Dear Colleague, I know, it's hard to believe, but it's mid-September already! A warm welcome to all staff and students at COBIS schools who are experiencing life at an international British school overseas for the first time. There will have been changes over the summer within the COBIS school network; with new headteachers, teachers, support staff, governors, new faces on the school administration teams and indeed new students - all excited about the year ahead. There are also readers of Connect who have perhaps taken up a new position at a COBIS Supporting Member organisation. You are no doubt ready to meet, network, and connect with COBIS Member Schools over the course of the coming year via COBIS events, competitions and promotional opportunities with the help and support of the talented COBIS Head Office Team. Speaking of our team here at COBIS Head Office, you may have noticed that we also have welcomed some new faces. With an ever growing membership base, serving our members is our priority. Therefore, I am delighted to introduce Harleen Kainth (Executive Assistant to the CEO), Sharon Gallagher (Membership Officer) and Hannah Porritt (International Marketing Intern). You can read more about our new staff members in this issue of Connect. Two existing members of our team have also acquired new roles here internally at COBIS, with Catriona Lawless becoming the new Student Engagement and Events Officer and Jamie Ralph taking on the role of Communications Officer. The COBIS team has worked hard over the past few months to ensure that we were in a position to launch our new website at the start of September. Have you had a look yet? I'm sure you'll agree that it's a massive upgrade on our previous site and navigation is an easier task. A special thanks must go to COBIS Supporting Member, Finalsite who developed the website and come highly recommended to any member school looking to upgrade their website. The Finalsite team certainly know their stuff! The month of September means that by now, students in your schools will have received their exam results and we have been hearing from some of our schools that the results have been very impressive right across the board. I saw a tweet from one of our Accredited Members, Dubai College, who noted that their students' results at GCSE and A-level stand toe-to-toe with some of the top independent schools based in the UK. This is further proof of the world-class quality of international British schools overseas and stands as a testament to the hard work that all of the COBIS Member Schools are doing in preparing students for the future. Next month, October, marks the commencement of our busy calendar of CPD events for the school workforce. Plus our growing offering of student events and competitions also kicks off in October. A few places remain for the COBIS Student Leadership Weekend delivered by our expert colleagues from King's College, Madrid, so be sure to share this opportunity with your aspiring student leaders. Here's to an enjoyable September edition of Connect and as always, please do not hesitate to contact a me or a member of the COBIS Head Office Team with any questions or queries. Kind regards, | COBIS WEBSITE - REVISED AND REFRESHED | After months of hard work by the Head Office team and the staff at Finalsite, COBIS is delighted to launch the redesigned COBIS Website!
The new website, developed in partnership with Finalsite, a COBIS Supporting Member, contains all of the same essential information about COBIS, our schools, and supporting members but in a more attractive and easier way to navigate. Details of COBIS Services such as the COBIS Consultancy Service and Accessing the DBS can be found on the website, as well as the updated CPD and Events calendar for 2016/17. The 2016/2017 COBIS programme for students is also available on the website, with lots of exciting competitions for students of all ages to take part in this year. Not to mention the directory of COBIS Supporting Members, with up to date information on the numerous quality products and services offered by our 185 valued supporting members. The new website is also a great place to advertise any vacancies in your schools on our dedicated recruitment page. | SHARE HOW THE CURRENT GBP EXCHANGE RATE IS AFFECTING YOUR SCHOOL | COBIS is supporting FOBISIA to collect data on the effects of the GBP and its current rate of exchange on schools.
FOBISIA is conducting a survey to collect anonymous data regarding the current British pound exchange rate and how this may be affecting British international schools.
We are confident that the collection of anonymous data on a scale such as our extensive membership allows will contribute to a rich analysis of the effects these changes are having on members of our network.
The closing date for the survey is 19 September. | FIRST COBIS INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL A HUGE SUCCESS | COBIS partnered with Summer Boarding Courses to run the first ever COBIS International Summer School in the University of Cambridge in August 2016.
Students from all over the world traveled to the famous university campus to undertake a riveting academic and social programme designed for teenagers aged 15 - 17. The course was designed to develop students' confidence, communication skills and ready them for their future studies.
To read more about what the students got up to during the exciting two-week course in Cambridge, please visit the official COBIS International Summer School blog.
| COBIS DISCLOSURE AND BARRING SERVICE | COBIS are delighted and proud to announce that over the 2015-16 academic year, COBIS has successfully processed in excess of 1500 DBS checks for teachers in schools all around the world.
