You are warmly invited to attend HeadStart’s Key Stage 3 Art Exhibition, opening on Wednesday 16th September at 3.30pm in the Atrium at our Chaofah City Campus. The exhibition celebrates the wonderful artwork created by our Year 7, 8 and 9 students during the last academic year. Visitors will be able to explore a diverse range of creative work, including drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture, with 3D pieces created using clay and Mod Roc.

Please join us in celebrating the achievements of our young artists. You can also sing along to the songs performed by our fabulous singers and musicians from the Music Department! The exhibition will run until Monday 21st September. We hope you’ll come along, explore the artwork and enjoy the creativity of our Key Stage 3 artists.

We warmly welcome all interested parents to join our upcoming University Preparation (UPrep) Drop-In session from 8:30am in Nakita’s Café (first floor). Join our University Counsellors for an informal chat, personalised advice, and valuable insights to help plan your child’s pathway to leading universities around the world.

We were delighted to welcome so many parents to our first UPrep Talk of the 2026–27 academic year.

The session provided an introduction to our UPrep programme and the support available to students and families as they begin exploring their options for life after HeadStart. We looked at how UPrep supports students from the early stages of career and subject exploration through to researching universities, preparing applications and making decisions about their next steps.

Parents were also introduced to Unifrog, our online platform for exploring careers, courses, universities and future pathways, and we discussed how students will use it throughout their time in Upper Secondary.

It was particularly encouraging to see such strong engagement from parents, with a range of thoughtful questions and discussions throughout the session. These conversations highlighted the many different pathways our students may consider and the importance of starting the process early, researching carefully and keeping options open.

A big thank you to everyone who attended, contributed questions and shared their perspectives. We look forward to welcoming families to the next UPrep Talk as we continue exploring the different stages of planning for life after HeadStart.

For more information about the programme and to view our latest presentations, please explore the resources below. You will also find comprehensive guidance and support on our dedicated University Preparation (UPrep) webpages.

Karl How | Deputy Head of Lower Secondary

I am delighted to have joined the HeadStart community as Deputy Head of Lower Secondary. Having previously worked in schools in the UK, Dubai and Singapore, it is exciting to begin this next chapter here in Phuket and to get to know our students, families and wider school community.

One of the things that has struck me most during my first few weeks is the genuine sense of respect across the school. There is a real openness and positivity in the way students approach their learning and the people around them, and I have been particularly impressed by the relationships I have seen between students and staff. It has made HeadStart an incredibly welcoming place to join.

Throughout my career, I have worked across both academic and pastoral leadership, and I have always believed that the two are inextricably linked. Every young person has their own strengths, interests, challenges and ambitions. For me, effective pastoral care begins with knowing the individual and creating an environment in which students feel valued and supported, while also having the confidence to challenge themselves and grow.

Years 7–10 represent a particularly significant stage in that journey. During these years, students are not only developing academically but also navigating increasing independence, changing relationships and a growing sense of who they are. Our responsibility is therefore not simply to support them through the challenges they face today, but to equip them with the skills, habits and confidence they will need for the increasingly demanding stages of education that follow.

A particular interest of mine is metacognition – helping students understand how they learn, not simply what they need to learn. As students progress towards formal examinations and greater academic independence, we want them to be able to reflect on their learning, recognise the strategies that work for them, respond constructively to setbacks and take increasing ownership of their progress. By developing these habits throughout Lower Secondary, we can help students approach the challenges ahead with greater independence, resilience and confidence.

I am also a strong believer that education extends well beyond academic outcomes. Experiences outside the classroom, whether through outdoor education, leadership, service, sport or the wider life of the school, can challenge young people in different ways, broaden their perspectives and help them develop into thoughtful, compassionate and capable members of their communities.

As Deputy Head, I hope students and parents will quickly come to see me as someone who is visible, approachable and willing to listen. I look forward to working closely with our students, staff and families, both when things are going well and when a young person might need some additional guidance or support. The partnership between school and home is an enormously important one, and I hope to get to know many of our Lower Secondary families over the coming months.

