. Thakur stepped in, the institution was struggling to convert its philosophy into consistent school functioning.

The school had around 300 students. Admissions were low. Teacher attrition was high. Parents were losing confidence. Systems and processes were weak. The school’s No Objection Certificate from the State Government was pending, which delayed the process of getting CBSE affiliation. Without affiliation, parent anxiety was rising further.

The situation was also financially strained. The school had accumulated losses, and many parents were refusing to pay fees because they felt academic quality was declining. Teacher discipline had weakened, with late coming becoming a concern. The school’s progressive academic policies, including no homework and no formal examination till Class 5, were being misunderstood by parents as a lack of seriousness.

The challenge was complex. The school did not need a new vision. It needed its existing vision to become visible, credible, and operational.

During her tenure at the school, Mrs. Thakur helped strengthen systems and processes, supported the school in achieving CBSE affiliation in 2016, strengthened core organisational practices, and aligned curriculum with the school’s philosophy and values.

The Challenge
The biggest challenge was the gap between promise and experience.

The school had a progressive educational philosophy, but parents were not experiencing enough academic assurance. No homework and no examination till Class 5 were intended to reduce unnecessary pressure and support deeper learning. However, without strong communication and visible assessment systems, parents began to worry that their children were not being challenged enough.

For many parents, homework and exams were familiar signals of academic seriousness. When those signals were absent, and academic quality was perceived to be declining, trust weakened. Parents began questioning whether their children were building competence.

The pending State Government NOC and delayed CBSE affiliation added another layer of uncertainty. Affiliation matters deeply to parents because it gives institutional legitimacy, academic continuity, and future security. In its absence, even small concerns can become amplified.

Internally, the school was also struggling with staff stability. High teacher attrition disrupted academic continuity and weakened parent confidence. Late coming and demotivation among some staff members affected the culture of accountability. A school that wanted to stand for innovation also needed discipline, consistency, and professionalism.

Financially, the pressure was severe. Low admissions, fee resistance, and accumulated losses created a cycle of instability. If confidence did not return, the school’s future would remain uncertain.

The challenge, therefore, was not simply to increase enrolments or obtain affiliation. It was to rebuild the school as a trustworthy, joyful, academically credible, and financially sustainable institution.

The Intervention
Mrs. Thakur began with a brief audit of the school. This helped identify where the school’s practices, communication, academic systems, staffing, finances, and parent trust were breaking down.

One of the most urgent priorities was affiliation. The application for CBSE affiliation was filed, and relationships were built with the local government and education office. This required persistence, documentation, follow-up, and credibility-building. The pending NOC had to be moved forward, and the school had to demonstrate that it was ready to meet the required standards.

At the same time, internal systems were strengthened. The feedback system was improved so that concerns from parents, teachers, and stakeholders could be heard and acted upon. Demotivated staff members who were affecting the school culture were addressed through appropriate measures. This helped create a clearer sense of accountability.

Academic rigor was restored without abandoning the school’s progressive philosophy. This was a delicate balance. The goal was not to reverse the school’s child-centered approach, but to make it more structured and visible.

Parents were explained the benefits of no homework and no examination till Class 5. Instead of allowing the policy to be misunderstood, the school began communicating its purpose: reducing mechanical pressure in the early years, encouraging classroom engagement, and supporting age-appropriate learning. However, this explanation alone was not enough. Parents also needed to see how learning was being assessed.

So, the continuous assessment system was made more visible. Formative assessments were practiced in their true spirit. The quality of parent-teacher meetings changed. PTMs became more meaningful spaces where parents could understand their child’s growth, not just hear general comments.

The school also reviewed the homework policy from Class 6 onward. Since older students needed a gradual preparation for higher academic expectations, the examination burden from Class 6 was increased in a phased and thoughtful manner. This helped parents see that the school was not avoiding academic responsibility; it was sequencing it developmentally.

Teachers were given free time to create more creative lesson plans and classroom activities. This was important because innovation cannot be demanded from teachers without giving them time and support. The quality of projects assigned to students was monitored, ensuring that project-based and experiential work remained meaningful rather than decorative.

All academic and co-curricular activities were aligned with the school’s vision, mission, and values. This gave coherence to the school experience. Risk-taking, openness, honesty, and innovation were not left as wall statements; they were connected to classroom practices, teacher planning, student activities, and parent engagement.

