Wellington College threw open its doors to the cream of the education world over this weekend and welcomed all those that support and work in the profession. Eteach was there in force to speak with teachers and heads and discuss ways in which we can help with recruitment.

From Secretary of State Michael Gove to Sir Bob Geldoff, Sir Robert Winston and David Starky (to name but a few) the programme was packed with superb speakers. It was such a hard decision to decide which sessions to target and which to leave out, that one visitor admitted to starting in one session and sneaking out the back half way through, to visit another.

Credit must go to Anthony Seldon, Head of Wellington College, in organising a festival which featured an open forum to discuss and debate a range of topics across education. These included Free Schools, the current pension situation, what makes for a good education, how to turn schools around and various developments in different curriculum areas. And these were just the tip of the iceberg!

I was fortunate enough to hear Anthony Seldon outline in his opening presentation the vision and aspiration he has for all his students at Wellington College and the importance of developing the whole student, not just the academic aspect. He also spoke of his commitment to Wellington Academy in Wiltshire, where they are working hard with the state sector to give students there the grounding and aspirations that students at the College already experience. Best of all was hearing from the students themselves, who talked about their experiences at Wellington and what they felt was important in their own education.

Another session was led by Peter Hyman who originally started as a strategist to Tony Blair. He has since trained as a teacher and is shortly to head up a Free School in Newham. When questioned by the audience whether he would have advised the PM in the same way, now he has experienced teaching for himself, he replied that the outcomes would have been the same, but that maybe the methodologies would have been less prescriptive. He was also pressed by several attendees from the Newham area, where his Free School will be based, as to why he felt he could only achieve his aspirations for children via a Free School and not through the LA. If the legacy of Labour education was so good why wasn’t he supporting it and working within the government sector dealing with all the never-ending initiatives and red tape they had to work through? He replied that he wants to work alongside these schools and look at good practice and learn from them too. However, he wanted to focus on English Language as ‘the driver’ for all things and a set of skills that would infiltrate all aspects of a child’s education. These include teamwork, problem solving, confidence, interpersonal skills, self-awareness, resilience, initiative, commitment and motivation. Nothing different then to his ‘state’ colleagues down the road!

The final keynote speech of the day was a question and answer session with Michael Gove. Generally people were polite with their questions, the toughest ones being about the pensions strike and why does education always have to be driven by politics, whoever was in power at the time? Why were successive governments always changing what was being taught and why couldn’t they just leave teachers to do their jobs? He said it was the government’s responsibility on behalf of the electorate to hold teachers accountable, to focus on continuing to raise standards and to move back up the world education ranks rather than continuing to sink lower. Politics needs to drive education, to ensure our education system keeps up with a changing world where economics, social and technological developments are evolving all the time. This final question seemed to link back to where Anthony Seldon started that morning: What are we educating our young people for? Is it to fit neatly into society? For business and the economy? Or purely as learners of knowledge?

Tell us your ideas: What are we educating young people for?

Eteach caught up with Mary Langford, Deputy Executive Director of the European Council of International Schools (ECIS), to find out why the organisation is such a leading player in the world of international education and to learn more about its events, professional development programmes and its significance for anyone considering a career working overseas.

Firstly, could you explain what ECIS is and what it actually does?

To paraphrase our mission statement, ECIS is the leading collaborative global membership organisation that promotes and supports the ideals and best practices of international education.

ECIS is unique in that it has over 30 professional committees, consisting of volunteers from member schools who are at the coal face of current practice and pedagogical development.

They keep us informed and recommend important innovations in their particular area that we should highlight, such as potential topics, speakers and workshop trainers. They also source and supply articles for our publications. ECIS school membership supports everyone in the school; senior leaders (heads and directors, board members and proprietors, business managers, advancement directors); class, subject and specialist teachers (for example, ESL/Mother Tongue, ICT, Librarians, SEN, Science) and support staff such as Administrative Assistants, ICT Technology Directors, etc. The range of professional development activities is comprehensive.

We also have Affiliate Members representing other organisations and NGOs (such as the International Award Association, University of Cambridge International Examinations and Eteach International) involved in the delivery of international education or training and supporting members who are suppliers of other services to international schools (such as Follett International, Pearson Education and Sodexo). Individuals may also join ECIS and use many of these services.

While access to the professional development programmes is the focus of membership, we always hear from our members that it is the fantastic ECIS network of like-minded professionals that they most appreciate. When conferences are planned, the location and the cultural amenities that international educators may experience are part of the equation. The collective wisdom and experience of the ECIS membership is impressive.

What are the main benefits of membership for schools, organisations and individuals?

The main benefit is access to ECIS conferences, certificate programmes, benchmarking statistical survey and the opportunity to benefit from our strategic partnerships through our Affiliate and Supporting Memberships. An example of this is the newly launched ECIS iTunes U with Apple Computer, which enables members to access and interact with online courses and presentations.