This is testament to the commitment of both COBIS and all of our schools to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. As COBIS looks forward to the new academic year we are in the process of introducing a more efficient and more streamlined checking process. This involves empowering individual schools with administration access. If your staff need DBS checks and to find out more about this service please contact DBS@cobis.org.uk
| COBIS DIPLOMA FOR INTERNATIONAL TEACHING ASSISTANTS | A big congratulations to the following members of staff for successfully completing the COBIS Diploma for International Teaching Assistants (DITA). This is a fantastic achievement - Well done! - Kim Hull - Now based in the UK (certificated)
- Lorna Elizabeth Staerck - International School of Moscow
- Mizuho Koen Graham - North London Collegiate School, Jeju
- Madina Barenova - Haileybury Astana
- Xeniya Nagornyak - Haileybury Astana
- Yetaterina Kalinina - Haileybury Astana
Enrolment is OPEN for the COBIS DITA and the COBIS DITA Early Years. Find out more about the course by watching this video from The TA College
| COBIS CONSULTANCY SERVICE | Is your School looking for professional advice, training or other forms of consultancy?
Are you looking for a quality training provider? Are you looking to set up a British curriculum school aboard and need support in doing so?
Do you need help to find a partner UK independent school? Over the past year COBIS Consultancy Service has supported over 30 schools and private investors worldwide with quality training and professional guidance. To see the list of our services and/or to submit a Consultancy request please visit our website or contact consultancy@cobis.org.uk
| INTERVIEWING IN LONDON THIS TERM? | If you are planning to conduct interviews in London this term, there is still some availability for the COBIS Meeting Room in central London.
COBIS offers competitive rates to Members and non-Members wishing to book the meeting room for half days, full days, or multiple days.
| SCHOOLS AND SUPPORTING MEMBERS WELCOME AT COBIS HEAD OFFICE | The COBIS Head Office remained busy over the summer as a stream of visitors dropped in to our Russell Square office to say hello. | We were delighted to welcome Julieta Petre, the director of one of our newest schools CLAS International School in Romania to the COBIS office. COBIS CEO Colin Bell was thrilled to personally welcome CLAS International School into the global COBIS family of schools. | Don't forget that the red door in Russell Square is always open, and the kettle is always on. If you are a school or supporting member visiting London, please do call in to our Head Office, just as Seb Francis (pictured above) did in early September. Seb is the Co-Founder and Director of Titus Learning, a valued COBIS Supporting Member, who develop learning platforms for schools. | COBIS WELCOMES NEW STAFF TO THE HEAD OFFICE TEAM | We're sure you will join us in welcoming our three new staff members who joined the Head Office team throughout August and September, and congratulating our existing staff on new positions within the COBIS team.
Hannah Porritt joined us as our graduate Intern in August and supports the work of the COBIS Head Office team. Prior to joining COBIS, Hannah was studying for a Masters degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. She is a COBIS school alumna, having graduated from The British School in The Netherlands in 2012.
Harleen Kainth is our new Executive Assistant to the CEO, joining COBIS in September. Harleen previously worked as PA to the General Secretary and Director of Finance for an Independent Schools Trust. Harleen will be managing Colin's diary and is also our new Office Manager, so will be your first point of contact when visiting the office. Harleen is from Essex and attended Middlesex University where she gained her BA in Marketing.
Sharon Gallagher joined COBIS as our Membership Officer (Maternity Cover) in September 2016 and is your key contact for all membership queries, whether you are a school or supporting member, and whether you are a prospective, new or existing member. Her previous school experience includes Marketing Officer positions at the Berlin British School (COBIS member) and Sutton High School for Girls (GDST). Prior to this she worked for a Lloyd's Syndicate for nearly twenty years after graduating as a Modern Linguist from the University of Cambridge.
Catriona Lawless and Jamie Ralph remain at COBIS but now take on brand new positions. Catriona is now our Student Engagement and Events Officer, focussing full time on putting together a programme of highly popular student competitions, awards and activities. Jamie moves to become our full-time Communications officer, leading on all of our communications and marketing. | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT and EVENTS NEWS | COBIS STUDENT LEADERSHIP WEEKEND | Senior Students from around the world will come together in Madrid next month for the COBIS/King's Group Student Leadership Weekend (7-9 October 2016).
A very limited number of places are remaining. For more information and booking forms, please visit the COBIS website. | CALLING ALL EARLY YEARS STAFF: BOOKING DEADLINE APPROACHING! | Book your place now for our Early Years Conference - Exploring the Early Years being held at Byron College, Athens on 28-29 October 2016.
The programme will include workshops on Playing and Exploring; Impact of TAs in EYFS; Creating an Inclusive Classroom Environment; and more. | COBIS/KING'S GROUP PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WEEKEND | Teachers as Learners: Developing professional competence through deep reflection and reflective practice Teachers and TAs from Primary and Secondary Schools are invited to register for the COBIS/King's Group Professional Development Weekend taking place in Madrid, 28-29 October. With over 30 educational experts, trainers and facilitators involved, the Professional Development Weekend offers something for everyone. Book your place now! | COBIS ANNUAL RESEARCH SURVEY | The 3rd COBIS Annual Research Survey, with GL Education, will be launching next month.
