Founded in 1999, the school educates 644 children from pre-K to 12th grade in São Paulo. BIS is a dual curriculum school with students receiving Brazilian and Cognia diplomas. The school is currently positioned as one of the top schools in São Paulo. The school’s educational philosophy revolves around a high-quality offering, innovation and preparing students to succeed in a globalised world.

Students receive a bilingual education in English and Portuguese starting with full immersion in early years, achieving advanced fluency validated by Cambridge assessments while still including an appreciation of Brazilian culture from both a curriculum and values point of view. Students have ample opportunities to participate in music, sports and international programmes such as the British English Olympics.

We look forward to gaining a deeper understanding of the school to better support them in their mission to remain the top choice school in the local area. We also look forward to sharing Brazilian International School’s valuable experiences and insights with everyone across the whole of ISP.

You can read more about the school on their website: https://www.colegiobis.com.br/

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From today, students’ pieces focused around the theme of identity are available to view in a virtual exhibition, which has been made possible thanks to collaborations with Kunstmatrix and Artsonia.

The exhibition allows visitors to explore artwork virtually displayed in spaces at three ISP schools – Tenby International School Setia EcoHill in Malaysia, Kehoe-France Southshore in the USA, and Colegio Pedro de Valdivia – Peñalolén in Chile. Visitors can immerse themselves in a virtual world and enjoy students’ art pieces as if they were visiting a real-life gallery.

The students, aged 5-18 years old, are participating in ISP Artists – a new programme that is part of the vast offer of international opportunities available for students at ISP schools.

The budding artists participated in expert lessons from The Art of Education University, who supported them to develop their creative confidence.

The programme is designed to help students:

• Know different artistic movements and their role in enabling individual and collective expression
• Be able to use and apply a range of different artistic techniques and mediums for self-expression
• Develop their understanding of their own feelings, thoughts, and perspectives, and represent them through artistic projects.

Participating students and teachers highlighted the creativity and confidence the programme helped foster in students:

“ISP Artists is somewhere where you can express your emotions on paper. It has helped us improve our creative skills and has boosted our confidence” students, Asia Pacific Schools, Malaysia

“This is not just a programme, it is a way to nurture the creativity of our students” teacher, Tenby Setia EcoHill, Malaysia.

Daniela Porta, Project Manager and programme co-lead for ISP Artists said: “We are absolutely delighted to see the ISP Artists virtual gallery launch today, as we celebrate the progress students have made so far. The variety and creativity of the pieces on show is truly astounding and helps us all to reflect on what identity means to us.”

We welcome you to explore the virtual gallery. The current exhibition will be available until July 2024.

Read more about the opportunities available to ISP students.

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Akademeia High School was founded in 2016 and has grown into one of the most respected and well-established schools in Poland. Currently catering to over 340 students, the school offers the British International curriculum to students from Year 9 to Year 13, leading to iGSCE and A Level qualifications. The school has a strong reputation for placing its students into top universities around the world.

Located in the suburb of Wilanów, adjacent to our first school in Poland, British Primary School of Wilanow, Akademeia High School is among the most reputed schools in Poland.

The ISP Europe team will now start to work closely with the school’s leadership, and we look forward to gaining a deeper understanding of the school to support them in their mission to remain the school of choice in the local area. We also look forward to sharing Akademeia High School’s valuable experiences and insights with everyone across the whole of ISP.

Please join us in welcoming Dr Karolina Watras, Headmaster of Akademeia High School, the wider team and the students and families of the school to ISP. We look forward to getting to know the school team and their community better.

You can find out more about the school on the website: https://www.akademeia.edu.pl/

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THE START OF ISP
10 years ago, a group of five passionate international educators pooled their expertise and started International Schools Partnership. They had a bold ambition – to change the way children learn.

Instead of passive lessons and tests that prioritised memorisation, our founders set out to put learners and their learning first. By supporting students to take ownership of their learning, ISP pioneered a student-centred approach which is focused on continuous improvement of knowledge and skills by evidencing learning in real time every day.

Steve Brown, CEO at ISP, reflects on our beginnings: “When we established ISP, we knew we wanted to do things differently. We knew that there was a better way for students to learn, and we are delighted to have brought so many schools and students on that journey with us so far. We are always innovating at ISP, and I’m excited for what the future holds.”

