Knowledge Hub
Our Knowledge Hub is a place for topical, practical support and guidance for the British international schools community
Here you will find advice on safeguarding, well-being, speaking to children on world issues, sustainability and EDI.
This page will be updated regularly, so do check back.
We are focused on providing the best care and support to our member schools. So, we're asking you to reach out and let us know what you need, and how we can support you. Email us and share your thoughts and concerns, and we'll do what we can to help. We have a number of support resources and information and guidance in our Members Area, and you can also register for upcoming COBIS webinars or listen to previous recordings.
General websites
We know that children and young people may be worried or upset when hearing news about global conflict and other sensitive topics, so we have created a list of resources and organisations that can help.
- Help for teachers and families to talk to pupils about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and how to help them avoid misinformation (Department for Education)
- How and when to talk to children about war, according to a parenting expert (Independent)
- Talking with Children About War and Violence in the World (Family Education, US)
- How to talk to children about refugees (Wonderbooks)
- Teaching about refugees (The UN Refugee Agency)
- Tips for parents and caregivers on media coverage of traumatic events (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, US)
- Crisis Support for International Counselors (International School Counselor Association)
- Talking to your child about climate change (UNICEF)
COBIS Support for Schools in Times of Conflict
- COBIS CEO Colin Bell wrote a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson on behalf of COBIS Member school The British International School, Ukraine, based in Kyiv.
- Liz Saville Roberts MP echoed these sentiments in her own letter to the Prime Minister, which you can read here.
- COBIS remains committed to the safety and security of both staff and students at The British International School, Ukraine, and continues to lobby the UK government on their behalf.
- The COBIS Black Seas School Group had set up a fund for donations to aid refugees fleeing the Ukrainian crisis. If you would like to contribute to this fund, of which all proceeds go to the Red Cross in Romania, then you can do so here.
- Stephen Priest, Principal of the British International School of Tbilisi, wrote an article for International Teacher Magazine on the support they are providing to BISU, to refugees and to students. You can read it here.
Other articles:
- Tenacity in a time of crisis: "Education is part of the resistance," The IB Community Blog (May 2023)
- The Road from Kyiv by Anna Azarova, International Teacher Magazine (December 2022)
- COBIS asks PM for Assurances Over Ukrainian International School Staff, The International Educator (March 2022)
- British School In Ukraine Urges Government To Give Refuge To Its Teachers And Pupils - Politics Home (March 2022)
View resources
The Department for Education have a guide to Keeping Children Safe in Education, which is always worth a read.
SouthWest Grid for Learning have published a support page on Safeguarding and Planning for School Closure including resources and policy templates. You can also download the flyer on Safe Remote Learning here.
EduCare have a news page dedicated to Safeguarding and Duty of Care specifically. Keep an eye out for updates.
The Safeguarding Alliance have created a template for schools to use as a safeguarding policy. You can download it here.
Andrew Hall, a Specialist Safeguarding Consultant, has put together a list on how to use Zoom safely.
Rugby School Thailand share how they have developed a progressive ‘Early Help Intervention Model’ in this blog.
Kai Vacher, Principal of British School Muscat, a COBIS Accredited Member School, and COBIS Board member, shares how following England’s Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance is a key component of the school's safeguarding work in this blog.
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children have created these resources on safeguarding children with additional needs and disabilities.
View resources
The mental health charity MIND have a mental well-being hub, full of useful info.
YoungMinds have a host of resources for supporting a whole school's approach to wellbeing. Read more here.
Komodo have delivered some COBIS wellbeing webinars on 'Exam Stress: What is Happening and How to Support Students' and ‘Managing Student Wellbeing in International Schools’.
The British School of Bucharest presented a webinar on the science of sleep and how it links to the wellbeing of both staff and students in our schools. View the recording here.
Phil Armstrong, Head of Regional Development, South & International at Early Excellence explores the key principles in making sure the child's well-being is at the centre of EYFS teaching in this blog.
Kellett School - The British International School in Hong Kong was awarded Beacon Status by COBIS for their excellence in wellbeing. They share some tips and insights into their initiatives in this blog.
Pierre de Mirman, Deputy Global CEO at Pacific Prime, discusses the policies and measures schools should consider to address long-term, pandemic-related risks in this blog.
Stephen Rogers, former head and co-founder of 49 Thirty Two Education, writes about senior leaders in school needing to ensure that their own mental health is attended to whilst supporting students and colleagues in this blog.
