A round-up from Cobham, Egham, Doha and Hillingdon
Barnaby Sandow reflects on his first year as Head of School at ACS Cobham.
How would you summarise your first year at ACS Cobham?
The strength of unity that I have witnessed over the past school year has been exceptional; it’s been a pleasure to join this extraordinarily welcoming community. To provide an example, the events that are driven by the parents, students and teachers are absolutely startling, and I was witness to this as soon as I joined the school. One of the first school community events I attended was an 'Ice Cream Social' on a Sunday in September. Around 400 people came into school - on a Sunday! - to share a bowl of ice cream. I thought this was incredible, but then the next event was bigger, as was the next; it is striking how engaged the community is.
Recently, the strength of our school community, including our wider community, has been demonstrated through the Wonderful Wednesday talks, which have been organised by parents. At a recent virtual event, they invited recent graduates and other parents to speak on the subject of resilience, and how they had overcome challenges in their own lives. These have turned into really useful and worthwhile events to motivate our community in a time of crisis.
The sense of potential and opportunity that is embedded throughout the school has also been very apparent over the last year. We have phenomenal facilities and an extraordinary location, and, within all of this, it's what the children and teachers make happen that's created some really striking memories for me.
ACS Cobham is a genuinely international community, and this is a theme that runs through the school not only in the languages we speak and the accents we have, but in the way students collaborate and work together. Our students are incredibly open-minded - they don't see boundaries, they just see opportunities to collaborate.
What has made you most proud this year about the learning community?
At ACS our vision is to create genuinely effective learners who can thrive wherever they are in the world, have the confidence to overcome any challenge, and care enough to make a difference and contribute. These are the three aims we're working towards, and actually, the coronavirus pandemic has given us the opportunity to see these qualities come to the fore more than ever.
For example, although our Grade 12s have not been able to take their IB exams, instead of brooding over their disappointment, a couple of students have used their initiative and built a website to help other students who might be doing the IB in the future [read more about IB Aid in this magazine]. That was not driven by their parents or teachers; this was the students themselves taking the values they've learnt at school and moving forwards with them.
In what ways have students demonstrated independence in their learning?
In everything we're doing, students are being required to take more ownership of their learning and the independence they have demonstrated has been phenomenal. Since the school closed in March, it’s been fascinating to see how different parts of the school have flourished.
The visual and performing arts department is an area where you can truly see how much thinking and creativity the students have produced, in an entirely independent way. For example, we have a jazz band that has been working and recording music independently, but has been able to compile individual pieces into one video where the members are all contributing to the same song. It really is a compelling piece of film and music. With projects like this, students have stepped out of their comfort zone, as have our teachers, and a range of new technical skills have been developed while they produce something creative.
Performing arts in action at ACS Cobham
What are your priorities for the next 12 months?
My immediate priority is implementing the first steps of our action plan to do more to play a positive role as a catalyst for change against inequality and injustice. The Black Lives Matter movement is something our community takes very seriously. One of the first actions in our plan is a series of Zoom forums for students and parents who would like to attend. It’s an opportunity to make their voices heard and to air any concerns they may have around racism, identity and equality in the school, which will help inform future policies.
There are further things we’ll be reviewing over the next 12 months, including how reported incidents of racism and discrimination are managed and ensuring that black cultures are equally represented in our curriculum alongside all of the cultures our school represents. We will look at our guidelines for the formation of student bodies and clubs, to ensure that any forum for students is inclusive of all students who have an interest and will work more closely with alumni from diverse backgrounds to act as role models for our current students. Ensuring diversity and training in our staff is another focus. I look forward to working with our fantastic community to make great strides towards these commitments.
More generally, the wellbeing of our community - both physically and emotionally - is critical. As we move towards what we are calling the ‘next normal’, we need to make sure that not only are students, teachers and other staff members, physically well enough to come to school, but that we are supporting the mental wellbeing of our community, reducing levels of anxiety, and providing a safe environment where everyone can contribute.
It may be that we have to overcome some geographical barriers, but it is our priority to ensure that everyone, wherever they are, has access to the education and support they need to continue to move forward. We're sure that through this experience our students will be gaining a wide range of skills and learnings that will contribute to them becoming competent citizens, ready to thrive in whatever environment they are in.
