Weekly Update #19, 23 January 2025

Recogniging HeadStart’s Dedication and Commitment to Outstanding Education in Phuket

HeadStart extends warmest congratulations to our management team, teachers, and educational staff who received the “Honourable Recognition Award” from the Phuket Governor, Mr Nirat Pongsitthaworn, in celebration of the 70th National Teachers’ Day 2025, organised by the Ministry of Education and the Teachers’ Council of Thailand.

The award ceremony was held on 16 January 2026 at Rajabhat University Phuket, and recognised educators from across Phuket for their outstanding dedication, professionalism, and the positive impact they continue to make on students and school communities over the past three years of service.

We are truly proud of our team and deeply appreciate the unwavering commitment they have shown to our students and our school community.

Stay in Touch: Whole School Communications

We’d like to remind you that important school news will now be sent directly to your inbox via email from our Heads of Department and teachers. Every Friday afternoon, you will receive a link to our Weekly Update on the school website, which includes vital announcements about meetings, upcoming events, and key dates for your diary. The Weekly Update also highlights student achievements, both in and out of school, along with exciting activities and projects happening around campus.

For quick updates and reminders in English, Thai, Russian, and Mandarin, please scan the QR codes below or displayed on our ‘Information and News’ boards around campus to receive regular important updates. Don’t forget to follow our social media platforms for lots of pictures and videos showcasing the school in action here: HeadStart Chaofah City Facebook Page.

Thank you for staying connected with us!

Talking Heads 2026: A Year 12 Public Speaking Showcase

Join us for an evening of ideas, insight and confident voices as our Year 12 students take the stage for Talking Heads. As part of their Communication Skills course, students were challenged to develop an informative TED-style talk on a topic they are genuinely passionate about—and the result is a thoughtful, wide-ranging programme.

Expect talks exploring everything from procrastination, burnout, social comparison and mindset, to dictatorships, crime, propaganda in the age of information, and even scuba diving. Students also tackle timely questions around social media and mental health, fulfilment, and the age-old question: what do you want to be when you grow up?

Parents, students and teachers are all warmly invited to come along and support our speakers as they share their ideas with clarity, confidence and conviction.

Calling All Vendors – Lunar New Year Market

We are pleased to announce that our next market will take place on Friday 6th February from 2.40pm. The theme for this market will be ‘Lunar New Year’ – we are interested in home-cooked food and refreshments with a new year theme and handmade crafts that celebrate this important festival. If you are interested in becoming a vendor at this exciting community event, please contact Khun Boss at [email protected]

Half-Term Sports Camps

Over the February half-term holiday, our three sports academies are offering 3 days of training to help keep your child fit and healthy, continuing to improve their skills and develop friendships through their chosen sport. All camps will take place from Monday 16th to Wednesday 18th February at our Chaofah City campus. There is also the option of swimming lessons for children in Preschool to Year 4. Contact our Head Coaches or scan the QR code in the poster below.

Calling All Academy Athletes – 24 Hours to Make a Difference

It’s that time again when we rally all of our Academy Athletes, Coaches, and Parents together in order to raise much-needed funds for our chosen charity in the ‘24 Hours to make a Difference’ event. All academy students are expected to take part in this event, which will take place from 20.00 on Friday, 27th February to 20.00 on Saturday, 28th February 2026 at Chaofah City Campus.

Our AquaPanthers Swim Academy students will lead off the event, swimming through the night from 20:00 on Friday to 08:00 on Saturday morning. At 08:00, our Panthers Football Academy players will take over, with matches taking place throughout Saturday until 20:00. Panthers Basketball Academy players will then join in the fun from 14:00 until 20:00 on both courts. For the final 3 hours (17:00 – 20:00), our Academy players will be joined by specially invited teams, including parents, staff and local children’s teams for some fun games to see out the event.

• Swim Academy Students: 20:00 on Friday 27th – 08:00 on Saturday 28th February

• Football Academy Students: 08:00 – 20:00 on Saturday 28th February

• Basketball Academy Students: 14:00 – 20:00 on Saturday 28th February

To celebrate the achievements of our Academy students in their efforts to raise funds this year, there will be a community BBQ event from 18:00 – 20:00 with free food for players, parents and coaches. There will also be refreshments for sale courtesy of our BTEC Business students, with all proceeds going to the ‘24 Hours to Make a Difference’ funds. This event will take place between the lower Astro-pitch and outdoor Basketball court and along the running track. All academy students, parents, coaches and staff are welcome to attend and make this a memorable culmination to our sporting endeavours.

Nominated Foundation for 2026

We are delighted that the Head Coaches, along with our Secondary Student Leadership, have nominated the following foundation this year for sponsorship:

• Life Home Project

All funds raised will be donated to this worthy local foundation which does important work with vulnerable young children and families here in Phuket.

