THE FOBISIAN: Term 3, Issue 27, June 2018 (HR)

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T H E e N E W S L E T T E R F O R T H E F E D E R AT I O N O F B R I T I S H I N T E R N AT I O N A L S C H O O L S I N A S I A

June 2018 Term 3, Issue 27 www.fobisia.org

2018 LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Celebrating 30 Years! FOBISIA Launches Community Forum 2018 Leadership Conference Update The Friendly Games Sports Invitationals Academic Competitions Arts Festivals Student Conferences UK Updates Latest Research

REGISTER NOW! Enjoy FOBISIA Membership Discounts! Sponsorship Packages Still Available! Workshop Sessions Now Open! www.fobisia.org


FOBISIA Board Simon Mann,

Vanita Uppal,

Graeme Salt,

Dinah Hawtree,

Barnaby Sandow,

Anthony Rowlands,

Roger Schultz,

Matthew Mills,

Chair head@britishschoolmanila.org

Vice Chair & Treasurer graeme.salt@dulwich-seoul.kr

CPD Heads' Liaison barnaby.sandow@jis.edu.bn

Sports Heads' Liaison hos@alice-smith.edu.my

Safeguarding Heads' Liaison v.uppal@british-school.org

Communications principal@gardenrayong.com

Consultant (Membership) anthony.rowlands@bisvietnam.com

Consultant (HQ Transition) mami@patana.ac.th

Simon Leese,

Events Heads' Liaison simon.leese@powiis.edu.my

FOBISIA HQ Tania Donoghue,

Executive Officer tania.donoghue@fobisia.org

Daphne Wong,

CPD Coordinator daphne.wong@fobisia.org

39/4 Todsamon Clubhouse Building, M Fl, Soi Lasalle 39/1, Sukhumvit 105, Bangna, Bangkok, 10260, Thailand

Siobhan Bland,

Senior Administrator siobhan.bland@fobisia.org


Contents

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From the Chair 3 Simon Mann, BSM, on the FOBISIA spirit of friendship and collaboration and taking the Federation forward

FOBISIA HQ Update 4 Tania Donoghue, FOBISIA HQ, on the latest news from HQ

Celebrating 30 Years!

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FOBISIA Launches Community Forum

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2018 Leadership Conference Update

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The Federation reflects on its journey from humble beginnings to its recent re-visioning and future direction Nick Sheehan, JIS & Daphne Wong, FOBISIA HQ on unleashing the potential of FOBISIA's discussion and information-sharing portal Simon Mann, FOBISIA Chair & Tania Donoghue, FOBISIA HQ, on planning for this year's big event

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The Friendly Games 19 Gemma Hudson, BSJ, on The Friendly Games (U13s Red Group) Emma Malla, TBS, on The Friently Games (Primary White Group)

Sports Invitationals

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Academic Competitions

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Visual, Music & Performing Arts Festivals

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Student Conferences & Workshops

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Raj Ladva, BPS, on the inaugural Climbing Invitational Natalie Greenidge, HISB, on the Gymnastics Invitational

Gemma Hudson & Jenny Simmons, BSJ, on the Online Short Story Competition Steven Daly, REGP, on the Online D&T Challenge 3 Christopher Smith, GISKL, on the Middle Years Orchestra Festival for Brass Marketing & Communications Department, TTS, on the Primary Music Festival Jane Stewart-Williams, KLASS, on the Student Leadership Workshops Tania Leyland, BPS, on the Student Leadership Workshops Tracy Lee, ISB, on the Student Environmental Conference

CPD & Events Calendar

Join the FOBISIA community... FOBISIA COMMUNITY FORUM

https://community.fobisia.org/register

www.fobisia.org

UK Updates 37 David Rowlands' KeyNotes Excerpts (from No. 45, May 2018)

FOBISIA

Latest Research 44 Anne Keeling, ISC Research, on ISC's latest research findings

#FOBISIA

@FOBISIA1 Cover: FOBISIA's 2018 Leadership Conference


From the Chair Dear Colleagues, Welcome to this edition of THE FOBISIAN. As a group, FOBISIA aims to enrich the experience of our students, and this issue of THE FOBISIAN highlights some of the many activities and events that our children have participated in over the past few months. It has been another wonderful year for our students and staff and there is no doubt that our respective communities are increasing their understanding of the benefits and opportunities afforded to FOBISIA Member Schools. It is now a year since the move of The Friendly Games to Thanyapura, Phuket, and this has been a real success which we are confident will be further enhanced as we move through the Primary Games programme. The Drama, Music, Maths, Visual and Performing Arts events have become progressively more popular and always seem to optimise the FOBISIA spirt of friendship and collaboration. Also the number of students engaging in the wide range of competitions offered within the group is always rising. The Biennial Teachers' Conference in Ho Chi Minh City in 2017 was another resounding success, with over 120 delegates attending, and the reflection of those attendees being overwhelmingly positive. The CPD Executive is now looking at the next steps to support teacher and staff development over the coming years. At this time last year Dr Martin Coles was leading the review of our organisational structures, this review is now complete and we are in the process of restructuring HQ and looking to employ a CEO to lead FOBISIA into the next phase of its evolution. These are exciting times, and we believe, they place FOBISIA in an excellent position to grow over the coming years. We expect the number of Member Schools to increase, and we aim for our capacity to further support our schools, leaders, students and families. As we evolve, I believe we must remember that the success of FOBISIA is based on the goodwill, commitment to student learning and collaborative nature of our teachers, school leaders and staff who are ably supported by our wonderful HQ team, this is invaluable and must be maintained. How ever FOBISIA develops over the coming years, as long as it is based in this collaborative effort to enrich the experiences of our communities and make those experiences very personal for all members of our schools, then I am sure the coming years will be as successful as those that have preceded them. I hope you have a restful, fun and well deserved Summer break and I look forward to seeing you next academic year. Simon Mann FOBISIA Chair - March 2018 to present Principal, The British School Manila

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FOBISIA HQ Update Dear Members, As the academic year comes to a close it’s a great time to reflect on all that has taken place within the FOBISIA membership. This year there were approximately 100 FOBISIA events! These included 8 Music events, 24 Sports events, 5 Non-Sports events and 17 Online events. There were 50 JAWS and/or Conference-style CPD events. Then there were the Leadership Conference and Business Meetings as well as the Teachers Conference. All of these, whether being teacher or student focused are designed to have the same outcome, and that is to enrich the experiences of the students within the FOBISIA membership. It is a great commitment to our staff and students when hosting, so a huge thank you to all of our Member Schools, and their amazing staff, that championed these events. Thank you too, to our outsourced provider, Sports Camps Australia, for conducting good competition for our FOBISIA Friendly Games. The calendar for all events for academic year 2018/19 are now listed on the FOBISIA website. Please refer to the website for all up-to-date information. The planning for the Leadership Conference in November is well underway. The conference theme is “Leading Inclusively” and will be located at the Intercontinental Hotel in Bangkok. We will have the details available on the website soon, and we are once again going paperless as we invest in the conference App called ‘Whova’. The App was a great success last year as it allows all delegates to retrieve conference information on their devices allowing for greater connectivity. In addition to enjoying the articles in THE FOBISIAN please keep up-to-date with the latest news and real time updates on Twitter #FOBISIA or message @FOBISIA1 and Facebook, Fobisia - Click Like. At HQ, we farewelled our colleague and Events Coordinator, Katrina George, this term. She did a fantastic job for us and we wish her all the very best in her new role at one of our Member Schools. To you, we wish you the very best for a fun, safe holiday. We hope that you have a welldeserved break. The current team at HQ, Siobhan and Daphne, have worked very hard in their roles this year and will enjoy a break in July as well. We are all looking forward to returning refreshed and ready to assist you with your FOBISIA events and business in the new academic year. Tania Donoghue FOBISIA Executive Officer

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Editor's Note

T H E e N E W S L E T T E R F O R T H E F E D E R AT I O N O F B R I T I S H I N T E R N AT I O N A L S C H O O L S I N A S I A

Welcome to the June 2018 issue of THE FOBISIAN FOBISIA’s termly eNewsletter for sharing events and other FOBISIA news among the membership. This commemorative issue is crawling with copious quantities of coruscating content! This year we are celebrating 30 Years of FOBISIA! We hear from FOBISIA Heads, past and present, as the Federation reflects on its journey from humble beginnings to its recent re-visioning and future direction. We will continue the celebrations into the next issue of THE FOBISIAN, so if you would like to share your FOBISIA memories and/or photos, please send them through to us. We would love to hear from you! This term marks the official launch of the much anticipated Community Forum - FOBISIA's very own discussion and information-sharing portal. The result of several years of dedication on the part of the CPD Executive, the Community Forum is the answer to all your questions. It is often said that FOBISIA's longevity is a reflection not only of the standards that it maintains, but its caring and inclusive culture. Rather aptly, "Leading Inclusively" is this year's theme for the 2018 Leadership Conference. Planning is now well under way for our big November event. Register now to secure your place. This issue keeps the usual suspects in the spotlight, with updates on the Student Events that have taken place across Asia this term, a well as news from the UK. And last but not least, we have added a new segment to THE FOBISIAN - Latest Research. We hope to be able to share the findings of the latest research focussed on international schools and British-style education, including issues around leadership, curriculum, quality assurance, safeguarding, recruitment, and careers, among others. I would like to extend a huge thank you to all of our contributors for this blockbuster of an issue! Our aim for THE FOBISIAN is to continue to bring content that resonates across our readership, so that it remains an essential benefit to all of our members going forward. If you have any suggestions for content, do let let us know here at FOBISIA HQ.

