Dear Colleague,
I hope you're enjoying a deserved half-term rest if your school does indeed break for holidays at this point in the year. For us here at COBIS HQ in London, it's a busy time for CPD and student events as our staff travel abroad to represent the association in schools overseas. Recently, in Marbella, Spain, The English International College hosted another successful COBIS Student Debate Competition while last weekend in neighbouring Portugal, bursars, business managers and HR staff from COBIS schools travelled to St Julian's School in Carcavelos, Lisbon for an invigorating conference exploring the theme of Sustainability in Schools. We've got a packed schedule this week also, with COBIS events taking place in both Brussels (for PAs and admin staff) and Bucharest (for EAL staff) – so don't forget to keep an eye on our social media channels for updates from both conferences.
At the beginning of this week, we were delighted to publish our annual directory of educational supplies and companies, The Source. As you will read below, the 2017 edition features listings for COBIS Supporting Members, all of whom offer a diverse range of products or services for international schools. The Source is just one avenue of promotion for our valued Supporting Members. Throughout the year, we offer a number of different marketing activities that companies can utilise in order to connect with our schools. These activities complement what many Supporting Members cite as the most valuable benefit of being a member – the COBIS Annual Conference. Speaking of which, bookings are increasing at a very steady rate for our 2017 conference and we are looking forward to welcoming friends, old and new, to London in May. COBIS is privileged to announce four major keynote speakers for the conference in this issue of Connect. Read ahead for the big reveal!
This month's Connect welcomes two new regular features designed to help readers get to know the staff and students in COBIS schools a bit better. Our '10 Questions With' snippet is a light-hearted insight into the personalities at the forefront of COBIS, while we're actively on the lookout for alumni from COBIS schools to take part in our new 'Alumni Spotlight' article which I'm sure you'll find interesting. If you know any great past pupils from COBIS schools who you think would be perfect for this feature, please get in touch with Hannah Porritt at COBIS.
April is getting ever closer, and that means the launch of the COBIS Patron's Accreditation and Compliance is incoming. Two of our three pilot schools have now had visits and I'm pleased to share that they were both tremendous successes. Our Lead Improvement Partners and Peer Accreditors are now looking ahead to supporting the first schools to enrol in our new external validation system from April. If your school has yet to register an interest in participating in The Patron's Accreditation and would like to do so, please contact COBIS Director of Accreditation Peter Simpson or complete this form. The Patron's Accreditation and Compliance becomes the primary route to COBIS membership from 1 April 2017.
Now, please sit back and enjoy another bumper version of our monthly newsletter. Until next month! Kind regards, | CONNECTING WITH COBIS SUPPORTING MEMBERS AT ANNUAL RECEPTION IN LONDON | Friday 27 January saw COBIS Supporting Members from across the country and a range of industries gather at the Institute of Directors in London for an evening of networking with the COBIS Board and Head Office team.
The event was generously sponsored by ISC Research who updated attendees about the international schools market and how their extensive database can help businesses reach out to schools overseas. Geoff Gladding from the Department for International Trade also spoke about the opportunities the UK Government provides for British businesses looking to export overseas. COBIS members can access quality information and services about opportunities available in international markets through our status as a DIT Trade Challenge Partner. | COBIS CEO COLIN BELL TO SPEAK AT IPSEF ASIA 2017 | IPSEF Asia is an important and well-established regional conference, with the 2017 event being the sixth to be held in the vibrant hub city of Kuala Lumpur.
Comprising two days of stimulating presentations, plenty of practical best practice case studies from schools, a full day of school visits and a relaxed networking reception, participants leave inspired and connected to high level contacts across the educational supply chain.
Colin Bell, COBIS CEO, will be speaking at the event, so if you're in the region, make sure to book your place now so you don't miss out! | THE SOURCE 2017 NOW ONLINE | The free online directory of educational suppliers and companies for British international schools overseas is now available!
The expertise that our Supporting Members bring to our network of schools is invaluable and their contributions to our annual programme of events, webinars and conferences are wellknown and appreciated by all. That's why COBIS is more than happy to undertake initiatives such as the publication of this directory to ultimately help facilitate new relationships, new partnerships, new business and new sales.
Whether you are in the market for schoolwear, IT solutions, mobile apps, recruitment support or career guidance for your school, we are confident that The Source 2017 can help you find the right company to work with.
Click here to download The Source now or to read via Issuu.
