June 2016 | COBIS Connect

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COBIS Connect - June 2016

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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,

Connect is back after a one-month hiatus! With the COBIS Annual Conference taking place last month in London, we thought we would save all of our news for April and May and include it in this bumper June edition.

Speaking of the Annual Conference, I hope you don't mind me calling it a truly remarkable event. The warm sun shone on our venue, the Intercontinental London - The O2, for three whole days as 650 people, including delegates and exhibitors, joined us for a serious of workshops, seminars, keynotes and networking opportunities. We are extremely grateful to everyone who made the trip to London and we were delighted to meet you all. While the feedback has indeed been positive following the Conference, we would love to hear your thoughts on the conference if you haven't told us already. We currently have a conference evaluation survey open where you can share your views on the event. If you were a delegate, please complete this survey, and if you were an exhibitor, this is the survey for you. As always, we appreciate your help and the results of these surveys will help us make the 36th COBIS Annual Conference in 2017 even better. That event is set to take place from 6th to the 8th of May 2017. See you there!

Following the Annual Conference, our attention turned to two major events especially for students on our annual CPD calendar. The COBIS Primary Games in Astana, Kazakhstan, saw students from 6 continents representing schools from 3 continents and when all was said and done, the amazing St Saviour's School Ikoyi in Nigeria took home the gold medal for an astonishing third time. I had the privilege of attending the Games and the athleticism on display by all participating students was a sight to behold. Many thanks must go to our hosts, Haileybury Astana, who put on a brilliant event. The COBIS Music Festival also took place towards the end of May at The British School in the Netherlands. Students from The International School of Moscow, the British International School of LjubljanaKing's College, The British School of Murcia and The British School in The Netherlands took part in three days of workshops, performances and competitions as well as a full social and cultural programme. The full results will be announced over the next few days, but in the meantime, photos can be seen here.

Back in London, we were delighted to welcome a new member of staff to COBIS HQ in May. Gurpreet Bansal, who some of you may have met at the Annual Conference, started with us a few weeks ago as the new COBIS Finance Officer and I'm sure you'll join me in welcoming her to the COBIS Family. 

Our relationship with UKTI, as one of their Trade Challenge Partners, continues to bloom and I've just returned from the Westminster Education Forum where I gave a presentation entitled Quality and standards - supporting the premium brand of British international schools. The presentation ignited much debate and discussion around the outcome of the DfE's consultation on BSO standards & inspection and it was an honour to share the stage once again with Geoff Gladding, the UKTI's Regional Director for Education.

There's lots more exciting news for you to catch up on below, so that's all for now from me, but of course, the story doesn't end here.... 

Kind regards,

Colin Bell
CEO


COBIS News


COBIS Head Office Welcomes a New Member of Staff

Gurpreet Bansal has joined COBIS as its new Finance Officer following a role within Finance in a TV production holding company. Prior to this she worked for a company which provides cultural exchange and education opportunities to students. She has an upper second class honours degree in Business Studies with Professional Accounting from Westminster University and is a CIMA qualified accountant.
 

Key Stage 1 SAT tests.

These are now available on the GOV.UK website: 

Please do not hesitate to contact Sakina should you have any questions. 
 

Key Stage 2 SAT Tests

The Key Stage 2 SAT tests and mark schemes are available for international schools to download. Please see the GOV.UK website.

KS2 scaled scores will be available on July 5th. Please article here. http://schoolsweek.co.uk/scaled-scores-for-key-stage-1-tests-announced/


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


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:


ABC Kindercare CentreCandidate School
Sofia, Bulgaria

A'Soud Global School Candidate School
Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

The Bridge International School - Candidate School
Douala, Cameroon

Baobab College - Member School 
Lusaka, Zambia

The British International School and Montessori Education Freetown - Member School 
Freetown, Sierra Leone

The British School of Egypt - Member School 
Cairo, Egypt  

CLAS International School - Candidate School
Ilfov, Romania                                                                                           


New COBIS Initiatives 

COBIS International Summer School 2016 for students aged 15-17 years old

Do you plan to study at a British University?  

Develop and enrich your skills in the UK this summer.