OUR GROWTH SO FAR
Over the years, we have partnered with like-minded leading international schools around the world whose leaders, like us, know the importance of empowering students and observing learning in action. We know there is power in passionate colleagues coming together to share their experiences and resources.

Steadily but quickly, our partnership grew – our group now comprises 77 schools in 21 countries around the world. And we’re only just getting started. We’re grateful for our extensive network of experienced educators around the world who share ideas, knowledge and expertise with each other every day.

“The quality and experience of our global network of learning leaders and expert educators means that we are continuously learning and gaining insights from trends in education, science, edtech and AI. We have a proven framework for continuous improvement and this, coupled with our unique learning approach, means all our teachers and schools are focused on what really matters – student learning.” Emily Porter, Chief Education and Innovation Officer, ISP

Mark Ford is Principal at The English College, Dubai, one of the latest schools to join the partnership this year: “We were delighted to join ISP this year. Being part of ISP makes us stronger as we benefit from the community of leaders and teachers from 77 schools around the world, plus the expertise and support from colleagues at ISP.”

OUR KEY AREAS OF FOCUS
Education has always been our focus and is placed at the heart of everything we do. This means our schools and students know what they need to thrive.
International learning is part of our DNA, and providing multicultural and multilingual experiences comes naturally to our schools as we are a truly international group. We passionately believe in the importance of our students being able to confidently communicate in at least one world language, while being supported in their home language(s) too.

The launch of our flagship international opportunities, now known as our ILOS programmes, in 2017 and our Future Pathways offering in 2021, provided the focus and space for our students to further explore their passions and develop their knowledge, skills and understanding in areas that matter to them. Our ‘beyond the classroom’ opportunities help our students to become responsible global citizens who are supported, informed, and empowered to decide their next steps after school.

All of this means our students learn key skills for life that allow them to succeed now and in the future – such as digital competency and global awareness.
Meanwhile, the launch of our professional development platform, the Learning Hub, in 2019, and our first accredited leadership courses in 2021 demonstrated our commitment to upskilling and supporting our teachers and leaders to provide world class learning.

Jeff Ison, Campus Principal, Tenby Schools Setia Eco Park – Malaysia, told us about his experience: ‘Being an ISP Head means challenge and support. You are constantly challenged to put learning first, to improve the offering and to grow your school. This all happens in a supportive and collegiate environment with regional and global colleagues to help in all areas from learning, safeguarding and budgeting. The Heads’ Leadership Programmes offer great professional development and create a network of global Heads ready to support each other.’

WHAT’S NEXT?
As we celebrate our first 10 years, we have an opportunity to reflect on what the next 10 years will hold.

Education does not stand still, and neither do we.

New challenges and innovations mean we are constantly evolving and learning how we can get better every day.

Some of our latest developments are focused on:

• Leveraging the best AI and EdTech across our schools to improve learning outcomes and support teachers. Our newly established ISP LabSchools will be the epicentres of innovation, serving as testing and proving grounds for new EdTech applications and methodologies all in service of our five key learning pillars.
• Our group-wide scholarships, partnering with leading global universities to offer our students exclusive opportunities.
• Our expanded commitment to ESG, accelerating the reduction of our carbon footprint and providing opportunities for impactful student-led action on sustainability initiatives.

In the next 10 years and beyond, we intend to keep pushing the boundaries to support the development of curious, confident learners.

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CS Academy has been established for over 10 years and has a strong reputation in both the city of Coimbatore and across the wider state of Tamil Nadu. CS Academy’s vision and values focus on student achievement – in academics, sports, and the arts – and the school team seeks to develop confident, independent learners who are equipped for success in university studies in India and abroad.

CSA offers a Cambridge (IGCSE and A Level) and Indian (CBSE) curriculum to over 2,800 students, on a 12-acre site 20 minutes south of Coimbatore city, in the picturesque foothills of the Western Ghats.

We look forward to achieving greater levels of excellence together.

Find out more about the school on their website – http://www.csacademy.in

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Q: How did the team get the opportunity to participate in the tournament?

Daniel (teacher): At El Altillo International School, we introduced chess as a standalone subject 20 years ago and our students take part in different individual and team tournaments in Spain. To get to the World Championships, we first competed in the Regional Championships in Cadíz back in February where our team ended in first position. After this, we went to the National Championship in Cartagena at the end of April. At this tournament, we were the best school team in Andalucía and came second in Spain, which gave us the great opportunity to take part in the First World Schools Team Championships in Aktau, Kazakhstan.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about the journey to the championships?