Certificates for all 276 COBIS Schools are now also available to download from the Members Area of our website. If you have any questions about School certificates or accessing the Members Area, please contact Hannah Porritt at intern@cobis.org.uk. | NOTICE FOR NQTS WHO HAVE COMPLETED PART OF THEIR INDUCTION ELSEWHERE | IStip would like to remind all schools who are appointing new staff who are NQTs that it must be ascertained if any formal prior induction has taken place before employment in their new setting commences.
Prior assessment forms should be obtained and reviewed so that appropriate targets can be set. If an NQT has completed any prior induction and been deemed to have been making unsatisfactory progress, IStip must be informed so that appropriate support and monitoring can be put in place.
From September 2017, IStip will be asking all NQTs to sign a declaration regarding prior induction. | In a new feature for Connect, we are giving you the chance to get to know members of the COBIS network a little bit better by asking them ten questions about their achievements, wishes and hidden talents! This month, we talked to Trevor Rowell, COBIS Chairman. | 1. Which living person do you most admire?
Angela Merkel
2. Which talent would you most like to have?
Singing like Pavarotti!
3. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Leading a great school
4. Where would you most like to live?
A penthouse flat opposite the Munich opera house
5. What is your favourite book?
Patrick O´Brian: Aubrey & Maturin series, roman fleuve.
6. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Mozart – in my dreams!
7. When you were a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
Naval officer
8. What do you like to do in your spare time?
Read, films, eating and drinking with friends
9. What is on your bucket list?
Rome next birthday; anywhere but Tangier.
10. What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I hate heights –but then I´m only 1.66. | Each month we will be showcasing one of our alumni from any of our 276 schools around the world. COBIS students are doing amazing things and we want to showcase the talent of past students from our schools, in order to celebrate what they have achieved and to inspire the next generation of students.
This month Hannah spoke to Thaïs Diallo who graduated from The British School in The Netherlands in 2012. Thaïs is currently studying in The Netherlands to be a primary school teacher, specifically in international schools, with the ITEPS programme. She was recently able to go to Transylvania College for a two-month teaching practice placement.
Click below to read more about Thaïs's time at The British School in The Netherlands, her current studies, and her hopes for the future. | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT and EVENTS NEWS | PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED FOR COBIS ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2017 TRANSFORMATIONS | The draft programme for the 36th COBIS Annual Conference has now been published. Keynote speakers will include:
Professor Dame Alison Peacock, CEO, Chartered College of Teaching
Professor Ian Robertson, Chair in Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, and author of The Stress Test and The Winner Effect
Robert Senior, CEO Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi
Bill Sweeney, CEO, British Olympic Association
To view a copy of the draft programme click here.
| FORTHCOMING COBIS CONFERENCES | An exciting range of COBIS Conferences are due to take place this this month:
The last few places are still available for the following two conferences. Book your place now and don't miss out!
| COBIS CONFERENCE FOR BURSARS, BUSINESS MANAGERS AND HR STAFF | COBIS would like to thank St Julian's School, Lisbon for hosting a successful COBIS Conference for Bursars, Business Managers and HR Staff, 10-11 February 2017.
The conference was attended by c.50 participants including representatives from COBIS Member and non-Member schools in more than 15 different countries. | ENGLISH INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE RETAIN COBIS STUDENT WORLD DEBATE CUP | 16 teams from 14 schools visited the English International College 3-5 February 2017 to take part in the COBIS Student World Debate Competition.
After two days of exciting debate, the quarter-finals were set with The Edron Academy and English International College (White) meeting each other in a repeat of last year's final. After an intense 45 minutes, the judges awarded the debate to English International College (White).
This resulted in an all-EIC semi-final as well as a Dubai College versus Rygaards International School semi-final for the Cup competition. In the semi-finals of the Plate competition, International School of Moscow met King's College Madrid and British School of Amsterdam met Dubai College 2.
With English International College (Blue) having beaten English International College (White) - their schoolmates and reigning champions! - and Dubai College having beaten Rygaards International School, the Cup competition final was set.
In the Plate competition, King's College Madrid gained a victory over International School of Moscow and Dubai College 2 beat The British School of Amsterdam, giving Dubai College a team in both finals of the COBIS Student World Debate Competition.
The final motion was "This house believes that countries' borders should be eradicated". All four teams fought valiantly with English International College (Blue) winning the Cup competition and Dubai College 2 winning the Plate competition.
COBIS would like to thank the staff, students and parents at English International College for hosting a wonderful event, including cultural excursions, a gala dinner, an informal Latin-themed party and two days of great debates.
COBIS would also like to thank all who attended and those who supported the staff and students to ensure they were able to participate.
