International Schools Blog

It’s the start of a new school year, and lots of teachers take this opportunity to reassess their classroom space and think about the way they can design it so that it is stimulating and welcoming, without distracting students from learning.

International schools are putting climate change at the heart of education, empowering young people to take action on the environment and find solutions for a cleaner, greener and net-zero world.

Preparing students for progression to university requires more than just a strong grounding in academic understanding, students also need to be equipped with the right developmental skills such as the ability to learn independent, critical thinking, communication and creativity.

The National Curriculum for Computing in England might be nearly ten years old but the subject matter is constantly changing with new computing terms and programming languages, so it’s important that teachers are kept up-to-date with changes and what these might look like in the classroom. With specialist Computing teachers not found within most schools, especially at a primary level, teaching Computing can often be feared by teachers.

Teacher retention can be a struggle for international schools. A study from a few years ago found that the average turnover rate at international schools in Near East South Asia was 17%.

Part of the post-pandemic educational debate focused on summer holidays. Some politicians suggested reducing the summer break to help learner catch up on lost learning, but other educational experts argued that both learners and teachers need a long summer break to recharge their batteries.

The approach of the school holidays means that lots of teachers have the chance to pause, take a breath and reflect on the previous academic year. During term time, it can be hard to find a spare moment to keep up with the latest research. Yet at the same time, many teachers are keen to keep abreast of the latest pedagogical research and see how it could improve their teaching practice.

David Hawkins is Director & Founder of The University Guys, a team of specialist international university advisers who support students and schools with university applications to universities in the USA, Canada, Europe and more.

Educational professionals are continually evolving and learning in their roles. But just as they provide guidance and support for the students who are learning under their supervision, teachers can also benefit from a similar relationship with a mentor.

The five-day work week has been standard since the start of the 20th century – but the idea of a four-day week isn’t entirely new. It has been around since the 1930s, when it was offered as a possible solution to unemployment during the Great Depression.