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Stay Connected
In This Issue: 1. Welcome
2. COBIS News
3. New COBIS Member Schools
4. New COBIS Initiatives
5. Professional Development
• Recent Events
6. COBIS Student Competitions and Events
7. COBIS Webinars
8. COBIS Services
9. School Member News
10. Recent Visitors to COBIS Head Office
11. News From COBIS Schools Around the World
12. Supporting Member News
13. Contact Us Welcome from Colin Bell, COBIS CEO  Dear Colleague,
It’s a very exciting time at COBIS, with our Annual Conference coming closer and closer. We’re all really looking forward to meeting you at the Intercontinental London – The O2 next month at the largest gathering of British International Schools in the world. In fact, I’ve just come back from a site visit to our stylish venue and I’m confident that it will surpass all your expectations when you arrive on 7 May. If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to register for the Conference, you can do so on our website or by contacting the staff at the COBIS Head Office who are all eager to assist. March was a very busy month for COBIS Competitions and Events and it began with the inaugural COBIS Model United Nations in Bucharest, Romania. In total, there were 108 student delegates representing six continents and 35 nations present making the first COBIS MUN a truly international affair. The students exhibited an outstanding level of both preparation and debate and I’d like to offer my congratulations to all of those who took part. Shortly after the COBIS MUN, a spectacular show of athleticism was on display at Dubai College where The British School of Al Khubairat once again came out on top at the 2016 COBIS Games (Secondary). Congratulations to the winning teams and to all who participated, particularly the students and staff who spent so much extra time training and preparing for this fantastic event. Also in March, COBIS worked with with Karen Ardley Associates to provide training for Middle Leaders in the regions of Europe, the Middle East and South America. We were delighted to be able to provide accredited professional development for Primary and Secondary Middle Leaders in St Paul’s School, British Schools of Brussels and Doha English Speaking School. Later on in the month, I was lucky enough to be able to join delegates, speakers and exhibitors in São Paulo at The St Paul's School 3rd Education Conference, organised in association with COBIS. It was a fantastic occasion, where over 300 delegates from schools in the Latin America region heard from our keynote speakers Sir John Jones and Sir Anthony Seldon, as well as participating an array of practical workshops on themes such as single-sex education, bilingualism and pupil driven education. An action-packed March finished with the COBIS Conference for Marketing, Development and Admissions Staff in Prague which was an unheralded success with over 60 staff partaking in sessions on Event, School Websites and Social Media and Alumni Relations. The reaction to the conference from those who attended was very positive, with one delegate e-mailing me to say how impressed she was with our hosts, the Prague British School, going on to say, “We always feel very welcome in the COBIS family, it's more than an organisation, it is a home away from home for our school”. Back in London, we have just welcomed another new talented staff member to our Head Office in Russell Square. Karim Dornaika is the new COBIS Data and Information Officer, taking responsibility for our database and school records. He joins us from the island of Aruba, where he was working as a business analyst for an engineering company called Aruba Services Agency Partners. Karim will be your main point of contact for changes or updates to the information we store on your staff, campus or building addresses, website URLs and other data that we hold on your school or organisation. I’m certain that he will be an asset to our team and I hope that you will welcome Karim to the COBIS Family when you meet him at the 2016 COBIS Annual Conference in London. Finally, I’d like to thank all of the students who entered the COBIS Poetry and Primary Creative Challenge Competitions. We had an overwhelming response, especially to the Poetry Competition where we received 685 entries – a new high for COBIS! We will be announcing the winners soon, so stay tuned. Don’t forget that we are still accepting entries for the COBIS Young Scientist Film Awards and the COBIS Art Competition. Nominations can also be made for any students deserving of a special COBIS Achievement Award. More information can be found further down in this issue of Connect. That’s all for now – see you in London next month! Kind regards, Colin Bell
CEO
COBIS News
35th COBIS Annual Conference – London, UK – 7-9 May 2016
Authentic Leadership: Inspirational Stories for Learning in British Schools Overseas
Sponsored by BridgeU **Delegate Booking Available Here** 
**Exhibitor Booking Available Here**
**Full Programme Available Here**
**Keynote Sessions Descriptions Available Here**
**Seminar Descriptions Available Here** Principals, Heads, Governors and Senior Managers are invited to register for the 35th COBIS Annual Conference (InterContinental London - The O2, Greenwich, London). The conference will include: Saturday 7 May 
Sunday 8 May - A full day of keynote speeches, seminars, panel and discussion sessions and networking opportunities. Click here for the full programme. Click here to view seminar descriptions.