Exploring Higher Education in Asia – UPrep Talk 10 – Applying to Asian Universities

In our latest UPrep Talk, the University Guidance team provided a comprehensive overview of the opportunities available for students considering higher education in Asia. We explored key destinations including Hong Kong, Japan, China, Singapore, and South Korea, highlighting the region’s rapid development in technology and innovation. The session covered essential practicalities for parents, such as understanding entry requirements, navigating different academic calendars, and the financial benefits of competitive tuition fees and scholarship availability. We also discussed the use of Unifrog for researching courses and emphasised that our guidance counsellors are available to support families in making informed decisions about these diverse academic pathways.

UPrep Parent Talk 10 Applying to Asian Unviersities

Supporting Literacy in Key Stage 1 – Key Stage 1 Parent Workshop

Our recent Key Stage 1 Parent Workshop focused on demystifying the methods we use to teach reading and writing at HeadStart. We explored the ‘Read Write Inc’ phonics programme, explaining key techniques such as ‘Fred Talk’ for blending sounds and how students learn to identify tricky ‘Red Words’. The session also highlighted the distinction between transcription and composition in writing , while offering practical guidance on supporting handwriting and letter formation. Crucially, we discussed how families can reinforce this learning at home through daily reading and engaging activities, ensuring a collaborative approach to building confident, enthusiastic readers.

Key Stage 1 Parent Workshop Managing Behaviour

Upcoming Parent Meetings

We have a series of meetings designed to strengthen the partnership between home and school. From essential details regarding pastoral care for Secondary students and online safety for children in Primary to an introduction to 6th Form for the parents of Year 11 students, these sessions provide valuable insights for parents. We look forward to welcoming you to the Primary Hall to discuss how we can best support your child’s development together.

Kanthaya Kongsawad (Peemai) – Enrolled at HeadStart since Early Years

We are delighted to celebrate Kanthaya’s university successes and to share that she has received offers to study Economics-related degree programmes at the University of York, the University of Brighton, the University of Leicester, Royal Holloway, University of London, and Lancaster University. Enrolled at HeadStart since 1 September 2011, Kanthaya has demonstrated long-term commitment, academic focus, and a clear ambition to pursue a future in economics and finance.

Kanthaya’s academic interests are reflected in her Extended Project Qualification, which examined the impact of a cashless society on money perception and impulse buying, highlighting her curiosity about financial behaviour. She has also completed the Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award, combining service, skills, and physical activity through teaching jazz dance, developing advanced dance techniques, and committing to football training. Alongside her academic profile, Kanthaya has enjoyed nine years of competitive dance and six years representing the school in football, achieving success through dedication and discipline.

A respected leader within the school community, Kanthaya has served as a prefect for three consecutive years, contributed as a student council member, and taken on leadership roles within Sunny Side Up and the Interact Rotary Club, supporting charitable initiatives across the local community. Her practical experience assisting with financial records in her family business further strengthened her understanding of economics. We congratulate Kanthaya on her outstanding offers and wish her every success as she progresses towards a future career in the economic and financial sector.

Oleg Gordzievskii – Enrolled at HeadStart since Year 1

We are pleased to share that Oleg has received university offers to pursue business studies in Thailand. He has been offered a place to study Business Global Management at the Asian Institute of Hospitality Management, as well as a place on the Bachelor of Business Administration at Bangkok University, accompanied by a 25% scholarship.

During his time at HeadStart International School Phuket, Oleg has developed a strong interest in business through his BTEC studies, where he has taken part in practical activities such as selling products, communicating with customers and designing brands, helping him gain an understanding of how businesses operate in real-world contexts.

Alongside his academic studies, Oleg is a committed member of the HeadStart Football Academy and also plays football regularly outside of school, demonstrating teamwork and dedication. He has further broadened his understanding of business through short work experience placements in the real estate and yachting sectors.

Congratulations to Oleg on securing these excellent offers and a scholarship. We wish him every success as he moves on to the next stage of his academic and professional journey.

Panthers Compete at Inaugural U9 Soccer 7s

Our U9 Panthers from both Chaofah and Cherngtalay took to the pitch at BIS for the very first U9 Soccer 7’s tournament, and they did not disappoint! Both squads showed massive heart and determination, pushing through a grueling schedule of 8 games over 2 days. Their energy and teamwork were inspiring to watch!

Congratulations to our Chaofah team for bringing home the Plate trophy! Your hard work and hustle truly paid off! We are so proud of every single player who represented the Panthers with pride. The future of the Panthers football academy is looking bright!

📸 An album of photos can be found here.

U18 Panthers Begin 11-aside Journey

History was made on Wednesday as the U18 Boys Panthers Football team took part in the first ever 11 v 11 game involving a HeadStart team.