ECIS also publishes IS Magazine, the International Schools Journal (ISJ) – now in its 30th year and highly regarded by researchers in the field of international education – and the Effective Series with books on a range of topics relevant to international schools.

ECIS Fellowships make financial grants available to educators doing research. The most recent project was the design of a generic International Individual Education Plan (IIEP) for international schools with students with special needs, that can be downloaded for free from our website.

There is an ECIS Outreach Grant for students working in worthy projects promoting community service learning, and the Peter Ustinov Fellowship granted through ECIS similarly is awarded to students working in projects that break down barriers of prejudice. We also offer international awards for adults and students to honour their ‘international mindedness’ and contributions to international education and international schools.

Could you tell us about some of the events you organise?

Our major conferences are the first that come to mind. The November conference is aimed at teachers and administrators and held in a different European city each year. They attract up to 2000 participants from all over the world and feature inspiring keynote speakers such as Professor Sugata Mitra. He’s an Indian professor, now at Newcastle University, whose famous ‘Hole in the wall’ longitudinal research project, installed computers in the slums and villages of India and other impoverished settings and sheds light on how students evolve as independent learners. Professor Mitra was the inspiration for the story behind Slumdog Millionaire. In addition to keynote speakers, there are approximately 240 workshops offered over the course of the three days.

Our April conference is for the senior leadership of our schools and attracts about 600 participants. This is for heads, boards and governors, business managers, development directors and even spouses (a sometimes lonely and challenging role in the school community). This year we had several keynote speakers, including Dr Kyung Hee Kim, a Korean professor of education at The College of William and Mary in Virginia. Her ground-breaking empirical research has changed what we know about diagnosing and nurturing creativity in children and was the feature cover story for Newsweek Magazine last summer. Dr. Kim told us she had turned down invitations to appear on CNN and Oprah Winfrey’s show, but was keen to come to ECIS to speak to international educational leaders!

These major ECIS conferences feature pre-conference workshops offered by organisations such as the Global Issues Network, Martin Skelton and his team at Fieldwork Education, amongst other major players in the field of international education.

Our subject committees also organise their own specific conferences that attract up to 400-500 participants. Especially popular are Librarians, or ESL/Mother Tongue that feature top speakers and workshop leaders, such as the ever-popular Jim Cummins from University of Toronto at ESL or the English Poet Laureate Children’s Poet Michael Rosen at the Early Childhood Conference.

Please tell us about some of your certificate programmes, and in particular your International Teaching Certificate, which is currently open for enrolments.

ECIS has responded in recent years to recommendations from our members to develop more sustained ongoing professional development opportunities, and here we have been strengthened by our collaborative partnerships. With Fieldwork Education and the National Association of Head teachers, we have developed the International Leadership and Management Program (ILMP) for senior school leaders. The Sustainable International Governance Diploma Program (SISG) is a fresh and dynamic approach for training those people responsible for the strategic oversight of the school. Unlike previous programmes that have tended to draw heavily on ‘national’ governance models, the SISG reflects the diversity that characterises our member schools.

Diversity means in terms of nationality and culture of the governing body, diversity in ownership models such as state-funded, not-for-profit, and for-profit schools (the biggest growth sector in the international schools market), diversity in terms of size and student population, or new schools and well-established schools. Our collaboration here has been with the London Business School and IMD in Switzerland, top business schools that provide speakers for our SISG modules who help to attract key international school governance stakeholders to our programme.

The International Teacher Certificate is a blended professional development programme that ECIS has developed in partnership with University of Cambridge International Examinations, who are the independent examiners. It seeks to take experienced teachers and challenges them to become more internationally-minded, reflective practitioners. The ITC’s merit is being recognised by universities in the UK, USA and Australia which offer master’s credit for the ITC, by AdvancED – a US accrediting agency that regards the ITC as teacher certification for their overseas teachers, and most recently by the International Baccalaureate who have made it a pathway to the IB Level 1 Teacher Award. The ITC is the only non-university pathway to the IBL1, and is one of four institutions in the world authorised to prepare teachers for the IB Primary Years Programme, IB Middle Years Programme. There are still places available for the next ITC – there’s more information and an application form on our website here.

To read the rest of Mary’s interview, come back in a few days when we will be posting part two …

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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.

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Why did international schools spring up, who do they serve, and what on earth does it mean to offer an ‘International Education’? In the first of two articles for Eteach, Steven Mark, educational director of the International Primary Curriculum, reflects on what makes an international school truly international, and how we can best help children and adults to develop the key skill of ‘international mindedness’ for the 21^st century.

Back in the 1990s, much as I was enjoying teaching in my hometown in Scotland, if I’m honest I was getting a bit of itchy feet syndrome. Sound familiar?