- Wine Reception
- COBIS Young Scientist Film Awards
Monday 9 May - A full day of keynote speeches, seminars, panel and discussion sessions and networking opportunities.
- COBIS SPARK as Keynote Session – COBIS leaders sharing innovation and best practise
- 35th COBIS Annual Reception and Dinner, sponsored by Discovery Education
Tuesday 10 May COBIS SPARK
 COBIS colleagues are invited to participate, for the second year running, in the COBIS SPARK at the COBIS Annual Conference. COBIS SPARK is a chance for leaders from COBIS Schools to give short presentations to other delegates about an area of innovation or best practice within their school. Please click here for more information. Please submit your proposal before Friday 15 April 2016. Annual Conference Shoulder Courses Annual Conference delegates may be interested in these other training opportunities, running alongside the conference. COBIS/ISC Seminar: Developing your Independent School Brand Internationally: what you need to know and who can help you, 7 May 2016, 10:00–16:00, InterContinental London – The O2 As part of its leadership conference in London this May, COBIS will be hosting a pre-conference seminar in collaboration with The International School Consultancy to provide crucial advice for UK independent  schools considering international opportunities. In addition to sessions from experts in a range of fields including law, recruitment and international partnerships, the seminar will also include presentations by senior leaders of Sherborne Qatar and Haileybury Kazakhstan who will share the challenges and opportunities of establishing their UK independent school brands overseas. The one day seminar will take place at InterContinental London – The O2 in Greenwich, on Saturday 7 May 2016. Cost is £195 plus VAT per person. More information, a list of speakers and booking forms can be found here or contact Liz Dixon at 01367 246009 for further information. More information on the COBIS/ISC Seminar can be found here. An Introduction to Using Data to Inform Teaching & Learning (optional seminar) hosted by GL Education, 11:00-12:30, 7 May 2016, InterContinental London – The O2 Formative assessment is essential to provide feedback to students as well as enabling schools to personalise learning and measure annual progress. This workshop will provide an insight into how
assessments that provide data on a student’s ability, attainment and attitude to learning can enhance teaching and learning, academic performance and support parental engagement. With particular reference to data from the Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4); the Progress Test Series of assessments for Maths, English and Science; and the PASS attitudinal survey; delegates will be guided in how to set realistic but challenging targets and investigate the underlying student attitudes that may lead to underperformance. This workshop is aimed at Principals and Senior Teachers in schools that are keen to explore how data from assessments can support teaching and learning in their schools. Pre-Conference Seminar and Afternoon Tea – hosted by COBIS/GL Education (optional seminar) UK Assessment Policy Update, 15:00-16:00, 7 May 2016, InterContinental London – The O2 A unique opportunity for leaders of COBIS schools to hear about the latest developments in assessment policy and to gain an understanding of how their peers in the UK are responding to recent changes. Suzanne O’Farrell (Curriculum and Assessment Specialist, ASCL)
Suzanne O’Farrell is ASCL’s Curriculum and Assessment Specialist and for the last 18 months she has been ASCL’s Inspections Specialist. Prior to joining ASCL Suzanne spent 7 years as Head Teacher of a  large 13-18 IB World School in Staffordshire. Her previous roles include Head of Modern Languages, Head 6th Form, Deputy Head Teacher, Local Leader of Education and Tutor Fellow at Keele University, supporting the delivery of the modern languages PGCE programme. Suzanne has also completed Ofsted training with SERCO. Colin Watson (Deputy Director for Assessment Policy and Development, The Standards and Testing Agency, an executive agency of the Department for Education.) Colin Watson leads the division that is responsible for assessment policy in schools in England and develops the national curriculum tests at the end of key stages 1 and 2. Colin has worked in national assessment since 2002 and prior to that was a secondary school mathematics teacher. Advanced Safer Recruitment for International Schools, 7 May 2016, InterContinental London – The O2 Before the official start of the Annual Conference, COBIS will be offering delegates the opportunity to attend a course on Safe Recruitment for International Schools, delivered by Barabarani Education Services. For more information and a booking form, please click here. Advanced Child Protection Course, 10 May 2016, Greenwich, London On the Tuesday following the Annual Conference, COBIS will be running an Advanced Child Protection Course, delivered by Kidscape. For more information and a booking form, please click here. Annual Conference Sponsors and Exhibitors COBIS would like to thanks our Annual Conference sponsors; BridgeU (headline sponsor), CEM (Durham University), Discovery Education, ISAMS, Double First, Eye for Business, WCBS International, TTS, Faria Systems Inc, ISEB, Follett, Gabbitas Education, TES, Search Associates, SIMS International, insetcourses.com, College Board, John Catt Educational Ltd, m2r Education, Renaissance Workplace Benefits, Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes and Re:locate Global. There will be a large exhibition of Supporting Members at the Annual Conference. To view a list of exhibitors, please click here.  (Pictured above: The new Clipper Bar at Intercontinental London - The O2) COBIS AGM to take place on Saturday 7 May 2016 Elections for membership of the COBIS Board will take place at the COBIS AGM between 16:00 - 17:00 on Saturday 7 May 2016. The AGM is at the start of the COBIS Annual Conference and all COBIS Accredited Schools have a responsibility to attend although the AGM is open to all COBIS Members. If you would like to be nominated as a candidate for the COBIS Board, or would like to ask someone to nominate you, then you are invited to do so by no later than Thursday 21 April 2016, when nominations close. A list of nominated candidates will be distributed to all member schools two weeks prior to the AGM. For further details and nomination guidance, please click here. These details can also be found in the ‘Member Area’ of the COBIS website. Nominations are to be submitted by email to Colin Bell at ceo@cobis.org.uk. LinkedIn Networking Group for 2016 Annual Conference If you’re coming to our Annual Conference next month in London, why not start networking before you arrive by joining our Annual Conference LinkedIn Networking Group? Get to know the schools and supporting members that will be attending our conference before you meet them in person at the InterContinental London - The O2. The Networking Group can act as a platform to organise meetings at the Conference or to simply signpost that you will be there, and if you’re an exhibitor, where one can find your stand. Click on “Ask to Join” after visiting this link and we’d be very happy to welcome you to the group. Calling All Schools: COBIS on Camera - Tell your Story!
A chance to showcase your school and your students in a new COBIS Film! COBIS is pleased to be working with Eye for Business for the second year running to prepare two exciting new films that will be showcased at the 35th COBIS Annual Conference in London in May. We are inviting all COBIS Schools to contribute to these films by providing footage and images. The film will showcase the stories and journeys of COBIS students. We particularly want to hear from your students about their stories, journeys and what they think makes their school special. Schools are invited to submit short clips which might involve students completing the following statements: - The best thing about going to a British International School is….
- My favourite thing about living in [city/country of School X] is…
 - When I leave school I want to be… because…
- Before I went to school here, I also lived in…
- I love travelling because…
- I love the [COBIS Games/COBIS Competitions] because...
How to submit your clips • Schools should upload their video clips using WeTransfer (www.wetransfer.com) and then send the link to hayley@eyeforbusiness.co.uk stating in the Message “Video for COBIS” and the name of the School. WeTransfer is explained here:www.wetransfer.com/howitworks. Up to 2GB can be sent this way. If you have any difficulties using WeTransfer, or if you would like to use other file transfer services please email charlie@eyeforbusiness.co.uk
• Photos that are less than 4MB can be emailed directly to hayley@eyeforbusiness.co.uk
• The deadline for submitting clips is Tuesday 26 April 2016 Please find full information about the project, technical information and how to submit here . To view the video that was produced last year, featuring footage from more than 50 COBIS schools, please click the image above. The 2016 COBIS Annual Conference Programme is Now Available COBIS Head Office is pleased to announce that the 35th COBIS Annual Conference Programme is now available. Please click here to view it. COBIS Head Office Welcomes a New Member of Staff
We would like to welcome Karim Dornaika, who has joined COBIS as our Data and Information Officer. Karim joins us from Aruba, where he was working as a business analyst for engineering company Aruba Services Agency Partners. Prior to this, he attained his Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from the University of South Florida, where he specialised in database management and systems analysis. He also attended the International School of Curaco. BSO Surveys A big thank you to all schools who have completed the BSO Inspection and Non- BSO Inspection Surveys. COBIS is always keen to learn and hear from its members. If you have not already done so, the surveys can still be completed at the links below: The questionnaire for Non-BSO inspected schools can be found here. The questionnaire for schools that have been through a BSO inspection can be found here. All completed surveys have been entered into a prize draw to win a copy of High Performance Learning by Professor Deborah Eyre. High Performance Learning provides readers with a ground breaking and approachable model for achieving high levels of academic performance for all students and schools. COBIS is pleased to announce the winners of the draw! - St George’s School and Pre-School
- British International School of Cracow
- Independent Bonn International School
- Mougins School France
Teacher Training Survey As you will be aware the teacher recruitment crisis has been given significant coverage in the media lately. As a responsive membership organisation, COBIS is keen to understand what the implications of this are for the international schools market and how we can support schools to address the shortfall of teachers overseas given the growth in numbers of English medium schools abroad. To help us with our research and planning and to ensure we reflect our members' views, we would like to ask teachers and teaching assistants a few questions concerning initial teacher training. Please can you encourage colleagues to complete this short survey by forwarding this notice to your staff. All completed surveys will be entered into a prize draw to win an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite eReader worth over £100. The closing date for entries is today. Thank you in advance for your support and cooperation. British International School Magazine
