This newsletter is best viewed in a web browser (Click here) Dear Colleague,
I'm writing to you from Muscat, Oman where I'm privileged to be in attendance for the opening of a new school building at the British School Muscat to mark the school's 40th anniversary. On behalf of COBIS, all good wishes to Mr Kai Vacher and his staff on the next 40 years! Speaking of student events and competitions, excited students at The British School in Tokyo received some encouraging words and a coaching session from former England and Chelsea footballer Frank Lampard at a British Embassy in Japan event last week. Frank, who had the Premier League Trophy in tow when I met him last week, had a positive message for all COBIS students worldwide: "Participate, work hard and the rest will follow!". Finally, on behalf of COBIS we are delighted to introduce you to Margaret Garrard in this issue of Connect. Margaret is the new Director of Operations & Deputy CEO at COBIS, running the day-to-day business operations of the organisation in London. I'm sure you will join me in giving her a warm COBIS welcome to our team. We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter! Kind regards, Colin Bell COBIS NEWS FIRST COBIS COMPLIANCE VISITS TAKE PLACE AT SCHOOLS IN DUBAI AND AZERBAIJAN We are delighted to have granted COBIS Member status to two schools following successful COBIS Compliance visits at the end of October. Kent College Dubai and Azerbaijan British College were the first two schools to undergo the COBIS Compliance process following the successful pilot stage last academic year. On the process, Sigve Austheim, Head at Azerbaijan British College said: "I was quite impressed with the DWB (Digital Workbook). Once the documents were uploaded, the LIP (Lead Improvement Partner) was quick to comment and add remarks. The colour coding was also a useful tool, making it easy to understand".
We currently have another 11 PA and 25 Compliance visits booked between now and October 2018, so any schools wishing to participate in the scheme should book their visit by clicking below. UK EDUCATION SECTOR PRAISED FOR VALUE OF EDUCATIONAL EXPORTS COBIS CEO Colin Bell was delighted to be invited by The Right Honourable Dr Liam Fox MP, Secretary of State for International Trade, to represent COBIS at a Department for International Trade event at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in late October. The Secretary of State commended colleagues within the Education Sector, such as COBIS, for the growth in the value of 'educational exports'. Dr Fox added that last year, the financial export figure of £17.2 billion had out performed the City of London financial insurance sector with stood at £14.1 billion.
COBIS is proud of its partnership with the Department for International Trade as a recognised Trade Challenge Partner and the opportunities this relationship presents for our Schools and Supporting Members. MARGARET GARRARD APPOINTED AS COBIS DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS & DEPUTY CEO We are delighted to announce the appointment of Margaret Garrard as COBIS Director of Operations & Deputy CEO.
Margaret joins us from Optimus Education, a publishing and events organisation providing CPD and school improvement services for over 5000 schools in the UK and internationally. At Optimus, she held various leadership roles including Head of Operations and Acting MD. Before that, she worked in events at the Haymarket Media Group and is an award-winning graduate of McGill University, Montreal, Canada where she gained both a BA and MA in Anthropology. Margaret is also a professional facilitator and trainer. Margaret can be contacted at operations@cobis.org.uk COBIS BLOG - MONTHLY UPDATE A new article is posted each week on the COBIS Blog, covering topics of interest to teachers, support staff parents, and students in the international community. Here are our latest blogs:
COBIS SCHOOLS NOMINATED FOR AWARDS As awards season rolls around again, there is no lack of COBIS schools in the nominations for the TES Independent School Awards and the British International School Awards, a sign of the outstanding quality of leadership and innovative teaching initiatives on display in British international schools worldwide Winners will be announced in the new year - best of luck to everyone involved! 10 Questions gives 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 Duncan Rose, Principal of The British College of Brazil. 1. Which living person do you most admire?