Location: Clare College, University of Cambridge

Date: 8 - 22 August 2016

COURSE:

• A bespoke series of lectures, tutorials, workshops

• One to one sessions covering leadership, debate and entrepreneurial skills

• Guidance and support on University Applications

BOOK NOW!

Bookings before the 1 July will receive a 15% discount. Quote: COBISSUMMER2016

Further information about the COBIS Summer School can be found here or alternatively please email academic@cobis.org.uk 

                           

The Day COBIS

“The Day is an excellent resource that keeps our school up to date with the latest news and events around the world. Teachers and students are able to source and use current and relevant information that feeds into their lessons, classwork and curriculum studies at any time."

- Nicholas Green, Head of Secondary at King's College, Murcia

SUBSCRIBE NOW!

For more information about The Day COBIS and for more information about how to subscribe, click here.

COBIS Diploma for International Teaching Assistants (DITA) and DITA for Early Years

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:

                          

 Testimonial from Kim Hull (currently a DITA student) 

"I’m a mature student, I have two sons one is 25 and one who is 13.              

I'm working in Beijing, China for the British School Of Beijing  

I'm finding the course challenging, even with my training it makes me delve deeper into school policies or think about play opportunities in a different way.

I've enjoyed writing each unit in my own words and sharing my experience within the school for the school I work for.

I've really found the coursework easy to upload & easy to understand,

And if there was a problem, my tutor & I found a way around it.

I'm really enjoying this course. I've had great support online either via email or Skype.

I look forward to qualifying."

- Kim Hull

BOOK NOW!

To find out more or to enrol on the course please email enquiries@tacollege.com or contact Sakina at COBIS Head Office.     
       

Students: Want to take a GAP Year between Sixth Form and starting University?

Interested in working in a FOBISIA / COBIS member School?

The ABC International School, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam, is pleased to offer up to two GAP Year placements or internships to fluent English speaking students that are about to graduate from a FOBISIA or COBIS School and who would like to work as a part of the teaching assistant team in our vibrant learning community.

Interested candidates:

  • Will be expected to make a full and active contribution to all aspects of school life at our Key Stage 1 and EYFS campus for one academic year commencing August 2016 and ending early July 2017.
  • Should send a brief letter of application explaining their interest and why they think they could be a successful appointment to recruitment@theabcis.com  This statement should also be supported by a detailed CV that includes the names and contact details of three referees. The closing date for expressions of interest will be Friday, June 17th 2016.

In return successful candidates will:

  • Have the opportunity to work as a part of a highly qualified and experienced teaching team in what is recognised and accredited by the UK government as both an “outstanding” but also  “teaching school” that is able to support and develop aspirant teachers.
  • Receive a competitive Remuneration/Benefits package that will include in- and out- bound flights at the start and end of contract, free accommodation, and a generous monthly pocket-money allowance.
  • Have the opportunity to work and build life-long memories with some truly wonderful young people whilst working in one of the most vibrant cities in Asia.
For more information, please see this flyer


Professional Development

Recent CPD Events

COBIS Student Leadership Weekend
King's College, The British School of Madrid, Spain, 7-9 October 2016 

COBIS is pleased to announce that the next Student Leadership Weekend will take place at King's College, The British School of Madrid from 7 - 9 October 2016. The weekend will provide leadership and training and life skills advice for senior pupils, which will run alongside a programme of cultural and social events. 

For more information, please click here

To book your place, please click here

COBIS/King's Group Professional Development Weekend
King's College, The British School of Madrid, Spain, 28-29 October 2016 

'Teachers as Learners: Developing professional competence through deep learning and reflective practices'

Teachers and Teaching Assistants from both Primary and Secondary Schools are invited to register for the COBIS/King's Group Professional Development Weekend, Hosted by King's College, The British School of Madrid. 

Cost: €490 for COBIS Members/€590 for non-Members

For further details, please click here

To book your place, please click here

          

COBIS Conference for Trips and Fieldwork Leadership

The British School in The Netherlands, 17-18 March 2017 

COBIS is delighted to announce the first ever COBIS conference for Trips and Fieldwork Leadership to take place at the British School in the Netherlands.

The Conference is aimed at experienced and beginning trips leaders. It offers a training weekend to refresh and energise experienced trips leaders and to impart skills and knowledge of best practice to beginning trips leaders in how to lead an effective and safe residential trip.