The latest edition of British International School (BIS) Magazine featured several articles and advertisements from people and organisations within the COBIS network. These include: Click here to view the magazine. New safer recruitment check - schools must check teacher restrictions imposed in Europe An EU directive has introduced a new requirement on European Economic Area (EEA) authorities, which have responsibility for regulating the teaching profession, to share teacher prohibitions/sanctions with other EEA teacher regulators. As part of this requirement, and to support safer recruitment considerations, from 18 January 2016 a new service functionality has been introduced to Employer Access (EA) Online that will allow schools to identify teacher restrictions imposed by all EEA authorities in addition to the normal teacher prohibition pre-appointment checks detailed at part 3 of Keeping Children Safe in Education' statutory guidance. EA Online will only show EEA sanctions made after 18 January. EA Online will be amended late February to include a separate EEA sanction list, in the meantime schools should access the 'teachers prohibited from the profession' list to check EEA authority restrictions in force - you cannot use the general search function to identify these restrictions. Keeping Children Safe in Education will be updated to reflect the new functionality in due course. Restrictions imposed by another EEA authority do not prevent an individual from taking up teaching positions in England. However, schools should consider the circumstances leading to the restriction when considering a candidate's suitability. The EA Online service explains how to get additional information about EEA restrictions. Please contact Sakina if you have any questions. Westminster Education Forum on Promoting Education Abroad Westminster Education Forum are holding a senior-level keynote seminar entitled 'Promoting UK education abroad: implementation, standards, exporting qualifications and assessment, and international student recruitment' on Thursday 9 June 2016, at which COBIS CEO, Colin Bell, will be speaking. If you would like to find out more, please click here. COBIS World Student Debate Competition Makes Headline News The recent COBIS World Student Debate Competition, held at The Edron Academy in Mexico City from 5-7 February, was recently the feature of an article in The Telegraph. Click here to read it. Mindfulness and Well-being Conference to Take Place at Framlingham College Framlingham College is to hold a Mindfulness and Well-being Conference on Friday 22 April 2016. All proceeds from the event, which aims to raise awareness of mental health, will go to Place2Be - a mental health charity. A letter from Framlingham College's Headmaster, Paul Taylor, can be found here. More information about the event itself can be found here. To access the Conference Booking Form, please click here.
New COBIS Member Schools New COBIS Schools COBIS would like to welcome the following schools which have recently been approved for COBIS
membership by the COBIS Membership Committee:
New COBIS Initiatives
COBIS International Summer School for ages 15-17 BOOK NOW! Limited places available. Our engaging COBIS Academic Programme will enable students to further develop a wide range of academic skills in order to prepare them for academic life in a university context. Through a series of classes and workshops in the mornings, as well as seminars on two afternoons a week, students will focus on developing specific key areas during their stay. These include: University Preparation Improve key lecture skills (active listening, editing and note taking), in order to prepare for university. Understand the practicalities of applying to university and gain a taste for university life. Business Enterprise and Global Leadership Broaden business knowledge in key areas, such as marketing, leadership and finance. Improve political, social and cultural understanding of major global themes, to develop students as global citizens. Academic Study Skills Form critical response to a variety of texts, issues and debates. Develop effective communication and presentation skills, through a series of leadership and debating scenarios. Adopt strategies to present clear and cogent arguments in both written and spoken tasks. Independent Learning Refine strategies for independent learning. Benefit from regular feedback and assessment from college tutors, including individual tutorial sessions. Develop effective techniques for problem solving and research. English Language competency (if required) The programme will run from 8-22 August, 2016, and will be located at Clare College, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Further information about the COBIS International Summer School Programme can be found here. To view a detailed brochure, please click here. Please share this with parents and students. The Day COBIS COBIS is pleased to report the growing popularity of The Day COBIS, our online resource for students and teachers. The publication provides students of all school year groups with clear and in-depth articles analysing current affairs, and acts as an excellent teaching resource for lessons, assemblies and form time. The resource equips young people with the crucial ability to think for themselves and engage with the wider world around them. Don’t miss out on this fantastic resource. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! COBIS Diploma for International Teaching Assistants (DITA) and DITA for Early Years COBIS and the TA College are delighted to announce that enrolment is open for the two new COBIS accredited programmes for Teaching Assistants working in international schools around the world. We are delighted to welcome our first cohort of students from the following schools: - Khartoum International Community School, Sudan