Sadly there weren’t any recruitment companies like Eteach at that time specialising in international schools. So each week I would faithfully browse the back pages of the job sections with pen at hand, ready to circle the job ads that caught my eye. After a few applications and knock-backs, word came through that my recent interview in The Hague had been a success, and a new life in the Netherlands was beckoning.

Time to pack the bags and head to Hull for the ferry!

Something familiar on the first day at school

I have many memories of arriving in the school on my first day, but one rather mundane one stands out: I remember looking in the classroom cupboards and finding my Ginn 360 Reading Scheme. For those of you unfamiliar with Ginn 360, it was the Oxford Reading Tree of the 1990s.

I’ll come back to Ginn a little later as there’s more to that famous name than meets the eye, but on that first day there was something that was instantly recognisable and familiar: just what you need when you land on foreign shores! It highlighted to me then – and, as I would find out further in the next few years – that there were many similarities between international schools and the school in Scotland where I’d previously worked. Similar resources. Similar routines. Timetables that looked roughly the same. Same issues being discussed in the staffroom. Lots of similarities but, as I discovered as time went on, lots of differences too.

What is an international school?

So what’s the difference between an international school and schools such as the one I’d left behind? What is it that makes an international school an international school? There are probably two main answers to that.

The first is pretty straightforward, in that they were in large part developed to serve international families: often quite mobile families who are living away from their home country for a few years and then either returning home or moving on to the next country. In such cases, the parents want their children to receive an education that will not only equip them well for the future, but one which will allow the children to transfer easily to other international schools or to schools back in their own country.

One of the earliest examples of such a school was the International School of Geneva, set up in 1924 to accommodate the needs of the growing international population of the city. With families from around the world moving to Geneva to work at the global organisations being set up in the city, such as the League of Nations and the International Labour Organisation, the need for a school which could cater for a range of cultures and languages was evident. Similar schools soon emerged in Japan, the Netherlands, Wales and many other countries. All were designed to cater to the needs of a range of students from across the world.

Explosion in demand

The success of these early schools has led to an explosion in recent years in the demand for international schools. Today there are almost 6,000 English-medium international schools around the globe. Beyond the sheer growth of these schools, what is particularly interesting is that the biggest group of students overall is no longer the expats, but those from the local, wealthy population.

What might be attracting those families? Well, lots of reasons of course – wanting their children to learn English being an obvious one. But for many families it is the chance for their children to have an ‘International Education’ that is so attractive. That for me is the second answer to the question of what is an international school: it provides this ‘International Education’. But what on earth does that mean?

What is an ‘International Education’?

Let me share an example: a few years back I had the good fortune to spend some time in South East Asia. I was invited to visit a small international school and have a look around. It was a lovely school in many ways: dedicated teachers; enthusiastic children; strong leadership team.

The children were a mix of international and local students. Walking around looking at the displays, I was struck by the content of them: Florence Nightingale, The Great Fire of London, The Tudors and The Stuarts and not forgetting the ubiquitous ‘Slipper’. Now there’s nothing wrong with children from Asia learning the story of Florence Nightingale or the Great Fire (by the same token, there’s nothing wrong with kids in the UK learning about famous people and events from Asia); they’re great stories. But for these children it was at the exclusion of learning about their own culture, and that strikes me as wrong.

So here was a school that to all intents and purposes fitted the historic profile of an international school: international and local families; international and local teachers; and flags from around the world bedecking the entrance area. But something was missing. Something that Edwin Ginn would have recognised.

Remember him from earlier? Edwin Ginn of publishing fame was one of the earliest proponents of international education and set up the International School of Peace in Boston in 1910. Long before terms such as ‘global citizen’ and ‘global dimension’ became popular, international-mindedness found many of its roots back in the early 20^th century.

Following the many terrible conflicts that had recently taken place throughout the world, people like Edwin Ginn, who were committed to the cause of global peace, set about trying to develop an education that was more international in outlook.

For the school I visited then, the boxes that defined the school as international were certainly ticked, but the learning in the classroom didn’t because the ‘international’ in ‘international school’ isn’t only about the intake of families to the school: it’s about something more profound. It’s about a deep commitment to the development of international-mindedness in our students.

In the second part of this blog about developing international-mindedness, coming soon to Eteach, Steven offers information about where to begin, and points to some of his favourite classroom resources that will help children to start thinking internationally.

Steven Mark is the educational director of the International Primary Curriculum (IPC). His education experience includes many years as a teacher and school leader in Scotland, Netherlands and Germany. He has a Masters degree in Educational Management from the University of Leicester and is about to embark on his doctorate with the University of Bath, England.

Steven has a great range of experiences working with both national and international schools. He has spoken at conferences and delivered professional development for educators throughout many parts of the world.  He is currently writing a book about how we can best help children and adults to develop international mindedness, which he thinks may well become the key skill for 21^st century citizens.

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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.

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