Each month we will be showcasing one of our alumni from any of our 292 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 Davide Baldanzi, graduate of St George's British International School in Rome, and Teacher of History in a UK independent school. Click below to read more about Davide's journey to teaching, his top tips for professional life, and his favourite memories of St George's British International School, including one particularly memorable teacher. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT and EVENTS NEWS ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2018 - SEMINAR PROPOSALS COBIS is currently accepting proposals for seminar presentations at the 37th COBIS Annual Conference – Leading Learning – 12-14 May 2018. Schools and Supporting Members are invited to submit proposals to deliver seminars as part of the conference programme. Please use this form to submit your proposal. The deadline for proposals is 30 November 2017. COBIS CONFERENCE FOR BURSARS, BUSINESS MANAGERS AND HR STAFF Booking is now open for the COBIS Conference for Bursars, Business Managers and HR Staff, hosted by Dubai College, 1-2 February 2018. The programme will include sessions on:
COBIS EDUCATION CONFERENCE The British School of Amsterdam have assembled an excellent programme for the forthcoming Personalised Learning conference. The programme includes sessions on Differentiation, The Positive Classroom, Assessing Learning and Progress, Raising the Challenge, Imagineering, SEN, Early Years, and more. COBIS REGIONAL EAL TRAINING DAYS NAIROBI, KENYA At the end of October, teachers and leaders from schools in Kenya and Tanzania attended one of two regional training days focussing on English as an Additional Language, hosted by Braeburn School and delivered by Veema Education. Before attending the training days, delegates were asked to complete a task that helped them identify the barriers to learning faced by pupils with English as an Additional Language. On the day of the training, delegates discovered how to identify and profile EAL learners and their language learning needs in different contexts, as well as a framework for assessing and tracking over time their proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing English. They also explored how policy, practice, intervention planning and teacher development can best be used so the full linguistic and cultural resources of the school community are most effectively harnessed from an EAL perspective. COBIS is grateful for the hard work and excellent organisation of Joanna Garner at The Braeburn Group of International Schools and Costa Constantinou at Veema Education. We are grateful to Lisa Ashes for delivering the engaging, thought-provoking and enjoyable programme that will no doubt have given all attendees many new ideas to take back to school. STUDENT ENGAGEMENT NEWS SPOTLIGHT ON STEM OPPORTUNITIES FROM COBIS Science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) all have a profound impact on our everyday lives, and are only predicted to grow in the future. Countless articles call on schools to inspire young people to pursue STEM subjects as research has shown that students who study STEM are more creative, flexible and able to take advantage of the changes that are predicted in the workforce and workplaces of the future. But many schools find that they don't have the resources, time or expertise to help young people discover their love of STEM. At COBIS, we are proud to offer a number of opportunities, both residential and remote, for students to engage in STEM subjects and develop their knowledge and passions further in these areas. For the 2017/18 academic year we are delighted to offer the Young Scientist Film Awards, a Maths Challenge, and a Medical Review Conference. Read on to find out more about how your students can get involved! COBIS YOUNG SCIENTIST FILM AWARDS Run in partnership with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), COBIS wants to see your exciting experiments! Awards will be presented for "Best Film of an Experiment" in three age categories; KS1&2, KS3 and KS4&5.
Schools can submit several entries - there is no cap on the number submitted so do not worry if you have lots of hypotheses to try!
Click below to find out more information on how to take part. COBIS MATHS CHALLENGE The COBIS / Mangahigh Maths Challenge is a free competition for 5-16 year olds designed to engage students with maths. Mangahigh is an online resource for primary and secondary students, which boosts results in maths through smart maths games and adaptive exercises. The competition will run from 20 November to 3 December 2017, with a free access period prior to this to familiarise students, and teachers, with the software and content. The 10 schools with the highest number of points will each receive an Amazon voucher. The top school will be sent an engraved trophy. COBIS MEDICAL REVIEW CONFERENCE The 2018 COBIS Medical Review Conference will be hosted by Doha College on Saturday 24 February 2018.
Students from Years 11, 12 and 13 from British schools across the world are invited to present on recent developments in medicine to industry experts.
The conference is a one-day event. In the morning session, teams will split into breakout rooms where teachers will judge each team's presentation. The four teams with the highest scores will go forward to the afternoon session where they will present to doctors and medical experts from across Qatar.
Prizes will be awarded for the teams that come first and second in the morning sessions. For those who proceed to the final, first place will be awarded QAR 2,000, second place QAR 1,000 and third place QAR 500. Schools can apply until 30 November 2017. SCOOP - NEW PRINTED MAGAZINE FOR CURIOUS KIDS AGED 8-12 Scoop is a fantastic new printed magazine for curious kids between the ages of 8 and 12. It published only original fiction and non-fiction from leading authors such as Neil Gaiman, SF Said, Malorie Blackman, Raymond Briggs, Jacqueline Wilson, Chris Riddell and Laura Dockrill. Launched in September 2016, its aim is to enthuse children about the NEWS FROM COBIS SCHOOLS ST PAUL'S SCHOOL INVITES YOU TO JOIN 4TH EDUCATION CONFERENCE HEALTHY HEARTS, HEALTHY MINDS For all educators, the need to provide a safe, secure, happy and stimulating environment for learners is crucial. In today's world this seems even more the case, with young people facing more challenges than ever before, both in real life and online. In the fourth education conference hosted by St. Paul's, we will be looking at ways to make sure our schools remain successful places for learning – as well as places where there is support, guidance and encouragement for all our pupils, to ensure that they are happy and confident in themselves, so that they can flourish personally and academically. In line with our three previous conferences, we look forward to welcoming many delegates, educators and speakers from Brazil and beyond. We will be able to share knowledge and experiences and learn together how we can better support our children as they navigate their way from early childhood to college, becoming happy, well-adjusted and successful learners as they do. The conference will take place in São Paulo, Brazil, 23-25 March 2018. COBIS SUPPORTING MEMBERS NEWS SING UP's 10TH BIRTHDAY Sing Up has celebrated its 10th birthday with an event on Tuesday 7th November in London. This featured wonderful singing from the National Teachers' Choir, led by Baz Chapman, as well as Highfield School Chamber Choir and Mouthful, a four-piece a cappella vocal group, who opened the party in style. Sing Up were joined by friends, contributors, and colleagues past and present.