- International School of Moscow
- North London Collegiate School, South Korea
- Riverbank School, Nigeria
- Haileybury School, Kazakhstan
- The British School in the Netherlands
Both the COBIS Diploma for International Teaching Assistants (DITA) and the Diploma for Early Years have been created to provide international Teaching Assistants with the knowledge, skills and understanding to work effectively alongside teachers whilst maximising learning opportunities for children. Please click on images below for further information:  
Professional Development Fantastic Feedback Following 4 Day Middle Leaders Courses held in Belgium, Qatar, Brazil this Spring Working in partnership with Karen Ardley Associates, COBIS provided training for Middle Leaders in 3 regions this Spring: Europe, the Middle East and South America. The courses, which provided accredited professional development for Primary and Secondary Middle Leaders, were attended by more than 60 delegates from COBIS member and non-member schools, hosted at St Paul’s  School, British Schools of Brussels and Doha English Speaking School. The aspiring/middle managers focused on the following key areas; the role of the middle leader/manager, our current educational agenda, an emotionally intelligent leader, effective professional development, working with teams, giving feedback, coaching for improvement, improving teaching and learning in your area and presentation skills. (Pictured above right: Delegates from the British School of Brussels cohort. Feedback from 2016 courses below.) “I would 100% recommend this course. These 4 days have been full of educational research and practical solutions. It has been extremely insightful and has provided me with a great ‘toolbox’ to be a successful leader”
“The programme was dynamic. There was a huge amount of new concepts and clarification of concepts and I am now feeling that I can do all of this and more, thank you for everything” British School of Bucharest host first ever COBIS Conference for PAs and Secretaries Around 30 PAs, Secretaries, Executive Assistants and other administrative staff were welcomed to the first COBIS Conference for PAs and Secretaries in late February. The professional training and networking event was hosted by the British School of Bucharest and delegates participated from COBIS  schools in The Netherlands, Egypt, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Greece, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Portugal, Belgium, the UK and Switzerland. Leading PA trainers Angela Garry and Karen Knowles delivered a range of sessions including Managing Change, Challenges of Working with More than One Manager and Insights into Personal Effectiveness. COBIS would like to thank the British School of Bucharest for hosting an excellent conference, as well everyone who participated over the course of the two days. Click here to see the full Conference Programme. (Pictured Above: Delegates pose for a photo on the first day of the 2016 COBIS Conference for PAs and Secretaries). Delegates attend first COBIS/Youth Sport Trust PE and School Sport Conference in Coventry, UK COBIS partnered with Youth Sport Trust to deliver the first COBIS/YST PE and School Sport Conference 2-3 March 2016. Delegates from 9 COBIS schools attended the event at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, participating in a range of sessions including Raising achievement through PE and sport and  Be confident that you are ready for Inspection as well as an Opening Address from Baroness Sue Campbell CBE. COBIS Student Engagement Officer Catriona Lawless was pleased to be able to join delegates at the 2 day event which included a Gala Dinner listening to the inspirational stories of international medal winning sports men and women and honouring the achievements of those from the world of PE and school sport. (Pictured above: Daniel Grannon, St Catherine's British School speaking about behaviour management). St. Paul’s School host 3rd Education Conference, in association with COBIS, in São Paulo The St. Paul's School 3rd Education Conference, organised in association with COBIS took place 19-20 March 2016. The Conference attracted over 300 delegates from schools in the Latin America region,  with keynote sessions by Sir John Jones and Sir Anthony Seldon, as well as an array of practical workshops on themes such as single-sex education, bilingualism and pupil driven education. Colin Bell, COBIS CEO, was delighted to be able to join delegates, speakers and exhibitors at the Conference and we would like to thank the school for hosting an excellent event. (Pictured above right: Sir Anthony Seldon and Lee Ward leading an audience participation session.) To view the programme from the Conference, please click here. Prague British School host third COBIS Conference for Marketing, Development and Admissions Staff Over 60 delegates attended the third COBIS Conference for Marketing, Development and Admissions
Staff 21-22 March, hosted by Prague British School. The programme included sessions on Event
 Planning – theory and practice, School Websites and Social Media and Alumni Relations as well as opportunities for networking and sharing experience. Many delegates also enjoyed a pre-conference cultural day tour in Prague on the day before the conference started. COBIS CPD & Events Officer, Amy Carter, and International Marketing Intern, Stefan Constantine, were also thrilled to participate in the conference and meet delegates, speakers and exhibitors. COBIS would like to thank the school for hosting a great conference. To view photos of the event, please click here. To see the full programme, please click here. (Pictured above: delegate enjoying Student Video Marketing Strategy session with Eye for Business.)
