Weekly Update #2, 29 August 2025

Celebrating Academic Success at HeadStart

We are proud to announce that HeadStart’s 2025 AS/A Level, BTEC and IGCSE results are, once again, incredibly impressive across the board. Before we share the headline figures, we would like to congratulate students, teachers and the wider school community for contributing to another academically successful year.

For the full A Level, our Year 13 (and two Year 12!) students obtained an incredible 47% A* or A with 92% graded A* to C and a 100% pass rate. At AS level, 36% of all entries obtained an A* or A, while 81% were graded A* to C and again 100% of our Year 12 students passed. These compare particularly favourably with UK averages, where overall 28.3% of A Level grades were A* or A (2025 data), and are truly incredible results which will be difficult to surpass for our new Year 12 and 13 students.

Once again this year, our BTEC students have really shone following last year’s amazing success. Our Year 12 BTEC students saw 35% of their entries awarded a Distinction Star or Distinction (equivalent to A* and A respectively at AS level). Meanwhile, our Year 13s took it to the next level with an amazing 60% of grades awarded a Distinction Star or Distinction, and 100% of Year 13 BTEC entries passing their course (Merit or above)

With 42% of our 2025 IGCSE students receiving A* or A grades, 92% of students receiving A* to C grades and an overall pass rate of 100%, we couldn’t be prouder of last year’s Year 11 cohort..

Congratulations to all our students for their successes.

Parent ID Cards

This is a polite reminder to all parents to please ensure that your school ID card is worn at all times while on the school site. Wearing and displaying your ID card is essential to help the school maintain a safe and secure environment for everyone in our school community.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and support with this important matter.

FOBISIA Member School Newsletter

As a new member of the FOBISIA family, we are proud to share the latest FOBISIA Member School Newsletter which showcases FOBISIA and highlights the wonderful opportunities available to its Member Schools including HeadStart students. You can download a copy of the Newsletter in .pdf format which contains hyperlinks to various events below 👇

FOBISIA September 2025 School Newsletter

Meet the Team: New Head of Lower Secondary – Kate Manning

We are delighted to introduce Ms Kate Manning as the new Deputy Head of Lower Secondary of HeadStart International School, Chaofah City campus. Having made the move over from our Cherngtalay campus where she worked tirelessly to make the first year of our Secondary school there such a resounding success, Kate will no doubt bring energy and enthusiasm to our student community in Years 7 to 10. Here’s a little bit about Kate:

“My name is Kate Manning and I am delighted to be entering my second year at HeadStart International School. Last year, I was Assistant Head of Secondary at our Cherngtalay campus, and I am now excited to take on the role of Head of Lower Secondary here at the Chaofah City campus. It is a privilege to be part of this school community and to work alongside dedicated colleagues, supportive parents, and students who are eager to learn and grow.

I spent my first 11 years teaching in the UK in Greater London and Somerset before deciding to combine my love of teaching with a passion for travelling, with my first international role at a British school in Togo, West Africa, followed by an international school in Guangzhou in China. Before discovering my passion for teaching I spent much time as a Project Manager and then a Business Analyst, and in addition to West Africa and China, have lived in Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and here in Thailand in Bangkok. Now happily settled in Phuket, I am loving this beautiful island as my long-term home where I intend to stay for many years to come.

Over the years, I have taught a range of subjects including ICT, Computing, Geography, Global Perspectives, and more. I have also held pastoral and academic positions, including Head of Year/PCO, Head of Vocational Qualifications Faculty, Head of ICT, Key Stage Coordinator, and senior leadership positions in China and here in Phuket. Across all my roles, I have been driven by a passion for supporting students both academically and personally, helping them to develop the skills, knowledge, and attributes they need to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Outside school, I enjoy exploring new places and experiencing different cultures, both here in Phuket and further afield. I love spending time nearby or in the ocean; scuba diving and snorkelling, or simply lazing on the beach, as well as discovering hidden cafés and restaurants, and visiting local markets. At home, I’m often working on a new Lego build, from intricate technical designs to Star Wars creations, usually with my cats nearby! I am excited for the year ahead and the opportunity to contribute to the continued growth and success of our school.”

Wishing Kate a successful transfer from HeadStart Cherngtalay to our City campus.

Thai Lessons for Parents every Tuesday

Classes start Tuesday, 2nd September. Contact Kru Wendy for more information: [email protected] or scan the QR code below to register.

The Friday Market is Coming!

We are excited to announce that we are already fully booked for our first Friday Market of the school year and cordially invite everyone to attend. If you want delicious home-baked treats, a range of freshly made drinks, scented candles or hand-crafted toys, as well as fun interactive activities for your young ones, then join us in the Atrium from 2:40pm on Friday 5th September. We look forward to seeing you there!

Online Homework Platforms in Primary parent meeting on 26.08.25

Thanks to the many parents who joined us for our latest parent meeting of the school year looking at homework in Primary. It was wonderful to see such a large turnout to find out how parents can support their children to make the link between school and home. We trust you found the presentation informative and will be able to help your child make the most of our programmes at home starting next week.