PUBLISHERS

FOBISIA www.fobisia.org/membership/THE FOBISIAN

EDITOR

Siobhan Bland, FOBISIA HQ

CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE

Simon Mann, The British School Manila & FOBISIA Board Tania Donoghue, FOBISIA HQ John Gwyn Jones, Panyathip International School Shaun Williams, Nord Anglia Education Ronald Stones OBE, Founding Member of FOBISIA Nick Sheehan, Jerudong International School Daphne Wong, FOBISIA HQ Gemma Hudson, British School Jakarta Jenny Simmons, British School Jakarta Emma Malla, The British School Kathmandu Raj Ladva, Bangkok Patana School Natalie Greenidge, Harrow International School Bangkok Steven Daly, Regents International School Pattaya Christopher Smith, Garden International School, Kuala Lumpur Marketing & Communications Department, Tanglin Trust School Jane Stewart-Williams, The Alice Smith School, Kuala Lumpur Tania Leyland, Bangkok Patana School Tracy Lee, International School Brunei David Rowlands, Keynotes Author Anne Keeling, ISC Research

ABOUT THE FOBISIAN

THE FOBISIAN is FOBISIA’s eNewsletter for sharing events and other FOBISIA news among the membership, including Member Schools and Affiliate Members. Three issues of THE FOBISIAN are published each academic year, in September (June to August content), February (September to January content), and June (February to May content). If you would like to contribute, email the Editor at: siobhan.bland@fobisia.org

Happy reading!

Siobhan

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THE FOBISIAN: June 2018, Term 3, Issue 27


Celebrating 30 Years! From humble beginnings to its recent re-visioning and future direction, the Federation has certainly come a long way in 30 years. But one thing hasn't changed since 1988, and that is FOBISIA's commitment to promoting high-quality British-style education, and supporting and fostering cooperation between Member Schools across Asia. As a way of celebrating 30 years of FOBISIA, we asked leaders of our Member Schools, past and present, to share their favourite FOBISIA memories, how they and their schools benefited from FOBISIA membership, what they think makes FOBISIA unique, FOBISIA's biggest strengths and where they see FOBISIA in 10 years' time. Here are some of their reflections, with more to come in the September issue. John Gwyn Jones was Principal of one of the founding FOBISIA Member Schools, was the first elected Chair of FOBISIA, was Head’s Liaison on both the Sport and CPD Committees, and served as a FOBISIA Head for 24 years. Having retired from his role St. Christopher's International Primary School in 2014, he is currently the Managing Director of the Panyathip International School in Vientiane, Laos. Q. What are your favourite FOBISIA memories? A. When I took on my first Principal’s role in 1990 at St. Christopher’s International Primary School in Penang, I had the added benefit of leading one of the founder schools of FOBISSEA (as it was known then). In those early years, you would probably compare FOBISSEA to a G&T Club, where a handful of Heads got together to form a new network that would create a social and intellectual forum. What did we all have in common? – of course it was leading British-type international schools. What else bonded us as Heads and schools? – the need to share good practice and establish a support network. As a new, and relatively young Head, the support I received from the initial founding group of Heads – Martin Thomas (Bangkok Patana School), Ron Stones (British School Jakarta), Vanessa Cloud (The British School Manila), Joe Eales (The Alice Smith School), Barabara Abidin,

(Kinabalu International School), and Veronica Goodband (Tanglin Trust School) was invaluable. Memories? Wow…too many…probably because I served as a FOBISIA Head for over 24 years…which in itself made me stand out from the crowd. One challenge we had was continuity as school leaders, because the turn over of Heads was significantly noticeable. I believe this remains the case. As FOBISIA grew, one of the most important steps taken was to establish a formal structure for the Federation and I was privileged to be elected the first Chairman of FOBISIA, along with Executive members Andy Homden (The Alice Smith School) and Joe Eales (Garden International School, KL). Since then, there have been substantial developments, whereby the Federation now consists of over 55+ Member Schools and growing and has its own Executive office. For me, what will always remain as something memorable is the people that I had the pleasure of knowing as mentors, friends and colleagues that I could depend on and trust whenever I needed support. I looked forward to our meetings and conferences to catch up and welcome new Heads and Member Schools. I would enjoy those informal social events where not only did we get to know each other better, but where we also got to sing on the bus back to the hotel. I suppose my parting gift to FOBISIA in hosting the leadership Conference in Penang, which I believe many people still talk about…ha ha ha ha…is one of the highlights I will always remember. The attendance and participation from existing and past member Heads, senior leaders, and Affiliate Members was incredible. Having a world-class selection of keynote speakers (Sir John Jones and Martin Skelton) added so much value… and my final and departing dinner at the Rasa Sayang Hotel turned out to be such an entertaining evening… unforgettable.

Continued on page 7....

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Continued from page 6... Q. How have you and your school/s benefited from FOBISIA Membership?

Growth will indeed bring its challenges especially in managing all the activities, but this is inevitable. Combining and sharing resources with the likes of BSME and COBIS with the potential of global events for Member Schools will create a stronger awareness of the strength of British-type international schools.

A. In those early years (1990s) FOBISIA Member Schools were so different to what they are now, but the initiative and vision of establishing a sporting event between Member Schools by I suppose the Martin Thomas (Bangkok Patana uniqueness of FOBISIA School) and Vanessa Clout (The is that Member Schools British School Manila) back in 1992 must stand out as probably the are British in one way or most sustainable event that FOBISIA Member Schools continue to really another, and the range of enjoy. At one stage, The Games was schools also makes FOBISIA what people thought of when you mentioned FOBISIA…but now, there very special…from small and are so many other powerful student developing schools to those events that bring out the best in the with a significant presence and talent that exists amongst Member history.” Schools – music and performing arts, maths, Model United Nations, - John Gwyn Jones, Panyathip International School story writing and much much more. Professional development for Member School staff with Job Alike Workshops (JAWS) and visiting presenters really raised the profile of FOBISIA…and the links fostered with other groups such as BSME and COBIS enhances the work being done in Asia.

And finally getting greater recognition from the British Government as to the value that British international schools offer to the communities we are based in.

Q. What do you think it is that makes FOBISIA unique? A. I suppose the uniqueness of FOBISIA is that Member Schools are British in one way or another, and the range of schools also makes FOBISIA very special…from small and developing schools to those with a significant presence and history. Q. What do you see as FOBISIA's biggest strengths? A. Strengths…again too many to mention…a huge network of supporting schools; substantial student events that bring schools together; quality professional development for Member School staff that keeps teachers engaged, motivated and up-to-date; and a caring community that focuses on global issues such as environmental awareness, social integration, citizenship, gender equality and empowerment.

FOBISSEA Heads, Tanglin Trust School, Singapore, 1992

Q. Where do you see FOBISIA in 10 years' time? A. At the rate of membership growth, will FOBISIA increase to over 100+ Member Schools? If so, will the structure change? Already the risk of losing the close personal relationships and close relationships between Member Schools is seen as a potential loss to the importance placed on this when the Federation first stated and was much smaller.

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FOBISSEA Heads, The British School Kathmandu, Nepal, 2009

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FOBISSEA Heads, Garden International School, Kuala Lumpur, 2010

FOBISSEA Heads, Bangkok, Thailand, 2011

FOBISIA Heads, Taipei European School, Taiwan, 2014

FOBISIA Heads, Bangkok Patana School, Thailand, 2014

FOBISIA Heads, British Vietnamese International School, Ho Chi Monh City, Vietnam, 2015

FOBISIA Heads, Bangkok, Thailand, 2016

FOBISIA Heads, Dulwich College Seoul, South Korea, 2016

FOBISIA Heads, The British School of Beijing, Shunyi, China, 2017

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Shaun Williams was the Chair of FOBISIA from 2012 to 2014. He was CEO of the BIS Group of Schools in Vietnam from 2010 to 2015, and Principal of BIS HCMC from 2007 to 2016. In 2015, Shaun moved into the role of Regional Managing Director of Nord Anglia Education for South East Asia. Q. What are your favourite FOBISIA memories? A. The business meeting in Beijing [2013] where at the very end of a busy meeting we all decided, without anyone voting against, that we should change the name of the Federation and embrace the whole of Asia. It felt like a coming of age for FOBISIA where we moved from a small exclusive organisation to one that was ready to step into the 21 century and play a much more significant educational role in the region. I was Chair at that meeting and so I guess the memory stuck. On a lighter note the conference in Penang also had highlights. Sir John Jones was brilliant and peasant John Jones and Peter Derby-Crook crooning over dinner is also a lasting memory!

FOBISIA Heads, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2017 FOBISIA Heads, The English School of Mongolia, Mongolia, 2018

Q. How have you and your school/s benefited from FOBISIA Membership? A. The opportunities for school leaders (not just heads - other senior leaders and middle leaders through JAWS) to connect, support each other and share good ideas. The wide range of opportunities for students to compete and/or collaborate across many areas of school life sports, arts, maths, MUN etc., around the region. Q. What do you think it is that makes FOBISIA unique? A. The fact it is a Federation and not just a membership club. If you join FOBISIA you are committed to participation in business meetings and to hosting events. No other schools organisation operates in this way. Q. What do you see as FOBISIA's biggest strengths? A. See above - the fact it is a Federation. Q. Where do you see FOBISIA in 10 years' time? A. This is difficult having now been away from FOBISIA and its thinking for nearly four years. I hope it continues as a Federation, but I suspect with continued growth that will not be possible and it will elect an executive committee which actually runs the organisation with a full time CEO - a similar model to COBIS.

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Curriculum Framework

NPQH – Leading a School

The curriculum framework is built around six content

In addition to the induction and 5 face-to-face (F2F) sessions

areas and seven leadership behaviours, all of which are

(detailed below) the NPQH programme follows a blended

common to each level of NPQ, enabling leaders to

learning format. This consists of workplace learning and

develop the depth and breadth of knowledge and

practice activities, peer and facilitated learning, reading,

experience progressively through the levels:

structured reflection, online learning and a 360 diagnostic

The six content areas set out what a leader should know or be able to do: • Managing Resources and Risks

• Teaching and Curriculum Excellence

• Strategy and Improvement • Leading with Impact • Working in Partnership

• Increasing Capability

The seven leadership behaviours focus on how the best leaders operate: • Commitment

• Collaboration

• Resilience

• Personal Drive

• Awareness

• Respect

• Integrity

assessment. Day 1 - Succeeding in Headship How do you manage the transition from working with someone else’s vision and moral purpose to establishing your own, whilst recognising outside pressures and the changing horizons? Day 2 - Leading Learning and Teaching How do you ensure that you understand your own data and create a context driven curriculum for your school to meet the needs of all, delivered through outstanding teaching? Day 3 - Leading with Impact How do you manage your own behaviours as a leader in order to promote an outstanding school and effect change successfully through the endeavours of others? Day 4 - Leading Effective Partnerships How do you create and sustain a culture of effective partnerships? Day 5 - Leading Strategically How do you manage whole school resource management in order to bring about your vision? How do you support and challenge your staff to be aligned to this process?