View resources
Read our EDI statement
COBIS Accredited Member, Doha College have shared their journey towards EDI in this article with ISC Research.
Diverse Educators have further resources here and also information on EDI in international schools here.
The BAMEed Network has a resources database that can viewed on their website.
AGBIS have produced a helpful guide for governors on EDI.
The ISC have compiled a very useful set of resources and links which can be found here.
Other useful links include:
- https://www.schoolsinclusionalliance.co.uk/
- https://inclusionlabs.co.uk/
- https://www.educare.co.uk/courses/equality-and-diversity
- Making the DEI mission of your school mean more than just words. | Diverse Educators
- Our DEI journey - ISC Research
- Four ways to start the school year centering on DEI | News from the Council of International Schools (COIS.org
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in International Schools | Educators Without Borders - YouTube
The DfE has released a consultation on guidance for schools in England about gender questioning in children. This consultation closes March 2024 and refers to schools in England.
The ISC Diversity and Inclusion Group have produced this paper on working with recruitment agencies to diversify candidates.
Trust Inclusion have released a report on equality, diversity and inclusion in school trusts in the UK.
The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) has published a report on 'Ethnic diversity in the teaching workforce: evidence review'.
If you are looking for support on developing your curriculum to ensure that it is inclusive and diverse, the following resources may be useful.
- Diversity in Primary History / Historical Association
- Diversity in the Curriculum Toolkit | Diverse Educators
- Teaching a Diverse Primary Curriculum Toolkit |SAGE Publications Inc
- Diversity - BBC Teach
- Decolonising The History Curriculum: Eurocentrism and Primary Schooling - The University of Brighton
- Challenging, decolonising and transforming primary school history curriculum knowledge: My College (chartered college)
- PSHE curriculum - Creating an inclusive one for your primary school shouldn't feel daunting - Teachwire
- A curriculum for wellbeing: improving all aspects of wellbeing in curricula & schools BERA
- Decolonising and Diversifying the Primary History Curriculum: A Journey (Part 1) | Aidan Severs - An Education Blog (thatboycanteach.co.uk)
- Culturally responsive teaching in a globalized world (theconversation.com)
- Guidance to help schools understand how the Equality Act affects them and how to fulfil their duties under the act
View the resources
COBIS recognises its responsibility to protect and improve the state of the environment for future generations. We are committed to reducing our impact upon the environment. Read about our commitment to sustainability here.
We have been awarded The Planet Mark Accreditation, demonstrating our commitment to environmental education and protection. We work closely with The Planet Mark to ensure our carbon footprint is minimised and encourage our schools and Supporting Associates to do the same. Visit our partners page.
The Eden Project have written a blog on teachers rising to the challenge of climate change. It highlights how education can help to equip young people with the necessary skills and knowledge at the time of a climate emergency.
Tudor Atanasiu, Head of Innovation and Technology at British School of Bucharest, explains the schools' Project Zephyr, an electric car scratch build kit in this blog.
Junior School Vlaskamp, one of the Primary campuses at The British School in The Netherlands, shares how it is promoting sustainability in the school community in this blog.
Planet Mark and Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar, Malaysia presented a COBIS webinar on ‘Unlocking the Benefits of Sustainability and Carbon Footprinting in Schools’. View the recording here.
St George's International School, Luxembourg signed a climate pledge to reduce its emissions with the goal of net-zero. Read about the pledge here.
Tatiana Popa, Head of Global Education at Heritage International School, Moldova, shares how her school is developing a whole-school approach to sustainability in this blog. She also presented a COBIS webinar on ‘Teaching about Sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals through Project-Based Learning’. HE Steven Fisher, British Ambassador to Moldova was a guest speaker. View the recording here.
Other useful links include:
- https://www.planetmark.com/news-events/guides/
- https://www.cobis.org.uk/professional-learning/webinars/previous-webinars/post/~board/recordings/post/bringing-sustainability-into-the-classroom-with-the-planet-mark
- https://www.wwf.org.uk/get-involved/schools/resources
- https://www.edenproject.com/learn/schools
- https://connecting-classrooms.britishcouncil.org/resources/global-learning-resources
- https://open.ed.ac.uk/resources-about-environment-sustainability/
- https://www.ecoschools.global/
- https://educcateglobal.org/
- https://www.greenchoices.org/going-green/schools/teachers-resources
- https://se-ed.co.uk/