Outside school, I am happiest travelling, exploring the outdoors, swimming or kayaking, usually with a camera somewhere nearby. Having grown up in Wales, mountains, coastlines and unpredictable weather have always felt like home, although Phuket is making a fairly convincing case for sunshine!

It is a genuine privilege to begin this next chapter at HeadStart. My first impressions have been of a respectful, vibrant and ambitious community, and I am very much looking forward to playing my part in helping our young people make the most of these important years and prepare confidently for everything that comes next.

 
What a wonderful week it has been in Foundation! The children have made such an incredible start to the year, building beautiful friendships and developing strong, trusting relationships with their new teachers. It has been wonderful to see them becoming more immersed in their learning, exploring activities with confidence, curiosity and excitement, and most importantly, enjoying learning and having fun alongside their friends. 
 
A huge thank you to all our parents and carers for working so closely with us and supporting your children as they settle into their new routines. Your encouragement and collaboration have made such a positive difference, and we truly believe the children have had such a wonderful start to the year because of this partnership. We are so proud of them and cannot wait to see all the wonderful learning, friendships and adventures that the year ahead will bring!

Year 3 students arrived at school to discover their classroom door had been hidden by rocks and leaves. Full of curiosity, they grabbed torches and crawled through the mysterious entrance to find a dark space covered in cave paintings. As they crept, they looked carefully at the artwork around them, thinking about how it had gotten there and who had created it. In the classroom, they also discovered small footprints about the size of their own feet. Together, they shared their ideas about what they could see and what the clues told them about their discovery.

Inspired to practice their inference skills, the students wrote about what the cave paintings revealed about prehistoric times. The experience sparked brilliant, inquisitive questions: Beatle asked if he could go back in time to learn artistic talents from a cave dweller, while Alice wondered whose footprints they were and how long they had been there.

As part of our new Literacy Tree curriculum, this exciting 'Discovery Point' provided a highly engaging introduction to their core text, The First Drawing, setting a fantastic foundation for a term of creative reading and writing!

We are delighted to congratulate our students on their significant achievements in recent chess, coding, sports, and music competitions, representing HeadStart with pride on both local and international stages!

Beatle (3 White): Beatle had an outstanding run in recent chess tournaments, earning 2nd place in the U8 category at the Fortune Town Chess Championship 2026 and 2nd Runner-up at the Amnuay Silpa Chess Championship. On the international stage, he represented Thailand as the Best Performing Thai Player in the Standard Tournament at the 24th ASEAN+ Age Group Chess Championships in Singapore. In Australia, he won the Best Age 7 and Best Unrated Player Award at the Epping Saturday Fun Tournament, as well as 2nd Place Age 7 and Best Unrated Player Award at the Burwood 8 Years & Under Chess Tournament, both hosted by the Sydney Academy of Chess.

Skyz (8 White): Skyz demonstrated exceptional problem-solving skills under pressure at the STEM Olympiad in Italy. Competing against finalists from 54 countries after a preliminary round involving over 10,000 global participants, he earned a Gold Medal in Code Combat and a Silver Medal in Code Mentum by successfully solving complex Python programming challenges.

Cayla (4 Blue): Cayla delivered an incredible performance on the world stage at the U.S. KIDS GOLF World Championship 2026 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Competing against top young talent from 53 nations and 48 US states, she secured 6th place worldwide in the Girls 8 Class Individual Championship with an Even Par score across three days. Additionally, she finished as 1st Runner-Up in the Parent & Child Team Event.

Aaron (7 Yellow): Aaron achieved fantastic results at the 10th Phuket Provincial Sports Championship in August 2026. He secured two championship titles, winning 1st Place in both the U11 boys' badminton singles and the U11 boys' badminton doubles.

Naiya (5 White): Naiya showcased her musical talent by winning First Prize at the 5th Mahidol International Classical Guitar Forum, organized by the College of Music at Mahidol University.