Daniel: Once we found out how to get to Kazakhstan, we realised how difficult the whole process would be. The paperwork was a bit challenging as travelling with four children is a huge responsibility and needed to get lots of different permissions from both parents and authorities. In addition, for safety reasons, two adults had to accompany the children and we needed a parent to come with us. The mother of one of the students was the one who was able to travel with us and her help was essential for us to have everything in order.

Q: How did you get into chess? Why do you enjoy playing it?

Leo (student): I had my first contact with chess at the age of 3 as in my school, chess is a compulsory subject. When I went to Primary at the age of 6, I decided I wanted to join the school chess club where I could develop my skills. As the years have gone by, I have taken part in different local, regional and national tournaments both in Spain and England. My teacher, Dani, decided that I could make the team to go to the World Schools Team Championships. I enjoy chess because I like tactical games and it makes me think of the best moves to win a game.

Q: How did you prepare for the championships? Were you nervous?

Alberto (student): The preparation started at the beginning of the school year with new chess learning aims which include things such as puzzles, tactics, strategy and opening exercises. We also work on the control of the clock and how to keep calm in tense situations. Specifically, for the World Championships, my dad, who is the chess teacher, told as to concentrate in making the best move in each situation without worrying about where we were.

Q: What skills do you think you have developed playing chess? Do you find that you use those skills elsewhere as well as in chess?

Jing (student): I definitely believe that I have gained some skills in chess that have impacted my day-to-day life. For example, chess is a game that puts your mind to work the hardest, you always have to be calculating variants, looking for tactics, and I think that has made me think twice sometimes in moments other than chess. Another example is that chess is honestly a fierce game. I can speak from experience that when you lose it is very frustrating and you get angry. But chess has taught me to stay calm, be more patient and I definitely feel that it has been very useful in my life.

Q: What is it like playing as part of a team? Does your approach differ when you’re playing individually versus as part of a team?

Lucas (student): When playing as a team we all get more nervous as it is like taking responsibility because if you make an error, it doesn’t only affect you but also the whole team. It is quite different because if your teammate is losing you need to play for a win, but if your team is winning 2-0 you can draw your game and secure the win for the team. You have to keep track of what the others are doing in their own games.

Q: How did you find the experience at the championships?

Leo (student): I’ve been to other big tournaments but never with people from so many different countries which was exciting and made me a bit nervous.

Q: Did you have any moments of ‘good struggle’?

Leo (student): the match against Peru because at the beginning I didn’t know if I was winning but when my opponent made a blunder I forced an attack on the other side and ended up winning the game.

Q: What is your best memory from the journey?

Jing (student): Personally, I believe it was playing people from other countries, meeting and hanging out with them (e.g. Mexico). I have always played chess tournaments in Spain, but now I have got a taste on playing different countries and it has been very interesting learning about them.

 

Alberto (student): I will never forget the flights where we talked a lot and had a whale of a time. Also, it was my first time in an airplane. Another thing that will always stick in my mind are the motivational talks before each round where we stood together with our arms around each other.

 

Leo (student): I loved the flight to and from Aktau and swimming in the Caspian Sea.

 

Lucas (student): Seeing different landscapes from both London and Aktau.

Q: What part of the event impressed you the most?

Jing (student): It was the sheer size of it, all the players, teams, experiences, countries and the excitement. I have grown up playing chess on small tournaments in Spain, and it has been a pleasure for me to play for my country and go to such a big event.

 

Lucas (student): The different outfits that people from different countries were wearing.

 

Alberto (student): Meeting all the other children from different countries that shared my passion for chess.

 

Leo (student): I was amazed by the level of the players.

Q: What have you learnt from the trip and the experience?

Jing (student): There are many things that I have learnt from going to Kazakhstan, for example meeting new friends from other countries, their traditions, their culture, I have learnt how to become better at chess, which is not only how you play, but also has a lot to do with the morale, and a lot of other ones.

 

Leo (student): I learned that for such a big chess tournament I have to prepare really well.

 

Alberto (student): If I train hard enough, I can be up to the standards of the best players.

 

Lucas (student): I realized that the hard work pays off and I can meet my goals.