Lead Facilitator Resources Location

1st F2F 2nd F2F

Assessment Cost Apply Deadline

UCL Institute of Education: #1 in QS global education rankings for four years running: 2014-2017

Further Information FOBISIA Contact

Dr Jenny Francis, Strategic Programme Leader for Exploring Headship, NPQML, NPQSL & NPQH, UCL Institute of Education Online Resources, 360 Diagnostic Survey, Coaching Bangkok, Thailand: Harrow International School: 30-31/10/2018 Shrewsbury International School: 23-25/01/2019

School-based project, placement school project £3,750 (incl. assessment) + minimal local fee (incl. refreshments) www.lcll.org.uk/2018-npqh-applicationform---c3.html End of July 2018 (preferably before the end of Term 3, 2017-18) Email: LeadershipCoLab@ucl.ac.uk Tel: (+44) 207 612 6515 daphne.wong@fobisia.org


From Little Seeds: The Birth of a Federation of British Schools By Ronald Stones OBE, Founding Member of FOBISIA Ronald Stones OBE was the first Honorary Member of FOBISIA and was there when it all started in 1988. This article is an excerpt from his autobiography that he has kindly shared with FOBISIA as part of its 30 Years celebrations. Reflections by Ronald Stones OBE is published by lulu.com.

who agreed to attend a welcoming reception, and hosted the first meeting in early 1988. The four attending principals represented Tanglin Infant and Junior Schools Singapore (later to become Tanglin Trust School, and my next headship), British School Manila (my successor), Bangkok Patana School, and Alice Smith School Kuala Lumpur.

Arriving in South-East Asia in 1982 to take up my first For most of the principals – and one had been in headship in the region at the age of 32, I felt it important position for more than twenty years, this was the first to develop a circle of colleagues in similar positions. The opportunity to really talk and be British Council helped to provide open with colleagues and to share me with the mailing addresses For most of the how we were going to respond to (in the days before email…) of 27 principals – and one had the introduction of the national British-type schools in the region, – the biggest change in been in position for more than curriculum and I wrote to them all. British education since sliced bread. twenty years, this was the first We needed to know about each In time, four responded. To develop planned response – and opportunity to really talk and other’s a relationship with those four, I adjust those responses, and share compiled a document of statistics be open with colleagues and in any related initiatives where and a description of the operation appropriate and possible – since we to share how we were going of the British School Manila and knew that comparisons would be to respond to the introduction made between schools. circulated that to each of them. I said that if they each compiled a of the national curriculum – similar document for their own Over a three-day period of talking schools, I would take responsibility the biggest change in British and wining and dining, a real for putting it all together into a education since sliced bread." camaraderie began to develop, and comparative document which we I asked if they would like to repeat - Ronald Stones OBE, Founding Member of FOBISIA each could find to be of use. the exercise in the future. There was an overwhelming ‘yes’ and a I then began – in my own time during mid-term breaks suggestion that we set up an informal grouping, offering – to visit each of those schools and to get to know the other like-schools the opportunity to join, and rotating principals face-to-face. the meetings so that the organisational burden was shared, and conducting the meeting on an annual basis. In 1987, on taking up appointment at The British International School Jakarta – one of the four schools – This was much more than I could ever have hoped for. and in the run-up to the bill before Britain’s parliament of the Education Reform Act which was to bring into The group agreed on the name The Federation of Britishplace Britain’s first national curriculum, I thought that the type Schools in South-East Asia – which acronymed as time was ripe for a meeting of the principals. FOBISSEA. I set up the logistics, arranged guest accommodation, achieved the endorsement of the British Ambassador

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And the baby matured. Kellett School Hong Kong, Kotakinabalu International School Sabah, St Christopher’s

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School Penang, Uplands School Penang all lined up to join us. I led the successful bid for Tanglin and the centre was As principals across the region heard about the subsequently named FOBISSEA’s Regional Professional organisation, interest grew, and the concept of sharing Development Centre. With the strength of that name, much more than principals’ meetings grew with it. it became possible to negotiate opportunities which This in turn led to the first FOBISSEA Games (and the otherwise would not have been open to us, and we joy of seeing students from national and international began to host courses in conjunction with London’s cultures building camaraderie while taking competition Institute of Education’s Centre of Leadership, the to new heights on large scales was fabulous), then a University of Bath, and the University of Durham – with music festival (sharing in performance to new heights), teachers from across the region visiting Singapore a drama festival, an opportunity for these courses and working for vice-principals and managers towards certificates, diplomas [At the first ever to meet and share, an opportunity and degrees to further enhance FOBISSEA Games] ... the their professionalism, while crossfor business managers to meet, a job-alike meeting and the sharing fertilising each other’s schools. joy of seeing students from of professional development... And so it went on to the betterment of national and international In 2006, I handed over the headship all stakeholders at all levels in all cultures building camaraderie of Tanglin, and left conventional schools – whether small or large, education as I knew it, but was while taking competition to rich or poor. subsequently invited to take up the new heights on large scales position of First Honorary Associate It also created a bond across and of the Federation which I was was fabulous..." between schools which encouraged pleased to do, being able to watch - Ronald Stones OBE, Founding Member of FOBISIA the continued development from a and enabled transferring families to seek out other FOBISSEA member distance. schools as their first choice when being relocated by employers. It was quite a feather in my cap to be invited by the Chairman of the Federation to be keynote presenter at Fifteen years into the organisation, principals agreed that its annual conference for principals and senior managers we needed to develop an organisational structure which some five years later during my tenure with Green did not just depend on the host of a meeting being a School. The conference was to be held in Kathmandu. I rotating chair, and that we should constitutionalise the was sure that my former colleagues were as interested organisation, register it, and enable the setting up of in seeing the reinvention of this old fuddy duddy bank accounts. conventional educationalist into alternative education as they were into finding out more about Green School. Singapore was chosen as the centre of registration, and we made an approach through Tanglin’s lawyers Today, the Federation has grown to a membership to the Registrar of Societies to adjust our proposed of more than 50 schools, has expanded its intake constitution so that it would meet Singapore’s quite geographically to include all of Asia, has changed its stringent requirements – and in particular that no name accordingly, and has a full-time Executive running matter which principals were elected as Chair, Vice-Chair an office. and Treasurer, that a second Vice Chair representing a Singapore school would always be on the Board. It was with great pride that I attended the dinner of the annual principals’ conference held in Singapore It then made sense to appoint a salaried Secretariat in 2015 and sat with the directors of the regional liketo ensure compliance and to make arrangements organisations in Britain and Europe, in the Middle East, and coordinate the varied and ever-growing range of and in the Americas – all contributing to the movement activities in the calendar of the Federation. of British schools overseas and world-wide, and with FOBISIA holding its head up. In 2004, it was decided that the Federation could benefit from having a regional professional development centre From little seeds… and schools were invited to bid for that position and opportunity.

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FOBISIA Launches Community Forum By Nick Sheehan, Academic Director, Jerudong International School & Chair, FOBISIA CPD Executive & Daphne Wong, CPD Coordinator, FOBISIA HQ May 2018 marked the launch of an exciting development that schools face in giving all colleagues access to these for FOBISIA Member Schools - an online community collaborative opportunities. How can FOBISIA best forum. The forum is designed to become the 'go-to' support collaboration and sharing amongst colleagues place for colleagues in Member Schools to ask questions, in Members Schools between JAWS and conferences? collaborate and share good practice. As the Federation How can the fantastic workshops and resources from has expanded in the past few years, the geographical the JAWS be shared more widely? It is to address these area covered now extends to 58 schools in 14 countries questions that for the past two years, the CPD Executive, - from Mongolia in the north to Indonesia in the south, supported by FOBISIA HQ has been planning and from the Philippines in the East to India in the West. developing the Community Forum - a place for sharing The 58 Member Schools employ over 5,000 teachers in and collaboration between Member Schools across Asia. total and countless more staff to support learning and The forum has been through various design phases administration. In total, there are upwards of 45,000 using several platforms since its early development in students attending FOBISIA schools. Whilst there are 2016. Initially as a place to share many models and approaches FOBISIA documents, the ‘portal’ as How can FOBISIA best to running schools across the it was known, sat inside the FOBISIA support collaboration Federation, one thing that unites website hosted by Finalsite. We us all is a desire to provide a high- and sharing amongst colleagues worked very closely with Finalsite quality British-style education in in Members Schools between to explore the features of the Asia. JAWS and conferences? How portal - which was excellent as a FOBISIA has been developing highstore for documents. CPD leaders can the fantastic workshops quality collaborative CPD as part were encouraged to share JAWS and resources from the JAWS of the strategic plan for a number resources after each event and be shared more widely? It is of years. The cornerstone of which these were collated by Daphne to address these questions has been the increasing number Wong at FOBISIA HQ. However, we of Job Alike Workshops (JAWS) that for the past two years, the identified some limitations with this held across the three CPD regions design that would prevent us from CPD Executive, supported by each year. These low-cost, teacherrolling out access to this platform FOBISIA HQ has been planning led, collaborative workshops are across all teachers in all schools. and developing the Community incredibly popular with schools. Forum - a place for sharing and This pushed us on to look at Teachers regularly come back from other solutions available for these enthused and brimming collaboration between Member online communities and after a with new ideas and resources. Schools across Asia." tendering process we identified a Furthermore they give colleagues the - Nick Sheehan, Jerudong International School US company, Vbulletin, that gave us opportunity to share what they have all the tools we needed to build the been doing in their schools by leading forum that we have launched this workshops they have planned. These workshops are then month. Vbulletin only make online forums and they are augmented by the relatively new and successful biennial used by NASA, the NFL and EA Games to provide online Teacher's Conference. The Teacher's Conference is a communities for thier employees, fans and consumers. celebration of collaboration and sharing - bringing together The design process for the FOBISIA Community Forum teachers from British schools across Asia. took in the views of Head Teachers and CPD leaders to However, there are financial and logistical challenges ensure that the design reflected the needs of Member

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Schools. The initial build process was relatively straightforward, but time was taken to carefully manage the secure sign-up processes so that the forum remains "by FOBISIA for FOBISIA". Colleagues have to verify their school email addresses for example. The forum was first shown to the Heads Business Meeting in November 2017. We then planned a strategic roll-out to different groups to ensure the sign-in mechanisms, forum design and notifications were working as planned. This vital stage gave us valuable feedback in order to make tweaks and changes. Daphne then began populating JAWS workshop information and we ran a trial with the participants of the Early Years JAWS at Discovery Bay International School, Hong Kong, in January. All CPD leaders were then signed up for the CPD Leaders Conference at Prince of Wales Island International School, Penang, in March. The feedback from this enabled us to plan the first roll-out to Member Schools in early May. We were really pleased to see over 120 sign-ups on the first day alone. We will continue to send reminders to schools through the CPD leaders. Of course, a very real challenge is the relative emptiness of the forum. Some areas have yet to have any posts - an inevitable hurdle at launch. This will begin to change as more colleagues join, post and respond to other posts. We are confident that the structure is now in place to foster the development of a vibrant and collaborative online professional community. The potential benefits to members are huge. We look forward to seeing the community grow and will update you in forthcoming issues of THE FOBISIAN.


