New survey findings from COBIS and ISC Research
Two new surveys confirm recruitment for international schools is not getting any easier in 2022 as Ashley Kirk and Fiona Rogers report.
Read More›
Leadership
Falling apart? Find a way back!
After binge watching the new Beatles documentary “Get back!”, Fab 4 fan Michael Iannini thinks again about what makes great collaboration possible.
July networking event in Wales
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 Council of British International Schools London conference 2022
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.
Planning to counter high-risk threats
Keeping people safe in high-risk situations is what Phil Jones does. What can schools learn from his approach?
The importance of school climate and culture
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.
International schools and the war in Ukraine
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 they, what are they?
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.
Finish the year strong and united
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.
Building a school’s reputation as a great place to work
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.
Reputation is everything
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.
The reputation of leaders
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:
- “What is it like to work there?”
- “Are staff treated well?”
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.
First things first
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.
Money isn’t everything
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 –
- Trust
- Growth
- Safety
- Respect
- Innovation
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.
Building trust
Some ways you can demonstrate that you value your staff (other than uplifts in pay and benefits):
- Ensure you have the routines, policies and procedures in place to make their working day run smoothly. Does SLT maintain a visible presence around the school? Does the behaviour policy provide sufficiently clear guidelines for managing behavior and incorporate support structures for personnel dealing with regular misbehaviour?
- Ensure staff know you have their back. Should a complaint come to you, ensure the correct procedures are followed in dealing with that complaint.
- Offer opportunities for personnel to have a voice and feel listened to.
- Negotiate some discounts/services for staff from local vendors/companies (coffee shops, restaurants, gyms, hair and beauty salons, holiday firms etc.)
- Allow staff to use the school resources, e.g. swimming pool or fitness equipment for their own health and wellbeing or to share their talents and knowledge with others, e.g., through running book clubs, staff choir, sports/yoga sessions, arts & crafts, cookery or photography lessons.
- Trust your staff to be professional and to do their job. So, if a member of staff wants to leave right at the end of the school day (assuming they have no other commitments in school), then trust them, as both adults and professionals, to be ready and prepared for the next day.
Consider:
- What are your values and how are those communicated and lived across the school community?
- As members of SLT, how do you stay abreast of what is going on in the organisation? Who has an opportunity to speak to you on a regular basis?
- Is your performance management system designed to promote and support growth, or is it seen as a stick to beat teachers with?
- What support structures are in place for a staff member who may be struggling?
- Is it clear that there is a progression pathway for those who are keen to grow and develop (at all levels of the organisation)?
- Is equality to the fore in your school? Is your team diverse? Is that diversity represented at all levels of the organisation? Are all children/adults welcome?
A great place to work
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
Dealing with critical incidents in international schools
‘Critical incidents’ cause distress. Responding to them in the wrong way makes things worse. Ian Gross outlines the big issues involved for international schools.
Gender and school leadership
For Katie Tomlinson, addressing the gender disparity in school leadership is a matter of urgency. Seven steps should be taken now.
A new model for humanitarian action
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.
When things have to change
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.
The future of education is not what it used to be
Sir John Jones asks if the future of learning is in safe hands, Not unless we follow three imperatives for effective educational change.
Let’s talk about teaching and learning
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.
Recognising student learning
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.
Recent research highlights important developments in the recruitment of international teachers
A new report highlights key shifts in international school teacher recruitment and professional development. Anne Keeling has more.
Online educational tools and protecting children’s data
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.
Combining online with on-campus learning and teaching
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.
Specialised Sports Programs in schools
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.
A coaching way of teaching
Nicholas Mckie fuses three pedagogical styles with three ways of coaching to form ‘a coaching way of teaching’.
Teachers’ leadership styles and student performance
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.
Student-directed learning spaces
Learnlife’s Ulrike Suwwan makes a strong case for incorporating ‘Hublings’ – flexible spaces for self-directed learning – into the design of any school.