For more information and to watch a film about the competition, please go to www.cobis.org.uk/debate.
| GOOD LUCK TO OUR POETS AND PRIMARY CREATIVE CHALLENGERS | The deadlines for two popular COBIS Student Competitions are drawing near - so get creative and be sure to submit your entry in time to win some fantastic prizes!
Good luck to all students taking part in the Primary Creative Challenge - the deadline is 3 March. The teams at COBIS and Oddizzi are looking forward to viewing your great films! Your class could win a year's subscription to Oddizzi!
Good luck to all entering the COBIS Student Poetry Competition - the deadline is 17 March. We have enjoyed reading all the poems submitted to date! The winning poems will be featured in World Student magazine, read by more than 2000 students globally. | All COBIS schools are invited to participate in the competitions, events and awards available for students. This year's programme for students includes lots of exciting events and competitions for students of all ages to take part in. Below are the dates and deadlines for all COBIS student engagement opportunities
| SUCCESS FOR COBIS SCHOOLS AT THE BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AWARDS | The British International School Awards were recently launched by BIS magazine with the support of ISC Research to recognise excellence in British schools overseas and help set benchmarks in best practice.
COBIS were proud to see many of our Member schools nominated for the various awards and would like to congratulate the winners, listed below:
A special congratulations to The British School Kathmandu, winners of the overall British International School of the Year 2017 Award.
| NEWS FROM COBIS SUPPORTING MEMBERS | THE TA COLLEGE IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF TA CONNECT | TA Connect has been created by COBIS Supporting Members The TA College to enable Teaching Assistants to access high quality professional development to enhance classroom practice.
Your support staff can join our professional development subscription tool to become part of a growing network of Teaching Assistants. TA Connect includes a range of eLearning, webinars, videos, downloadable resources, and practical ideas to enable them to make a high impact in the classroom.
Licences start at £650+VAT for 20 TAs or £3.99 per month for individuals. | OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUPPORTING MEMBERS IN CHINA | Our colleagues at the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC), in cooperation with DIT, have a number of opportunities listed on their website for UK suppliers and companies who work in education & training.
Opportunities include: - Curriculum collaboration with UK schools
- School seeking UK partner
- Teacher exchange programme
- Internship programme for education company in Xi'an
For a full list of education opportunities in China, please click below: | NEW HEAD OF TEACHING AND LEARNING SUPPORT AT OXFORD AQA EXAMS | Oxford International AQA Examinations (Oxford AQA Exams) is delighted to announce that Jamie Kirkaldy has recently joined as Head of Teaching and Learning Support.
Jamie will play a pivotal role in developing the organisation's comprehensive suite of teaching resources, assessment tools and programmes to support teachers and schools using Oxford AQA Exam's specifications. He joins the company from Cheney School in Oxford, England, where he was the Head of English and Media for over five years, and an associate member of the school's Senior Leadership Team.
At Oxford AQA Exams, Jamie will play a key role in developing teaching support services and training to accompany the company's global curriculum offerings. After more than 10 years in education, Jamie has a keen understanding of the needs of teachers and the pressures they face. Jamie is looking forward to engaging with teachers and senior leadership team members from COBIS schools across the Middle East and South East Asia later this month as part of Oxford AQA Exams' professional development events in Cairo, Amman, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. He will be based in Oxford, England and can be reached at Jamie.kirkaldy@oxfordaqaexams.org.uk. | |
COBIS CPD AND EVENTS 2016/17 | COBIS Conference for EAL Staff
Bucharest 16-17 February | COBIS Conference for PAs and Secretaries Brussels 16-17 February | 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 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 Primary Games
UK
11-13 April 2017
| COBIS Secondary Games
UK
19-21 May 2017
| COBIS Senior School Music Festival
Murcia
26-28 May 2017 | COBIS World Student Magazine
January issue available to read NOW!
Click here to find information on writing for the next edition | COBIS SERVICES FOR SCHOOLS | COBIS Disclosure and Barring Service
Helping your school to recruit safely
Contact dbs@cobis.org.uk for more information | COBIS Consultancy Service
Offering support to schools, commercial organisations and private investors globally.
| 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. | Delightsome Land School
Member | The British School Quito
Member | NEW COBIS SUPPORTING MEMBERS | Smart A Education
Student Development | Password English Language Testing
Assessment and Qualifications | Mighty Writer
Curriculum Resources and Publishers | 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 March Connect should be sent to: intern@cobis.org.uk
by 8 March 2017. | |
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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 | Compiled and produced by Hannah Porritt, International Marketing Intern
Edited by Jamie Ralph, Communications Officer | |
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