All schools will receive unique login details by email. To view last year's summary report, visit the COBIS website. | NEW FOR 2017 - COBIS MEDICAL REVIEW SCHOOLS CONFERENCE | New for the 2017 programme is the COBIS Medical Review Schools Conference held at Doha College, Qatar, 4-5 February 2017. Doha College have been hosting this event since 2014 and are now opening the conference to all COBIS Schools. Open to students in Years 12 and 13, teams are invited to present on recent developments in one of six topics related to topical medical research. Teachers, doctors and medical experts will assess and provide feedback to the students. The conference is free to attend and booking closes on 1 November 2016. | GO FOR GOLD IN THE UK'S BIGGEST LANGUAGES COMPETITION | COBIS Supporting Member Vocab Express are running a language competition, with 50 free places reserved for COBIS Schools. The League of Champions 2016, run by Vocab Express will take place from 28 September - 4 October 2016. COBIS Schools can register here, with the first 50 teachers being able to register for free. Students compete both individually and on behalf of their school, with certificates and prizes for the highest scorers, and Vocab Express will be running a leaderboard exclusively for COBIS Schools. The competition is a fantastic way of engaging students in language learning, with more than 33,000 students taking part in 2015 | WELCOME TO NEW HEADS AT COBIS SCHOOLS | COBIS is pleased to welcome the following Principals and Headteachers to COBIS schools. We look forward to working with you!
- Georg Muesing - Berlin British School
- Paul Morgan - British School of Amsterdam
- Phillip Walters - British School of Bucharest
- John Regan - Oporto British School
- Dr Mark Starbuck - Byron College
- Tim Meunier - Geneva English School
- Melanie Warnes - British School of Brussels
- Tobin Connell - British School of Geneva
- Karen Eastwood - The British International School Bratislava
- Sean Sibley - Doha English Speaking School
- Tom McGrath - British International School Wroclaw
| NEW FACEBOOK GROUP FOR MUSIC TEACHERS | Is the music teacher at your school active on Facebook?
Tell them about this new networking group for music teachers kindly set up by Ollie Tunmer of Beat Goes On, a COBIS Supporting Member.
Ollie hopes to see you there!
| ALICE SMITH SCHOOL READY FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR WITH BRAND NEW FACILITIES | The Alice Smith School was delighted to welcome guest-of-honour, H.E. Vicki Treadell CMG MVO, the British High Commissioner to Malaysia to officially open its new Secondary Campus Sports Complex.
This new Sports Complex boasts world class track and field facilities with space for football, tennis, hocky, netball and more. The 8-lane synthetic athletic running track is certified by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), with Alice Smith being the first international school in Malaysia and the third in the world to receive this standard of certification.
The Alice Smith School celebrates 70 great years of providing a rich British educational heritage in Malaysia this year. To mark the auspicious occasion, H.E. Vicki Treadell was also invited to unveil the school's spectacular Heritage Wall.
The Alice Smith School is also proud of its students who received outstanding results in the recent (I)GCSE and A Level examinations.
| NEWS FROM COBIS SUPPORTING MEMBERS | TEACH POSITIVE EMOTIONAL WELLBEING IN A FUN AND CREATIVE WAY | Pupil Wellbeing in Primary Education, an upcoming COBIS webinar, will help COBIS members to think about the importance of positive emotional wellbeing in schools and present a new creative approach - The Wellbeing Alphabet. Director Nathalie Carter introduces the new approach below.
Firstly, as a new Supporting Member of COBIS, I would like to say what an honour it is to be part of the network. I am the Director of a global consultancy, La Linguistica and I am delighted to share with you some exciting news regarding a programme we have recently launched, The Wellbeing Alphabet™. The programme teaches children about positive emotional wellbeing through a creative approach including language, film, arts and crafts.
We have also recently launched a new blog called 'Wellbeing Wednesday'. Each week we will aim to deliver a concise blog on a range of wellbeing topics. | IS YOUR SCHOOL GOING THE EXTRA MILE? | Education Authorities the world over are increasingly putting pressure on schools to take steps to combat childhood obesity and inactivity - if not us, then who? If not now, then when?
The Daily Mile is an initiative which involves children walking, jogging and running around the school grounds, at their own pace. It's non-competitive - the focus is on health and wellbeing, not P.E. or sport!
The Daily Mile only takes 15 minutes desk-to-desk but has lasting effects on children's fitness, concentration, and general wellbeing. It's simple to start: there's no kit required, no staff training needed, no set up and no tidy up. An existing path can be used or a new path created - after that, the Daily Mile is free! | ATTEND THE GLOBAL SHOWCASE FOR THE UK'S MOST EXCITING INNOVATORS | The Department for International Trade is pleased to invite COBIS Supporting Members to Innovate 2016 happening 2-3 November at Manchester Central. Jointly hosted by Innovate UK and DIT, Innovate 2016 brings back the global spotlight on UK innovation and promises to be better than ever.