Students at ACS Egham were recognised for their excellent academic achievements, following a regulatory compliance and educational quality inspection carried out by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI).
In addition to their academic excellence, the quality of students’ personal development was reported as ‘excellent’, with areas of note including students’ “excellent self-confidence” and ability to “tackle tasks with resilience and flexibility”, and their “excellent appreciation of different backgrounds and cultures”.
Seven ISI inspectors visited ACS Egham for two days to assess all areas of the school and, in their final report, concluded: “The quality of the pupils’ academic and other achievements is excellent. Pupils of all ages develop excellent study skills and the ability to take responsibility for their own learning. Pupils show excellent attitudes and they work both independently and collaboratively with considerable success. Pupils achieve high standards across the curriculum, reflecting their well-developed skills for learning the school’s high expectations of them.”
Jeremy Lewis, Head of School, ACS Egham
ACS Egham is the only school in the UK to offer all four International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes to students. The school’s academic success within IB programmes was commended by inspectors, who recognised that pupils achieve results in the IB Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme “significantly” and “well-above” world-wide averages respectively.
On top of their academic and personal achievements, students were recognised for their international mindedness, which is a key trait of IB learners. Students’ ability to develop an appreciation of different backgrounds and cultures was noted as “excellent” in the report, with inspectors commenting that students respect “those whose experiences or beliefs are different” and are able to work together for the wider good. In addition, the inspectors provided a number of positive comments regarding students’ clear commitment to supporting others and contributing to wider society.
Jeremy Lewis continues: "At ACS we believe that, for young people to thrive in the ever-changing, increasingly-interconnected world, education should develop students as global citizens, who are well-equipped to collaborate and communicate with others. We couldn’t be more pleased that our students have been recognised for the fantastic work they produce as part of their studies, and we look forward to supporting them as they continue developing and learning together.”
2020 marks an exciting year for ACS Doha as it finally moves into its fantastic new school this September.
Special consideration has been given to the design credentials of the new school, mirroring the ways our students learn, making it the ideal environment for children to thrive.
Ground-breaking campus
“The construction of a new ground-breaking ACS Doha campus presented the opportunity to create something truly special ready for needs of the ACS International community and ready for Qatar’s bright future,” explains Aaron Thompson, Senior Development Manager for the new school and himself a parent of three children at ACS Doha.
“In developing the design of the building, ACS sought to create a truly bespoke education building that has been considered and designed from the inside out, which meets the needs of inquisitive and motivated learners.”
The new campus presents a strong contemporary landmark to meet the aspirations and ambitions of students and staff alike. The shift in design is a move away from traditional institutional layout model, to an active, inclusive and practical approach to facilitate ACS Doha’s rigorous learning.
There are four key design principles at the heart of the new school: natural light, fresh air, functional spaces and good acoustics. These elements combine to provide a learning environment to boost your child’s cognitive performance.
The way the internal circulation has been designed enhances the connectivity of learning spaces, allowing alignment with our approach to learning at ACS Doha. It also promotes a culture of creativity, diversity, engagement and collaboration with a strong sense of community – all great things are valued by parents, students and staff alike.
Other design elements include a nuanced colour palette to allow students’ work to shine in the spaces. The selection of furniture has been carefully considered to providing agile learning spaces for group work or individual study.
Beyond the classroom, the high-quality facilities include:
Artist impression of the new facilities
Landscaping and natural planting also plays an important role, providing a welcoming environment for reflection and play for all age groups.
Furnishing for the future
Collaboration is at the heart of our curriculum. It is also at the heart of the new school.
Open learning spaces outside the classroom, with a variety of zoned areas, will allow for individual study, online education, reading and collaborative work. The physical environment is key to the learning objectives of the school, offering our students layouts, furniture and physical organisation which support individual or collaborative group learning.
“Our parents, students and teachers have been testing the furniture in the current school and their opinions were considered before the final selection was made. The classrooms incorporate intelligent, innovative and integrated furniture solutions that can be adjusted very flexibly to fit a large variety of learning scenarios,” explains Pooja Asher, Senior Project Manager.
