COBIS 25th ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE
May 2006
SUMMARY OF WORKSHOPS

Workshops were held on the five topics below. The aim was to give conference members the opportunity for exchange of ideas, issues and good practice on topics of current and practical interest – using the considerable experience and expertise within our membership.

The summaries below, provided by the chair of each group, offer a record of key points of discussion.

1. The All Age School: challenges and opportunities

Workshop A
Chair: Gary Benfield

• Better opportunities for the development of a whole school identity which in turn enabled the generation of a desirable “family atmosphere”. The latter was considered very important an something which all believe should not be taken for granted. Increasing pupil population was seen as a threat to sustaining such an atmosphere. Interestingly, local legislation did affect the age group organisation of a number of schools represented in the group.

• The development of school rules that were applicable and relevant to all age groups was seen as problematic. Linked to this was a suggestion that the youngest children in all age schools could and would be exposed to the less savoury aspects of “street-wise language” sooner rather than later. There was a good discussion point but no agreement as to whether this was a wholly negative point.

• Whole school In Service Training was seen a problematic due to the diversity of needs amongst staff as a whole. Possible solutions to this that were discussed included the possibility of key stage links between closely neighbouring schools, a plea to COBIS members to flag up on the web-site especially good INSET providers, and a strong impression that one-off training sessions were not as effective as those which were followed up or ran throughout an academic year.

• It was generally thought that All Age Schools were able to call upon a greater range of professional skills from amongst their own staff than single phase schools. The induction of new colleagues into a whole age range school was considered very important and something which all of us wishes to improve in our own schools.

• The opportunities for Pastoral and academic continuity were seen as the biggest advantages to pupils and families. It was acknowledged that it is the existence of subject specialists “reaching downward” through the age groups that seeded such continuity and evidenced the often unsung power and importance of specialism in the learning process.

• Transfers between KS2 & 3 were seen to be difficult even in All Age Schools with adolescence, differences in teachers’ approaches and mentality, and a certain lack of continuity in the curriculum at this transition, being cited as the key factors. (Primary teachers teach people /Secondary teachers teach subjects???)

1.The All Age School: challenges and opportunities
Workshop B

No input received as of 26 June 2006.

2. Ensuring Good Governance
Workshop A + B
Chair: Jeremy Long

The attendance was good with more people joining in than had signed up.

There were a number of points that were common to both sessions. There was a considerable amount of wide ranging discussion over the suggested issues, although time did not allow for lengthy discussions on ‘what constitutes good governance’ or ‘what can go wrong’. The following bullet points highlight areas where it was felt COBIS could offer support. One very pertinent point was that there seemed to be the same number of variations in governance as there were schools participating and some form of standardisation would be welcomed.

Finally all participants agreed the sessions were very valuable and perhaps more time could be allowed for them at future conferences.

The main points raised were:

A request for some sort of framework on good governance.

• Guidance on policies.

• Ideas on responsibilities.

• A code of conduct.

• A request for ideas of best practice.

• Training for Governors.

• Training for Boards.

• Training for Heads.

• The availability of an independent arbiter.

• Guidance on Board evaluation.

• Guidance on Head Teacher evaluation.

Attached are:

• What is Governance? (as outlined by AGBIS during the Conference 2005)

• A code of conduct for board members

• A list of responsibilities for board members

   

3. Fundraising and Alumni
Workshops A + B
Chair: Trevor Rowell

Fundraising: members saw a role for fundraising, but with some limitations. It was recognised that there are different levels (for example: charitable, minor and major fundraising); and that different geographical and socio economic contexts affect what works. All members raised funds for charity – as an educational exercise. This is well supported by school communities. Many engage in fundraising with the “PTA” or equivalent – but also expressed the recurrent controversy here: what should the School provide from fees, and what is a legitimate for parents to be asked in addition? Occasional gifts were offered, but “old IT equipment” was almost always politely declined, for reasons of incompatibility or poor quality. Only a small minority had tried or succeeded with major capital fundraising. One school had raised significant funds for an Art/Theatre facility. Another had raised very large sums from corporate donors towards building projects. In these cases, experience showed that where a clear case is developed, and mutual interests demonstrated, major funds can indeed be raised. Expert advice can help – and the school should not set site too low! Controversially, it was suggested that the locality of every school offers some opportunity for major fundraising.