For further details, please click here

To book your place, please click here.

COBIS Conference for Exploring the EYFS World
Byron College, International British School of Athens, Greece, 28-29 October 2016 

Teachers and Support Staff working in the Early Years are invited to attend the COBIS Conference for Early Years staff hosted by Byron College, Greece. The programme will include four expert guest speakers, seminars  and workshops on a range of topics.  

For further details, please click here

To book your place, please click here.

Programmes for Middle Leaders

Effective Middle Leaders are vital to the success of a school, and many will go on to become the Senior Leaders of tomorrow. COBIS recognises the importance of developing and supporting Middle Leaders, for the benefit of children and young people in our schools today, and to ensure the ongoing success of the British International Schools sector. To that end, there will be a number of CPD programmes for Middle Leaders in 2015/16.

COBIS Programme for Middle Leaders (CPML)

This academic year, a number of colleagues from COBIS schools have been participating in the Programme for Middle Leaders. The feedback from the course has been very positive. COBIS will now be overseeing the delivery of the course following the closure of the National College. In 2016/17, there will be a number of cohorts running in a range of countries including The Netherlands, Spain, Oman, Kenya, Turkey, and Romania. There will be opportunities for colleagues to register to join some of these cohorts, including programmes that will be delivered in The Hague, Madrid, Bucharest, Mexico and Oman.

Further details and booking forms can be found on the COBIS website.  

CPML Facilitator Training Course

COBIS is pleased to be able to offer schools the opportunity to train new facilitators who will be able to deliver this programme in their own schools, opening up the possibility for COBIS schools to run their own programmes or work in collaboration with other schools.

COBIS will be running a Facilitator Training Course in London and Mexico City. 

Further details and booking forms can be found on the COBIS website.  

Karen Ardley Middle Four-Day Middle Leaders’ Course

COBIS, working in partnership with Karen Ardley Associates, will be providing accredited professional development for Primary and Secondary Middle Leaders. The four-day Middle Leaders' Course - Leading Learning from the Middle - will run in Greece, Norway, United Arab Emirates and United States in 2017.

Please see COBIS website for more information.

 


COBIS Student Competitions and Events

COBIS Young Scientist Film Awards

Congratulations to all who took part in the COBIS Young Scientist Film Awards, we had 61 great films from 26 schools. To see the winning entries, please click here or to watch the films on YouTube, please click here.   

The winners were announced during the COBIS Annual Conference last month, with an exciting Awards Ceremony put on by representatives from the National Physical Laboratory.

Sponsored by COBIS Supporting Member, TTS

COBIS Senior School Music Festival

The second COBIS Senior School Music Festival took place at The British School in The Netherlands from 27 - 29 May 2016. 

Students from The International School of Moscow, the British International School of LjubljanaKing's College, The British School of Murcia and The British School in The Netherlands took part in three days of workshops, performances and competitions as well as a full social and cultural programme. 

The full results will be announced here over the next few days and photos can be seen here.

                

COBIS Primary Student Games

After an action-packed four days at Haileybury School Astana, the results are in! Students from six continents attended to take part in swimming, athletics and football in a bid to become the winners of the COBIS Primary Games 2016.

Congratulations to St Saviour's School, Ikoyi who once again have been crowned overall winners of the COBIS Primary Games. This is the third time that the school from Nigeria have been crowned champions of the Primary Games - a truly outstanding achievement.

Runners-up were St Catherine's British School from Athens while The British School Al Khubairat, winners of the 2016 COBIS Secondary Games, took home the bronze medal.

 For full results in every category in the athletics, swimming and football events, please visit the official COBIS Astana 2016 results page.

Congratulations to each and every athlete who took part in this year's games - the athleticism on show was a sight to behold!

COBIS would like to thank all the staff at Haileybury Astana for making the Games such fun for all involved.

                       

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 really enjoyed reading all the entries. The winning students are:

Category A: 10 years and under

  • Winner: Felix Gatty Saunt - The British School in The Netherlands, The Netherlands
  • Runner Up: Vlad Oancea – Campion Junior School, Greece

Category B: 11 - 14 years

  • Winner: Emmanuella Chukwu - Atlantic Hall, Nigeria
  • Runner Up: Mathula Muhundan - Doha College, Qatar

Category C: 15 - 19 years 

  • Winner: Chloe Elliot – Dubai College, United Arab Emirates
  • Runner Up: Rai Saad Ullah Khan – The British School of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bahrain

Congratulations to the winning pupils, their entries will be published in the autumn edition of World Student Magazine.

