Eteach had the pleasure of attending the 30th Annual COBIS conference from the 7th – 9th May 2011. ‘Stakeholders for Successful International Schools’ was held at the very impressive Royal Horseguards Hotel in Central London and we were very excited to be exhibiting in such beautiful Victorian surroundings.

The COBIS conference gave us the opportunity to talk to head teachers of British International schools about their current recruitment strategies and needs. Many of the schools that we spoke to were in agreement that their ideal International teacher would be one who has trained in the UK and has a minimum of 2 years classroom experience. A positive international attitude to life, a passion for travel and teachers who could offer more than just their subject to the school were also high up on the list.

International Account Manager at Eteach, Gerry Manolas, was extremely fortunate to be able to attend several of the keynote speeches and seminars whilst at the conference. She found all of the talks to be highly informative and gave head teachers the latest up to-date developments in the UK education system.

The main issue that dominated the conference was the discussion around school inspection and which teams have now been, or are in the process of being accredited by the government. Only schools that have passed a recognised inspection are allowed to be fully fledged members of COBIS, thus ensuring a quality mark that parents can trust when choosing a school abroad for their children.

This mark is also something that prospective teachers should look for when deciding where to teach as it gives them the confidence that the school they may eventually join follows strict COBIS guidelines for quality assurance.

Howard Kennedy, Non-Executive Director of the Foundation, Aided Schools and Academies National Association was the first speaker and he outlined the current government’s plans for raising standards in State schools and trying to close the gap between deprivation and attainment.

The talk focussed around the fact that, unfortunately, there is still a link between postcode and what a child’s educational outcome will be. The association wants to make a curriculum which is ‘Fit for Purpose’ where children can achieve regardless of their background and where only the best graduates are recruited to become teachers.

The hot topic was the developing idea of student teachers completing the majority of their degree courses in Teaching Schools. The teaching schools would be selected from those who have received outstanding results across the board in their Ofsted inspections. It is hoped that a network of these schools will be created which will provide professional development to teachers as well.

Do you as teachers and current student teachers agree with this or do you feel the courses you have experienced through university prepared you for life in the classroom?

This was all backed up by Nick Gibb, Minister for Education who in his session said that one of the greatest exports we have in the UK is the Independent Education System with £12 billion being brought into this country by overseas students studying here in the UK. Mr Gibb wants to give the state sector more independence to do what is best for their schools and children in order for them to raise standards and he also believes that the Academies and Free Schools programme is the way forward.

Are you teaching in one of these schools? Can you see a difference and do you feel it is the way forward for your pupil’s attainment?

Over the coming weeks we will be bringing you other highlights from the COBIS Conference including information about SEN and Gifted and Talented, Safeguarding Children, Developing Leadership Skills through Sport and Safe Student Broadcasting, which was a new initiative about making children aware of how to keep themselves safe when using Social networking sites.

What were Gerry’s personal highlights? Having the opportunity to have coffee with the England Rugby World Cup scrum half Andy Gomarsall and listen to his plans for life after his testimonial year and saying a brief hello to HRH Princess Alexandra KG GCVO as she left the reception.

Tweet

With over 90 schools in more than 40 countries around the world, the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) fosters an active and vibrant network which promotes good practice and helps to reduce the elements of risk for anyone considering moving overseas to live and work. Colin Bell, COBIS Executive Director, took time out to tell us more about the organisation, and what it does.

So firstly, what is COBIS and what does it actually do?

COBIS is a global membership association of quality British schools worldwide and this year the association is celebrating its 30th year. The association, which is a constituent member of the Independent Schools Council (UK) supports school heads, teachers, support staff and governors by offering conferences, training courses, guidance and professional networking opportunities. COBIS is committed to representing ‘Brand UK’, promoting quality assurance by providing formal British accreditation to British Schools overseas. A COBIS accredited school has undertaken an inspection approved by the DfE (UK); this provides quality assurance for pupils, parents and members of the school workforce.

What are the main benefits of membership for British schools?

Well, where do I start? The main benefit is being part of an active and vibrant network which directly serves the needs of member schools worldwide. Benefits include representation to the British Government, educational bodies and the corporate sector, access to information about trends and developments in the UK and international education, professional development, support for good governance, CRB checks for overseas staff and of course formal British accreditation.

What kind of institutions are members and whereabouts are they?

COBIS has member and affiliate schools in each of the five continents worldwide, with large schools of over 1,500 pupils, to smaller schools with less than 100 pupils. Some schools are cross phase, others are linked to international consulates and embassies, and all cater for a mix of host country pupils and overseas nationals. Overall there are over 45,000 pupils being educated in the COBIS network with large number of school leavers returning to the UK to continue studies at university level. COBIS schools are based in major cities including Beijing, Ho Chi Minh, Sao Paulo, Abu Dhabi, Prague and Ulaanbaatar. When looking to work in a COBIS school the world is your oyster…

What are some of the main issues for these schools and how does COBIS help?

