International schools have risen to the greatest challenge we may ever face

Nicholas Wergan, European Education Director for Inspired Education Group, sees great optimism for the future...

I write this foreword at a time of intense global concern from the Covid-19 pandemic, yet I do so with a great feeling of optimism for the international school sector. This positivity is driven by the superb response from our schools to this devastating virus, and especially from the depth of character the students in our schools have shown. Our international school leadership and teaching teams have risen to the challenge of new technologies, pivoting with creative skill to the virtual, online classroom to ensure student learning is uninterrupted and aspirations undiminished; and our students have met this bar with determination, zest and great flexibility. This responsiveness and innovation in our schools has given me such strong optimism for how we bounce back from the pandemic. The months of restriction and lockdowns have led to the greatest collaboration between teachers and schools, as a combined professional learning community redesigning pedagogies for online delivery – and this professional development is being captured and taken forward (not back) into our regular classrooms to further enhance student progress and achievement in our international schools. The depth of character our students have shown us bodes well for their futures; with lifting restrictions and return of freedoms, they will draw down on their achievement in such difficult times as a well of belief in their future potential, to stoke a mindset of limitless self-belief that nothing can prevent them achieving their full potential and ambition. This is the strength of the international school sector – we prepare students to reach for and to grasp the most exciting of futures.

It is vital that schools such as ours have this future world for our students in mind as we set the success criteria for our international teaching and learning. Students enter our schools in Early Years and leave as flourishing adults, ready to succeed at the most prestigious Universities and as leaders who excel in their chosen professional fields. International schools provide the three key ingredients for any student to succeed at anything they choose: we provide the highest quality of teaching and the deepest pastoral support; we embed the most positive growth mindset in our students to believe in their own potential and we encourage the strongest work ethic to enable their success. Professor Martin Seligman, one of the leading voices in positive psychology writes that “success requires persistence, the ability not to give up in the face of failure”. The work our international schools do to enable our students’ learning character to thrive is key to their future success – their ability to flourish. The depth of character our students have shown in the face of our current global pandemic is not a surprise – this is the mission of our international schools, to ensure students thrive on learning what they cannot yet do, that they are stretched and challenged and flourish in that learning process. Our schools embed the growth mindset for students to believe in what they can achieve, the grit to never give up on their goals and the next steps of their learning, the curiosity and self-enquiry to explore new ideas and the zest to live life with courage and enthusiasm. At Inspired schools we believe the values, knowledge, attitude and beliefs instilled in our educational philosophy give our students lifelong confidence, outstanding academic results and the ability to flourish by embracing whatever challenges life throws at them.

We call this curriculum approach our Inspired three pillars, integrating innovative, challenging and enriching academic, performing arts and sports programmes. The central pillar is the academic, leading to the best qualifications for our students which then open up the world beyond school. This is informed by continued reflection on innovative pedagogy, harnessing the professional talents in all our Inspired schools across the world, guided by the latest cognitive science developments, to develop the best shared practice to empower critical thinking in our students and ignite outstanding success. Teaching is a craft we should be passionate about, and one that we should continually reflect on and develop. The academic pillar is supporting by performing and creative arts and by sport. The former sets free our students’ creativity to flourish in all they do and an appreciation of their own creative potential, through performance and appreciation of the arts. Our sporting pillar brings in the health and well-being, fun, motivation and self-discipline of physical exercise so necessary for successful study and personal flourishing. Each of these pillars of education typify international schools’ commitment to embedding the strongest learning character in our students to ensure their success and happiness.

Choosing to board at an international school can give students a unique advantage to develop this learning character and flourish, and we are proud to offer boarding at over 10 Inspired schools around the world. Boarding life develops independence – this comes from the daily routines of boarding and we see our boarders develop this independence and courage day in and day out in our schools; that boarder grit serves them equally well in the exam hall, equipping them to be unbowed by the unexpected challenges of a particular paper or question. And it enables boarders to flourish as adults, resilient and determined in their future learning, work and relationships. The enrichment programmes that our dedicated boarding teams provide develop students’ curiosity and zest for life – and this in turn ensures boarders retain their curiosity and vitality as adults, taking advantage of every opportunity in front of them. Boarders in all our international schools will talk about their boarding family. This is no coincidence – our teams work hard day in and day out to create an ethos of community and family – and our boarders learn from this an empathy and an understanding of others that can be life changing. We watch their journey from tolerance, to acceptance, to celebration of the diversity in their boarding families. In a world of increasing mental health concerns, where social media can isolate and undermine student self-esteem, the boarding family develops gratitude for what is good and going well in our lives. When we are grateful, we are optimistic – and an optimistic young person will develop into a happy and flourishing adult.

International schools have a life-changing role to play in shaping and building the character of all their students – equipping them to succeed and flourish in a complex global community. I am deeply optimistic about a future in our students’ hands; their leadership will be powerful and ethical, enabled by the academic successes international schools provide and nurtured by the depth of character they embed.

This article appeared as the foreword to John Catt's Guide to International Schools 2020/2021, which you can view in full here: