Consililum Education library specialist, Sal Flint starts a new column this month – School Readers – in which she talks to educators about three of their favourite books.
Russell Speirs, Founder and Chairman of RSAcademics is a great admirer of what Dubai has achieved in the education sector. This year he wanted UK-based educators to see for themselves why he was such an enthusiast.
In the May 2023 edition of the ITM Podcast, Nalini Cook of ISC Research and Mansoor Ahmed of Colliers International , two of the most respected observers of the international school scene talk to Andy Homden about the post-pandemic world of international education and the changes already shaping its future.
Dr Steffen Sommer, Director General at Misk Schools considers how the alignment of four core elements lays the foundation for any successful international school. He practices what he preaches.
Finding spaces for small group and individual learning at a reasonable cost is a pressing issue for schools. Andy Homden and Philip Gardner think that strategic planning and good design provide the way forward.
According to David Gregory, a simple simulation exercise can greatly enhance a school’s capacity to deal with emergencies and incidents during trips and expeditions.
Where are we with EdTech? Forging ahead? On pause? Or even moving backwards? Al Kingsley and Matt Harris EdD share contrasting views with Andy Homden in this edition of the ITM Podcast.
David Woodgate has a clear message for all fee-paying schools in the post-pandemic era: plan strategically, follow best practice rigorously and be prepared to make the difficult decisions.
The British international school market is still strong, new COBIS data show – but wellbeing and academic concerns for pupils of all ages persist post-pandemic. Dan Worth reports.
Luke Walduck looks at the guidance shared by some of the latest influencers in international education, or ‘edruptors’, following a recent white paper published by ISC Research.
It’s demanding and complex but so important. Neil Gregory looks at the importance of getting your timetable set up on firm foundations.
Elephant days, snow days and rain days
Whether there’s an elephant in the playground, or the sky is about to open, Kai Vacher, Principal of the British School of Muscat and the British School Salalah has a plan for making decisions in tricky situations.
Kevin Bartlett has a straightforward proposition. Drop teacher evaluation systems. Introduce professional learning systems. Student learning improves.
A new survey from ISC Research throws light both on current governance practice in international schools and shows how boards may be evolving. ITM’s Andy Homden reports.
Brian Ambrosio reflects on what worked when targeting sustainable change for government schools in the UAE and Malaysia.
Michael Iannini outlines the success of a mentoring program for developing leaders that far exceeded his original expectations.
With a teaching recruitment crisis looming Down Under, Tim Waley looks at the results of a recent Tes survey that shows how important PD is for candidates.
Retaining great members of staff has never been more important. Having a planned approach to staff retention is therefore vital says Dr. Brooke Moran.
Despite the uncertainty of 2020 – 22, the demand for international education is still growing and more schools have been opening, as Sam Fraser reports.
Andy Homden and Simon Harris look at ideas for teacher information packs that will help a school stand apart in the age of digital recruitment.
Two new surveys confirm recruitment for international schools is not getting any easier in 2022 as Ashley Kirk and Fiona Rogers report.
After binge watching the new Beatles documentary “Get back!”, Fab 4 fan Michael Iannini thinks again about what makes great collaboration possible.
Wednesday 13th July, 2022.
Tony Child has news of the return of a much loved summer event in the UK this July – a great networking opportunity for school leaders and other supporters of international schools.
The annual COBIS conference took place in London as a hybrid event in May. At a time of such change, it was important to get people together again, as Andy Homden reports.
Keeping people safe in high-risk situations is what Phil Jones does. What can schools learn from his approach?
Katrina Daniels-Samasa suggests that if a school does not actively cultivate its climate, it will drift and when it drifts, avoidable problems will arise.
Set up in 2021, the Times Education Commission is about to report on the state of education in the UK. Commission Chair, Rachel Sylvester looks at the initial findings.
Stephen Priest, Principal of the British International School of Tbilisi and Chair of Black Sea Schools Group looks at the heroism of colleagues in Ukraine and how schools have been supporting each other.
Who are the biggest influencers in education? Following a white paper by ISC Research, Ashley Kirk looks at the world of ‘edruptors’ and what they have to say.
Whether everyone is flying or flagging, you will get more out of your team if you take a quick look at how you work together, argues Michael Iannini.
If it is becoming increasingly tough to recruit, it has become doubly important to retain great staff. Simon Dunford looks at building a school’s reputation as a good employer in the age of social media.
Following on from the article in the February 2022 issue of ITM by Diane Jacoutot, which highlighted how the recruitment market is now going to be tougher than ever, what should, or what can schools do to give themselves a competitive edge?
Prospective teachers, like parents, are a key audience for what is being said about any school. If you can’t attract the right teachers, a school’s potential to attract new families is massively diminished.
Competition for staff is undoubtedly going to be increasingly tough. As a school, you need to set yourself ahead of the pack: having an historical reputation for excellence in education will not alone cut it if you also have a parallel reputation for not actually being a great place to work.
The undeniable fact is that teachers talk. They talk to each other, both within the school and with teachers from different schools, locally and globally. In the internet age this is so easy with different social and sharing platforms and forums.
Teachers discuss how they are treated and valued by employers; they discuss the effectiveness of the leadership. In all industries, and education is no different, the expertise and behaviour of leadership can be the number 1 reason for workplace dissatisfaction and people leaving organisations.
People don’t leave bad companies. They leave bad leaders
Betsy Allen-Manning
On the internet, the sort of questions that are being asked about schools are:
These types of questions are asked before people even decide to apply for a position or join a school. Schools, in this tougher recruitment market, need to ensure that they also have a great reputation as an employer.
Even when finances are tight, they must prioritise finding a way to offer the very best recruitment packages possible. Money is always going to be important – most people ultimately work to earn the best living possible. So, to attract the highest level of quality applicants, you must be offering packages that are attractive.
Never move the goal posts. You must also protect the attractive packages that you have offered. A surefire way to erode trust and respect from you as an employer (and ‘encourage’ people to leave) is by making negative changes to your employment packages and conditions (salary/benefit/holiday changes). The news of you doing so will spread like wildfire across the internet and will do a huge amount of damage to your reputation as a trusted, supportive and ethical employer.
If restructuring is necessary – and it sometimes is – do things as transparently as possible. If you surprise your staff, the online backlash might be difficult to contain.
While financial rewards are often a primary motivator in the recruitment challenge, it is not the only thing and there are plenty of other ways that you can make your school an attractive place to join.
Having the right culture is so crucial in everything that you do and, therefore, can achieve. Make sure that your leadership has created a strong culture within the school and staff that actively promotes, nurtures and protects –
Having a focus on providing excellent professional development opportunities for your staff can be an excellent way of showing that you value your staff and want to support their growth.
Ensure that the working conditions for your staff is appropriate. This might sound too obvious to mention but, whilst you are paying for your staff to provide you with a service, do everything you can to avoid staff burnout. Provide them with the best tools that you can to enable them to do their job. Actively look after their health and well-being.
Some ways you can demonstrate that you value your staff (other than uplifts in pay and benefits):
Consider:
The bottom line here is that recruiting the best people is now going to be harder than ever before. Schools need to actively be promoting themselves as, and get a genuine reputation for, being a great place to work. Schools should be aiming to have people discussing and sharing online, things like, “They are really good to their staff; it is apparently a great place to work”.
Author and CEO of Dumond Education, Simon Dunford is an experienced educator with over 25 years’ experience in teaching, leadership and advisory roles in many countries and regions worldwide.
Feature and support images: by geralt on Pixabay
‘Critical incidents’ cause distress. Responding to them in the wrong way makes things worse. Ian Gross outlines the big issues involved for international schools.
For Katie Tomlinson, addressing the gender disparity in school leadership is a matter of urgency. Seven steps should be taken now.
Winner of the FOBISIA – ITM Race4Good Journalism competition, 2021 – 2
Oscar Perring, Mira Vonna-Michell, Maho Fukuda and Sapphire Barker consider a very different approach to supporting global communities who need assistance.
Ever had that moment when you realise your words lack meaning and clarity? Diana Osagie makes the case of the leadership pivot as you adapt.
Sir John Jones asks if the future of learning is in safe hands, Not unless we follow three imperatives for effective educational change.
Effective teachers think, talk and write about their practice. Following the release of Innovate, Sevenoaks School’s annual academic journal, Director of Institute of Teaching & Learning, Mark Beverley, discusses the importance of professional reflection on teaching practice.
Concerned that conventional assessment undermines rather than meets student needs, Conrad Hughes suggests a different approach to the recognition of learning. Other Heads obviously agree.
A new report highlights key shifts in international school teacher recruitment and professional development. Anne Keeling has more.
Safeguarding is a high priority in any good school, but Huma Shah wonders if we are doing enough to protect children’s data when using well-known online learning resources.
As full lockdown came to an end in Bangladesh, some families still preferred to keep their children at home. One school wanted to make sure that no students were going to miss out, as the Principal, Dr. Shivandanda CS reports.
As school leaders review their strategic plan coming out of Covid, Nick Mooney looks at the potential benefits that Specialised Sports Programmes bring to international schools.
Nicholas Mckie fuses three pedagogical styles with three ways of coaching to form ‘a coaching way of teaching’.
Do ‘inclusive’ leadership styles in teachers motivate students? A study by Paul Parham and Gloria Moss at Sevenoaks School suggests there is a significant correlation.
Learnlife’s Ulrike Suwwan makes a strong case for incorporating ‘Hublings’ – flexible spaces for self-directed learning – into the design of any school.
According to Sam Fraser there is significant growth in the enrolment of international schools with affordable tuition fees: ISC Research intelligence suggest this sector will continue to expand.
For Ciaron MacMahon, the magic of leadership is ‘being present’ for others in everyday interactions and then bringing out everyone’s leadership stories.
In order to create brilliance in your school, focus on what’s going well as a starting point for change and the rest will follow, writes Simon Dunford.
Glaucia Rosas and James Wilkinson of the EduTec Alliance see a ‘perfect storm’ on the horizon for educational technology in schools. Here they explain why and what schools can do to prepare.
Tom Richmond introduces EDSK, a recently-formed think tank based in the UK which aims to influence policy through the analysis of the day’s most important educational issues.