2018 Leadership Conference Update By Simon Mann, Chair, FOBISIA & Tania Donoghue, Executive Officer, FOBISIA HQ

The 2018 FOBISIA Leadership Conference is to be held at the InterContinental Bangkok, in Thailand, from 2 to 4 November. We are delighted to be announcing that registrations are now open for our Annual FOBISIA Leadership Conference, which will be held at the InterContinental Bangkok, from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 November. The theme for this year's conference is 'Leading Inclusively'. We will be bringing you some outstanding and inspirational keynote speakers and presenters that will ignite your ‘Leading Inclusively’ flame. We have also included a mix of social and networking opportunities in the programme, as we know that the conference is about both sharing practice and connecting people. For our Member School delegates, the programme will have sessions allocated exclusively to HeadTALKS and SeniorLeaderTALKS around the 'Leading Inclusively' theme.

Very soon you will be able to find more information on our conferencing App, Whova. Watch this space! We very much look forward to welcoming you to the 2018 FOBISIA Leadership Conference at the InterContinental Bangkok in November, which will be an engaging exploration of all things “Leading Inclusively”.

2018 LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

For our Heads of Member Schools pease note for your diary that we will have our Heads' Business Meeting and AGM on Friday 2 November (finishing by 4pm). For our Affiliate Members, we still have Exhibitor booths available, but numbers are limited, so don't miss out on our great membership discounts. Sponsorship Packages are being taken up fast, although we do have unlimited Silver and Bronze packages. The programme will also have workshop sessions allocated exclusively for Affiliate Members. The deadline for Conference Registration and payment is Friday 29 June 2018. Please register at the relevant link below, and do contact us at FOBISIA HQ (tania.donoghue@fobisia.org) if you are interested in running a workshop or sponsoring the event. Delegate Registration Form (Member Schools only) Exhibitor Registration Form (Affiliate Members only) Conference Sponsorship Proposal We have arranged accommodation at both the InterContinental Bangkok and Holiday Inn Bangkok. To guarantee a room you must book by Friday 22nd June 2018. Please make sure you complete the Hotel Booking Form.

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2018 Leadership Conference Keynotes: JANE LARSSON - COUNCIL OF INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

Jane Larsson is the Executive Director of the Council of International Schools (CIS), a global non-profit membership organization focused on the development of global citizenship. CIS provides International Accreditation, Leadership Search, Educational Career & Recruitment, International Student Guidance and Research Services to schools and universities around the world. Jane focuses on the development of collaborative partnerships to enable educational exchange and the development of intercultural perspective. Previously, Jane was Director of International Partnerships with the Visiting International Faculty Program (VIF), and Director of Educational Staffing for International Schools Services. Jane has been an active contributor to international associations, speaking around the world on critical aspects of international education. She currently serves as Chair of the International Task Force on Child Protection.

DR IAN JAMISON - TONY BLAIR INSTITUTE OF GLOBAL CHANGE

Dr Ian Jamison is Head of Education & Training at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Before working for the Institute, Ian had experience of innovative subject leadership in a number of schools across the UK. He received the Guardian ‘Teacher of the year in a secondary school’ award in 2007. Involved in the Generation Global programme since its inception, Ian was part of the team that initially developed the teaching materials. He has international experience of delivering training on the Pedagogy of Dialogue; working with policy makers, educators, religious leaders, and young people in a number of very challenging situations. Ian is a passionate advocate of the power of dialogue for empowering people to address challenges and transform their societies for the better; giving young people the critical thinking skills and transformational experiences that they need to build effective resilience against extremist narratives.

PROFESSOR ALLAN WALKER - THE EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

Professor Allan Walker is the Joseph Lau Chair Professor of International Education Leadership, Director of The Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change and Dean of the Faculty of Education and Human Development at The Education University of Hong Kong. The Faculty houses 220 academic staff in six departments and is committed to research which has a positive impact on disadvantaged communities. His academic work focuses on school leadership and the influence of societal culture on schools, particularly in Southeast and East Asian societies. Allan’s most recent book is Deciphering School Leadership in China: Conceptualisation, Context and Complexities, published by Routledge, London (co-authored with Qian Haiyan).

LAURINDO GARCIA - BE INCLUSIVE

Laurindo Garcia is on a mission to make the world a more inclusive place for all, because he believes inclusive cities that are free from discrimination are happier more productive and innovative. Laurindo is founder and chief executive of Be Inclusive - a mobile app that makes it easier for minorities to find inclusive businesses and services. Laurindo is one of the few openly gay, HIV positive human rights activists in Asia. He has spoken at the United Nations and shared the stage with prominent figures such as US President Bill Clinton and Nobel prize winner Dr Françoise Barré-Sinoussi. Laurindo’s story has been shared on Youtube, Facebook and other social media providing a source of inspiration to many. He has worked in advocacy, technology, business and communications for over 20 years and excels at the intersections of community engagement, digital technologies and social justice. His diverse experience spans public and commercial sectors in eight countries including Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the UK and US. Laurindo was a contributor to the Huffington Post and was inducted as a fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar and Ashoka's global network of changemakers.

NATASHA DEVON MBE - UNIVERSITY OF WALES FELLOW

Natasha Devon MBE tours schools and colleges throughout the UK and beyond delivering talks and conducting research on mental health, body image, gender and social equality. She regularly gives evidence to the Education and Health Select Committees, representing the interests of teenagers and teachers. Natasha has co-authored several books, writes regularly for the Guardian, is a former columnist for Cosmopolitan Magazine and currently has a weekly column in the Times Educational Supplement. In 2016, the Sunday Times and Debretts named Natasha as one of their 500 most influential people in Britain. Natasha is co-founder of arts and education charity Body Gossip, a certified trainer for Mental Health First Aid England and B-eat (formerly the Eating Disorders Association). She is a fellow of the University of Wales: Aberystwyth and advises them, as well as other universities, on campus wellbeing. In 2015 Natasha was awarded an MBE for her services to young people. A Beginner's Guide to Being Mental: An A-Z by Natasha Devon was published in May 2018.


The Friendly Games The Friendly Games provide students from Year 4 upwards with sporting opportunities at an appropriate level for all Member Schools in a safe and competitive environment, by ensuring equal opportunity and participation for both boys and girls, and providing a learning experience in sportsmanship, the value of healthy competition and the benefits of training in preparation for competition.

British School Jakarta Shines in the Pool By Gemma Hudson, Activities Coordinator & Jenny Simmons, Marketing Manager, British School Jakarta

The Under-13s Games (Red Group) were hosted by Sports Camps Australia (SCA), in Phuket, Thailand, from 18 to 22 March, 2018. In mid-March, 24 students from Years 7 and 8 travelled to Phuket, Thailand for the Under-13s Games (Red Group), organised by the Federation of British Schools in Asia (FOBISIA).

On the last day, the girls' basketball team narrowly missed out on overall third position, after a final game of extra time and golden goal. The boys just missed out on victory in the Football, finishing in runner-up position.

The Games encompassed four events - Swimming, Athletics, Football and Basketball - over three days, and brought together several schools in Asia, including Bangkok Patana School, Kellett School (Hong Kong), Shrewsbury International School (Bangkok, Thailand), The British International School Shanghai Puxi (China), Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong (China), and The British International School of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).

Competitions like this enable our students to build their international networks, while experiencing a higher-level of sporting challenge and professional-grade facilities.

The tournament began with British School Jakarta dominating in the pool: our students came away with 18 Gold, nine Silver and five Bronze medals, as well as overall first place. In the Athletics in the afternoon of the first day, our students won eight Gold, six Silver and nine Bronze medals, just missing out on overall third place. On day two, the girls competed in their Football tournament, whilst the boys had Basketball. After a hard day of competition and incredibly hot weather, the girls finished fourth overall and the boys, fifth.

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The British School Kathmandu's Yetis Take Silver By Emma Malla, Teacher of Physical Education & KS4 Mentor, The British School Kathmandu

The Primary Games (White Group) were hosted by Sports Camps Australia (SCA), in Phuket, Thailand, from 1 to 5 May, 2018. The Primary FOBISIA Yetis from The British School Kathmandu (TBS), Nepal had a fantastic tour to Phuket to participate in The Friendly Games during the first week of May. Twenty-three Year 5 and 6 students competed in Tee Ball, Swimming, Athletics and Football, along with teams from British Vietnamese International School Hanoi (Vietnam), Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar (Malaysia), St. Stephen's International School (Thailand), Bromsgrove International School (Thailand), The British International School New Delhi (India), and The British School of Beijing, Sanlitun (China). On the first day of competition, students were in the pool for a morning meet where they made their first

podium appearances and in the afternoon TBS won a huge number of medals in Athletics, doing well in the long-distance running and also in the field events. The Tee Ball event was highly competitive and both TBS teams displayed brilliant batting and fielding skills. The highly anticipated Football tournament was on the final day and proved to be a very successful one for our Yetis; TBS took silver in both the A and B Boys division. Well done to the entire squad who, despite the thunderstorms and tough conditions, performed amazingly and represented Kathmandu and Nepal with pride!

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Wish you could connect with colleagues in your school and and others across Asia to ask questions, collaborate and share practice? Join the FOBISIA Community Forum.

A recent Stanford study found that companies that promoted collaborative working were five times as likely to be high performing.

Community Forum

The FOBISIA Community Forum is a vibrant professional online community developed exclusively for FOBISIA Member Schools.

