This newsletter is best viewed in a web browser (Click here) ![]() ![]() Dear Colleague,
At the time of writing, we're exactly three months away from the COBIS Annual Conference, our flagship event for Heads, Governors, Proprietors and Senior Leaders in British international schools. Yes, in three months' time we'll be sharing stories, meeting colleagues old and new, learning from inspiring high-profile speakers and reflecting on our buzzing sector in the shadow of London's iconic O2 dome. Booking opened for the event a few weeks ago and many colleagues have been quick to secure their place. Will you be joining us for the global gathering of British international schools?
Kind regards, ![]() Colin Bell
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COBIS NEWS
COBIS ANNUAL CONFERENCE DRAFT PROGRAMME NOW ONLINE ![]() The draft programme for the 37th COBIS Annual Conference is now available to view online. We are pleased to announce the following Keynote Speakers for this year's conference:
Alongside our keynote speakers, delegates will also have the opportunity to take part in workshops, seminars, EdTech speed dating sessions, shoulder courses focussing on Safer Recruitment, Advanced Child Protection, and High Performance Learning, and much more! Booking is now open. Will you be joining us in May for the global gathering of British international schools?
THE SOURCE 2018 NOW AVAILABLE ![]() The latest edition of The Source - our directory of products, services and solutions for high-quality international British schools overseas - is now available! The digital magazine features suppliers and companies that support international schools with curriculum resources, school furniture, ICT, recruitment, research and much, much more. READ: http://bit.ly/TheSource2018 DOWNLOAD (pdf): http://bit.ly/TheSource2018pdf
COBIS SUPPORTING MEMBER RECEPTION ![]() The Annual COBIS Supporting Member Reception was held on Friday 26 January 2018 at the Institute of Directors in London. The event was attended by over 90 representatives from 70 Supporting Member organisations and offered excellent opportunities for networking. COBIS was delighted to welcome guests from English UK, China-Britain Business Council, UK Universities International and China Britain Talent Bank to this event.
Members of the COBIS Executive Team and COBIS Board were in attendance and both Geoff Gladding, Education Team Leader, Department for International Trade, and Leigh Webb, CEO of ISC Research, were formally introduced during the Reception. COBIS would like to thank colleagues at ISC Research for sponsoring our Annual COBIS Supporting Member Reception
COBIS PATRON'S ACCREDITATION AND COMPLIANCE UPDATE ![]() The New Year has got off to a good start with two successful Compliance visits taking place in Gibraltar and Morocco in January 2018 with another 16 countries due to be visited before the Summer.
A flurry of recent applications means that our visit schedule for Autumn term 2018 is now full and we are currently taking bookings for January 2019 onwards. In order to ensure we can meet the needs of all our schools, we will be running new training sessions for both Peer Accreditors and Lead Improvement Partners this term.
With Compliance a minimum requirement for COBIS membership and our Patron's Accreditation scheme already recognised by FOBISIA and AISA, interested schools should book their visit now.
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:
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![]() 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 spoke to Madalina Postelnicu, Head of School at Pick Me Academy - one of the first schools in the world to successfully go through the COBIS Compliance programme!
1. Which living person do you most admire? 3. What do you consider your greatest achievement? My greatest achievement is being the mother of my amazing daughter.
10. What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
![]() Each month we will be showcasing alumni from any of our 270 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 we spoke to Nikol Chen who graduated from Haileybury Almaty in 2016. Today Nikol is studying Human Sciences at University College London. Click below to read more about how Haileybury Almaty prepared Nikol for life in the UK and at university, as well as the different COBIS competitions she took part in whilst at school, and how she hopes to use her skills and experiences in the future!
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT and EVENTS NEWS
COBIS CONFERENCE FOR BURSARS, BUSINESS MANAGERS AND HR STAFF 1-2 FEBRUARY 2018 - DUBAI, UAE The fourth COBIS Conference for Bursars, Business Managers and HR Staff was hosted by Dubai College, 1-2 February 2018. The conference was attended by more than 50 Bursars, Business Managers and HR Staff from the UAE and across the world. Sessions included crisis management, future-proofing, staff training and development, teacher recruitment, and much more. COBIS would like to thank colleagues at Dubai College for all their hard work ensuring this was a fantastic event. Thank you also to WCBS for supporting the conference.
HOW DOES YOUR SCHOOL STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD? ![]() The COBIS Conference for Marketing, Development and Admissions Staff will be held at the British School of Bucharest, Romania, from 15-16 March 2018. Join delegates from international schools around the world to discuss strategies and tips about how your school can stand out from the crowd. The programme this year features school leaders from the UK and abroad discussing strategies they have successfully implemented within their schools, as well as marketing, development and admissions specialists from around the world. Sessions will cover alumni engagement, planning for differentiation, the role of admissions officers in marketing strategies, parental engagement, development and fundraising, video strategy, and managing data.
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STUDENT ENGAGEMENT NEWS
COBIS STUDENT WORLD DEBATE COMPETITION WON BY DUBAI ENGLISH SPEAKING COLLEGE ![]() Congratulations to Dubai English Speaking College for winning the COBIS Debate Competition in their first year of attendance.
Jumeirah College hosted the 2018 COBIS Student World Debate Competition from 1-3 February, during which exciting topics were fiercely debated in an effort to win the trophy. The Cup final saw Dubai College (B) take on Dubai English Speaking College (A), in a Dubai derby! All the students used excellent examples and insights in their speeches and although extremely close, Dubai English Speaking College (A) were crowned the winners of the Cup Competition.
COBIS would like to thank the staff and students at Jumeirah College for hosting this event and all participating students and staff for their hard work and enthusiasm throughout.
