Issue No. 1—2011/12

F R O M T H E C H A I R M A N

Dear Colleagues and Friends in FOBISSEA schools,

It was with disappointment that we had to cancel our FOBISSEA conference last month due to the threat of floods in Bangkok. There was an excellent programme of CPD planned, including an opportunity to link up with EARCOS. We are grateful to colleagues for their understanding of this difficult situation and we pass on our best wishes to the flood effected people of Thailand.

Thankfully all the other FOBISSEA events have gone ahead successfully. These included the Games, Mu- sic Festival and a number of CPD events. It is going to be a busy year of students and staff opportunities in 2012, the FOBISSEA calendar grows all the time.

With the cancellation of the conference there have been no new member schools joining our federation, but there are a number of good international schools at various stages of the application process. This term we welcomed five new head teachers of existing schools.

Back in September I represented FOBISSEA at a meeting in a House of Lords in London. At the reception, the Department of Education joined with COBIS, BSME and FOBISSEA in launching the British School Over- seas (BSO) inspection system, with representatives of the six organisations who are able to carry this out. We congratulate in Hong Kong for being the first British international school in the world to successfully go through this process. Many more are now following.

As we end the autumn term I would like to thank all members of our community who have worked so hard to ensure that our schools deliver high quality education, ensuring that the reputation of FOBISSEA goes from strength to strength. In particular we wish our students a happy Christmas.

Chairman, FOBISSEA

F O B I S S E A E V E N T S FOBISSEA MUSIC FESTIVAL – BRITISH SCHOOL OF BEIJING

“Today I’d like to talk about music having been totally entranced by the performance of all the musicians and singers from around the whole Asia region who came to join us at BSB for the Federation of British International Schools, South East Asia Music Gala.

It was five days of incredibly hard work leading up to a Gala concert that was one of the most remarkable student events I have ever attended. The performance of “Jerusalem” was incredibly powerful; the Glee type arrangements of Queens “Somebody to love” and Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” had everybody’s foot tapping.

I think I can summarise as so…at the end of the show, as the final note faded, the whole audience rose to give a standing ovation. To say that the students excelled themselves is an understatement in this case. They worked incredibly hard and showed real talent. Of course the other side of the equation is the tremendous amount of work put into the organisation of such a huge event. Our teachers and our administration team did a deeply impressive job. I was hugely proud to have so many teachers from other schools in the region come to me and tell me how impressed they had been with the seamless running and management of the event. As a Principal this has been one of the moments that I will treasure for a very long time”.

Well done to all,

Mike Embley, Executive Principal, The British School of Beijing

Independent School Awards 2011

Dulwich College Beijing is pleased to announce they have been named British International School of the Year 2011, as part of the Independent School Awards.

British schools from all over the world provided submissions for the prestigious award which saw Dulwich nominated with two other schools: Brookhouse Interna- tional, Kenya and The British School, Netherlands. Neal McGowan, Dulwich Col- lege Beijing Headmaster, received the award on behalf of the school community.

“ This award is recognition of the outstanding success of our students and the professionalism of our staff. In , we place great emphasis on developing fully-rounded and impressive young people who excel academically, as well as flourish through curricular achievement and commitment to service and community. ” stated Mr McGowan.

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Bangkok International Preparatory & Secondary School was delighted to be able to send a girls’ representative team to the Under 15 FOBISSEA Games hosted by St Andrew’s Green Valley School in Rayong, Thailand from 10-14 November 2011. This was the first time Bangkok Prep has participated in the FOBISSEA Games since becoming an accredited member earlier this year.

Our all girls’ under 15 team consisted of eleven strong athletes from Years 9 and 10 who, together with our Bangkok Prep staff, were extremely excited to have an opportunity to compete against six other international schools includ- ing those that had traveled from Malaysia and Vietnam.

Our students thoroughly enjoyed the experience of participating in the four sports of swimming, athletics, football and basketball. The Bangkok Prep team achieved some wonderful results, particularly in swimming and athletics where several students were awarded medals at their first Games.

Bangkok Prep congratulates the under 15 girls’ team on its success and appreciates the dedication and efforts of the host school and FOBISSEA in organising the three days of games and competition.

FOBISSEA GAMES & EVENTS CALENDAR FOR JAN—MARCH 2012 MONTH DATE EVENTS HOST JAN 2012 19 - 21 Jan 2012 FOBISSEA MUN II Conference BPS JAN 2012 28 - 29 Jan 2012 JIS FOBISSEA Invitational Student Golf Tournament JIS, Brunei FEB 2012 3 - 5 February 2012 FOBISSEA Drama Festival (for KS3 students) GISKL FEB 2012 4 - 5 February 2012 Senior Games Football/Basketball REG P FEB 2012 10 - 11 February 2012 Pastoral Leadership Job Alike Workshops (JAWS) DCB FEB 2012 24 - 25 February 2012 FOBISSEA Primary ICT Conference BSM FEB 2012 24 - 25 February 2012 Primary ICT Job Alike Workshops (JAWS) BSM MARCH 1 - 4 March 2012 FOBISSEA Primary Maths Challenge BSM MARCH 1 - 5 March 2012 FOBISSEA U13 (Group B2) Games REG P MARCH 9 - 10 March 2012 Early Years Job Alike Workshops (JAWS) DCSZ MARCH 9 - 11 March 2012 FOBISSEA Community Service Conference StSB MARCH 16 - 17 March 2012 FOBISSEA U13 (Group C2) Games KIS, Sabah MARCH Thurs, 15 March 2012 FOBISSEA Executive Committee Meeting REGENT B MARCH 16 - 17 March 2012 FOBISSEA Heads' Business Meeting REGENT B MARCH 22 - 26 March 2012 FOBISSEA Primary Performing Arts Carnival BISJ MARCH 22 - 24 March 2012 FOBISSEA U13 (Group A) Games KLASS, KL MARCH 25 - 27 March 2012 FOBISSEA U13 (Group B1) Games DCS