Alumni: experience varied, some schools have begun to develop alumni databases, others had not entered this area. It was agreed that this activity is not easy, and it requires consistent and special management (e.g. a “Director”). It can however bring significant benefits. It’s purpose was agreed primarily to be in developing the school community (for loyalty, for second to third generation enrolments, and for influence and contacts), not fundraising. Alumni could nevertheless help in raising funds: focussed “giving” could be related generally to former year groups (e.g. “the class of 1972” etc.); or specifically to “bricks” of a project, in the American tradition. Students (for example Year 13 leavers) could offer time to develop and maintain alumni records (especially students adepts with IT systems). Two comprehensive software packages to support fundraising and alumni relations were noted: “Razors Edge” and “Giftmaker Pro”. Where pursued, developing alumni relations can work to the benefit of the school – not least with a generation now using “Friends Reunited”.


4. Teaching Modern Foreign Languages in an International School
Workshop A
Chair: Peter de Voil

The standard curriculum in most of the schools present consisted of French, German and Spanish, in addition to English and the native language of the country. Diversity and accessibility are important. We asked why we all still offered French, and decided it was largely for historical reasons. There is some interest in Mandarin, with parents asking for it, but none of the schools present offered it.

There are problems in countries where the native language is not an international language and is little used outside the country (e.g. Czech or Danish), and expatriate student see little point in learning it. In one school, mother-tongue lessons are offered after school, and in others some students are having native language lessons at home rather than at school.

However, it was agreed a high level of fluency in the native language of the host country was not required, but language teaches an understanding of the culture. There may be a cultural conflict in some schools. The dominant language in the playground and corridor may be the host language or English, depending on the proportion of native speakers in the school. One school brought children from a national school and their international school together for music, games and art. What language does a country need to be able to succeed as a multicultural society? Will English always be dominant and how do we stop students losing their own language? Some parents want English for commercial reasons.

Not all children are linguistically able, but assumptions are made about their ability to learn languages. Some children speak well, but cannot write the language. Some schools bring in teachers from outside to ensure that children from different countries can be taught their native language/mother-tongue and then take it as one of their IB options. Advice to parents must be that pupils should speak their own language – and not English – at home.

Many schools offer native language teaching to expatriate teachers as part of their employment “package”, so that teachers become more sensitive to the language and culture of the host country.

4. Teaching Modern Foreign Languages in an International School
Workshop B
Chair: Barbara Gibbs

The group consisted of mainly primary school colleagues and two secondary school. The primary schools were in Luxembourg, Belgium, The Netherlands, Portugal (2) and Spain. The discussion mainly centred around what the primary schools did. There was no common approach.

The students in the school in The Netherlands are mainly English speakers and they are taught Dutch twice a week for 30 minutes and in Year 6 they take French.

The school in Luxembourg has many students who speak French and many who speak German and quite a lot who speak Danish. They have a problem “with their native French and native German speakers” which they endeavour to solve using computer programmes which the children can use on a one-to-one basis depending on their ability. They were given 15 minutes per day when they started their French or German and that increased to 40 minutes per day by Year 6.

The Belgian school teaches French from Year 4 upwards 40 minutes 4 days a week and they don’t speak Dutch. They set across 2 year groups.

The Portuguese schools both have a considerable number of Portuguese as a first language and they teach Portuguese as a first language with Portuguese as a second language from Year 3 upwards. One school taught French from Year 6 and the other taught French from Year 5.

The Spanish Junior School has over 90% Spanish children, a very long teaching day even in the Juniors (from 9.00 am until 4.45 pm), taught in both Spanish and English and all of those students have to be taught Valencian.

Which Languages should schools teach?
Consensus was that both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese should be taught to as many students as possible. There was insufficient time to discuss why we didn’t.

One of the problems it was felt for English students from England learning to speak a foreign language was that in the experience of one colleague English students from England were not used to be taught in the target language. There was not general agreement on this point.

One of the useful nuggets of information which came from the discussion from the secondary schools was that in the same way that British students took English language as a GCSE subject it was possible to take French language as a GCSE subject by French natives or fluent speakers and German language etc and Spanish language as an additional GCSE to the ones followed at present. The Cambridge Board runs these.


5. Religious Education in the International School
Workshop A
Chair: Tim Unsworth

1. Each member of the discussion described how they were approaching the subject in their own schools.

• Celebration of festivals during assembly

• Via PHSE lessons

• As a secondary core subject leading to IGCSE in RE

• Using the subject of Spirituality in secondary curriculum

2. There was agreement that each school could be doing more but nobody sure how to proceed. The following options were discussed

• RE is delivered as a set subject, with a clearly defined policy, communicated to parents ’over the coming year your child will be exposed to information about the following faiths...’

