Weekly Update 16

Dear all

As is the norm in education, the first term is always the toughest for all. As I sit in my office tidying up some paper work and looking forward to a break with my family, I decided to reflect on this first term and pass on my thanks to all involved at the school.

We have seen a great many changes and improvements to the school, from the dining facilities to new PE areas. Improvements to our ICT rooms are still ongoing and will be completed for our mock IGCSE and AS levels in January. Early years have seen great leaps forward especially in the outdoor learning environment. The primary and secondary school teaching goes from strength to strength as identified by our CfBT (the accreditation agency) consultant. We all realize we have a long and difficult road ahead of us to gain the ISQM (international school qualification mark) which is akin to the Ofsted (Office for standards in education) accreditation in the UK.

After a packed first term we look forward to our school trips in February to Chiang Mai and the fantastic Chao Phyra barge cruise. We also have Y11 and Y12 mock IGCSE and AS level examinations in January and Y6 and Y9 Cambridge Checkpoint examinations in April. This feeds nicely into the full IGCSE ans AS level examinations in May and June.

None of the above can be successful without the combined efforts of the internal staff from the guards to the Director, from the maids to the cooks, and most importantly the teachers and students. The external help of parents and guardians has been crucial to the excellent progress recorded at HeadStart International School.

Team work can only work well when a variety of thoughts and styles are merged to create a successful formula. I think this has been achieved at HeadStart, and will continue to grow in strength.

It leaves me with the pleasure of hoping each and every one of you have a relaxing, fruitful and most of all, a happy holiday.

Ralph Millington Director of Studies