REGISTER NOW!


Sports Invitationals Sports Invitationals provide an opportunity for Member Schools to host sporting events, including golf, swimming, tennis, gymnastics and sailing, with the option of inviting nonMember Schools to participate, at their discression.

From Hobby to Sport: The Growth of Climbing By Raj Ladva, Climbing Team Co-ordinator & Coach, Bangkok Patana School

The U13s-U19s Climbing Invitational was co-hosted by Bangkok Patana School and Harrow International School Bangkok, Thailand, from 9 to 10 March, 2018. Carabiner. Figure 8. Crimp. Gaston. Anchor. You could be forgiven for thinking that these are a bizarre combination of ballet and sailing terms, however this is all terminology from climbing! Climbing is a highly engaging physical activity that improves strength, fitness, flexibility and muscle tone. It’s also a great way to develop teamwork skills, mental focus and problem-solving under pressure. At both Bangkok Patana School and Harrow International School Bangkok, here are dedicated climbing gyms devoted to the development of the sport. In 2020, Sport Climbing will for the first time be included at the Tokyo Olympics and there is growing interest among our students in various formats of the sport, from Bouldering (without ropes) to Top Roping.

the only person you are truly in competition with is yourself. Only you know your ability, and what you can achieve. It is the beauty of sport in its purest form, where coaches and supporters celebrate the athlete in their performance and encourage them to try their best without criticism. We look forward to seeing how the sport develops and grows across the FOBISIA network and can’t wait to meet other like-minded students, coaches and Sports Directors in the future.

What began at Bangkok Patana School as a small extracurricular activity has grown into a fully-fledged sports team, with climbing meets and competitions between schools here in Bangkok and recently across the FOBISIA network. The inaugural FOBISIA Climbing Invitational, co-hosted by Bangkok Patana School and Harrow International School, has been a significant milestone in our progression from hobby to sport. Students, parents and teachers alike all commented on the friendly atmosphere and supportive competitors. In climbing,

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Professionalism and Team Spirit Won the Day at the Gymnastics Invitational in Bangkok By Natalie Greenidge, Head of Gymnastics, Harrow International School Bangkok

The Gymnastics Invitational hosted by Harrow International School Bangkok and The British School Manila, in Bangkok, Thailand, from 27 to 28 January, 2018. It was an absolute pleasure to host the 2018 FOBISIA Gymnastics Invitational at Harrow International School Bangkok. With over 500 gymnasts from 15 different schools from across South East Asia competing, accompanied by over 70 coaches, the standard of performance was excellent and is reaching new heights year-on-year. Competition ranged from Level 2 to Level 10 in the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics team (WAG), Men’s Artistic Gymnastics team (MAG) as well as individual events. Hundreds of medals were won over two days of intense competition. We are very proud of all the teams who showed excellent preparation for the event in order to achieve the best they could. Their efforts impressively remained high throughout the whole competition, competing with professionalism and team spirit. A fantastic achievement! Thank you to all the teams who participated. We look forward to hosting again in January 2019 in what promises to be an even better event.

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Academic Competitions Member Schools organise a range of competitions throughout the academic year, with the aim of bringing members of the FOBISIA community together, ultimately to inspire and challenge students' learning in a range of academic subject areas, including English, D&T, ICT, Maths, and Social Science.

Ambiguity Fosters Short Story Creativity By Gemma Hudson, Activities Coordinator & Jenny Simmons, Marketing Manager, British School Jakarta

The Online Short Story Competition was hosted by Bangkok Patana School from 15 January to 15 March, 2018. This year’s Short Story Competition invited entrants to write about the theme ‘Watch’. For the first time, it also included a category for students in Years 3 and 4.

category. All British School Jakarta entrants will receive an anthology of their stories, in celebration of their work.

The theme’s deliberate ambiguity fostered enormous creativity from the story writers. Over the three age groups, our internal adjudicators received 11 stories, two of which were put forward to FOBISIA - who themselves received more than 80 stories from 40 Member Schools. From this original longlist, a shortlist of five entries in each category were then sent to this year’s external judge - poet, writer and recording artist, Mr Donovan Christopher (a.k.a. Rappaman). Mr Christopher said, “It has been a pleasure reading all 15 stories...I have been really impressed with the standard and levels of work. The stories were all very intriguing and a delight to read and I was getting ideas myself while reading them. I was really amazed with the Year 3 and 4 stories - the choice of adjectives, words and structure of sentences.”

The stories were all very intriguing and a delight to read and I was getting ideas myself while reading them.” - Mr Donovan Christopher (a.k.a. Rappaman)

Many congratulations to Tiffany, whose story, Life’s Countdown, was selected as a finalist in the Year 5 and 6


Award-Winning Judge Announces D&T Challenge Champions By Steven Daly, Head of Design & Technology, Regents International School Pattaya

The Online D&T Challenge 3 was co-hosted by Regents International School Pattaya and British International School Ho Chi Minh City, from 26 February to 2 April, 2018. The Online D&T Challenge was jointly run by myself, from Regents International School Pattaya, and James Chandler, Assistant Head at British International School Ho Chi Minh City. It is a great opportunity for students to demonstrate their ability to investigate the world around them by understanding the needs of others. Students meet these needs by creating products or services for the local community, being successful when combining creativity with innovation, as both are required to get a product to market. This brief was all about solving engineering problems within a real life context. Recently I spent 10 days in Nepal, travelling next to a very long river (Trishuli River) which cuts throug a mountain range and runs from Kathmandu to Pokhara. At certain points along the river, local people have great difficulty getting across because of the absence of a bridge. To simulate a solution to this problem, articipants were challenged to transport one standard size ping-pong ball along a zip line (fishing wire or cable), which is a minimum length of 1.8 metres, held at an angle from the floor (or tabletop) at 30 degrees. Students were asked to design a unit to hold and transport the ping-pong ball safely up the zip line in a controlled manner and back. I would like to congratulate all of the Member Schools that were involved, including Bangkok International Preparatory & Secondary School, Dulwich College (Singapore), Garden International School, Rayong, Regents International School Pattaya, and The International School of Penang (Uplands). We are very pleased to announce the results from the 2018 Online D&T Challenge 3, which was judged by Curriculum Leader Design & Technology, Cardiff High School, and Design and Technology Association Award Winner, Jonathan Martlew. If you would like to view the winning videos, please contact me at Steven.Daly@regents-pattaya.co.th.

Jonathan Martlew's Verdict:

It was fantastic to be a part of his FOBISIA competition; I was honoured to be asked. It was great to see how international schools approach the problem solving design process with their students.

1st: Regents International School Pattaya

In the video the students demonstrated excellent knowledge of the process thus demonstrating their full ownership. Their use of modelling was highly effective resulting in a highly functional prototype. “The team have used the iterative design process very effectively. Problem solving was clearly at the heart of the process which was key; I particularly like the way you used modelling to prototype and test your solution (this was well communicated in your video).”

2nd: The International School of Penang (Uplands) Students' ideas were well communicated and then developed using both CAD and models. I really liked the way in which you consider the real life scenarios and not simply the transportation of a ping pong ball. This would have been highly educational in itself.

“You considered the wider picture by considering the real life implementation of your concept; this was highly evident in your investigation work. It would have been great to have heard you talk about your work more.”

3rd: Dulwich College (Singapore)

The iterative process was evident throughout the video in developing the concept which clearly impacted on its' functionaility along with the students understanding of how and why it works. “It’s clear that the team had full ownership of the project and you should be proud of what they achieved. It was great to see how your concept developed with sound reasoning based on the decisions you needed to make. It would have been great to hear you discuss these decisions.”


Visual, Music & Performing Arts Festivals Member Schools organise a range of visual, music and performing arts fesitvals throughout the academic year, with the aim of bringing members of the FOBISIA community together, ultimately to enrich and inspire students' learning in art, music and drama.

Orchestra Festival Bold as Brass in Malaysia By Christopher Smith, Music Department, Garden International School, Kuala Lumpur & Conductor of the FOBISIA Middle Years Orchestra Festival

The Middle Years Orchestra Festival for Brass was hosted by Garden International School, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 2 to 5 February, 2018. On the first weekend in February, Garden International Selections from the concert included a March and a School, Kuala Lumpur (GIS), hosted the FOBISIA Middle Waltz, both written specially for the festival, the title song Years Orchestra Festival for Brass. from “Beauty and the Beast”, an It was a collaboration between arrangement of the pop/dance GIS and four other schools in the anthem “Faded”, and a Medley of The festival was a region - The International School @ traditional Malay folk tunes. sterling example of Parkcity (Malaysia), North London music representing a universal Additionally, each of the students Collegiate School Jeju (South Korea), chose an experiential music Regents International School language, as students from workshop to supplement their Pattaya (Thailand), and Shrewsbury five different FOBISIA Member orchestral experiences over International School (Thailand). the weekend. They presented a Schools in three different In total, 108 students from Years 5-8 Percussion demonstration, countries were almost instantly Latin took part in the event, all orchestral an African tune for singing and able to create a fantastic musicians with skills ranging from a marimbas, and a traditional basic to an intermediate level. The Malaysian Kompang drumming sound.” large orchestra worked hard to create - Christopher Smith, Garden International School processional to open the concert. a full and focussed sound, and learned It was most impressive to see how a great deal about orchestral playing the students gelled together to techniques, while preparing a challenging and exciting create such a splendid sound. The festival was a sterling program. example of music representing a universal language, as

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students from five different FOBISIA Member Schools in three different countries were almost instantly able to create a fantastic sound. With a huge contingent of players in each section, the sound quality was rich and luscious in performances like “Beauty and the Beast”, as well as powerfully epic in the rocking rendition of “Faded”, which drew cheers and thunderous applause. We are very proud of all our young musicians who worked with exemplary spirit and determination to produce a resoundingly successful event. The deep musical learning and the fun collaborative experiences from the festival will be treasured by these young musicians. The Middle Years Orchestra Festival is the main collaborative event for the Brass Cluster and we will be looking forward to the 3rd edition of the festival in 2019.