The conference will bring together 3,000 of the UK's most exciting innovators to connect with export opportunities, investors, collaborators and the research base.
The key themes of the programme will include Manufacturing, Cities of the Future, Healthcare and Technology. This is a fantastic opportunity for COBIS Supporting Members to connect with industry leaders at the forefront of innovation, and showcase what the UK has to offer. | BUILD PARTNERSHIPS WITH SENIOR FIGURES FROM INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION SUPPLIERS | IPSEF is a series of high level global conferences that facilitate effective partnership building for senior leaders from international and private schools, investors, regulators, and education suppliers.
The IPSEF Middle East Forum brings together the diverse community involved in a new operation, providing participants with not only valuable case studies of schools from across the MENA region but importantly a host of contacts that will enable you to plan your project with confidence.
To complement the established IPSEF Forum, IPSEF Design & Build is launching in parallel in Dubai in September 2016 in order to meet the growing demand for specialist information on school design.
IPSEF are delighted to offer COBIS Members a 15% reduction off the standard delegate fee when quoting COBIS15 on the online booking form.
| REGISTER FOR YOUR FREE PLACE ON AN UPCOMING COBIS WEBINAR | COBIS offers a programme of free webinars to keep members up to date with COBIS services and provide CPD without the need for travel.
Upcoming webinars in September and October include sessions thinking about pupil wellbeing in primary schools and about the design of school science laboratories.
Check out the full schedule below with links to more information and the online registration forms. | |
COBIS CPD AND EVENTS 2016/17 | COBIS Student Leadership Weekend Madrid
7-9 October 2016 | COBIS Conference For Early Years
Athens 28-29 October 2016 | COBIS/King's Group Professional Development Weekend
Madrid
28-29 October 2016 | COBIS Programme for Middle Leaders (CPML)
Various locations
October - March 2016 | COBIS Conference for Senior Managers, Middle Leaders, and CPD Leaders
Cairo
3-4 February 2017 | COBIS Conference for Bursars, Business Managers and HR Staff
Lisbon
10-11 February 2017 | COBIS Conference for EAL Staff
Bucharest 16-17 February | COBIS Conference for PAs and Secretaries Brussels 24-25 February | COBIS/Youth Sport Trust PE and School Sport Conference
Coventry
28 February 2017 | Stepping Up to Senior Leadership Course Athens 4-5 March 2017 | COBIS Four-Day Middle Leaders' Course Athens 4-7 March 2017 | COBIS Conference for Trips and Fieldwork Leadership
The Hague
17-18 March 2017 | COBIS Conference for Marketing, Development and Admissions Staff
Tokyo
27-28 March 2017 | COBIS Wellbeing Conference Dubai 14-15 April 2017 | COBIS Four-Day Middle Leaders' Course
Dubai
16-19 April 2017 | COBIS Four-Day Middle Leaders' Course
New York
18-21 April 2017
| 36th COBIS Annual Conference
London
6-8 May 2017
Advanced Child Protection Course
London 9 May 2017 | COBIS Four-Day Middle Leaders' Course
Stavanger
26-29 May 2017
| COBIS Primary Creative Challenge
Launching September 2016
| COBIS Young Scientist Film Awards
Launching September 2016
| COBIS Student Poetry Competition
Launching October 2016
| COBIS Art Competition
Launching October 2016
| COBIS Student World Debate Competition
Marbella
3-5 February 2017
| COBIS Medical Review Schools Conference
Doha
4-5 February 2017
| COBIS Model-UN Conference
Bahrain
10-11 March 2017
| COBIS Primary Games
Buckingham
11-13 April 2017
| COBIS Secondary Games
Sheffield
19-21 May 2017
| COBIS Senior School Music Festival
Murcia
26-28 May 2017 | COBIS International Summer School
TBC
| Academy International British Primary School
Member | Wellington College International Shanghai
Member | NEW COBIS SUPPORTING MEMBERS | Early Excellence
School Facilities Management and School Furniture/Equipment | Prosperity
Consultancy and Professional Development
| Gooseberry Planet
Assessment and Qualifications | MTM Consulting
Research, International Schools Market | Lenovo Software
School Management Information Systems | Congratulations to the Accredited schools below who recently had a successful BSO inspection! | We accept submissions from both schools and supporting members for the COBIS newsletter, Connect.
Please read our editorial guidelines before making your submission.
All submissions for the October Connect should be sent to: intern@cobis.org.uk
by 1 October 2016. | |
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| If you have any comments or requests, please contact us. We'd love to hear from you. | By Telephone: +44 20 3826 7190
| COBIS Head Office, 55-56 Russell Square, Bloomsbury, London, WC1B 4HP, UK | |
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