PRINCIPAL POINTS

RINCIPAL P WITH LEADERS OF ECIS MEMBER SCHOOLS POINTS

JAMES “JAK” KEARNEY HEAD / CEO SOTOGRANDE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL | SPAIN

Jak Kearney is the Head and CEO of Sotogrande International School in Spain. Jak joined Sotogrande International School as the Head of Maths in September 2010 and was the chair of the steering committee for the CIS evaluation in 2013. He became Head in May 2014 and CEO in January 2018. Previously he has worked as a Deputy Head in the UK, an Advanced Skills teacher of maths in the UK and a Key Stage Leader in the Philippines.

With over 20 years experience teaching and leading in schools around the world, Jak has found a home at Sotogrande, where he has been able to work as part of a team to lead an incredible IB World day and boarding school, which offers extraordinary educational experiences, provides a wide range of opportunities for students to explore their curiosities and passions and uses education as a force for good in the world.

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT HOW YOU CAME TO BE IN SPAIN?

Honestly this move was all down to my wife! I loved International Education and, when we started our family, we decided it would be great to be closer to ‘home’. We moved back to the UK from South East Asia. However, we felt uncertain about where we wanted our own children to be educated. One cold day in the UK, my wife sent me a text saying bring back a bottle of Champers, I have found us a job abroad! I was delighted and what sealed it for us, was the visit to the school. We met a community of staff, who shared a similar vision about education as us. We met the graduating class, who were well grounded, confident, knowledgeable, polite and able to challenge. This is what we wanted both as parents and as professionals. Honestly we have not looked back. I guess you know home when you find it.

YOU HAVE 3 POST-IT NOTES TO WRITE DOWN ONE GOAL ON EACH FOR THE YEAR AHEAD, WHAT WOULD YOURS SAY?

This is funny as it could be answered using several different hats. I will answer as a school leader for my school.

Goal 1: To continue to invest in, listen to and develop the School Leadership Team. Leadership for me is not a one man show. It is about the team, we are the ones who make decisions, guide our school, set the direction, listen to the needs, wants and desires of the community and ensure we balance our mission and margin. The great work we have done at Sotogrande is due to the team, therefore investment in them remains the key for me.

Goal 2: To consistently employ the strategy of raising achievement for all, aka RAFA! This goal is not about developing language, improving maths, increasing IB results, etc.. It pushes further than this. It shouts and sings about knowledgeable child centred education. If we as teachers really know our students, then we can help every student at every level become better, reflect on their learning, understand their strengths and weaknesses and become better, more in-tune learners.

Goal 3: To enhance and increase our provision to create opportunities for students. Schools for me are about opportunity. Everyone is great and brilliant at something, some people are great and brilliant at more than one thing. My desire is for every child to feel special. To know that they have tried lots of different things out and found something that they love, enjoy, and are great at. This is the sweet spot. Our role as teachers and leaders is to create these opportunities in art, drama, dance, music, science, technology, maths, engineering, sports and public speaking. You name it, we should do our utmost to provide an opportunity for students to explore, alongside passionate, inspirational educators. If you want to see this in action - come to Sotogrande!

IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE ONE PRESSING ISSUE FACING INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS...

I feel one of the pressing issues faced is the lack of the “We” focus in international education. This is the education of others, of connectedness and togetherness. Often education focuses on “me”, the development of self, the movement forward of you. However, society is lacking social cohesion because we are forgetting others. Developing a sense of others is critical as we help student’s transition into a connected society. At Sotogrande International School, we have a student led NGO called the Kindred Project.

This is our tool to enable the education of ‘we’. At SIS, we call this the journey from ME to WE. I would like this model to be shared by other schools, so that CAS is not just something that is done at school, but something that students learn to live and breathe at home, during holidays and in their future.

THINKING LONGER-TERM, IS THERE ANYTHING INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS COULD DO BETTER?

I would love to find better ways to test student knowledge. The final exam! There is so much resting on one day following 2 or more years of work. It feels like such a tough rite of passage. This is not the way the world functions. We apply our knowledge to solve problems that we don’t know the answers to. We don’t prep and prepare in the same way that students have to pass an exam. I like the IB because it has made headway into this phenomenon, with the extended essay, TOK, CAS, Personal Project, Community Project, etc. These are examples of real life issues, areas of personal interest, etc. that enable students to research, apply their learning to a variety of situations and get feedback. Imagine a business “exam” where the problem posed is… “You are part of a team of people who need to bring about swift and rapid change to increase revenue in a failing business. You have one week to strategically map out your solution. You will be assessed on your team work, delegation abilities, presentation skills, technical know how, research skills, problem solving ability, conflict management and more.”

This would not only be a real test for the real world, but it would be fun! For students, it would more fairly allow them to demonstrate their knowledge, teamwork, grit, determination, creativity, etc. For staff, it would mean that the “skills based education”, which we all know is critical, is assessed. For parents, it would take the endless “revision” out of the grind and hopefully reduce stress for all.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT HOW YOUR SCHOOL IS DEALING WITH COVID-19 AND THE EFFECT THIS IS HAVING ON YOUR STAFF AND STUDENTS

The spread of COVID-19 has really allowed us to pull together as a community. Initially, we sent letters to parents about how to remain safe, how to alert the school about travel, and actions on the back of this. We returned after February half term to temperature checks, instructed selfisolation, stopped visitors and parents coming on-site and finally moved to total shut-down from March 16th. We run a boarding school and we safely expatriated 100 boarders over a 2 day period. These transition points were at times scary for both staff and students, however, we knew they were necessary. The feedback from parents, students and staff at every step of the way was overwhelmingly supportive.

that students experience daily. The frustrations, the need for resilience, the need to seek help, experience successes, joys and the desire to share these. It is an amazing journey and the need to be a lifelong learner has never been clearer. The IT team has been critical in facilitating this development, identifying problems, supporting growth and development, listening, pro-actively addressing issues. They have been an amazing support pre and during our virtual school.

Our students have also embraced the change in the way we have taught them to, with open hearts and minds. They have not let COVID-19 stop their education. They remain committed, thirsty and patient. Empathy has played such a critical part in going virtual, being there for students and staff, understanding how people are feeling, dealing with isolation, seeing the joy of actually having a conversation with others. These experiences have spurred our staff to do more and create better, more engaging activities.

We have all successfully transitioned through a time of change in the past. We used this experience to do it again, as we have always done, as a community, as a team of dedicated, caring and creative staff, who live and breathe the best for students. COVID-19 has made us better. A better community, a better set of teachers and learners, a better group of leaders, better parents, better students, because all barriers can be seen as opportunities. It just depends on the way you see the world. AND FINALLY, THE BEST LESSON YOU HAVE LEARNED AS A SENIOR LEADER?

Wow, what a great and tough question. I would say I have 2 lessons. Firstly, listen more than you speak. Secondly, don’t stress / worry over things outside of your control and influence.

Our thanks to Jak for his insights.

Would you like to be interviewed in a future issue? Contact:globalinsights@ecis.org