Dear Colleague, The beginning of this month marked a major milestone for COBIS with the launch of our new globally recognised quality assurance programme for international British schools overseas. The Patron's Accreditation and Compliance has come about as a result of the opinions and views that you, our valued members, have expressed in recent times regarding current measures of external validation and inspection. I'm sure that you'll already be aware that our new accreditation process is one that puts school improvement at its core.While every COBIS member school will have completed this process by 2022 at the latest, I'd like to reassure you that the journey towards Compliance or Accreditation will be a fulfilling one which focuses on school development, self-evaluation and external validation.The Patron's Accreditation and Compliance will be expertly led by our new Director of Accreditation, Mr Peter Simpson, who some of you may know as the former Head of COBIS Accredited Member The British School in the Netherlands (BSN). Peter brings immense experience of British international education and of quality assurance. Peter has 24 years of experience of teaching in schools both in the UK and internationally and we are delighted to have appointed Peter to the COBIS Executive Team.If you would like to find out more more about COBIS Accreditation or Compliance, or if you would like to proceed with the process post-April 2017, please do contact Peter via accreditation@cobis.org.uk.
More than 100 member schools have completed the 2016 COBIS Annual Research Survey. Thank you to all who have participated and thank you to GL Research who have started to crunch the data and compile reports. The findings, to be be shared, will certainly help to influence and shape the strategic direction of member schools and the association.
Thank you also to our FOBISIA colleagues who hosted myself and Trevor Rowell, COBIS Chairman, at their excellent annual conference in Bangkok which explored the theme of FOBISIA Cares.
Trevor and I were delighted to introduce and present details of the COBIS Patron's Accreditation scheme plus I was also pleased to share with colleagues safeguarding and child protection updates. This important subject affects and resonates with the growing international schools sector as a whole. Collectively we must continue to work to reduce safeguarding risk.
| On 31 October 2016, COBIS officially announced the launch of a new accreditation scheme for international British schools overseas. The Patron's Accreditation and Compliance, which comes into being from 1 April 2017, focuses on school development rather than a snapshot inspection and will be the primary route to COBIS membership from next year.
This means that by 2022, all COBIS members will have been through either the Compliance or Accreditation process. A new Director of Accreditation, Mr Peter Simpson, has been appointed by COBIS to lead on this new and innovative venture.
COBIS Chairman Trevor Rowell, commenting on the launch said:
"COBIS recognises that international British schools overseas are highly diverse, existing in complex contexts. We have listened carefully to what these schools need and designed a modern system of high quality to meet this."
The Patron's Accreditation and Compliance, which bears the name of the COBIS Patron HRH, The Duke of York, KG , is being introduced following consultations with COBIS member schools, the Department for Education (DfE), the British Council, the Department for International Trade (DIT, formerly UKTI) and government education departments in the Middle East, Asia, the Americas, Africa and Europe. | COBIS PROHIBITION CHECKS SERVICE | In addition to DBS checks, COBIS strongly recommends that all teachers undergo a Prohibition Order check. These checks are mandatory for schools in England, and it is considered best practice for international schools as well, particularly those preparing for inspection.
COBIS is delighted to announce that we have been given access to the Teacher Services system to perform these checks on behalf of international schools overseas.
Prohibition Order checks should be done as part of the pre-employment checking process and a record must be kept on the school's single central record. A Prohibition Order check ensures the teacher is not prohibited from teaching. | EARLY LEARNING CURRICULUM UPDATE | COBIS MEETINGS IN BANGKOK, WHILST ATTENDING THE FOBISIA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
| COBIS is a Founding Member of the International Task Force on Child Protection. To further support the work of this group, Colin Bell met with Dorothy Rozga, Executive Director and Junita Upadhyay, Programme Officer for Child and Youth Participation of ECPAT - End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography & Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes. The meeting was hosted by ECPAT at their global Head Office in Bangkok.