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FOBISIA's Got Talent at Primary Music Festival By the Marketing & Communications Department, Tanglin Trust School

The Woodwind Primary Music Festival was hosted by Tanglin Trust School, in Singapore, from 5 to 19 May, 2018. Tanglin Trust School’s Junior Music department was delighted to host the FOBISIA Primary Music Festival 2018 in March. This dynamic and inspirational event involved 270 Year 5 and 6 students and 34 staff from 12 FOBISIA Member Schools. Following a wonderful welcome dinner, and a visit to Gardens by the Bay, the rehearsals commenced. The talented students participated as members of either the choir or the orchestra, rehearsing separately with their ensembles, in smaller sectional groups or in magnificent combined rehearsals with all 300 musicians. The students prepared the repertoire for their final Celebration Concert which this year had the theme of ‘Concert in the Cosmos’ featuring items such as Also Sprach Zarathustra, The Final Countdown, Kang Ding Qing Ge, Fly Me To The Moon, Star Wars and Star Trek. A highlight of the five days was the FOBISIA’S Got Talent performance in which each school demonstrated their creative skills and artistic talents with their own individual items. These included songs, dance, drama and even some rhythmic sumo wrestlers! In addition to their rehearsals the children enjoyed taking part in three workshops – a fantastic ‘Introduction to Jazz’ workshop by the local jazz band ‘Tropic Green’, a fun and energetic dance workshop and a wonderful art workshop in which the children painted cosmic shapes with glow-in-thedark paint to feature in the grand finale of their concert. It was an honour for Tanglin to host the Festival and to welcome students, staff and parents of the visiting FOBISIA schools. The final performances absolutely delighted and engaged the audience; congratulations to all involved!

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Student Conferences & Workshops Member Schools host a range of student conferences and workshops throughout the academic year, with the aim of bringing members of the FOBISIA community together, ultimately to enrich and inspire our students' learning and leadership skills.

Alice Smith Hosts Student Leadership Workshops By Jane Stewart-Williams, Key Stage Leader, Curriculum Support & English Teacher, Duke of Edinburgh International Award Leader, Secondary Campus, The Alice Smith School, Kuala Lumpur

The KS3 & KS4 Student Leadership Workshops were hosted by The Alice Smith School, Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia, from 9 to 10 February, 2018. The Student Leadership Workshops event was certainly a wonderful experience. Six Member Schools attended the event, including The Alice Smith School, Bangkok Patana School, The International School of Penang (Uplands), elc International School (Selangor), Sri KDU International School (Selangor) and Garden International School (Kuala Lumpur). The weekend event involved multitudinous workshops - each one unique in its own way - but nevertheless, one that would shape a person towards becoming a better leader. The weekend started out with us meeting the 90 other student leaders from the Member Schools across Asia. We introduced ourselves to one another and got to know something about each other. The first main session was led by Amelia, who spoke about safety guidelines and aims and expectations regarding the weekend. We ended that session with a quick halfhour tour of the school, that India S, India K, Amelia and Rishabh took charge of. Once we returned to the the Main Hall, we had an activity focused on ‘The Kinds of Leaders We Are’ through E-Colours and a detailed quiz. We discussed these colours and what each of them meant.

After that, we went on to do our workshops with breaks and a lunch in between. We ended with a session led by India S, who was in charge of a session that entailed honing your communication skills by arranging cards in certain sequences under conditions (such as silence etc.). The second day started with an opening session organised and led by Rishabh. This half hour session on the Saturday morning woke us all up as we had to figure out who is the best leader out of Adolf Hitler, Chairman Mao, Joseph Stalin and Pol Pot and sell them. Then we went to our workshops which were split up by break and lunch and finally ending with a plenary session by India Kolb which had reflection activities and a Kahoot quiz. This event was invaluable for developing our skills as leaders. I believe that everyone took something out of it and the weekend made us all better leaders.


The Making of Student Leaders at Bangkok Patana School By Tania Leyland, Community Services Coordinator, Bangkok Patana School

The KS3 & KS4 Student Leadership Workshops were hosted by The Alice Smith School, in Kuala Lumpur, from 9 to 10 February, 2018. Student leaders who can make decisions, take action and inspire others are paramount to the success of the Community Action Teams (CATs) at Bangkok Patana School. We have had a real push this year on the development of leadership skills within our Key Stage 3 and 4 students this year to ensure that they are ready and able to take on the challenges and lead student action in Key Stage 4 and Senior Studies.

The event, organised by young people for young people, was an amazing experience and our students came back full of ideas of how they can incorporate some of the things they learnt into their ongoing activities at Bangkok Patana School.

“The event, organised by young people for young people, was an amazing experience...”

A number of ‘how to’ workshops are planned in the coming weeks to share the knowledge gained from the FOBISIA weekend with the Patana community and the team are also organising a two-day leadership event to take place at the end of the academic year.

In February, a delegation of students travelled to Kuala Lumpur Excitingly, Bangkok Patana School to participate in the FOBISIA Key will be hosting the FOBISIA Key Stage 3 and 4 Student Leadership Stage 3 and 4 Student Leadership weekend which took place at - Tanya Leyland, Bangkok Patana School Workshops in 2019, with the event Alice Smith School. Our students, being organised and delivered by from Years 7 to 11 all delivered the students who attended this workshops on an aspect of leadership that they are year. What better way for them to put their skills into involved in at Bangkok Patana School. These studentaction! delivered workshops went down extremely well and it was fantastic to see them confidently communicating with young people of their own age and engaging them in meaningful discussions. The team also participated in a range of workshops and whole group sessions focused on developing leadership skills in young people.


Environmental Conference Focuses on Regional Sustainability and Showcases Brunei Initiatives By Tracy Lee, Head of ECO, International School Brunei

The Environmental Conference was hosted by International School Brunei, from 10 to 13 May, 2018. In mid-May 88 students from around the South-east Asian region met in Brunei to talk and experience initiatives aimed at a sustainable future. Participating in the Environmental Conference were students from International School Brunei (ISB), Dover Court International School Singapore, Seoul Foreign School, Bangkok International Preparatory & Secondary School and Jerudong International School, as well as students invited from local schools, to learn about sustainability in Brunei. Supported by sponsors Progresif, Standard Chartered, Brunei Shell and MPRT, the conference investigated how youth can help promote sustainability and the ways in which all Asian countries can improve environmental conditions through better use of the resources around us, all linked to the theme of "Sustainable Development and Natural Heritage". Significantly, ISB continues to be at the forefront of sustainable development, with the school having pioneered the ongoing Million Trees Project reforestation initiative, paper and metals recycling, as well as being endorsed as an ‘Eco-School’ in the Sultanate, achieving the BCA ‘Greenmark’ for its sustainable campus. This made ISB the first school in Borneo to gain the prestigious Eco Schools ‘Green Flag’ award. Through the conference, students learned how Brunei is developing its ability to attract tourists, balanced against maintaining its natural heritage and beauty. Students learned how they can become leaders in making better use of resources, actively engaging with their local community to improve sustainable development. They also debated and developed their presentation skills by discussing and investigating how Brunei and Asia can improve sustainable development in tourism, using Brunei as a good example, having maintained a significant proportion of virgin

rainforest and indigenous flora and fauna. Shortly after the conference opening, the day continued with the delegates visiting ISB’s ‘Green Campus’, then participating in a beach clean-up at Meragang Beach, and touring the Marine Biodiversity Centre. Daikyo Environmental Recycling was on the schedule, importantly, as over 12 years ago ISB became one of the first public recyclers. The delegates then camped overnight at the Sumbiling Eco Village in Temburong, a successful eco-tourism business, which combines the values of social entrepreneurship, environmental sustainability, and pride in its indigenous culture. Founder Leslie Chiang started the eco-village as an immersive way to experience jungle life, as well as a means to provide employment for the local Iban community. Students experienced how the local Iban villagers have used the jungle in a sustainable way for centuries. They discovered different types of edible jungle herbs and plants, how to use sap from the gum tree to trap birds and small animals, as well as sampling delicious local cuisine. A particular highlight of the visit was witnessing dawn break over the virgin rainforest after an exciting moonlit trek into its depths. Upon returning to ISB, the conference wrapped up with tree and seed planting and the students sharing their new and pre-existing knowledge in a final workshop. Dr Geraghty, Executive Principal of ISB, congratulated Mrs Lee, the Conference Organiser and all the teams who made the conference such a special one and added, “as well as the overarching complex themes of regional pollution and global warming, we also hope that shorter term action planning starts now." Students pledged to stop taking plastic straws with fast food, refusing plastic bags at the small kedai, wasting less food, buying local produce where possible and, even trying to grow it in small quantities.

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I am very proud of the staff who made the conference possible, but also the youth delegates who provide a great source of hope for the future; their eco-intelligence and passion for environmental improvement provide a model approach for us all.

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UK Updates FOBISIA supports it Member Schools in various ways, including keeping abreast of education and related developments in Britain and in the international context. David Rowlands' Keynotes publication provides updates on British curriculum developments and key issues affecting British international schools. UK Updates includes excepts from Keynotes, with permission from the author.

Assessment: The Emphasis is on Accountability Tom Sherrington, an educational consultant wrote an extensive article:- “Assessment too often fails to prioritise learning – let's change that”, The Guardian online January 23rd 2018 Sherrington believes there is too much emphasis on accountability and that this is having an adverse impact on learning. He has observed that many schools focus on gathering data in order to demonstrate progress and measure pupils’ performance, but he makes the point that, to his knowledge, no large scale study has demonstrated a positive correlation between datatracking and pupils’ learning. He believes one could delete all the data without any detrimental effects on classroom performance, particularly since teachers generally have a good idea of their pupils’ strengths and weaknesses. Marking is another area which Sherrington believes should be examined. Most marking is retrospective, and much of it serves only to satisfy external demands such as parental pressure, or the scrutiny of inspectors etc. (Deep marking is particularly onerous and time consuming; various studies have established that the process does little to enhance pupils’ performance. A few minutes giving more immediate feedback, such as talking to pupils about their work, is considerably more effective. DR) Tom Sherrington argues that improving teachers’ ability to ask probing questions and to respond to pupils’

answers would do more to enhance learning than any mark scheme – yet it is not given the priority it deserves. Since levels were abolished, schools have introduced large statement banks, and teachers are required to assess every child in the class against a long list of can do/can’t do statements. This is invariably time consuming and contrary to the spirit of ‘no more levels’. Sherrington again makes the point that if all this tracking data were deleted, teachers would still have the information they require to plan for their pupils’ learning needs. In-class summative assessments, scrutiny of pupils’ work and verbal interactions are all part of the teacher’s tool kit, whilst entering data into a schoolwide system, in order to observe trends and generate graphs, does nothing to enhance learning. Mr Sherrington urges schools to keep data tracking in perspective and give more weight to teachers’ assessments. In addition to data collection, there are the reflection sheets pasted inside pupils’ exercise books and used to record ‘what went well’ or ‘what I need to do to improve’. Tom Sherrington doubts the value of much of what is written on these since the statements tend to be too generic. Better by far, he argues, for the teacher to make a specific teaching point for the individual pupil to address. James Pembroke, neatly summarised the issues in an article “Don’t lose track of what has a positive impact on teaching” TES 23rd February, 2018. He wrote. “Senior leaders are setting up tracking systems that place huge demands on teachers’ time for no discernible benefit other than generating numbers”.