Playing against Phuket Academy at PSU, the game provided ideal preparation for the upcoming Soccer 11’s tournament at BIS.

The boys adapted to the additional players, pitch size and rules (such as offside) fantastically well and the game provided some much needed experience to all. Coach Francis – Football Coach

Good Luck @ the FOBISIA Championships!

Good luck to our Chaofah AquaPanthers swimmers taking part in the FOBISIA Championships at Thanyapura this weekend. Remember that passion, friendship and enjoyment are the keys to creating great memories! We look forward to great support from our fans joining us at Thanyapura for all the action this weekend. Go AquaPanthers!

Record-Breaking Turnout for January Chess Tournament

We are thrilled to report a new attendance record of 44 players at our latest tournament. It was especially inspiring to see our chess community growing, with 17 enthusiastic students competing in the Under 8 and Under 10 categories. The focus and sportsmanship on display were outstanding.

🏆 Overall Top 3 (7.0 points): Georgiy (6 Blue), Alex (9 Yellow), Ikkyu (7 White). ♕ Best Girls: Poppy (9 White), Sofiia (3 White), Rio (5 Yellow). 🌟 Best U-8: Raphael (2 Blue), Misha (2 Yellow), Beatle (2 White).

Fairy Tales Reimagined: Year 12 Subvert the Classics to Conquer ‘The Unseen’!

‘The Unseen’ part of the English Literature A Level is notorious for its fear-inducing qualities. Unlike other parts of the course, where students absorb and assimilate wide-ranging socio-historical, literary, psychological contexts which they carry forward into the examination, The Unseen does not offer this safety blanket.

The key to success is for students to be familiar with a wide range of generic conventions in poetry, drama and prose and to therefore explore how different writers use said conventions to position and affect their readers.

As with last year, Year 12 explored a range of generic conventions of fairy tales, from character archetypes, language use, plot structure and narrative perspective. However, drawing on what they learned through their study of satire earlier in the year in Evelyn Waugh’s A Handful of Dust, students set about playfully subverting these conventions in order to create parodies of Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel, designed to offer social critiques on everything from gender identity to social media use in teens.

Moreover, it is these kinds of experiential and collaborative projects which will live long in the minds of the students (and the audience!) and will hopefully translate into their upcoming VIMAs. Mr Pollicutt – Head of English

Smooth Sailing & Stronger Bonds: Year 12 Collaborate to Conquer the DoE Silver Challenge!

Our Year 12 students successfully completed their qualifying Duke of Edinburgh’s (DoE) Silver Award expedition during a challenging and highly rewarding sailing expedition, navigating sailing boats to Hamberg Island and Ao Yon Beach. Throughout the journey, students demonstrated outstanding teamwork, leadership and resilience, sharing responsibility for sailing duties, navigation and on-water decision-making. Students independently planned routes using nautical charts, considering tide times, wind strength and direction to make informed choices. Practical sailing skills, including knot tying and rigging safely, were reinforced.

Students worked together to prepare breakfasts, lunches and shared meals, managing time effectively to meet sailing windows. Responsibilities were shared fairly, reinforcing accountability and mutual support. Students regularly reviewed their route choices and communication, evaluating what worked well.

Vlad, our Deputy Head Boy, shared his thoughts: “The trip was a magnificent experience – sailing is truly one of those skills that I believe everyone should learn. It was an incredibly rewarding, fulfilling, and enjoyable experience. I would like to say a big thank you to the people who made it possible.”

HeadStart Students Shine

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

• Naiya (4 White) was the 1st Prize Winner in Classical Guitar at the Young Artist Music Contest 2025, organized by Mahidol University.

• Thailand Academic Contest (TAC):Congratulations toBright (3 Yellow)andWhanwhan (4 Yellow)for achieving Gold Medal Certificates, and toPatty (3 White),Fleur (3 Yellow), andNicha (3 Yellow) for achieving Silver Medal Certificates in the Preliminary Round of the Thailand Spelling Bee and Thailand English Skills Evaluation Test.

• Whanwhan (4 Yellow) received a Silver Award for Primary 3 in Scratch at the Hong Kong International Computational Olympiad.

Superheroes and Demon Hunters at Flying Lizard

Join Salli for two action-packed ‘Play in a Day’ adventures! Hosted at the Flying Lizard – a vibrant, kid-friendly cafe worth a visit – these workshops allow children aged 5-15 to immerse themselves in ‘Superheroes & Magic’ (Tuesday, 17th February) or the dark fantasy of ‘Demon Hunters’ (Thursday, 19th February). Each day covers acting, movement, and character creation, wrapping up with a performance for parents. It is a wonderful opportunity for kids to get creative while you enjoy the cafe’s great food and drinks.

For more information please check out the Flying Lizard website: events.flylizard.com