COBIS would like to thank all who helped judge the poetry competition this year, including teachers from Dubai College – your help is invaluable and we truly appreciate the time and effort you put into marking the poems.

COBIS Art Competition

A big thank you to everyone who entered the COBIS Art Competition, your works of art are being marked currently and the results will be announced mid-June.  


COBIS Webinars

Upcoming webinars (click to register):

Teaching students how to be intelligent - In Association with High Performance Learning
14 June, 1pm UK Time

Centralisation of your Academic data and what the future holds for your management information system - In Association with WCBS
21 June, 1pm UK Time

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.

Recent BSO Inspection Sees BJAB Ranked Excellent in All Categories

COBIS would also like to congratulate all staff and students at The British Junior Academy of  Brussels, which has retained COBIS Accredited Membership following another successful BSO inspection. Excellent in all categories!

Well done to all concerned on this fantastic achievement. 


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 interactive 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

International School of Bucharest Students Excel in NASA Space Settlement Contest

From the International School of Bucharest:

"We are extremely proud of our Year 10 students for their excellent performance in the NASA Space Settlement Contest. This year, International School of Bucharest participated for the first time with 2 projects to the annual NASA Space Settlement Contest, where students must conduct research & write 100 pages of unique content explaining all the details of a sustainable space habitat housing a minimum of 10000 people.

During their 5 months of project development, students learned many interesting space topics like Asteroid Mining, Lagrangian Points, Radiation Protection, Closed System Agriculture, Artificial Gravity Generation etc. Their projects have then been evaluated by NASA judges. Ariana (Year 10) won the first place in the individual category with her project called “Osiris”.

Ariana designed a settlement to host 15,000 people. The shape of the settlement is a central cylinder and three residential tori. The entire structure has a radius of approximately 920 meters and it costs $ 19 trillion.

George, Filip, Andrei, Nicolas, and Maria won the third place with their project “Afrodita”.
Congratulations, guys! You made us extremely proud! Congratulations to their teacher, Mr. Ali Cabas, who exceptionally led our students towards these outstanding results. "

COBIS Head Office would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all involved on this fantastic achievement.

 

The British International School of Kuala Lumpur Officially Recognised as the Top British School in Malaysia

Following its inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) in March, the British International School of Kuala Lumpur has been graded as excellent in all areas of educational provision, a result that is comparable to that of top UK independent schools and is unprecedented here in Malaysia.

In the final report, ISI provides an assessment of the school, specifically reporting on the following:

  • Pupils’ achievements and their learning, attitudes and skills
  • Curricular and extra-curricular provision
  • Quality of teaching
  • Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils
  • Arrangements for welfare, health and safety
  • Governance of the school 
  • Leadership and management of the school
  • Links with parents, carers and guardians

The main findings from the report were that “the British International School of Kuala Lumpur meets its challenging aims in exemplary fashion.The pupils achieve excellent standards in their learning, stimulated by the high quality of teaching provided by a passionate and committed staff and a broad, innovative, literacy-led curriculum, which includes outstanding provision for music and physical education, and enables the creation of confident speakers".

On behalf of COBIS, well done to all in Kuala Lumpur on this impressive feat.


The British School Kathmandu help to rebuild school devastated by earthquake

Engineers have just returned from a visit to Dhading where they have shared the progress of the rebuilding work at Gayatri Devi Primary School. As you can see from the photos, the building is now complete and they are now working on the final fittings inside and the railings and landscaping outside.

We are now looking at extra ways that we can improve the usability of the new classrooms. 2 years ago, TBS students provided a solar panel system to another set of classrooms at Gayatri Devi Primary School. They have asked if it is possible to do the same to this new building. This will reduce their dependence on the electricity supply, with the hope that eventually they will be completely self-sufficient.

To read on, and view photos, please click here.