Michelle James, CEO of Sing Up, said: "One of the things that is apparent this evening is how many people here tonight are still working towards Sing Up's vision – namely that regular, high quality singing improves social and learning outcomes for our children and young people. And it's that vision which was the foundation stone for Sing Up in 2007 and remains absolutely core to what we do now." Sing Up began as a government funded programme to reinstate singing in primary schools in 2007. It was a very successful programme, reaching 98% of primary schools by 2012 We'll have some news in next month's Connect about Sing Up Day 2018! CONGRATULATIONS TO COBIS SUPPORTING MEMBERS NOMINATED FOR BETT AWARDS Congratulations to all of the COBIS Supporting Members who have been named as finalists for the coveted BETT Awards. The winners will be announced on 24 January 2018. Best of luck to all! Innovator of the Year SAM Labs
Early Years Content Early Excellence Ltd – Early Excellence Assessment Tracker (EExAT)
Primary Content 2Simple Ltd – Purple Mash Oxford University Press – Numicon Interactive Whiteboard Software TTS Group Ltd – StoryTime Phonics
Secondary Content 3P Learning – Mathletics Blue Duck Education Ltd – Mangahigh.com Boardworks Ltd – Doddle Collins – Collins Bettermarks GCSEPod – GCSEPod Tes Institute – Subject Knowledge Enhancement: English
Whole School Aids for Learning, Teaching and Assessment 2Simple – 2Build a Profile Satchel – Show My Homework School Explained – Learning Ladders
Classroom Aids for Learning, Teaching and Assessment Pobble – Pobble
Digital Devices Scanning Pens Ltd – C-Pen Exam Reader SMART Technologies – SMART Board 7000 series interactive display with iQ
Leadership and Management solutions Capita SIMS – SIMS SchoolView Educater – Educater STATonline The Key Support Services Limited – Compliance Tracker from The Key
Exporter of the Year Frog Education GL Education Scanning Pens Ltd Titus Learning WCBS
Company of the Year (over £3m turnover) Frog Education Impero Software
Free Digital Content or Open Educational Resources Frog Education – National Theatre: On Demand
International Digital Education Resource 3P Learning – New Mathletics Texthelp – Read&Write
Best Education Support Resource for Parents or Home Learning Satchel – Show My Homework DIT SURVEY WILL HELP BRIEF MINISTERS ON CHALLENGES EXPORTING ABROAD Our colleagues at the UK Department for International Trade (DIT) have asked us to share an important survey aimed at companies and organisations who export overseas. It will help them to brief ministers on the challenges your company faces in exporting abroad. Please consider adding your voice: November 2017 COBIS CPD AND EVENTS 2017/18 Autumn Term COBIS Four-Day Middle Leaders' Course Spring Term COBIS Personalised Learning Conference COBIS Conference for Bursars, Business Managers and HR Staff COBIS Four-Day Middle Leaders' Course COBIS Conference for Marketing, Development and Admissions Staff Summer Term 37th COBIS Annual Conference Regional Training Days Advanced Training for Designated Safeguarding Leads 29 May 2018 STUDENT EVENTS CALENDAR 2017/18 Autumn Term COBIS/Mangahigh Maths Challenge Spring Term COBIS Student World Debate Competition COBIS Poetry Competition COBIS Primary Creative Challenge COBIS Model UN Conference COBIS/Future Foundations Global Social Leaders Competition COBIS Art Competition COBIS Young Scientist Film Awards Summer Term COBIS Student Achievement Awards COBIS Secondary Games COBIS Senior School Music Festival COBIS SERVICES FOR SCHOOLS COBIS Disclosure and Barring Service Contact dbs@cobis.org.uk for more information COBIS Consultancy Service COBIS Diplomas for International Teaching Assistants Online Safeguarding Training for International Schools NEW SUPPORTING MEMBERS Bishop Sports & Leisure Ltd School Facilities Management and School Furniture/Equipment Bourton Meadow Initial Teacher Training Centre Assessment and Qualifications Get My Grades Ltd Curriculum Resources and Publishers Qualified Education Ltd Assessment and Qualifications Schrole Connect Assessment and Qualifications The Outward Bound Trust Assessment and Qualifications SUBMISSIONS 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: events@cobis.org.uk CONTACT US 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 Jamie Ralph, Communications Officer |