COBIS Student Competitions and Events Student Competition and Events Dates For Your Diary 2015/2016 Below are the dates and deadlines for all COBIS Competitions and Events for this academic year: Summer Term
COBIS Art Competition Following the success of last year's competition, the COBIS Art Competition is back for a second year with the option to enter into a group category within each of the four age groups. This year's theme is "A Room With a View" and schools can enter up to 3 entries per category. The categories are: - Foundation Stage
- Key Stage 1
- Key Stage 2
- Key Stage 3
The closing date for this competition is Wednesday 20 April 2016. To submit an entry, please click here. COBIS Senior School Music Festival 
COBIS is happy to announce that the second COBIS Senior School Music Festival will take place at The British School in The Netherlands from 27 – 29 May 2016. For more information, please click here. COBIS MUN The inaugural COBIS MUN was held 3-6 March, at the Intercontinental Hotel, Bucharest, Romania. In total, there were 108 student delegates present representing six continents and 35 nations, making the first COBIS MUN a truly international affair. The conference, hosted by the International British School of Bucharest (IBSB), ran over four days, beginning on Thursday 3 March with a morning tour of Bucharest and ending in the evening with the Opening Ceremony and Diplomatic Dinner. Key speakers included HRH Princess Marie, the British Ambassador to Romania, Mr Paul Brummell, and the United Nations Representative to Romania and Head of UNICEF Romania, Ms Sandie Blanchet, along with COBIS CEO Colin Bell and Head of IBSB, Kendall Peet.
 Congratulations to all who took part, as the level of both preparation and debate was outstanding. To read the full report and newsletters from each day, please click here. COBIS Secondary Student Games
The British School Al Khubairat were crowned winners of the COBIS Secondary Games 2016 in Dubai last month. The Games were hosted by Dubai College from 10-12 March 2016 with teams travelling from Africa, Europe and Asia to take part. After three days of gruelling competition in swimming, athletics and football, the closing ceremony took place at Jebel Ali Resort with a spectacular firework display.
During the closing ceremony, the British School of Al Khubairat was awarded first place in the COBIS Secondary Games, with Dubai College coming in second place and King's College Madrid in third place.
 Congratulations to the winning teams and to all who participated, particularly the students and staff who spent so much extra time training and preparing for this fantastic event. The team from St George's International School in Luxembourg even got a mention in in the Luxemburger Wort newspaper! Click here to read it. COBIS would like to thank all at Dubai College for hosting such a fun and successful 2016 Secondary COBIS Games. To read the full report, please click here, and to view videos of the individual events, please click here. COBIS Poetry Competition
 Well done to the 685 students who took part in the COBIS Poetry Competition! This is the most entries we’ve ever received and the teams at COBIS and John Catt are really enjoying marking all the entries. Watch this space, as the winners will be announced in April. Thank you to all the teachers who supported their students with this competition.  The COBIS webinar schedule for Spring 2016 is available on the COBIS website here. COBIS has now delivered over 30 webinars on a range of topics relevant to all members of the school workforce.
Past webinar recordings are available in the COBIS Member Area. Should you require your login details for the Member Area, please contact intern@cobis.org.uk.