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Pembroke goes on to say that headteachers aren’t doing this for the fun of it, but are simply reacting to the demands of governors, local authorities and multiacademy trusts. He excluded Ofsted from this list since the agency has repeatedly stated that it does not require data in any particular format when conducting school inspections. He concluded by saying, “Assessment is about checking if pupils have understood what has been taught. It is not about generating numbers for external agencies”.

Secondary Teachers in Short Supply More and more is being written about the current teacher shortages and the causes. Last September, a cross party committee of MPs produced a report highlighting the issues surrounding teacher recruitment and retention. “Retaining and developing the teaching workforce” Sept 12th, 2017. A summary of the report makes for uncomfortable reading:• Schools are finding it increasingly difficult to fill subject posts with the quality of teachers they need • There are regional variations in teacher supply, but the DfE and schools do not have the mechanisms to place teachers where they are most needed • Good quality CPD is in short supply • Workload is a significant barrier to teacher retention • The number of teachers leaving the workforce before retirement age is gradually increasing • There is limited evidence that the DfE’s efforts to recruit and retain teachers are having a significant impact • The teaching workforce has grown, but is struggling to keep pace with the growing demand for secondary teachers This last point is a significant one. Overall, teacher numbers increased by 3.6% in the six years to 2016. However, the increase was all in the primary sector and masked a 5% drop in secondary school teachers in the same period. What is making this particularly acute is a predicted 19% increase in secondary pupil numbers over the next eight years. It has been estimated that,

if current trends continue, there will be a shortfall of 47,000 teachers by 2024. Rather belatedly, ministers have come to realise just how many teachers who train in the UK are moving abroad to work in British international schools. It seems likely the government will attempt to discourage this. For example, the DfE may offer to make student loan repayments on behalf of all teachers who teach in England. This is already happening to a limited extent with the government covering the loan repayments of teachers prepared to work in “challenging” areas. For international schools, there may come a time when making loan repayments on behalf of teachers is either a good marketing strategy or a necessity in order to counter UK initiatives.

Teacher Census In April of this year, the DfE provided an analysis of data first gathered in 2016. This latest document:- “School leadership in England 2010 – 2016: characteristics and trends” focuses on those teachers who move into some form of leadership role. The document itself is long, but the summary on pages 3 and 4 is interesting. In short, the percentage of female leaders is increasing, albeit very slowly. In 2016, women made up 84.6% of the workforce in primary schools, and 73% of primary headteachers. At secondary level, women make up 62.5% of the workforce but only 35% of headteachers. The median age for headteachers in 2016 was 48.

Unconditional Offers for University Places UCAS has expressed concern at the 40% increase in unconditional offers to A-level students. The trend has escalated since the government removed the cap on places, reasoning that market forces would determine the popularity, or otherwise, of a course. Universities immediately increased the number of places on many courses, not least because each place taken up represents £9,250 in funding. Continued on page 43...

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FOBISIA's Member Schools Thank you to our 58 Member Schools for promoting excellence, high achievement and best practice in British curriculum schools in Asia; and a warm welcome to our new MemberSchools! Bangkok International Preparatory & Secondary School www.bkkprep.ac.th Bangkok Patana School www.patana.ac.th British International School Hanoi www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/vietnam/hanoi/bis British International School HCMC www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/vietnam/ho-chi-minh-city/bis British International School, Phuket www.bisphuket.ac.th British School Jakarta www.bsj.sch.id British Vietnamese International School Hanoi www.nordangliaeducation.com/en/our-schools/vietnam/hanoi/bvis British Vietnamese International School HCMC www.nordangliaeducation.com/en/our-schools/vietnam/ho-chi-minh-city/bvis Bromsgrove International School www.bromsgrove.ac.th Charter International School www.charter.ac.th Discovery Bay International School www.dbis.edu.hk Dover Court International School Singapore www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/singapore Dulwich College Beijing https://beijing.dulwich.org Dulwich College Seoul https://seoul.dulwich.org Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong https://shanghai-pudong.dulwich.org Dulwich College (Singapore) https://singapore.dulwich.org/ Dulwich College Suzhou https://suzhou.dulwich.org elc International School www.elc.edu.my Garden International School www.gardenschool.edu.my Garden International School, Eastern Seaboard, Ban Chang www.gardenrayong.com Harrow International School Bangkok www.harrowschool.ac.th Harrow International School Beijing www.harrowbeijing.cn Hornbill School www.hornbillschool.com International School Brunei www.isb.edu.bn Jerudong International School www.jerudonginternationalschool.com Kellett School www.kellettschool.com Kinabalu International School www.kis.edu.my Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar www.ktj.edu.my Nord Anglia International School Shanghai, Pudong www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/shanghai/pudong North London Collegiate School Jeju www.nlcsjeju.co.kr Prince of Wales Island International School www.powiis.edu.my Regents International School Pattaya www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/pattaya Seoul Foreign School www.seoulforeign.org Shenzhen College of International Education www.scie.com.cn Shrewsbury International School www.shrewsbury.ac.th Sri KDU International School www.srikdu.edu.my St. Andrew's International School Bangkok www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/bangkok St. Andrew's International School, Green Valley www.standrewsgreenvalley.com St. Christopher’s International Primary School www.scips.org.my St. Stephen’s International School www.sis.edu Taipei European School www.taipeieuropeanschool.com Tanglin Trust School www.tts.edu.sg The ABC International School www.theabcis.com The Alice Smith School www.alice-smith.edu.my The British International School of Kuala Lumpur www. britishschool.edu.my The British International School Shanghai Puxi www.nordangliaeducation.com/schools/asia/china The British School Guangzhou www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/guangzhou The British School Kathmandu www.tbskathmandu.org The British School Manila www.britishschoolmanila.org The British School New Delhi www.british-school.org The British School of Beijing, Sanlitun www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/beijing/sanlitun The British School of Beijing, Shunyi www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/beijing/shunyi The English School of Mongolia www.esm.edu.mn The International School @ ParkCity www.isp.edu.my The International School of Penang (Uplands) www.uplands.org The Regent’s International School Bangkok www.regents.ac.th Traill International School www.traillschool.ac.th Wellington College International Shanghai NEW www.wellingtoncollege.cn/shanghai


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FOBISIA's Affiliate Members Thank you to our 72 Affiliate Members for supporting excellence in British curriculum schools in Asia; and a warm welcome COMPANY

JOINED WEBSITE

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2 Simple UK 2016 www.2simple.com IT Software Ability Expeditions 2017 www.abilityexpeditions.com School Activities & Visits American Athletic Scholarships 2015 www.americanathleticscholarships.com.au Student Careers Advisory Services Andy Barrow 2016 www.andybarrow.co.uk School Activities & Visits; Consultancy & Management Services; PD Services; Public Speaking, Coaching & Mentoring Anthony Millard Consulting 2012 www.anthonymillard.co.uk Consultancy & Management Services APD Singapore (Malaysia) 2015 www.apdsing.com Publishers & Book Suppliers Asia Education Travel 2015 www.asiaeducationtravel.com Consultancy & Management Services; School Activities & Visits BridgeU 2017 www.bridge-u.com IT Systems (MIS) Britannica Digital Learning 2017 http://edu.eb.com Teaching & Learning Resources; IT Software Buckinghamshire Learning Trust 2015 www.learningtrust.net PD Services; Assessment & Curriculum Services Cambridge Assessment Singapore 2013 www.cambridgeinternational.org Assessment & Curriculum Services, PD Services; Teaching & Learning Resources Capita Education Software Solutions 2014 www.capita-independent.co.uk/international IT Systems (MIS) CES Holdings 2012 www.cesholdings.com Publishers & Book Suppliers; Furniture Suppliers; Educational Supplies Administration Charanga Ltd 2017 www.charanga.com Teaching & Learning Resources CHQ Group 2015 www.chqgroup.co.uk IT Software; School Activities & Visits Collins Learning 2014 www.collins.co.uk/international Publishers & Book Suppliers Consilium Education 2016 www.consiliumeducation.com PD Services CyberHound 2017 www.cyberhound.com IT Hardware; IT Services (Website); IT Software; IT Systems (MIS) Dawsons Music 2013 www.dawsons.co.uk Musical Instrument Suppliers Distinguished Concerts International, New York NEW 2018 www.dciny.org School Activities; Performing Arts Drums for Schools 2015 www.drumsforschools.com Teaching & Learning Resources; PD Services ECO Seek Foundation 2017 www.ecoseekfoundation.org Assessment & Curriculum Services; Consultancy & Management Services; PD Services; Inspectorates & Accreditation Agencies Early Excellence NEW 2018 www.earlyexcellence.com Assessment & Curriculum Services; School Activities & Visits; Consultancy & Management Services; IT Systems (MIS); PD Services; Teaching & Learning Resources EduCare Learning 2016 www.educare.co.uk IT Services (Websites); PD Services Education Development Trust 2013 www.educationdevelopmenttrust.org Consultancy & Management Services Edvectus 2013 www.edvectus.com Recruitment Services EquipMySchool 2012 www.equipmyschool.com Educational Supplies Administration Engage by Double First 2014 www.doublefirst.sg IT Systems (MIS) Faria Systems 2015 www.managebac.com Assessment & Curriculum Services; IT Systems (MIS), IT Services (Websites) Fieldwork Education 2014 www.greatlearning.com Assessment & Curriculum Services Finalsite 2013 www.finalsite.com IT Services (Websites); PD Services Firefly Learning 2015 www.fireflylearning.com IT Systems (MIS); PD Services Furnware Singapore 2016 www.furnware.com Furniture Suppliers Gapforce School Groups 2016 www.gapforceschoolgroups.co.uk School Activities & Visits GL Education 2012 www.gl-education.com Assessment & Curriculum Services Harlequin Floors 2016 www.harlequinfloors.com Construction Services HARTsport 2017 www.hartsport.com.au Sports Equipment Suppliers; Teaching & Learning Resources