Celebrating heritage
It is not just a classroom that inspires. When designing our new school, just as much consideration went into the communal areas and walkways. There were a few objectives when designing these spaces: to instil a feeling of calm and also to incorporate our proud local heritage, celebrating ACS Doha’s Qatari roots through language and art, while embracing our international identity.
While COVID-19 has certainly presented challenges for many community and service-focused activities this year, ACS Hillingdon is looking forward to a new school year and a new diploma which will help students consolidate their experiential learning. Andy Groark, Head of Service Learning, Experiential Learning and an IBDP film teacher at Hillingdon, explains what’s coming up.
Tell us more about experiential learning at ACS Hillingdon – what does it involve?
Learning beyond the classroom – experiential learning – is a key part of the ethos across all ACS campuses. At ACS Hillingdon, experiential learning includes three key elements: service learning, career readiness and outdoor education.
Service learning, including community engagement activities, in particular, is a big part of school life which encourages students to gain a deeper awareness and understanding of their place in the world, and to take considered and meaningful action to bring about positive change where it is needed, while acting with integrity. As part of their Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) assignments, many High School students will engage in activities to support our local community, and there are also regular initiatives within the school which enable students to think about and engage with the world around them – for example, our Eco Club has a dedicated section in the school grounds where they can plant and grow.
As part of our career activity, we run an annual Grade 9 STEAM project just before Christmas. It is entirely student-led, and students are able to share things that are entirely of their own creation and design. This year, we were introduced to websites on mental health, computers students had built themselves and fashion dresses they had designed and made.
Unfortunately, many of our external activities, including our overseas excursion to Guatemala, had to be cancelled this year due to coronavirus, but we’re looking forward to – hopefully – planning some more global cultural explorations next year, and outdoor learning will certainly be a big focus upon the return to school.
What are the plans to advance this type of activity at ACS Hillingdon?
We are developing a diploma that will provide a valuable framework for students to actively take small steps leading to a better future, and encourages them to act in an ethical and responsible way as a global citizen. It will comprise key elements, split into core values, competencies and areas of expertise, and including things like: wilderness engagement, work experience, artistic expression and leadership. Through the intentional reflection which is embedded to the programme, students develop a deeper understanding of who they are and what they value by capturing their individual stories and celebrating their growth.
By introducing this diploma, we aim to consolidate the valuable activities students are already completing within the school day and in their spare time, providing them with a tangible qualification to recognise all of their efforts. The Diploma will allow our students to work towards completing a framework of different skills relating to citizenship and service, and it will allow us, as a school, to ensure we can introduce more opportunities for students to take positive action. As well as building partnerships with external charities and organisations, we are looking to encourage more student-to-student mentoring, and would like to provide the resource for students to develop new student-led initiatives and ideas.
Since lockdown began it’s been fantastic to see the proactive and thoughtful initiatives students have undertaken to support their peers, for example Jaden and Eemil, two final year students at ACS Hillingdon, have used their knowledge of the IB programmes to create a database of student-centric resources for other IB students coming up through the school. This is a key part of service learning, which we’re definitely hoping to see more of next year.
ACS Hillingdon
Hillingdon student
Why do you think it’s important for ACS Hillingdon to offer this type of diploma, and, more importantly, encourage these types of activities?
This new diploma is going to be a really big thing in terms of how the students recognise what they’re doing, and how they think about what education looks like – experiential learning really is one of those things that shapes an ACS education. Having students recognising that they’re part of an international community, and that they are people who can make a difference, is fundamental to an international education – the diploma will help us to frame this and provides students with experiences they will value throughout their lives.
We’re keen to introduce service activities and other aspects of the diploma as early as possible for students so that it is something they develop throughout their time at ACS. For Grades 9 and 10 the diploma will be a focus and will be embedded into the school day, as well as being encouraged in students’ spare time. In High School, students will work towards the diploma in parallel to their CAS activities. We’d also like to introduce elements of the diploma to Grade 8, enabling students to transition to the requirements in the rest of their school life more fluidly.