PRIMARY CREATIVE CHALLENGE - LAST CHANCE TO ENTER! ![]() In 2018, COBIS and Oddizzi are challenging Key Stage 1 and 2 students to create a travel segment on where their school is based. We want to see and hear about your local area and what makes it special; landmarks, buildings, wildlife, food and more!
Students should work together as a class to create a 3-4 minute film celebrating where they live and giving us an insight beyond the guidebook.
There are two categories prizes will be given for, in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2:
Thank you to Oddizzi for partnering with COBIS to run the competition and for providing the prizes of a free year-long subscription to Oddizzi.com.
The closing date is 7 March
COBIS YOUNG SCIENTIST FILM AWARDS The COBIS Young Scientist Film Awards is an exciting competition for budding scientists to show off their exciting experiments! Run in partnership with the National Physical Laboratory, all films submitted will be viewed and marked by professional scientists. 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 of films you can submit so feel free to try all your hypotheses!
The first review date is 2 March and the closing date is 28 March.
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NEWS FROM COBIS SCHOOLS
DOHA COLLEGE ANNOUNCES BUILD OF WORLD-CLASS CAMPUS ![]() COBIS Patron's Accredited Member Doha College has announced plans to shortly begin construction on a new pioneering 21st century campus in Al Wajba. The new 90,000m² state-of-the-art campus will open its doors in September 2020, the year of the 40th anniversary of Doha College, and offer a 6-form Primary School and a 10-form Secondary School, in addition to retaining a 4-form Primary School at its West Bay location. Operations at the school's Al Waab location will cease and move to the new campus in Al Wajba. Dr Steffen Sommer, Principal of Doha College, said: "As one of the most established British schools in Qatar, Doha College boasts a rich history of educational excellence dating back to 1980. Our new world-class campus will allow future generations of Doha College students to thrive and unlock their full potential in an environment which is fit for the learning needs of the 21st century."
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COBIS SUPPORTING MEMBERS NEWS
VIRTUAL RECRUITMENT FAIR FOR BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS IN MARCH ![]() The first ever International School Virtual Recruitment Fair for British-oriented international schools takes place this March, providing schools with an effective solution for securing final vacancies. The fair will be hosted by international school recruitment specialist and COBIS Supporting Member, TIC Recruitment, which has been supporting the international schools market exclusively for 12 years. It's an approach to recruitment that is already popular with many multinational corporations, including Amazon and Pfizer, because of the global, affordable and accessible platform it provides. For two weeks from 17 to 31 March, teachers looking for new job opportunities will be able to access the event free of charge. All delegates will be pre-assessed to ensure they have the qualifications and skills required by British international schools. More details on how to exhibit and to benefit from an Early Bird discount (until 17th February) are available here.
URDANG ACADEMY MUSICALS ![]() Urdang Academy, new Supporting Members this year, are proud to announce a fantastic line up of musical productions in February and March, performed by their 3rd Year Company. The graduating class will perform in Sister Act, Jane Eyre, and Sweet Charity over the next three weeks, with the hopes of being spotted by an agent. Perhaps the next West End star of the future could be discovered! Urdang is a lead supplier of performers in the Musical Theatre, Dance and Acting Industries, and offers workshops internationally and host summer schools and workshops in Central London and around the UK.
NEW FLAGSHIP STORE FOR EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIES IN NIGERIA ![]() Looking to source educational resources & consultancy services in Nigeria? COBIS Supporting Member Infant and Toddler's Corner Int'l Limited provides the likes of Lego, Books, Puzzles, Educational DVDs, Toys, Indoor & Outdoor equipments from their flagship store in Port Harcourt. With a focus on early childhood education, Infant and Toddler's Corner Int'l Limited is an organisation that provides educational resources and consultancy services for educators, organisations, parents and children. They have recently opened a flagship store at Port Harcourt Mall, Rivers State, Nigeria.
WORLD CREATIVE WRITING MONTH STARTS ON MARCH 1ST ![]() Now into its fourth year, the makers of nightzookeeper.com bring you the world's most exciting free writing competition, where classrooms in over 30 countries work together to write as many stories as possible. Last year over 500 schools took the challenge, and more than 6 million words were written. All teachers have to do to get started is register for an account during February.
There are lots of fantastic prizes on offer both for classes and individual students for the writing that they produce. Inspire and motivate your students to write more and better than ever before this March by registering today. February 2018 ![]()
COBIS CPD AND EVENTS 2017/18
Spring Term
![]() ![]() COBIS Conference for Marketing, Development and Admissions Staff
Summer Term
![]() ![]() 37th COBIS Annual Conference
![]() ![]() Advanced Training for Designated Safeguarding Leads 29 May 2018
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STUDENT EVENTS CALENDAR 2017/18
Spring Term
![]() 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
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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
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NEW SUPPORTING MEMBERS
![]() Communicate-ed Assessments and Qualifications
![]() Communication Across Cultures Curriculum Resources and Publishers
![]() Leopardfish Recruitment
![]() School Leaders Training Consultancy and Professional Development
![]() Wayfarer Education Curriculum Resources and Publishers
![]() Wonky Star Ltd (Night Zookeeper) Curriculum Resources and Publishers
![]() Ashington Ceremonial Gowns (International) Ltd Schoolwear
![]() Clements Worldwide School Marketing Services
![]() Evidence Based Education Consultancy and Professional Development
![]() EZ Education (Doodle Maths) Curriculum Resources and Publishers
![]() Les Elfes International School Trips
![]() Synergia Coaching Ltd Consultancy and Professional Development
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 March 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 Hannah Porritt, Communications and Events Executive Edited by Jamie Ralph, Communications Officer
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