COBIS Services COBIS Governors COBIS can support member schools to attract credible school governors to strengthen their Boards. For more information, the COBIS Code of Good Governance can be found here. If you are interested in becoming a potential school governor please complete the online registration form here. COBIS offers governance training and support to member schools and individuals through the COBIS Consultancy Service. Training is delivered by approved COBIS Consultants who are all quality-assured. Please see below for more information. COBIS Consultancy Service 
The COBIS Consultancy Service has been carefully designed to ensure that our consultants meet the specific needs of our clients. Our highly experienced consultants can offer support to schools, commercial organisations and private investors globally. Services include: - Middle Leaders Support
- Assessment Support
- Curriculum Models
- Teaching and Learning Review
- BSO Inspection Preparation
- School Development Planning
- Leadership and Governance Consultancy
- Safeguarding and Child Protection
- School (Business) Start- Up (advising private investors in setting up British International Schools abroad)
COBIS Schools and other organisations can submit a request for consultancy or training via the COBIS website. There is no cost for COBIS Schools wishing to use this service. For more information on our full range of services visit the COBIS website or email consultancy@cobis.org.uk. COBIS Leadership Mentoring and Support Service For Senior Leaders looking for more tailored, personalised CPD, the Leadership Mentoring and Support Service offers the opportunity to work with a trained mentor with successful experience of the professional challenges in the international school environment. For more information visit the COBIS website or email mentoring@cobis.org.uk. COBIS now has Credit Card Payment Facilities COBIS is pleased to announce that we are now live in accepting credit card payments both on the phone and online via SagePay. COBIS has also now secured PCI compliance through Trustwave Trustkeeper.
School Member News COBIS School Members - Staff Changes COBIS reminds all member schools to notify us of changes to their administrative and senior leadership staff. This will help us to keep key staff up to date with the latest COBIS developments and make it easier to facilitate dialogue with the appropriate person in each school. To inform us of any changes, please email updates@cobis.org.uk. COBIS Accredited Member School
COBIS would like to congratulate staff and pupils at Campion School in Greece which has recently been reconfirmed as a COBIS Accredited Member following another successful BSO inspection.
Recent Visitors to COBIS Head Office The new COBIS Head Office in Russell Square, London, has received lots of visitors this month with many taking advantage of the excellent meeting room facilities available, including an interactice screen which can be used to conduct Skype interviews, or be connected to a laptop. The bright and airy space, which can hold up to eight people, is located in Central London's Russell Square, and is just a short walk from Russell Square and Holborn Stations. We'd be delighted to welcome you! Click here for more information. Recent visitors include: - Professor Deborah Eyre, COBIS Consultant and Board Member
- Simon Noakes, Interactive Schools, COBIS Supporting Member
- Trevor Rowell, COBIS Chairman
- Dawn Akyurek, Head of School, King's College School, La Moraleja
- Peter Simpson, Headteacher, The British School in the Netherlands
- Simon O'Grady, Head of School, The British International School Cairo
- Philip Manning and Rebekah Turpie, The School Planner Company, COBIS Supporting Member
News From COBIS Schools Around the World
BSKL Offer A‐Level Scholarships to Springboard High‐Potential Malaysian Students
 The British International School of Kuala Lumpur (BSKL) has launched the British High Commissioner’s A‐Levels Scholarships to enlist Malaysian students born between 1 September 1999 and 31 August 2000, with a high proficiency in English and who exhibit promise of excellence. This initiative gives an opportunity to Malaysians to study at one of the country’s premier education institutions that is part of an elite network of schools across the globe, overseen by the British Schools Foundation. The scholarships are worth up to RM 204,650.00 each and students will be eligible to study Year 12 and 13 in the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 academic years. Click here for more information. Principal of the Alice Smith School Primary Campus approved to join IAPS COBIS is delighted to announce that Mrs Kate Fuller, Principal at the Alice Smith School Primary Campus, has recently been approved to join the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS). The organisation represents world-class head teachers, who lead world-class schoolsand is proud to work with its members as they deliver excellent standards of education and care to their pupils. IAPS exists to support head teachers as they strive to deliver excellent standards of education and care. With Mrs Fuller’s membership, Alice Smith has been awarded the prestigious kitemark of quality and is therefore now acknowledged to be among the most prestigious prep schools in the world. All IAPS schools have to meet strict standards before the Head can be accredited into membership, and they must continue to pass regular inspections. On behalf of the wider COBIS family of schools, the team at Head Office would like to congratulate the Alice Smith School Primary Campus on this outstanding achievement, and wish them every success for the next 70 years!
Click here for more information. In other news from the Alice smith School, Sarah Howling, Principal of the school’s Secondary Campus, has revealed her top tips for success in exams. Click here to see how you can teach your students to thrive, not just survive, this exam season. International School of Stavanger Success Stories
The International School of Stavanger has recently seen huge successes amongst its IBDP students, including two students who competed in the internationally renowned 2016 Norweigan Young Researchers Competition. One of the students, Mikhail Zakharov, went on to become the final prize winner in the Science and Technology category. COBIS Head Office would like to take this opportunity to congraluate all of the students involved on this fantastic achievement, as well as the International School of Stavanger as a whole, for continuing to provide truly world-class education. Click here for more information.