• RE could be delivered as part of the Geography syllabus

• RE continues to feature in assemblies but this should be formalised through the creation of a policy

3. The question of who should deliver RE was discussed. There was a range of opinion including Class Teacher, specialist teacher, teacher with a particular interest in a certain religion and visiting experts, although there was a feeling that the latter two categories might try and indoctrinate.

4. One member explained that the fact that his school was not teaching religion actually worked in their favour and they used this as part of their marketing.

5. One member suggested that as a scheme, the AIS had written ‘Believe It Or Not’. Another spoke strongly in favour of the UK National Curriculums RE scheme of work.

6. Mark from Harrow International School, Bangkok described the research he was doing into this subject and Neil H suggested that when he had finished, Mark should sell it to the other international school as a core syllabus!

In summary, it was agreed that this is a sensitive subject. The school needs to make the first decision whether to deliver RE or not. If the decision was yes then the content and format needed formalising via a policy and this communicated clearly to current parents and explained to prospective parents as part of the school tour and within the prospectus.

5. Religious Education in the International School
Workshop B
Chair: Gary Benfield

The members of the group evidenced that there was a large range of different practice within schools (timetabled RE - no timetabled provision): The PSHE programme was the most common vehicle of delivery used by all schools with “spirituality” seen as a key component of teaching. It was agreed that pupils did respond well and want to address the big issues of “who am I” (personal identity) and similar philosophical issues.

The initial school contract which parents signed with the school was considered VERY important, with the need for the schools expectations regarding faith etc. to be explicitly explained within it. It was also considered essential that the schools expectations and practice should reflect clients’ needs and not cause offence to any group of children or adults that the school serves.

Parents were seen to be a good resource for sharing knowledge about different faiths, especially through assemblies but the extent of parent involvement varied from culture to culture. The importance of celebrating the festivals from as a wide a range of world religions and philosophies was considered to be an essential part of good practice. None of the schools represented advocated a “No faith” approach to curricular planning.

Timetable organisation and time allocation varied greatly, with a single PSHE lesson supported by assemblies representing the norm. It was unanimously agreed that PSHE/Religious issues should and did pervade all subjects in the school curriculum.

Assemblies clearly play a key part in the delivery of this part of the curriculum and were seen as an opportunity for a wide range of presenters to contribute. (Parents / Governors / Visitors / Colleagues / Children). It was considered most important that a schools’ annual assembly programme should be both structured and then audited for their outcomes.

The existence of a special if not exclusive place in school where Faith/PSHE could be delivered was considered important. This then has implications for the way that our assembly halls are decorated, the displays that are on show, and the general care that is taken of them. Interestingly, it was acknowledged that in those schools which had a chapel that it was one of the most frequently visited places by returning students.

Interestingly; of all the schools represented in the group, the only one which described itself as secular was also the only institution which organised the delivery of PSHE/Faith by specialists with knowledge of particular faiths. For every other school represented, this part of the curriculum is usually delivered by class teachers or tutors. Only one of the schools represented had appointed specialist teachers trained in RE but the Heads of primary schools acknowledged that RE specialists for the primary age group could be good classroom teachers and make a good contribution to whole school planning.


Useful email addresses:
• www.agbis.org.uk The Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools. They produce an excellent slim volume on ‘Guidelines for Governors’ which covers everything you should know and need to do. Also Shane Rutter-Jerome the Secretary has offered COBIS members advice on Governing matters as well as the opportunity to take part in any of their training packages.

• www.ecis.org and www.cis.co.uk have a similar slim volume on ‘Governance in International Schools’ by Hodgson and Chuck, again a slim volume and very good value. ECIS and CIS offer help in both Board, individual training and evaluation.

• www.governorline.info Provides a very wide range of on-line support and information for governors. This is a very useful resource and easily accessed.
 

CODE OF CONDUCT

As a member of the Board of The British International School of xxxxx, I agree to abide by the following Code of Conduct:

1. I shall respect the confidentiality of privileged information which comes before the Board and not discuss confidential matters of the Board outside meetings of the Board or Board committees.

2. I shall respect the authority of the Educational Director of the School to implement the policies of the Board.

3. I shall consider all viewpoints and listen to the opinions of other Board members and other parties before making final decision.

4. I shall communicate honestly and share with other Board members information relating to matters with which the Board is or should be concerned.