Supporting Member News

New Supporting Members

COBIS is pleased to welcome the following Supporting Members to the COBIS family:

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

The Best of British Training

EduCare has teamed up with COBIS to offer high-quality, effective online safeguarding and professional development training. EduCare is offering COBIS member schools a 10% discount and a FREE Child Protection Level 3 programme when they invest in our Education bundle*.

EduCare for Education is a highly professional, e-learning service comprising essential duty of care programmes. We have already helped over 20,000 education settings and we can help you too! All programmes are created specifically for the education sector and written and endorsed by leading subject experts. It provides valuable evidence of participation through reports and certificates and includes unlimited access for all your staff and volunteers.

Programmes count towards CPD and cover child protection, safer recruitment, child exploitation and online safety, preventing bullying, the Prevent duty and many more.

Contact Laura Brain today on +44 1926 436 230 or email laura.brain@educare.co.uk and quote COBIS10 for your 10% discount.

*Offer valid until 30/06/2016

COBIS Supporting Member helping to widen the appeal of STEM subjects

COBIS Supporting Member S+B UK has won The Queens Award for Enterprise in International Trade. At the core of the S+B sustainability and development plan is helping broaden the appeal of STEM subjects through its innovative and compelling science and technology furniture systems. The growing demand in the UK and the International Schools markets for professionally styled, high specification learning spaces which facilitate and promote pupil-centred learning and that attract larger numbers of students to subjects which might not otherwise appeal, has enabled S+B to grow it`s science and technology business substantially in each of the last four years which has resulted in the award. Well done S+B!


Warning to international schools as TIC celebrates ten years

International school recruitment company and long-time COBIS Supporting Member, Teachers International Consultancy (TIC) is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year and does so with a word of warning to all international schools.

TIC was launched by former international school Headteacher, Andrew Wigford at a time when the most common way of recruiting teachers was through job fairs or print ads. “There was a real need at that time for tailored, service-focused recruitment,” says Andrew. Today, specialist agencies are one of the most popular options for international schools to source new staff. 

Over the past ten years, the international schools market has changed dramatically. In 2006, when the company was launched, there were just 3,200 international schools employing 120,000 full-time staff. The latest data from ISC Research suggests the market has more than doubled to over 8,200 schools today, employing in excess of 400,000 teachers. His has been driven primarily by an ever-increasing demand from local families for quality, English-medium education.

There is already strong competition between schools for top quality teachers and, according to ISC Research, within ten years over 740,000 teachers will be required. “The greatest challenge for international schools will be the supply of the right teachers and leaders,” says Andrew. Some international schools are responding to this by offering increasingly lucrative salary and benefits packages as well as incentives to keep hold of good staff.

Today’s teachers are more informed of the international school jobs available to them and, as a result, over the past few years TIC has seen prospective candidates become more selective of the jobs they will consider. In addition, a different type of international school teacher is emerging. “During the past ten years, we’ve seen a massive shift in the attitude of teachers about international school jobs,” explains Andrew. “No longer is the typical international school teacher a short-term backpacker, using the job to travel the world. Today the vast majority of teachers who register with TIC are serious about their career progression and look to the global stage to achieve that goal; motivated to find the best teaching or leadership job, wherever it may be. Some very experienced teachers even seek out hardship posts to enhance their skills and to further challenge themselves. The professional benefits of a job will play an increasingly significant role in the future of international school recruitment,” says Andrew.

With the National Curriculum of England and UK qualifications the most popular choice amongst international schools, British teachers are, as a result, in highest demand. “90% of the international schools that come to us for recruitment support say they are primarily seeking British teachers,” says Andrew. “We place a huge number of teachers from the UK in international schools. Some British teachers, who may be frustrated by challenges within England’s current state system, are eager to look elsewhere for jobs.”

However, Andrew warns there are currently not enough British teachers to maintain the expanding pipeline and adds: “International schools can sometimes be blinkered to who else is out there,” he says. “There are exceptional teachers coming out of countries like New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, Canada and the United States. They may not have National Curriculum of England experience, but the majority have the ability to learn the content and requirements of a new Western-style curriculum very quickly. In addition, they bring skills and experiences from their own countries that can be hugely beneficial within an international context. There’s a real need for the provision of intensive curriculum training to upskill such teachers who are simply lacking in curriculum knowledge.”