Communication with teachers was improved. This helped reduce confusion, strengthen ownership, and create a more professional culture. Teachers needed to feel heard, guided, and trusted, but they also needed clarity on expectations.

Operational transparency became another major intervention. Systems and processes were strengthened. Sources of fund leakage were identified and plugged. Avenues for generating income were explored. The school began functioning with greater financial discipline.

The school also expanded its external relationships. It built connections with other pre-schools in the region by sharing programs. This helped improve visibility and build a pipeline for future admissions. Connections were also created with B.Ed colleges to ensure a continuous inflow of teachers. Trainee teachers from B.Ed colleges were invited to experience the school’s modern hiring process, strengthening the school’s reputation as a professionally run institution.

Parent and grandparent engagement became an important differentiator. Innovative workshops and programs were organized for them, helping the school become more than a place where children were dropped off each morning. It became a community space where families felt involved, informed, and welcomed.

The Transformation
The first major shift was in confidence.

Parents began to understand the educational philosophy behind the school’s early years approach. Once continuous assessment became visible and PTMs became more meaningful, the absence of homework and exams till Class 5 no longer appeared like academic neglect. It began to be understood as a thoughtful, developmentally aligned practice.

The school’s academic culture became stronger. Teachers were more intentional about planning, projects, assessments, and classroom activities. The school’s progressive pedagogy began to regain credibility because it was now supported by structure.

Teacher attrition reduced by 50%. This was a major institutional gain. When teachers stay, children experience continuity. Parents see stability. School culture becomes easier to build. Reduced attrition also suggests that teachers felt more supported, clearer in their roles, and more motivated to contribute.

Parent participation improved significantly. Parents and grandparents began participating actively in school activities and workshops. This showed that the school had moved from transactional communication to community engagement.

Admissions improved. The school added around 50 students per year. For a school that had been stuck at around 300 students, this was a meaningful shift. It indicated that parent trust and local reputation were improving.

The long-pending NOC was received from the State Government. This cleared the pathway for board affiliation. Within 18 months, the school received CBSE affiliation. This was a critical milestone because it provided the institutional assurance parents had been waiting for.

Financially, the school recovered all accumulated losses. Within 24 months, the branch became a profit centre. This was not achieved by compromising educational values. It was achieved by improving trust, operations, admissions, fee discipline, systems, and accountability.

The Impact
The transformation can be seen across five major outcomes:

1. CBSE affiliation achieved within 18 months

The school received the State Government NOC and secured CBSE affiliation, giving parents confidence in the school’s academic legitimacy and future continuity.

2. Teacher attrition reduced by 50%

Improved communication, clearer systems, stronger academic culture, and better staff alignment helped stabilize the teaching team.

3. Admissions grew by approximately 50 students per year

The school regained parent confidence and improved its local reputation, helping student numbers grow steadily from a base of around 300.

4. Fee discipline improved

As academic quality became more visible and parent trust returned, parents began paying fees on time.

5. Losses recovered and branch became profitable within 24 months

By plugging fund leakage, improving admissions, strengthening operations, and restoring confidence, the school moved from accumulated losses to becoming a profit centre.

Why It Matters
This case study matters because it shows that a school’s vision is only powerful when it is experienced in everyday functioning.

Many schools have strong mission statements, progressive values, and innovative policies. But if systems are weak, teachers are unstable, parents are confused, and academic progress is not visible, even good ideas can lose credibility.

Mrs. Nirmala Thakur’s work at this school shows how progressive education can be protected by strengthening structure around it. She did not abandon the school’s philosophy. She made it understandable, measurable, and trustworthy.

The no homework and no examination policy till Class 5 could have become a point of conflict. Instead, through parent communication, continuous assessment visibility, stronger PTMs, and academic rigor, it became part of a more coherent learning approach.

The affiliation milestone also mattered deeply. For parents, board affiliation provides comfort. It signals stability, recognition, and continuity. For the school, it created legitimacy. For students, it gave a stronger platform for future learning.

At its heart, this case is about building “a school with a difference” without losing operational discipline. It shows that joyful learning and academic seriousness do not have to be mutually exclusive. A school can be creative and accountable. Child-centered and rigorous. Progressive and financially sustainable.

Providing future-ready education is one of the most important gifts a school can offer its community. This transformation shows how that gift becomes possible when vision, systems, teachers, parents, and leadership begin moving in the same direction.