to our new Affiliate Members! COMPANY

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Hussey Seating Asia-Pacific 2015 www.husseyasiapacific.com IINIZIO International Ed. Consultants 2016 www.iinizio.com Independent Schools Cultural Alliance 2018 www.iscaschools.com International Child Protection Advisors 2015 www.icpa.co.uk iSAMS 2012 www.isams.co.uk ISC Research 2012 www.iscresearch.com JF International 2017 www.janssen-fritsen.com LSC Education 2016 www.lsceducation.com Mallory International 2016 www.malloryint.co.uk Musical Futures International NEW 2018 www.musicalfuturesinternational.org Oxford AQA Examinations 2017 www.oxfordaqaexams.org.uk Penta International 2015 www.penta.co.uk Perrett Laver 2016 www.perrettlaver.com Planet eStream 2015 www.planetstream.co.uk Pret-a-Portrait 2015 www.pret-a-portrait.net Rift Valley Adventures 2015 www.riftvalleyadventures.com RSAcademics 2016 www.rsacademics.co.uk S+B UK 2016 www.splusb.co.uk Sarah Whyte Consulting 2015 www.sarahwhyte.com.sg Search Associates 2012 www.searchassociates.com Signmee 2017 www.signmee.com St. George's University Hong Kong 2017 www.sgu.edu Tangible Wellbeing 2017 www.tangiblewellbeing.com Teachers' Wealth 2012 www.teacherswealth.com Teaching Abroad Direct 2015 www.teachingabroaddirect.co.uk Texthelp 2016 www.texthelp.com TFL Education 2012 www.tfleducation.com The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation 2017 www.intaward.org TIC Recruitment 2012 www.ticrecruitment.com Titus Learning 2014 www.tituslearning.com True Teaching 2013 www.trueteaching.com TTS Group 2012 www.tts-international.com Unifrog Education 2016 www.unifrog.org Veema Education 2018 www.veema.co.uk Virco 2018 www.virco.com Warwick Mann International 2012 www.warwickmann.com WCBS International 2014 www.wcbs.co.uk/international

BUSINESS CATEGORY Furniture Suppliers Recruitment Services; HR Solutions School Activities & Visits PD Services; Safeguarding Services; Assessment & Curriculum Services IT Systems (MIS) Consultancy & Management Services PD Services; Sports Equipment Suppliers Recruitment Services Publishers & Book Suppliers; Teaching & Learning Resources PD Services Examinations & Awards; Assessment & Curriculum Services; Teaching & Learning Resources Inspectorates & Accreditation Agencies Recruitment Services IT Software Photography School Activities & Visits Recruitment Services; Research; PD Services; Inspectorates & Accreditation Agencies Furniture Suppliers Consultancy & Management Services; PD Services Recruitment Services IT Systems (MIS) Examinations & Awards; Student Careers Advisory Services PD Services; Teaching & Learning Resources HR Services; Financial Services Recruitment Services IT Software; Teaching & Learning Resources Assessment & Curriculum Services; PD Services; Public Speaking, Coaching & Mentoring Not-for-profit Organisations; Examinations & Awards Recruitment Services IT Systems (MIS) Consultancy & Management Services; Recruitment Services Teaching & Learning Resources; Office Supplies; Publishers & Book Suppliers Consultancy & Management Services; IT Services (Websites) School Activities & Visits; Consultancy & Management Services; PD Services; Inspectorates & Accreditation Agencies Furniture Suppliers HR Services; Financial Services IT Systems (MIS)


Continued from page 38... As one might expect, the universities are very keen to fill their courses but there is now a suspicion that they are making more unconditional offers to ensure that grades are no barrier to filling the course. Not surprisingly, the universities deny this. However, there is anecdotal evidence that some university departments are allegedly telling applicants that if they can persuade teachers to increase their predicted A-level grades, this would trigger an unconditional offer. This is putting teachers in an invidious position. They want to do the best for their students, but do not want to compromise their own professional judgement by inflating predicted grades.

Parents can select which boxes to tick and the consent form is then filed. You only need consent to be granted once then, as long as it is clear to the person providing the consent that they can withdraw it at any time, this is sufficient.

Data Protection New legislation on data protection is being implemented on May 25th. Any organisation that holds significant amounts of personal data must comply with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). The new legislation requires schools to appoint a data protection officer (DPO) who should oversee the implementation and enforcement of the new regulations. The most significant element of the new regulations is that organisations must be able to demonstrate compliance. Inevitably, this will require more record keeping. All staff (not just teachers) working in a school need to be aware of what constitutes “sensitive data”. For example, information on illness or pre-existing medical conditions, must be subject to restricted access. Gone are the days of a notice pinned up in the staffroom listing pupils with disabilities and epi-pens. This information still needs to be available to staff, but not in such a public forum. Schools may need to tighten up their rules on parental consent for the use of pupils’ images. Dai Durbridge, a solicitor with Browne Jacobson, says this needn’t be too onerous since a new consent is not required every time you want to take a photo. He suggests that schools should have a generic form, listing the instances when they might want to use photos. For example:1. 2. 3. 4.

Around the school, in places that might be seen by visitors On the school website On social media In marketing materials used by the school

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Latest Research FOBISIA supports its Member Schools in various ways, including sharing of the latest research of relevance to British international schools within the Asia region. "Teaching needs an ecosystem that supports evidence-based practice. It will need better systems to disseminate the results of research more widely, but also a better understanding of reserch, so that teachers can be critical consumers of evidence." - Ben Goldacre, Senior Clinical Research Fellow, Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, University of Oxford

International School Students & Their Choice of Undergraduate Degrees By Anne Keeling, Communications Director, ISC Research A new report just published by ISC Research studies the Sciences, Law, Creative Arts/Design, and Mathematical pathway from international schools to higher education. The Sciences/Computing. Again, the report suggests that report researched the College Counsellors of 306 Englishthe expert, informed support of the school College medium K-12 international schools around the world to Counsellor, who has the knowledge of all fields of study, collect data and intelligence on the enables a better matching of qualifications achieved and the higher “...the expert, informed support of student to the right course. education destination choices of Grade the school College Counsellor, who Anecdotally, many universities 12 international school students. referenced the high retention has the knowledge of all fields of have The results show the breadth of rate of undergraduate students study, enables a better matching who have come from international undergraduate degree subjects, countries and universities that schools. This suggests that finding of student to the right course.� international school students the right degree in the right - Anne Keeling, ISC Research establishment in the right country consider. This seems to be due to the direct and impartial support for each student is an important of College Counsellors employed by many international route to higher education success. schools to guide students to the best solutions for their ISC Research will be conducting a similar survey with individual needs. international school College Counsellors and Heads of The research shows that English-medium international Sixth Form again this year. All participating schools receive school students are no longer just looking at the UK or US a complimentary copy of the entire research analysis. If for their higher education destinations. Canada, Australia you did not participate in the first survey and would like and non-English-speaking countries where English-medium to be included in the forthcoming research please contact undergraduate degree courses are now being offered, such enquiries@iscresearch.com. The Pathway to Higher as in the Netherlands and the UAE, are now being selected. Education Report from ISC Research includes examination results, country and university destinations, undergraduate International school students are also more discerning subject choices, and the perceived benefits and barriers to about their fields of study too. The top two fields of studying in key destination countries. study are Business/Administrative and Engineering/ Technology, but many other fields of study are popular To obtain a complimentary abridged copy of the report including Medicine/Health, Social Sciences, Biological contact enquiries@iscresearch.com. THE FOBISIAN: June 2018, Term 3, Issue 27

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PLATINUM SPONSOR

ANNUAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2-4 November 2018, InterContinental Bangkok

Bringing together Heads and Senior Leaders from FOBISIA's 58 Member Schools for professional development and networking opportunities to promote high-quality British-style education

KEYNOTES:

PROFESSOR ALLAN WALKER - THE EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

Professor Allan Walker is the Joseph Lau Chair Professor of International Education Leadership, Director of The Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change and Dean of the Faculty of Education and Human Development at The Education University of Hong Kong. His academic work focuses on school leadership and the influence of societal culture on schools, particularly in Southeast and east Asian societies.

JANE LARSSON - COUNCIL OF INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

Jane Larsson is the Executive Director of the Council of International Schools (CIS), a global non-profit membership organization focused on the development of global citizenship. Jane focuses on the development of collaborative partnerships to enable educational exchange and the development of intercultural perspective. She currently serves as Chair of the International Task Force on Child Protection.

DR IAN JAMISON - TONY BLAIR INSTITUTE OF GLOBAL CHANGE

Dr Ian Jamison is Head of Education & Training at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Ian is a passionate advocate of the power of dialogue for empowering people to address challenges and transform their societies for the better; giving young people the critical thinking skills and transformational experiences that they need to build effective resilience against extremist narratives.

LAURINDO GARCIA - BE INCLUSIVE

Laurindo Garcia is on a mission to make the world a more inclusive place for all, because he believes inclusive cities that are free from discrimination are happier more productive and innovative. Laurindo is founder and chief executive of Be Inclusive - a mobile app that makes it easier for minorities to find inclusive businesses and services. Laurindo is one of the few openly gay, HIV positive human rights activists in Asia.

NATASHA DEVON MBE - UNIVERSITY OF WALES FELLOW

Natasha Devon MBE tours schools and colleges throughout the UK and beyond delivering talks and conducting research on mental health, body image, gender and social equality. Natasha is co-founder of arts and education charity Body Gossip, a certified trainer for Mental Health First Aid England and B-eat (formerly the Eating Disorders Association). She is a fellow of the University of Wales: Aberystwyth and advises them, as well as other universities, on campus wellbeing.

CONFERENCE DETAILS:

Friday 2 November - Welcome Cocktail Reception Saturday 3 & Sunday 4 November - Full Conference with Refreshments, Lunch & Dinner O rga n is e d by :


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