When it comes to British teachers, Andrew believes that more people might be willing to gain qualifications that prepare them specifically to teach overseas. “There are people seeking out international teaching qualifications that currently do not exist,” he says. “People who are motivated to get into the profession in order to teach internationally want a course that trains them on a range of international curricula, skills and understanding that prepares them in the right way.”

Andrew believes that the British Government and Higher Education sector is missing two lucrative teacher training opportunities. “Instead of complaining about a teacher brain drain, Britain should be taking advantage of the insatiable global demand for British teaching and leadership skills. UK universities could deliver conversion and Masters courses to internationally trained teachers seeking British curriculum skills and knowledge. They could also offer undergraduate courses specifically for those wishing to work overseas. The increasing demand for British trained teachers from the world’s English-medium international schools market means there is much potential for many years to come.”

 

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!”

Beat Goes On recently conducted two excellent and inspiring workshops at the 2016 COBIS Annual Conference. The COBIS team would like to thank him for this giving everyone involved this excellent opportunity to explore their musical sides!

More information about Beat Goes On workshops is available here.

For workshop enquiries please contact info@beatgoeson.co.uk


UAE continues to lead the international K-12 schools market says new report

The UAE continues to be the leading country in the world for English-medium K-12 international schools.  In terms of the number of international schools, the UAE is currently competing in a very tight race with China, but in terms of student enrolment, the UAE leads the world decisively. The data has been published in the new Market Intelligence Report for International Schools in the United Arab Emirates by ISC Research, the world’s leading provider of data on the international schools market.

According to the new ISC Market Intelligence Report there are 548 English-medium international schools in the UAE; just three ahead of China.  The two emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi dominate with 260 schools in Dubai and 191 in Abu Dhabi. More schools are under construction with 14 due to open during 2016 including GEMS International School in Mudon, Canadian International School in Dubai, and Sunmarke School in Jumeirah Village. Several more schools are in various phases of development. 

The total number of students aged between 3 and 18 attending English-medium international schools in the UAE is 545,074. This is the highest enrolment of any country in the world by a significant margin (Saudi Arabia follows with 260,989). 36% of all international schools in the UAE have over 1,000 students.

There are several reasons why student enrolment is so high at international schools in the UAE. Major factors include the wealth of the country, an extensive expatriate population, demand for high quality, English-medium education by both expatriates and wealthy locals, plus the fact that the governments of Dubai and Abu Dhabi allow unlimited enrolment of local children at international schools.  According to the ISC Market Intelligence Report, Emirati students comprise the single largest student nationality (25%) with the exception of Dubai where they are outnumbered by Indian children (29%). However, in no emirate do local children exceed 50% of the student population.

The report states that, with Dubai’s population projected to grow by 13% within the next two years, and further expansion in Abu Dhabi, demand for international school places in these two emirates will continue to increase substantially. The report also suggests that the Northern Emirates, which currently have 29 international schools, represent a potential growth market for the UAE where new developments have been emerging over the past two years.

Fees at some international schools in the UAE are being impacted by the recent oil crisis, and the report evaluates the impact of this on demand and income. Another issue raised by the report is the increasing concern about access to enough qualified teachers with skills and experience from the UK. 47% of the international schools in the UAE follow a British curriculum and 73% offer IGCSE, GCE AS and/or GCE A levels. The report cites less competitive teacher salaries in the UAE than many other countries, plus a drop in the number of people applying to enrol for teacher qualifications in the UK for this concern. “If the number of qualified teachers…begins to dwindle,” says the report, “schools will find it difficult to expand.”

However, the ISC Research UAE Market Intelligence Report, which contains detailed data analysis and crucial information relevant for school expansion, new developments and education suppliers wishing to understand the UAE market in depth, states that the international schools market in the UAE is flourishing. “Further growth is inevitable, spurred by increasing demand from both the expatriate community and from local families,” it concludes.

For the first time, the report includes a detailed focus on Sharjah and the Northern Emirates where development is underway and growth potential exists. The 160-page report includes detailed research and analysis on tuition fees, student and staff nationalities, capacity utilisation, fee income, salary ranges, new developments, market outlook and more.

Further information about the world’s international schools, as well as the UAE and other country-specific market intelligence reports are available from The International School Consultancy (of which ISC Research is a part) at www.iscresearch.com

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


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