British Schools overseas enjoy being part of a professionally supportive network which enables them to share good practice covering a wide range of areas including curriculum development, pupil assessment, expansion of school buildings, professional development and, of course, links with the British Government, education and corporate sectors. The COBIS network has many ‘experts’ in the field and requests for support and advice are always met with many ready, willing and able responses. COBIS is also proud to work with over 60 corporate supporting members; each of these have their own areas of specific expertise. For example Eteach is always available to offer recruitment solutions for COBIS schools. 

What’s the significance of COBIS for those thinking about working overseas as teachers?

Moving overseas to teach at an international school can be a daunting task. However by choosing to work in a COBIS school, candidates can be assured that their institution has been quality assured and COBIS member/affiliate status has been awarded following a robust membership application process which focuses on pupils, staff, curriculum, examinations, school finances, employment contracts, facilities, inspections and policies including pupil safeguarding, child protection and health and safety. All COBIS schools have agreed to work in accordance with the COBIS code of ethical practice which again helps to reduce the elements of risk connected to moving overseas to live and work. Also, such is the reputation of COBIS schools, teachers will find the transition back to the UK a simpler route as curriculum knowledge and pedagogy can be developed via quality professional development opportunities.  

Representatives from Eteach have recently returned – enthused – from the COBIS conference in Prague. There are several pieces on the Eteach blog relating to this. What went on, and how was it for you?

The conference was excellent – judging from the evaluations we certainly addressed the theme ‘Moving Good Schools to Great Schools’. Lots of stimulating key note speakers and workshops which really engaged delegates. The conferences are such a delight to be involved with, as the energy and quest for knowledge is infectious. It’s great to meet colleagues from COBIS and non-COBIS schools and to be able to create a learning environment for international school staff which enables them to interact, have fun, enjoy a new city and of course sample some fine dining: the COBIS Gala Dinners are always special, and this one was no exception. We are already planning the next COBIS Teachers’ conferences in Madrid and Prague next academic year. Further details are on the COBIS website.

You have your annual conference coming up in London in 7-9 May for heads, governors and members of school senior leadership teams. What will the main highlights be?

Again, the programme includes talks and seminars on developments in British and international education and gives delegates an opportunity to meet and listen to leaders of education. Speakers include Nick Gibb MP, Schools Minister, Marin Davidson, Chief Executive of the British Council and all six DfE approved inspectorates responsible for Inspecting British Schools Overseas.

Highlights also include being able to introduce new COBIS school members and corporate members to one another. We are also delighted that this year the COBIS Patron, HRH Princess Alexandra KG GCVO will be joining us at the annual reception to help celebrate the COBIS 30th anniversary year. Again, the conference is open all: non-members are welcomed. For full details and delegate booking forms, please visit the COBIS website  for the latest information.

Tweet

Last night we attended the exhibitor’s dinner at the Holiday Inn at the Prague Conference Centre. The venue was stunning and we were more than impressed. The evening started with a champagne reception and then a year 11 and year 12 student from a local school provided us with some exceptional musical entertainment.

After this, a buffet dinner was served followed by an amazing array of desserts which were far too tempting to turn down. A great night was had by all as it provided an opportunity to talk to other exhibitors at the conference who we might not have had the chance to speak to otherwise.

This morning Gerry headed off to the English College of Prague who have been using Eteach to advertise their teaching posts for many years now. She had a very pleasant meeting with the head teacher of the school, Mark Waldron and the meeting enabled her to find out more about the school and some of the unique features that it offers to its students.

After lunch Gerry headed off to a talk called ‘Getting on the way to Mastering Level with the IPC’ and I went to a session all about blogs and wikis. As expected, we both thoroughly enjoyed the talks and were disappointed that this was now the end of the 2011 COBIS Conference for Teachers and Leaders.

With that, I headed off to the airport and Gerry excitedly awaited the arrival of her husband and son who flew out to Prague to join Gerry for a short break so they can explore the city some more.

All in all, a great time was had by everyone who attended the conference, whether as an exhibitor or a member of teaching staff. It provided great networking opportunities and the chance to learn more about the education sector through all the talks which were held over the two days. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we are already counting down the days until the 2012 conference.
Tweet

Eagle eyed Gerry spotted that we were sitting next to a bit of a celebrity on the plane whilst ironically, I was too engrossed in my celebrity gossip magazine to even notice. Ex England football manager Graham Taylor turned out to be a very charming man and was pleasant to everyone throughout the flight despite being questioned by a football fan throughout the entire journey.