| By invitation, to discuss the new COBIS Patron's Accreditation and COBIS Compliance system and safeguarding, Colin Bell met with Uraiwan Samolee (above), British Council, Head of Business Development for Education in Thailand. Colin also met with Dolly Chan and her assistant Piyachat Chitkasem (below), British Chamber of Commerce, Head of Business Services for Education in Thailand.
| PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT and EVENTS NEWS | COBIS ANNUAL CONFERENCE – TRANSFORMATIONS – SEMINAR PROPOSALS | Booking for the 36th COBIS Annual Conference will open later this term. The conference theme is Transformations. COBIS Schools and Supporting Members are invited to submit proposals to deliver seminars as part of the conference programme.
For more information about the conference theme, please visit the COBIS website. For information about submitting seminar proposals, please email Fiona Rogers. | FORTHCOMING COBIS CONFERENCES | Booking is now open for a range of COBIS Conferences taking place next term:
- COBIS Conference for Senior Managers, Middle Leaders and CPD Leaders - Reaching Excellence: It's all about the teacher - Cairo, Egypt - 3-4 February 2017
- COBIS Conference for Bursars, Business Managers and HR Staff - Lisbon, Portugal - 10-11 February 2017
- COBIS Conference for EAL Staff - Supporting EAL Students in International Schools - Bucharest, Romania - 16-17 February 2017
- COBIS Conference for PAs and Secretaries - Brussels, Belgium - 16-17 February 2017 (NEW DATE)
- COBIS and Youth Sport Trust PE and School Sport Seminar - Coventry, UK - 28 February 2017
- COBIS Conference for Marketing, Development and Admissions Staff - Tokyo, Japan - 27-28 March 2017
- COBIS Wellbeing Conference - Nurturing Every Child - Dubai, UAE - 14-15 April 2017
| REACHING EXCELLENCE: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE TEACHER | Delegates and exhibitors are invited to book for this COBIS Conference, hosted by The British International School in Cairo, 3-4 February 2017. The conference is sponsored by Double First.
The conference will focus on the importance of contextualised teacher development, effective models of CPD, and how these can secure school improvement and raise pupil attainment. Speakers will include: - Steve Munby, Education Development Trust - David Weston, Teacher Development Trust - Professor Deborah Eyre, High Performance Learning | TWO SUCCESSFUL COBIS CONFERENCES HOSTED BY BYRON COLLEGE AND KING'S GROUP | Two successful COBIS Conferences took place 28-29 October 2016.
Byron College, Athens hosted the second COBIS Early Years Conference, which was attended by participants from schools in 14 different countries. King's College Madrid hosted the COBIS/King's Group Professional Development Weekend, attended by more than 400 delegates, speakers, and exhibitors. COBIS would like to thank everyone who participated in these events, with particular thanks to colleagues from Byron College and King's Group who did a tremendous job organising and hosting these conferences.
For more information about these two events, visit the Previous COBIS Conferences section of the website. | COBIS TRAINING FOR MIDDLE LEADERS | The COBIS Programme for Middle Leaders (CPML) is now underway with nearly 90 participants taking part. Face-to-face sessions are being held in Mexico, Malawi, Oman, The Netherlands, Romania, and Spain.
The CPML is a year-long programme for ambitious middle leaders who wish to develop their personal and professional skills. The CPML uses a blended learning approach with facilitated workshops and self-directed learning.