Supporting Member News New Supporting Members Oxford International AQA Examinations - Assessment and Qualifications Optimum Move - School Marketing Services Frog Education - ICT Veema Education - Consultancy and Professional Development Updated Contact Details Members are reminded to update COBIS with any changes in staff personnel so we can ensure information about your membership reaches the right person in your organisation. Any staff changes should be emailed to updates@cobis.org.uk. Please remember that more than one person can be listed as the contact at your company. More than 100 COBIS Supporting Members Exhibiting at the COBIS Annual Conference 2016 InterContinental London - The O2, Greenwich, London, UK
7-9 May 2016 More than 100 COBIS Supporting Members will be exhibiting at the COBIS Annual Conference 2016, sponsored by BridgeU. Please click here to view the list of organisations exhibiting. As well as networking opportunities and engagement with delegates, there are also a number of Exhibitor and Supporting Member Workshops for developing your organisation’s relations with British International Schools worldwide. The Full Conference Programme is available to download here. The programme includes a range of sessions aimed at both COBIS School and Supporting Members, and exhibitors are welcome to attend all parts of the Conference.
Our exhibition is now full, but we could encourage and welcome COBIS Supporting Members to attend as delegates. Delegate booking forms can be found here. Please see Exhibitor Feedback from last year’s Annual Conference below: “This is a great opportunity for us to reach the international school market and is a good way of promoting our brand.”
“A really outstanding conference. I listened to several inspirational speakers and enjoyed catching up with many colleagues as well as meeting many new ones. Roll on COBIS 2016!” For sponsorship opportunities, please click here. We look forward to welcoming many of you to the COBIS Annual Conference 2016. STOMP-style Body Percussion & Samba Drumming workshops from new COBIS Supporting Member ‘Beat Goes On’! Beat Goes On, led by Director Ollie Tunmer, have so far delivered highly successful school workshops, CPD sessions and conference content at COBIS schools in Athens, Stockholm, Madrid and Murcia. Stuart Smith (Headmaster, St Catherine's British School, Athens) and his team said of Ollie: “A positive and dynamic workshop leader”
“Inspirational! His workshops are both energizing and uplifting”
“Wow! His workshop enabled our children to explore music, create music and perform music”
“Refreshing, inspirational and just brilliant!” For workshop enquiries please contact info@beatgoeson.co.uk Short survey on COBIS Supporting Membership The 2016 COBIS Supporting Members’ Survey is now live. We would be extremely grateful if you could complete the short questionnaire which will help us strategically plan for the future in terms of what we can offer you as COBIS Supporting Members. It will also give us an idea what we are doing well, and what we can do better. If you are a Supporting Member representative, please fill out the survey at this link. Closing date is Wednesday 20 April and the results will be announced, presented and discussed at the COBIS Supporting Members’ Forum at the Annual Conference next month. Teaching Open Events at St. Mary’s University COBIS is pleased to announce that one of our Supporting Members, St. Mary’s University, Twickenham, will host several Teaching Open Events for Primary PGCE Programmes in 2016. These events will be useful to all those interested in pursuing a career in Primary Education, and particularly relevant to Graduate Teacher Assistants in COBIS Schools.
For information of events, dates and times, and locations please click here. Learn About How UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) Can Help You to Grow Your Business  COBIS has recently been approved as a UKTI Trade Challenge Partner, working closely with UKTI to provide our supporting members with expert international trade advice and practical support. In order to provide our members with more information about the support available to them through UKTI, we have updated the COBIS website with full details here. Support available includes:
A useful guide to the basics of exporting can be found on the UKTI website here. COBIS encourages our supporting members to look at the services available to them through UKTI. If you have any questions, please contact Jamie Ralph – members@cobis.org.uk
Contact Us
If you have any comments or requests, please contact us. We'd love to hear from you.
Colin Bell, CEO - ceo@cobis.org.uk
Jamie Ralph, Communications and Membership Officer - members@cobis.org.uk
Stefan Constantine, International Marketing Intern - intern@cobis.org.uk
Catriona Lawless, PA to Colin Bell and Student Engagement Officer - pa@cobis.org.uk
Amy Carter, CPD and Events Officer - cpd@cobis.org.uk
Padma Sivapunniyam, Finance Officer - admin@cobis.org.uk
Sakina Zafar, Academic Officer - academic@cobis.org.uk
Karim Dornaika, Data and Information Officer - updates@cobis.org.uk Follow us on Twitter @CobisDirector
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Address: COBIS, 55-56 Russell Square, Bloomsbury, London, WC1B 4HP, UK |
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