International schools with affordable fees are in demand
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.
Bringing out leadership stories
For Ciaron MacMahon, the magic of leadership is ‘being present’ for others in everyday interactions and then bringing out everyone’s leadership stories.
Focus on the good bits first and the rest will follow
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.
How stable are your systems? How safe is your data?
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.
Analytical insight
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.
Embedding data-led decisions in the strategic planning cycle: COBIS21 link article
While schools understand that data should inform strategic planning, they often get their timing wrong or rely on unreliable anecdotal evidence. Ashley Kirk and Doris Suchet of ISC Research have advice.
Ensuring an inclusive culture in an international school.
Adam Boddison and Kamal Bodhanker look at how the UK’s National Association for Special Educational Needs (nasen) are now supporting international schools in partnership with COBIS.
“There is more in you than you think”
Phil Mathe looks at the profound international legacy of one of the twentieth century’s greatest educational thinkers. You may not have heard of him but his influence suffuses international education.
Learning for an interconnected world: COBIS21 conference link article
Andreas Schleicher takes an in-depth look at the measurement of ‘Global Competence’ in PISA 2018. As he argues at the COBIS21 conference, the associated concepts and skills should be at the core of any modern curriculum.
Leading in a Climate of Change: COBIS Annual Conference, May 10 – 13, 2021
Colin Bell, CEO of the Council of British International Schools extends an open invitation to members and non-members to attend this year’s Conference.
How the pandemic is affecting practice in international schools
Sam Fraser, leader of the ISC Research field team reflects on how the pandemic has changed international education in ways of which we should all be aware.
Self-aware leadership
Rob Stokoe shares ideas about self-aware leadership and reflects on an emerging pandemic legacy of resilient, positive headship.
From KL to Rotterdam
Gail Schoppert looks back at a lifetime spent in international education and with international teachers, reflecting on the changes he has seen since the late 70s.
The advantage of asking questions
Ciaran McMahon suggests that leaders who ask good questions rather than provide all the answers, will strengthen their school’s response to a crisis.
. . . when choosing an international school
Anne Keeling looks at a recent White Paper published by ISC Research which provides insight into what parents are looking for in an international school this year.
Adopting an Environmental Social Governance code at school
Lisa Walsh thinks that the adoption of Environmental Social Governance codes by an increasing number of companies could – and should – be an example for school Boards.
Inclusion in a remote setting
Janice Ireland and Marytina Osuchukwu describe how a school in the Niger Delta region has introduced a radical inclusion programme, with dramatic results.
Covid-19 and school leadership in disruptive times
Richard Gaskell invites us to pause, take stock and listen to each other as we prepare to take on the next section of the Covid white-water ride.
Good governance during challenging times
Matthew Savage and Dr. Helen Wright explore the ingredients of effective school governance, and how to help schools grow #betterboards.
A thought for those “leading from the middle”
Phil Mathe takes off his hat to the ‘engine’ of a school – the middle leaders who are playing such a crucial role during the Covid crisis.
Pilot online accreditation visits
Gary Minnitt, Director of Accreditation at COBIS looks at the advantages emerging from a series of online pilot school visits. Not easy, but so far, so good.
Supporting local staff in international schools
According to Henry Wong, helping local staff understand the micro-culture in which they work is as essential as orientating new international staff when they arrive.
Making difficult decisions in difficult times
A survey for the February 2021 COBIS Bursars, Business Managers and HR Staff Conference, throws light on how schools are steering a course through the troubled waters of the pandemic. Paul Cabrelli and Andy Homden report.
New FOBISIA inter-school event takes off during lockdown
Andy Homden looks at a competition for international schools that simply would not have happened without lockdown, and seems destined to grow quickly.
How Covid-19 is changing the recruitment landscape for 2021
Diane Jacoutot, one of the most experienced recruiters on the international scene. analyses the contradictory impact of Covid-19 on recruitment, and predicts a teacher shortage in 2021 – 22.