COBIS is also running a series of four-day Middle Leaders courses this year – Leading Learning from the Middle. These four-day courses, plus a two-day course on Stepping Up to Senior Leadership, will take place in Athens, Stavanger, New York and Dubai, March-May 2017. | COBIS CONFERENCE FOR BURSARS, BUSINESS MANAGERS AND HR STAFF: SUSTAINABILITY IN SCHOOLS | Join us at St Julian's School, Lisbon, 10-11 February 2017 for the third COBIS Conference for Bursars, Business Managers and HR Staff, sponsored by WCBS International. The conference will cover topics such as Building Sustainable Partnerships, Sustainable HR Processes, Strategy and Direction, Short vs Long Term Benefits, and more. | COBIS PRIMARY CREATIVE CHALLENGE | COBIS has once again partnered with Oddizzi to put on the Primary Creative Challenge, a creative film-making exercise for students in Key Stage 1 and 2. This year's challenge is based around "Life Lessons". We want you and your students to tell us what children need to know! The whole school community can get involved, with students asking teachers, support staff, other year groups and parents what they think it is important for children to learn in today's world. | COBIS YOUNG SCIENTIST FILM AWARDS | This year's Young Scientist Film Awards Competition has a much broader brief than previous years, letting you submit as many scientific experiments as you want on whatever inspires you! Awards will be given for the "Best Film of an Experiment" in: · KS1 and KS2 · KS3 · KS4 and KS5 Go to cobis.org.uk/science for inspiration on topics, poster, full brief and instructions on how to register. The first review submission date is 3 March 2017; at this time, you may submit your entries for feedback from scientists at NPL before submitting them as part of the competition. The closing date is 17 March 2017. | COBIS SENIOR SCHOOL MUSIC FESTIVAL | Registration is now open for the COBIS Senior School Music Festival, taking place at King's College, The British School of Murcia from 26-28 May 2017. A wonderful programme has been put together, both for the festival and for the leisure time, including; competitions, workshops, dinner at a traditional Spanish restaurant, a trip to the beach and a night safari. To see the full programme, click here. | COBIS PROGRAMME FOR STUDENT LEADERS | Thirty-seven students are taking part in the first COBIS Programme for Student Leaders (CPSL) at the British School Muscat. Based on the principles of the COBIS Programme for Middle Leaders, British School Muscat has developed a Student Leadership programme which will see students undertake a leadership role at school. The programme focuses on a specific and real area of school improvement, but most importantly supports them to learn about leadership in the process. Through this programme the aim is to give students real and meaningful responsibility in order to have a genuine impact on school life, as well as develop valuable skills for the 21st Century. After allowing students to register last month, the first two face-to-face training days with the students took place at the end of October. They covered a range of topics including: · What is leadership · How to build effective teams · How to lead and manage change · Developing Project Challenges · Workshops on public speaking, chairing meetings, having difficult conversations and writing action plans. | If you have students who would like to contribute to the next edition of this global magazine, sent to more than 2,000 schools worldwide, please click here for more information or get in touch with Catriona Lawless at COBIS Head Office.
The deadline for the January 2017 edition is early December and news articles and pictures are always welcome. | GLOBAL SOCIAL LEADERS CONFERENCE IN COBIS SCHOOL IN CHINA THIS DECEMBER AND IN THE UK NEXT SUMMER | If your school wants to invest in the leadership development of your students, COBIS Supporting Member Future Foundations would like to encourage you to consider sending your students and teachers to attend one of their upcoming transformational leadership programmes.
Future Foundations are holding their annual 12-day residential World Summit conference for students aged 15-17 at Wellington College, UK in August. This programme brings together young people from high-quality schools around the world to explore how they lead themselves and others. Future Foundations are also running a three-day leadership programme at one of our COBIS member schools, Wellington College International, Shanghai this December. Students aged 12 to 15 are attending from the UK and China. Please contact the team ASAP if you would be interested in sending some students and a teacher, as the course will close recruitment shortly. There is an optional excursion prior to the leadership programme for students attending from outside of China. Future Foundations has a strong relationship with COBIS, having recently supported the delivery of the COBIS/ King's Group Student Leadership Weekend in Madrid, as well as a number of COBIS schools having participated in their programmes including British School in Tokyo and British School Al Khubairat. | HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY TO THE BRITISH SCHOOL OF GRAN CANARIA | The British School of Gran Canaria celebrated their 50th anniversary in some style at the beginning of October.
