Mike Serridge is a member of the British Standards Committee LB/O01/01 Laboratory Furniture and Fittings and Director at S+B UK, one of the UK’s longest established and leading specialists in the design, manufacture and installation of laboratory furniture, fume cupboards and associated services.

Ongoing investment in development of high specification, functional, innovative design with student appeal at its core has resulted in  S+B being awarded The Queen’s Award for Enterprise. This award is the UK’s highest accolade for business success with winners selected by the Prime Minister’s office and approved by Her Majesty the Queen.

Andy Bloor, Med PGCE BA(Hons) FHEA FRSA is a Senior Lecturer in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Programme Lead for the International Postgraduate Certificate of Education ( iPGCE ). Andy has worked extensively in International settings, including Ireland, Vietnam, Mauritius, Spain and Palestine.  Whilst at his last University Andy was a co-writer on a bid to ERASMUS and SEN Leader on a World Bank Project in Palestine. This work has just been awarded the Time Higher Education International Impact award 2018.  Andy is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member (and trustee) of the Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties Association.

Tom Ferguson is Head of Planning and Administration at Nord Anglia International School in Hong Kong who are hosting the COBIS EYFS Conference. Tom has kindly agreed to take part in this month's COBIS 10 Questions segment... 

Dr. Denry Machin is an Educational Consultant at Dragonfly Training in Thailand and offers advice on school leadership and management. He will be speaking at the COBIS Conference for Marketing, Development and Admissions Staff hosted by Haileybury Astana, Kazakhstan, 25-26 April 2019.

Foxfield Primary School’s journey from special measures to outstanding was one that placed relational, ethical leadership at the centre of the school improvement agenda. The metrics for successful student learning, as well as the leadership of learning, had misguidedly focused simplistically on measurement and accountability, ignoring everything we know about the importance of collaboration, culture and trust. In A Manifesto for Excellence in Schools, I lay out the strategies that helped lead our team through difficulties to success.

Lily is our COBIS Student Engagement and Events Officer. She joined us in September and runs all of the student competitions, and events - most recently, our highly successful Maths Challenge with Mangahigh.

Prior to joining COBIS, Lily took part in the UK non-profit sector's graduate scheme, Charityworks, before working in resident engagement and communications for a community-focused housing association.

Anna Winfindale is a Teacher and Primary Science Coordinator in the Cayman Islands. She completed the COBIS Programme for Middle Leaders in 2018. The following case study shares information about her experience and her Leadership Challenge project.

Ryan is a primary and secondary Music Teacher at Doha College in Qatar, he has also worked in an international school in Spain and held a senior leadership role as Head of Professional Development. We are very pleased to have Ryan as this month's star of '10 Questions'.

Mike Serridge is Managing Director at S+B UK, one of the UK’s longest established and leading specialists in the design, manufacture, and installation of laboratory furniture, fume cupboards, and associated services.

There is no doubt that growing up can be an emotional rollercoaster. Many young people face a whole host of highs and lows during childhood and adolescence, which can be related to different parts of their lives including school, friends, family, sexuality and puberty.

Paul Gildea is currently Deputy Head of Primary – Pastoral at the British School of Bucharest. He has taught from Year 1 to Year 6, and held a range of leadership positions in schools in London, China and now Romania.

Joe Masterson is Deputy Head at the Junior School La Storta, part of St George's British International School, Rome, and has kindly agreed to take part in our '10 Questions' series.

Craig Heaton has been a Head at six schools in the UK, Saudi Arabia, Brunei, Egypt, and Nigeria. He is currently Head of St Saviour’s School Ikoyi in Nigeria – a high-performing primary school for 320 pupils offering the UK National Curriculum and the International Primary Curriculum.

Technology and Pedagogy. Two words that are rarely included in the same sentence. Often, we tend to see the two as separate strands in teaching and learning. For educators, the focus on pedagogy is, of course, paramount and it can be the case that technology isn’t embedded into practice, but instead is viewed as a challenge, an ‘add on’, or maybe even an inconvenience at times.

Kosta is Deputy Headmaster and Head of Sixth Form Programmes at JESS Dubai, he is also chair of the UAE Association of IB schools and kindly agreed to take part in our '10 Questions' series.

This month as part of our Alumni Spotlight series, we spoke to Andrew Ward, alumnus of the British School Jakarta. Andrew now works as a Talent Business Partner for trading platform, Trayport and we asked him a few questions about his education and the path he took after leaving a COBIS school.

In 2004, two educational psychologists created Real Group - Real Training’s parent company -  to make a real difference to education including young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Today, as one of the UK’s largest specialist educational training providers, our group of companies share one mission: to improve education to transform lives.

For teachers, September is always a period of reflection. A time to think back on the school year that’s gone and to ponder what you will do differently in the terms ahead.  

Reflecting like this is one of the most important ways we can improve our teaching and so help our students learn better.  

As part of our series of case studies for the Teacher Supply in British International Schools research project, we spoke to Jennie Douras, who did her teacher training through School Direct in Merseyside and taught in the UK state sector for two years before moving abroad.

As part of our series of case studies for the Teacher Supply in British International Schools research project, we spoke to Stephanie Rae, a Year 4 Leader at Kent College Dubai who studied and taught in Scotland before moving to the Middle East.