 As we couldn’t feel our toes through the cold anymore we decided it was time to get some dinner then an early night as we had a 6am start.

Day 1 started with a quick talk from ex Eteach colleague Colin Bell. Colin, who is now the Executive Director of COBIS, gave everyone a warm welcome and introduced the first speaker of the day, Martin Skelton.

Martin is the co-founder of Primary File Publishing and Fieldwork Education and for the last eight years has been a Main Board Director of The WCL Group. He designed the International Primary Curriculum and is currently leading the development of the International Middle Years Curriculum for 11 – 14 year old children.

Gerry then headed off to hear Steven Mark discuss A Beginner’s Guide to IPC (International Primary Curriculum) whilst I kept an eye on the Eteach exhibition stand. The day got off to a good start as I started talking to a guy who was looking for some advice for his daughter who is about to start her first teaching post in Kuwait.  

Gerry found Steven’s talk about the history and key principals which led to the development of the IPC, how the curriculum is structured and the learning process that underpins it, to be absolutely fantastic. Feeling truly inspired, she commented that if ever there was something to entice her back to teaching, the IPC would do the trick.

The next talk of the day was with Steven once again and was centred around Leadership and Learning within the IPC. The focus of this session was to provide practical strategies to enable leaders at all levels to manage the IPC in their school.

After lunch Gerry headed off to a talk by Martin Skelton, the guy who opened the conference, and learnt all about how teachers can ensure that real learning is going on in their classroom. Confident that the Eteach stand could look after itself for the afternoon, I went to see internationally renowned Quality Circle Time Model founder, Jenny Mosley who was giving a speech about enhancing self esteem in yourself and those around you. This was a fantastic session which involved a range of activities from clapping games to dancing around a classroom.

We are now enjoying a well deserved glass of wine while mingling with exhibitors and delegates from all over the world before heading out for an exhibitor’s dinner tonight. Come back soon to find out what day two had in store for us at the 2011 COBIS Conference for Teacher and Leaders and to see some pictures of the events.

Tweet

Speaking at the NUT conference in April, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said that the “workload issue” has become a “central pre-occupying concern within the teaching profession”.

“A culture of long hours and bureaucracy has left many teachers feeling swamped. The endless national initiatives, an overloaded and prescriptive curriculum and the range of high stakes national curriculum tests alongside the pressures of school performance tables have led to many feeling under constant pressure.

“No one enters the teaching profession expecting to work a 9 – 5 day, but a two day weekend is surely not asking too much. It is a fact that since the implementation of the workload agreement things have actually got worse with many teachers working upward of 50 hours a week.

Andy Mackenzie is a teacher with subject responsibilities in a sixth form college. He says he likes teaching, but he’s decided to take a cut in pay and go part-time so he can spend more time with his children.

“My job is very stressful, because I’m responsible for about 100 students on largely coursework-based courses,” he explains. “They need a lot of help and support to really develop to reach their potential. And the amount of time I can give each of them is very very short. That’s a major cause of stress for me.“

“I work an enormous amount of hours…”

“I would say my job is based on the absolute minimum amount of time that it could feasibly be done in. So, once my own children are upstairs and asleep, I work every evening. I work weekends. I work an enormous amount of hours.”

But he says he has consciously tried to reduce the 14 hours a day he was working before Christmas. The effect has been to reduce the quality of his work – and in particular the time he spends marking and the standard of feedback he’s able to give students.

“It sounds very harsh, but I think I’ve tried to emotionally detach myself from students and their performance a little bit more, and to say that if I’ve offered students the full classroom entitlement that they’ve got, and some extra support entitlement, if they’re still not reaching their potential then I’ll say that that’s a little bit up to them.

“The bottom line is, I like teaching…”

“I do genuinely care and want all my students to do well – and whenever I have free periods or after college I do give up my own free time to help students, so I do do all of that, but I’ve probably built up some slight emotional barriers. Whereas a few years ago I was quite a nice guy who always had time for people, now I don’t have time for people, especially other members of staff. So I feel I brush them off a bit when they could do with some extra help or support.

“The bottom line is, I like teaching. I’ve consciously decided to give up much of my management role to just be a teacher. I’m going a bit more part-time, because I am reasonably well paid, so I can afford to do that, and I’ve got my own children I need to give time to, so that’s a way of me reducing my stress. It’s not an option a lot of teachers have chosen, because of course if you give up some of your working hours you give up some of your pay. And most people don’t want to do that or can’t afford to do that.”

• Do you feel ‘swamped’? What should be done to reduce teachers’ workload? How do you manage stress? Why not share with Eteach readers…