The ceremony saw one of the founders of the school, Ann Miller, recall BSGC's early history. There were also old boys and girls in attendance, and distinguished individuals connected to the school present like leading Canarian botanist, Dr David Bramwell. After planting a time capsule under the school's emblematic rubber tree which contained a British School of Gran Canaria polo shirt, photos of staff and students past and present, and a poster of Rio's 2016 Olympics, visitors were given a tour of the BSGC.
50 years young, BSGC are looking forward to their next half century. How archaic, they wonder, will their 50th anniversary time-capsule entries seem to future staff and students? We'll just have to wait and see. | WORLD SIGHT DAY 2016 MARKED AT DOHA COLLEGE | At Doha College, students from Primary and Secondary school participated in a 'blind lunch' to mark World Sight Day 2016 - 13 October - an annual day of awareness to focus attention on blindness and vision impairment.
Doha College organised these activities together with Orbis, who together with other charity partners and local hospitals, is implementing Qatar Creating Vision. This is a brand new initiative that will provide life changing eye treatments to children in India and Bangladesh over the next four years.
Through their blind lunch experience, students at Doha College tried to imagine a sightless life, coming to understand that blindness takes away more than just one of the senses; it can take away education and employment, and it can lead families into a life of poverty. Some children were so moved that they expressed their wish to go into studying medicine, or to spend their summer holidays volunteering in schools for the visually impaired. | PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE AT ALICE SMITH SCHOOL | Many interesting discussions were had at The Alice Smith School's Year 11 Careers Talks.
Along with Paul Rennie, the Deputy British High Commissioner to Malaysia, Alice Smith was privileged to welcome industry's best professionals from companies that include Shell Malaysia, Mastercard Asia Pacific, Aberdeen Islamic Asset Management, La Rocher Malaysia, GlaxoSmithKline and Schlumberger. During the interactive small-group discussions, students had the opportunity to learn from the wisdom and experiences of guest professionals who are very successful in their chosen fields.
The Year 11 Careers Day is an annual event organised for students to educate and encourage them to plan their next steps and provide career guidance. It is an instrumental experience in educating students to be well rounded individuals prepared for the world of work and to shape a better future. | DR JACQUES ROGGE OPENS THE BRITISH SCHOOL OF BRUSSELS SPORTS CENTRE | Dr Jacques Rogge opened The British School of Brussels' (BSB) new Sports Centre named after him at an official opening ceremony on the evening of 14 October 2016. Born on 2 May 1942 in Gent (Belgium), Jacques Rogge was from 2001 to 2013 the eighth President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
'As an Olympian and Belgian national, we were inspired by Dr Rogge and his achievements to name the building after such a sporting hero', said Melanie Warnes, Principal at the school. Dr Rogge officially opened the school's Sports Centre after a two-year investment of €25 million for the continued development and well-being of its students. The Centre includes a 25 metre swimming pool with movable floor allowing the pool's depth to be adjusted. Over two hundred members of staff, students, parents, governors and trustees, together with members of the local community gathered for this historic event. Hundreds of BSB alumni also joined in the celebrations the following day at a special alumni reunion.
| NEWS FROM COBIS SUPPORTING MEMBERS | NQT INDUCTION IN OVERSEAS SCHOOLS | COBIS Supporting Members RSAcademics are undertaking some work on teacher induction (NQT year), and would be interested in hearing from schools who have used or are using alternative provision to IStip (Independent Schools Teacher Induction Panel). | COBIS SUPPORTING MEMBER LAUNCHES YOUNG LEADERS AWARD PROGRAMME IN SCHOOLS | The recently launched Young Leaders Award from COBIS Supporting Member British School of Coaching (for ages 14 to 24) was identified by teachers at Burscough Priory Science College in Lancashire as an opportunity to provide their students with a unique opportunity to gain a Level 2 qualification in Leadership, and improve their profile for life after school.