If you were unable to attend the meeting, please find a copy of the presentation below 👇

HSC Parent Meeting 02 Primary Homework 2025 26

UPrep Talk #1 – Introduction to the UPrep Programme on 27.08.25

The first UPrep talk for parents introduced the school’s extensive provision for supporting students in their applications to university, as well as information on how parents can support their children in navigating this process. Knowledge is power and research is key! We want to ensure that all students find their passion and achieve their potential. Our team of experts (Kru Toom, Ms Graham, Mr Roscoe and Mr Thomas) were also introduced and spent time discussing students’ future plans.

If you were unable to attend the meeting or would like to review the content, please find copies of the presentation in English and Thai below 👇

UPrep Talk 1 2025 26 Introduction to UPrep
UPrep Talk 1 2025 26 Introduction to UPrep TH

Introduction to Foundation and the EYFS Curriculum Parent Meeting

We invite all Foundation parents to join us for our latest parent meeting when our Foundation team will introduce you to our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum. It will also be a great opportunity to meet other parents and members of our community. Our Thai, Russian and Mandarin speaking admin teams will be on hand to provide translation services. We look forward to seeing you there! Tuesday 2nd September 2025 from 8:15-9:15am in the Secondary Hall (4th floor).

Parent Workshop: FastForWord (FFW) on Tuesday 9th September

We are excited to invite our parents of EAL students at HeadStart Chaofah City campus to a special FastForWord (FFW) Workshop led by Mr. Naresh Indhewat, Director of BrainFit Thailand. Naresh is an expert in the FastForWord reading programme, which many of our EAL students use at HeadStart. This research-based programme helps children strengthen their language, reading fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary – essential skills for academic success.

📅 Date: Tuesday 9th September

🕗 Time: 08.00 – 09.20

📍 Venue: Primary Hall, City Campus

What to expect:

• An overview of the FastForWord programme

• Practical advice on how you can support your child’s progress at home

We look forward to welcoming our Chaofah City campus parents of EAL students to this important workshop! The Languages Department

We are delighted to announce the results of our 2025 AS Level, BTEC and IGCSE cohorts!

August 12th (and 14th) and August 19th were exciting days in the HeadStart community; the former being results day for our Cambridge AS Level examination results and BTEC course grades (with Pearson’s AS Level Art and EPQ results following 2 days later); and the latter the day that last year’s Year 11 students found out how they performed in the 2025 IGCSE exam series. Leading up to results day is always stressful for all involved. Internal questioning from staff and students alike on whether the countless hours of studying, support and interventions have had the desired results. So, were these days of celebration or have they led to deep ruminations on what went wrong?

Once again, our results reflect fantastic achievements across the board by our 2024-25 Year 11, 12 and 13 cohorts. The posters below are just a snapshot of our high-achieving students’ grades. As always, we would like to congratulate and recognise each individual student who pushed themselves throughout the year to obtain the best grades they could. As educators we love to celebrate students who overcame hurdles to achieve their results and those that surpassed expectations.

In closing, we would like to take this opportunity to offer thanks to all of you for your contributions to these successes, whether they were large or small. Results like these can only be produced by a strong school community.

The Benefits of BTEC

Hear from 2025 HeadStart Graduate, Eva Ducasse, on her Pearson BTEC journey – how it challenged her, opened doors and provided a pathway to further study. With 3 Distinction Star grades, we couldn’t be prouder of Eva and her achievements! Wishing her all the best in her future endeavours around the globe.

First UPrep Drop-in Session on Wednesday 3rd September

We warmly welcome all interested parents to join our upcoming University Preparation (UPrep) Drop-In session on Wednesday, 3 September 2025, from 8:30am in Nakita’s Café (first floor). Come and meet our University Counsellors for informal conversations, personalised advice, and valuable insights to help plan your child’s pathway to leading universities around the world. Don’t miss this opportunity!

Panthers Football Academy Kicks Off Next Week

It’s been great to have our eager Panthers players out on the Sky pitch this week, going through the paces. With tryouts now complete, our Panthers Football Academy sessions will kick off next week on both the Panthers Arena and Sky pitches. We are all looking forward to another highly successful season.

Settling into the New Term in Foundation

Foundation settling-in has been fantastic! Children, teachers, and parents are all working together to create a warm and nurturing environment during these first weeks of school. The children have shown great enthusiasm, independence, and confidence as they begin to explore their new routines, make friends, and engage with their learning. It has been wonderful to see the strong sense of community building between home and school, and we are excited for all the achievements and adventures that lie ahead. It is going to be a great year! The Foundation Teaching Team

Year 3 Make Snacks – The Prehistoric Way!

This week in our humanities lesson, Year 3 ventured down to the dinner hall and were transported back to the Bronze Age! They followed a simple recipe to make honey and oat cakes to enjoy a delicious prehistoric sweet treat! Working in pairs, they showed excellent collaboration and were principled in their learning by following instructions step by step, despite the tasty temptation before their eyes! Maybe life in prehistoric times was more exciting than we first thought! Ms Bell and Mr Robertson – Year 3 Teachers

Stars of the Week in Primary

This week, we celebrated our wonderful Stars of the Week in Primary for our Learner Attribute of being Collaborative! These children have worked brilliantly with their classmates by sharing ideas, listening carefully, and helping others when they needed support. Some worked together to solve tricky maths problems, while others showed teamwork in PE games or group projects. We are so proud of the way they encouraged their friends and achieved success together. Well done, everyone! Ms Cusworth – Deputy Head of Primary (Pastoral)