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PRIMARY FOBISSEA GAMES GROUP D – Wednesday 1st June Friday 3rd June 2011

1st – 3rd June 2011 saw the Primary Group D “Friendly” Games take place, hosted by The Regent’s School, Bangkok. Visiting teams were accommodated in the Pathumwan Princess Hotel in Central Bangkok, which was ideally located close to the sporting venues for the three days of competition, allowing participants to walk to and from the venues each day. With close to 200 student participants and accom- panying staff, Day 1 commenced early with the swimming competition at the new Chulalongkorn University Sports Centre Swimming Pool, with a lift off of white balloons to signal the start of the Games. Competition was of a very high standard in all three age groups, resulting in many close and exciting races for the sizeable gallery of specta- tors to enjoy. An afternoon start on Day 2 (after a morning performance by the Joe Louis Puppet Theatre Com- pany in the Hotel) saw the Athletics competition start under a cloudy sky at the Thephassadin Na- tional Stadium, providing ideal conditions for the competitors. National anthems of the four coun- tries represented at the Games were played (Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam), as all stu- dents and staff stood and listened respectfully to all the four anthems.

Field events then took place first, with excellent medal winning performances from all the schools in Long Jump, Shot Putt, Tee Ball Throw, Triple Jump, 3 Springs Jump and High Jump. Late afternoon witnessed the 60m sprints races, watched by all students and visiting and local parents as the field events took a break – some really close races and fantastic times were recorded. Field events were then completed before a dinner break, which was a Thai style buffet, prepared and consumed at track side! Then came the highlight of the day – track events under the bright floodlights of the Thephassadin Stadium – gruelling 800m races, followed by 600m races, then the 100m sprints, and the fabulous 4 x 100m relays. It was a historic evening, seeing Primary school children competing under the exhila- rating atmosphere provided by the Stadium floodlights. The programme finished at 9.30pm in the evening, concluding a wonderful afternoon and evening of athletic activity. To finish off a fabulous event, what better way to celebrate the successes of all the students than with a fabulous Gala Dinner in the Jamjuree Ballroom of the host hotel, the Pathumwan Princess Hotel. Overall, an outstanding event, in terms of organisation, student participation, location, accommodation and student and school team successes. The behaviour of all the students was a real credit to their schools and we look forward to seeing them compete in future Games in similarly exemplary ways. On behalf of the host school. The Regent’s School, a big thank you to all the visiting teams for their support and co-operation; and to Mr. Phil Bond of the Regent's School who as Tournament Director ensured that all aspects of the organisation of the Event ran smoothly. Well done to all involved! T H E F O B I S S E A N Page 4 F O B I S S E A E V E N T S

Senior Leader’s Job Alike Workshop (JAWS) Conference - hosted by the British School of Guangzhou, China

The Senior Leaders' Job-Alike Workshop Conference was hosted by the British School of Guangzhou (China) on the 18th & 19th November 2011. There were 22 Senior Leaders from many FOBISSEA international schools. Schools represented at the conference comprised , The British International School of Vietnam, International School Brunei (ISB), The British School of Manila, Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar (Malaysia), The Alice Smith School (Malaysia), Dulwich Beijing, Tanglin Trust School (Singapore), Harrow Beijing, and the British School of Guangzhou.

The two-day conference allowed for no less than fifteen high caliber presentations delivered by the attendees themselves and covering a broad and worthwhile range of topics. Each of these was a perceptive introduction to an aspect of school im- provement and/or leadership which the various schools have embarked on in recent times. The attendees all agreed that these proved to be very valuable and thought-provoking when set against their schools' own particular contexts. Each pres- entation was followed by insightful question and answer sessions, and the emphasis was very much on candid and professional sharing of ideas as is the spirit of the FOBISSEA Job Alike Workshop for- mat, a now popular format for continuing professional development within this regional associa- tion of British International Schools.

Overall, these sessions proved to demonstrate that all of the schools attending face similar issues as they strive to enhance their students' education through creative leadership and inspired solu- tions. Specific topics included effective leadership, strategic planning, external and internal whole school evaluation (we compared the British OFSTED model to the CIS process for example), profes- sional performance reviews, student leadership, child protection, drugs education, strategic plan- ning, vision statements and balancing student-centered learning with outstanding exam results.

It is crucial that prolific international schools invest in their staff at all levels, and this particular conference served to provide practical ideas on how Senior Leaders can continue to work towards education of the highest quality. Harnessing the talents of people who are leading their schools in hands-on and inspirational ways is an excellent way to facilitate such professional development, and we hope that the JAWS can be increased in scale in future years.

The other major benefit of making strong professional connections with our colleagues in other schools was very much in evidence and further underlines why this kind of opportunity is so valu- able.

James Penstone Bangkok Patana School

T H E F O B I S S E A N Page 5 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT REPORT FROM THE CPD training and have arranged an excellent rate with one of the local hotels so that staying in FACILITATOR, TANIA DONOGHUE Hong Kong is not as expensive as you would think. I was also fortunate to attend the Senior Lead- ers’ JAWS, as it was the first of its kind and was Discovery Bay in showing potential to be an area of growth within Hong Kong is the the FOBISSEA CPD. It was a hugely successful other FOBISSEA JAWS with over 70% of delegates saying that it member school in exceeded their expectations. The organisation the area. Located was outstanding and the caliber of presentation and discussion was very professional. There is no doubt that the Senior Leaders’ JAWS is going to grow from strength to strength. on Lantau Is- land. The school As the FOBISSEA CPD representative, when join- is a 20 minute ing events I also like to take the opportunity to ferry ride from look at the school, its facilities and the amenities Hong Kong Is- in the area. Guangzhou is an incredibly modern land. Like Kellett Chinese city with everything that you’d expect International from a large city. The streets are wide, with School, DBIS is expanding as their Secondary lovely wide pavements for walking. There is a School develops. All areas of the school had the large choice of accommodation and transport is latest facilities and ample room for hosting dele- very well priced. British School Guangzhou had gates for JAWS or similar training. Serviced everything required for hosting successful JAWS. apartments are available for rent if training was The meeting/presentation area was very spa- hosted, and in the not too distant future a hotel cious and if anything was needed it was easily will be opening nearby. catered for. A big thank you to Dr. Dan Moore and all of the staff, I certainly hope that the Brit- Each school also had their own outstanding ini- ish School Guangzhou will host other JAWS in tiatives that make them great British Interna- the future! tional Schools. I am hoping that we will be fortu- nate enough to have them represent these ini- The Chairman of the CPD Executive, Mr. Ciaran tiatives at the next Senior Leaders’ JAWS! Harrington is the Vice Principal of Kellett Interna- tional School in Hong Kong, which is where I Thanks must also go to the following people for went next. Once again the beauty of visiting their work arranging very successful JAWS in these schools is to see their facilities first hand. Term Science JAWS September 2011 – Jackie Schools in Hong Kong do not have as much space Stevens and Lisa Cannell and staff at Tanglin to work with as many of the other schools within Trust School, Singapore. FOBISSEA, but what they lack in space they make Primary & Secondary Art & Design JAWS – up in superb Sudha Nair, Ross Padgett & staff at Garden Inter- planning and national School, KL. organisation. Secondary Drama JAWS – Sudha Nair, Jo Lee & staff at Garden International School, KL. Learn- The Kellett In- ing Support JAWS – Tina Akers and staff at Brit- ternational ish International School, Phuket. School has all Thank you for your hard work and effort to make the facilities these JAWS successful! needed to host Tania Donoghue, FOBISSEA CPD Facilitator

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Twenty five representatives from FOBISSEA Schools in , Brunei, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Malaysia, Singa- pore, Taipei Thailand and Vietnam recently attended the FOBISSEA Learning Support Job Alike Workshops (JAWS) from 25—26 November 2011 hosted by the British International School, Phuket.

Hosted in the beautiful grounds of BIS Phuket, the JAWs provided a great opportunity for the participants to share common experiences, discuss job-related is- sues, share resources and establish networks for fur- ther collaboration and communication.

All participants were actively involved in establishing valuable networks and participating in posi- tive discussion on topics that included: The role of the SENCO and LS staff; Assessments; Programs for intervention; Fulfilling the promise of differentiation; Parents as Partners; Access arrangements & External specialists and professionals in SE Asia.

In addition, Phuket’s resident Occupational Therapist, Karen Beardsley, presented a session for all participants on Sensory Motor Development: What is it and how does it affect our students? This was followed by a practical workshop on the Move to Learn program, pre- sented by Rochelle Carberry from Garden School, Malaysia.

Thanks go to Tina Akers (BIS Primary SENCO) and the Staff at BIS Phuket, for coordinating the successful JAWS. It provided a great opportunity for learn- ing and networking. It established a resource for future sharing and collabo- ration for FOBISSEA SENCOs and teachers who support children’s learning in the Early Years, Primary and Secondary schools.

M I S S I O N A N D G O A L S

To promote excellence, high achievement and good practice through a British-style education for the members of FOBISSEA. To promote consistent British-style education through shared programmes, Cooperative initiatives and inter-school enrichment activities.

C O N T A C T U S Gurmeet Kaur: [email protected] OR [email protected]

V I S I T O U R W E B S I T E www.fobissea.org

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