WASC Membership Case Study
We recently spoke to Matt Topliss, Principal of Kyoto International School, about joining COBIS as a WASC Accredited Member, how this has impacted his school, and what they enjoy the most about COBIS membership.
Tell us a bit about your school. What are you particularly proud of?
We’re an all-through IB school, located across two campuses in Kyoto, and we’re nearly 70 years old. One of our campuses is just a block from Nijo Castle, a World Heritage Site. So really Kyoto is part of our classroom, it’s littered with these World Heritage Sites. We try to get out and about with our students, really explore with them. For example, this Friday, the whole school is walking to the Imperial Palace Gardens to have a picnic there and look at the cherry blossoms.
We have a different emphasis on education that is very child-focused, and holistic in the way it works. We have a strong, vibrant community that is local and international. I’m proud of our people, and I think that’s what makes a school particularly strong.
Why did you want to pursue COBIS membership? What about it was important to your school?
We’re an IB school and we’re also WASC Accredited, but we wanted something that would reflect our international values, something recognisable that demonstrated democracy, tolerance, respect, our ideologies.
COBIS membership gives us a kitemark of quality assurance, and opportunities for my staff and students. It raises the international standards of our school.
Why did you want to pursue COBIS membership alongside your WASC accreditation?
WASC Accreditation reflects the culture in Japan, which can be quite American in a sense. The UK seems a long way away, and I wanted the best of both worlds. We’ve got the American slant with WASC, and COBIS reflects our British and international values. Alongside our IB programmes, we can use all of those elements to really create a mix in our school that takes the school further forward. It’s progressive.
I like that variety, but at the same time, we’re about raising our profile. I think it’s about reputational development and there’s value in COBIS membership. We want a bit more rigour, and there’s a real balance to what we’re trying to achieve and that has been enhanced by having a three-pronged approach.
Your school joined COBIS using your WASC accreditation, how did you find the application process?
The process was remarkably smooth, and we had a lot of support from COBIS in pulling it together quite quickly. It was a very straightforward process. COBIS were very supportive, and it gives us that flexibility to look into doing COBIS Accreditation and Compliance at some point down the line if we wish to.
What do you hope to gain from COBIS membership?
Upskilling my staff is key for me, making connections for them around the world, so they can speak to like-minded colleagues, that’s something COBIS provides for us. Governance is an area that we are developing at our school, and it’s moving on very nicely, but COBIS gives us resources to support in this, and around safeguarding and safer recruitment. That safety net is there for us.
Student development is really important to us. I’ve just nominated my shark-enthusiast grade 3 student who has done a lot of fundraising, for the COBIS Student Achievement Awards this morning, so that recognition is wonderful, the parents are over the moon about that. We just wouldn’t have had that opportunity any other way.
I really value the ability for us to have this status and celebrate it. There are benefits, but for me it’s really all about raising our profile.
What impact will COBIS membership have on your school?
I do think it raises our profile, and it’s a mark of quality for us. I like the fact that this puts is on the world stage.
COBIS membership gives us opportunities for myself and for my staff and students that we really relish, and it gives us something we just would not have had otherwise. It was a hugely wonderful surprise to that we were able to gain this status as soon as we could.
What would you say to other schools thinking of joining?
I would say ‘do it’. There’s really no downside. This really does demonstrate value for money, and I’m against ‘badge-collecting’ for the sake of it, but COBIS membership is relevant. It’s given reassurance to the parent body, it’s demonstrated intent for us as a school, and it’s given us a real international aspect as a school. A lot of people call themselves ‘international schools’, but where is the substance of that? For me, COBIS membership was a no-brainer and we’re really pleased to be raising that standard. A truly recognisable international school is what we’re aiming at, and this is another step in that journey for us.
Divider Logo