Eight Year 11 boys at Burscough were the first cohort to receive the qualification in a high school environment in the UK. The effects of the programme have included a more focussed and enthusiastic group of students who recognise the value of their contribution to society and the workplace.
Judith Barton, Director at British School of Coaching said "We have a long legacy of working with schools, nationally and internationally, on a number of coaching and mentoring initiatives and we understand the care, consideration and the work that is required to make such a project succeed." | REALISING STUDENT POTENTIAL: FAIR ASSESSMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS | Helping students realise and demonstrate their potential is at the heart of effective teaching and learning. This theme was central to the recent launch of Oxford International AQA Examinations (Oxford AQA Exams) where presentations and panel discussions focussed on fairness and quality in assessment.
Oxford AQA Exams believe that an approach to designing assessments must be informed by rigorous research and evidence. Through partnering with AQA, the UK's largest provider of academic qualifications, and its Centre for Education Research and Practice (CERP), Oxford AQA Exams have committed themselves to the highest quality in assessment, based on the foundation stones of assessment quality: fairness, validity and reliability.
Oxford AQA Exams invites school leaders and subject heads to come and learn more about how their assessment principles are implemented in core subject qualifications. Schools are invited to register for upcoming taster events in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jordan and Dubai. | IMPROVE PERFORMANCE AND PRODUCTIVITY BY UNDERSTANDING WHAT MOTIVATES YOU | Janet Anber, Director of LifeUnltd, a COBIS Supporting Member, explores the concept of motivation and how understanding the invisible motivators within individuals can enhance self-esteem and pave the way to enhanced performance and greater productivity.
"Organisations are now beginning to recognise that motivation is the missing core and essential component of engagement, and our behaviours are merely reflections of deeper, invisible forces that are more effectively understood inwardly rather than externally.
There are nine motivators in the human psyche that are present at all times but in different combinations and intensities. Motivational Maps are a new tool that, through self-perception questionnaires, give insight into the core motivation of a person. The Maps form the starting point for the instigation of powerful and empowering professional and personal intervention strategies."
| GREAT.GOV.UK: THE DEMAND IS OUT THERE. YOU SHOULD BE TOO. | This week GREAT.gov.uk goes live - it's a new Government digital service available for businesses that makes it quicker, more cost effective, and easier for UK business to export and find investors. This website acts as a single digital destination for Trade and Investment, bringing together UK businesses, international buyers, international investors and online marketplaces. It will give access to millions of pounds' worth of potential overseas business, provide export and investment guidance, offer preferential deals with e-commerce sites and great support services to help businesses win lucrative contracts. COBIS Supporting Members in particular should find this a very valuable resource for exporting to schools overseas. | |
COBIS CPD AND EVENTS 2016/17 | 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 16-17 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
| COBIS Safer Recruitment Course
London
6 May 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
OPEN NOW!
Closes 3 March 2017 | COBIS Young Scientist Film Awards
OPEN NOW! Closes 31 March 2017 | COBIS Student Poetry Competition
OPEN NOW!
Closes 17 March 2017 | COBIS Art Competition
OPEN NOW!
Closes 5 April 2017 | 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 World Student Magazine
Available to read NOW!
Click here to find information on writing for the next edition | COBIS SERVICES FOR SCHOOLS | COBIS Disclosure and Barring Service
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Contact dbs@cobis.org.uk for more information | COBIS Consultancy Service
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| COBIS Diploma for International Teaching Assistants
Giving International Teaching Assistants the knowledge, skills and understanding to work effectively alongside teachers whilst maximising learning opportunities for children. | ABZ School, UAE
Candidate Member | British Spring College
Candidate Member | NEW COBIS SUPPORTING MEMBERS | British School of Coaching
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Curriculum Resources and Publishers | Learning Ladders
Assessment and Qualifications | UKCN Education
Student Development | Tribal
Assessment and Qualifications | Aspire GR
Consultancy and Professional Development | We welcome 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 December Connect should be sent to: intern@cobis.org.uk
by 1 December 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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