As part of our series of case studies for the Teacher Supply in British International Schools research project, we spoke to Jon Datta, a Maths teacher who spent four years teaching in the UK but is now Deputy Head of Maths at The Edron Academy in Mexico.

As part of our series of case studies for the Teacher Supply in British International Schools research project, we spoke to Sarah Winser, a teacher with experience in both the UK state and international schools sector.

As part of our series of case studies for the Teacher Supply in British International Schools research project, we spoke to Gary Hellyer, an EYFS teacher at British School Muscat. 

This month we spoke to Priya Chhetri who graduated from The British School, Kathmandu in Nepal. Today, Priya works as a freelance creative consultant and supports schools and NGOs in Nepal.

A growing relationship between a COBIS School and a COBIS Supporting Member has helped IB students develop their leadership skills to support future roles as community leaders.

Has technology in education gone too far in fuelling a populist EdTech agenda? Patrick McGrath says that it must be grounded in areas like literacy and numeracy and ultimately provide the support that every pupil needs.

Robert Ansell, Director of Studies at a school in Shanghai, chose to study for an MA in Education with the University of Derby's Online Learning programme. Here, he answers some frequently asked questions about the online learning experience.

This month we spoke to Jacob Durham who attended Dubai English Speaking College. Today, Jacob works as a Paediatric Nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

How can you keep up to date with professional practice? Dr Siobhan Neary from the International Centre for Guidance Studies (iCeGS) at the University of Derby has some tips...

There are fashions in education, and fads, and weak arguments. Is ‘personalisation’ of learning robust, or poorly evidenced? Tim Oates, a speaker at the 37th COBIS Annual Conference, argues that it should be subjected to a lot more scrutiny than it has been.

How can we encourage parents to engage with their children's reading? There is no magic answer according to Abigail Steel but there are some tips you can reflect upon to help foster a love of reading...

China is the fastest growing large international schools market with nearly 600 schools but what’s it like to lead a school in China? Barry Speirs spoke to 20 school leaders to find out. 

Isabella Wallace explains how Talk-less teaching can improve outcomes for learners from nursery to university. 

Meet Peter, a Senior Principal currently working at an international Kindergarten in Beijing. 

Mike Serridge discusses the pros and cons of different styles of fume cupboards for the Secondary School science lab

Alex Kortland shares the Top 10 foods missed by British expats - does your favourite make the list? (Sponsored)

GL Education's new report on wellbeing in international schools outlines how high expectations and a lack of confidence in learning ability can negatively impact student wellbeing.

Gill Budgell offers some tips on entering the digital world when it comes to supporting the teaching of reading skills. 

Emma took 10 weeks of unpaid leave from her teaching job at a British school in the Netherlands to train teachers in Malawi. Here, she shares her enlightening story with us. 

David Richards, EAL Coordinator at a British school in Moscow, gives his three top strategies for supporting students 

Effective interior design combined with high-quality contemporary furniture systems which facilitate and promote pupil-centred learning can help change attitudes towards STEM according to Mike Serridge. (Sponsored)

An introduction to Jerudong International School, on the island of Borneo, where students are encouraged to drive their own progress and achievement. 

Help boost your students’ confidence in their university applications with Georgia Tindale's list of useful tactics

Lisa Ashes reflects on the learnings from a recent COBIS EAL (English as an Additional Language) training seminar which took place in Kenya. 

Engagement in online peer observation, especially when it comes to teaching, can lead directly to improvements in the student experience according to Nicholas Bowskill from the University of Derby.

Jonathan Ullmer reflects on his first term as a Head in Kazakhstan.

Barry Speirs describes his unique approach to the appraisal of the headteacher.

Are you finding it hard to get your students excited about writing? Anna Whiteley has some tips for building enthusiasm about writing in the classroom.  

Harry, a talented Year 11 student at a school in Liverpool, recently completed a week of work experience with COBIS. Here's how he got on...

How would you like your new school building to look? Did it turn our as you envisaged? Gareth Long shares his experiences of working with international schools on new builds.

Sarah Haythornthwaite writes about the importance of improving student perceptions of STEM subjects in international schools

Amy Mander explains how the Global Goals can teach young people that they have the power to change the world.

Dr Craig Kissock outlines why it's important that teachers in international schools have a recognised teaching qualification. 

Do your students have a social media presence? Of course they do. Simon Noakes provides us with some useful tips on the safe use of social when it comes to children. 

John Martin explores why 'Brand Britain' is thriving when it comes to global education

What are we doing to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs in our school? David Harkin has an important message.

Matthew Hastings with some ideas on how schools can get ahead of the game by embracing digital!

Martin Baker and Mike Glanville ask, "who is responsible for safeguarding in an international school?". 

Has your school got a school video club? Read Charlie Gauvain's 6-point guide to help schools encourage students to lead on the production of video content.

Carolyn Savage with some top tips for how schools can support parents who have just moved to a new country.

A short time experiencing British education in the UK can have many benefits for international students according to Mark Jeynes.

Ollie Tunmer writes about the importance of music and creativity in international schools.

MacKenzie Hovermale shares her 10 top tips for choosing the right admissions system for your school.

Pat Moores advises COBIS students on what they can expect from university life in the UK.