5. I shall treat other Board members with respect and consideration.

6. I shall avoid any conflict of interest.

7. I shall avoid raising individual concerns or matters unless Board policy implications are involved.

8. I shall endeavour to attend all Board meetings.

Responsibilities

The Board of xxxxxxxx of the International School of xxxxxx is responsible for:

• ensuring the long-term stability and success of the school.
• fiscal policy of the school.
• establishing priorities and policies to provide leadership and overall direction for the school.
• hiring and evaluating the school’s director .
• serving as an advocate of the school and its mission.
• monitoring the implementation of the school policies.
• evaluating the school’s effectiveness in achieving its mission.
• communicating the board’s priorities and policies.
• evaluating the effectiveness of the board itself.

WHAT IS GOVERNANCE?

GOVERNANCE is the Board's responsibility.
It is about ensuring that the organisation has a clear mission and strategy, but not necessarily about developing it.

It is about giving guidance on the overall allocation of resources, but is less concerned with precise numbers.
(Managing without Profit – Mike Hudson)

WHAT IS GOVERNANCE?

GOVERNANCE is about taking responsibility for the organisation performance, but not about ... the detail of the performance management system.

GOVERNANCE is ultimately concerned with providing insight, wisdom and good judgement.

(Managing without Profit – Mike Hudson)

WHAT IS MANAGEMENT?

MANAGEMENT is a staff responsibility. Staff are responsible for implementation of the strategy agreed by the governors. They are responsible for turning the governors’ intentions into action, and for administering the systems and procedures needed to get results.

(Managing without Profit – Mike Hudson)
 

WHAT IS MANAGEMENT?

In practice, staff also do much of the work required to flesh out the detail of strategies and policies agreed by the governors. They also help to ensure the mechanics of the governing process run smoothly.

(Managing without Profit – Mike Hudson)
 

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

“I’ll do the navigating, you act as driver”

(Chairman of the BBC to his Director General, 1970s)

“I run the Board and the Chief Executive runs the company ”

(Baroness Hogg, Chairman of 3i PLC, 2004)

“Our job is to make sure we have the right people running the business day-to-day within the right structure and who have the right resources at their disposal to create a long-term viable business”

(Sir Roy Gardner, Chairman of Manchester United, 2003)
 

GOVERNORS: CRITICAL FRIENDS

“A critical friend offers support, constructive advice, a sounding board for ideas, a second opinion on proposals, and help where needed. But a critical friend may also challenge, ask questions, seek information, improve proposals, and so seek to arrive at the best solution. ”

(DfES Terms of Reference Regulations 2001)
 

SCHOOL PERFORMANCE

“Two of the most important functions of governors are:-
their monitoring and evaluation of the school’s performance,
yet in many schools these are often the weakest areas of their work. ”

(Making It Better – HM Chief Inspector of Schools, 2001)
 

GOVERNORS & HEAD

“The relationship between a Governing Body and its Head should be one of complete trust, with unfettered frankness of discussion, and with a generous recognition by the governing Body that the head has full freedom of operation in the discharge of his/her responsibilities …”

(AGBIS Guidelines for Governors, 2000)
 

GOVERNORS & HEAD

“That wide autonomy is balanced by an obligation, on the Head’s part, to share with the governors all they need to know about the state of the school.”

(AGBIS Guidelines for Governors, 2000)
 

ALL THEY NEED TO KNOW …

About pupils –

What is the admission policy?
What is the ability spectrum on entry?
What is done for those with special language or learning needs?
Does each year group get a fair deal?
How are any gender issues dealt with?
Are there significant disciplinary problems or trends?
 

ALL THEY NEED TO KNOW …

About staff –

What is the size and quality of the candidates for the jobs?
Are salaries and conditions competitive enough?
Which are the most and least effective departments...?
.. and what is being done about the least effective?
Continuing professional development – is there a policy? Is there a sufficient budget?
Is staff morale good or a cause for concern?
 

ALL THEY NEED TO KNOW …

About Education –

Proposed changes in curriculum and organisation
Changes in public examinations
How value-added measures work
The debate about standards
Concerns and preoccupations of COBIS Heads
New and relevant national legislation

ALL THEY NEED TO KNOW …

About bursarial matters –

Financial parameters – free reserves, cash position etc.
Bad debts. Fee remissions, pupil-teacher ratio
Buildings & ground maintenance concerns
Recent relevant social legislation and regulation
Planning authority matters
Support staff – morale, terms & conditions

WAYS OF FINDING OUT

The Head’s regular reports
Committee discussion
Questions
Reports from staff on specific issues
Setting the right agendas
Inspection reports
Surveys of parental views
Governors’ days

HANDS-ON GOVERNANCE

Individual governors can be and are often directly involved in –

• Drawing up particular school policies

• Determining senior staff salaries and conditions

• Supervising building projects

• Sitting on panels – appointments, complaints, appeals

• Fundraising work

• Health & Safety considerations