Q: Does this championship motivate you to keep playing chess?

Jing (student): Yes, absolutely, in fact now I am even more attached to chess, and today, it’s one of my favourite hobbies. I enjoy training and playing chess and I love the sudden thrill of winning a chess game and how you feel so happy and proud of yourself.

 

Leo (student): I am now more motivated and am training harder to become the best I can.

 

Lucas (student): Definitely, and I would like to play tournaments like this one in the future.

 

Alberto (student): Yes, and I will keep training to win the Spain tournament.

Q: Have you seen any changes in the students since they took part in the championships?

Daniel (teacher): The biggest change I have seen in them is that they have more confidence in themselves and that they understand what they have to do during a game. They have improved their chess skills, and I am pretty sure that is going to help for the next tournaments.

Q: What’s next? Does the team have any plans for more tournaments for now?

Daniel (teacher): As I think that the best learning is done step by step, we are going to start locally and build up through regional and national tournaments with the idea of taking part in an international championship at the end. We will keep improving so that our students can enjoy amazing learning that goes beyond their expectations.

Find out more about chess at ISP schools.

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Schools have visits with special guest speakers from the charity and their young leaders gaining an insight into the lives of those who live in or are connected to the street. Raising awareness at ISP, particularly in our schools, about these issues also empowers and enables our students to make positive changes in society now and in the future.

Throughout the next week, Street Child United are hosting a Cricket World Cup. 19 teams of young people representing 13 countries will take part in a cricket tournament, a festival of arts and a congress to champion the rights of street-connected children.

We caught up with some of the ISP volunteers to hear why they decided to volunteer and what they’re most looking forward to.

Q: WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO VOLUNTEER FOR THIS GLOBAL EVENT WITH OUR CHARITY PARTNER?
Monse, Teacher, St. Jude School, Costa Rica: My dream is a better world, where children can develop and be happy. This experience helps create a change and that is what made me be here today, to be able to make a change for children.

Q: HOW DO YOU HOPE TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT DURING YOUR TIME VOLUNTEERING?
Rachel, Head of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) at ISP: I really hope I can help provide a space for the children to safely and confidently advocate for themselves. I want to be part of the community that uplifts and empowers them by letting them know that their voices matter.

Q: WHAT SKILLS OR QUALITIES DO YOU FEEL YOU BRING TO THE VOLUNTEER TEAM?
Monse: I believe that you have to have a little of all the skills like love, patience, understanding, communication, and problem solving, to make this team a better team.

Q: WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO LEARN OR GAIN FROM THIS OPPORTUNITY?
Rachel: I want to understand how we can use the power of education and our organisation to increase our impact; what more can we ISP bring to support these incredible kids?

Monse: I hope to impact many lives with my help, learn about each child, and learn about the reality of the world so I can make a change.

Q: HOW DO YOU ENVISION THIS EXPERIENCE CONTRIBUTING TO YOUR PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL GROWTH?

Rachel: I’m really excited to connect with my ISP teammates from around the globe to learn more about what’s happening in other regions, functions, and at the school level. I think the more connected we are as an organisation, the more energised and engaged we are, and we can support each other better to creatively solve problems and bring fresh perspectives to tackle our challenges together.

Monse: I think it will have a great impact on my personal and professional life, it will help me understand and learn from different cultures, different ways of educating, and learn a lot from children.

Anita, Teacher and International Opportunities Coordinator, Straits International School Penang, Malaysia: I feel these types of events will have a tremendous effect on my personal growth, self-esteem and confidence. I want to be a better version of myself.

Q: ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR MOMENTS OR ASPECTS OF THE EVENT THAT YOU ARE MOST EXCITED ABOUT?

Rachel: I can`t wait for the Congress; all week the children are meeting to talk about the issues that matter to them and develop a call to action they will present on the last day. They are so passionate and driven, I think it will be incredible to hear from them directly and learn how we can meet their needs after the Cricket World Cup is finished.

Monse: From day one I have been excited and I think I will be until the last day, everything is an incredible experience and I am going to really enjoy every second of it.

Anita: Interacting with the street children. Trying to understand them a little better and closer.

You can find out more about Street Child United, keep up to date with the Cricket World Cup, and support the event now on the SCU website.

ABOUT ISP
The International Schools Partnership is a leading global educational private group with 75+ schools across 21 countries and growing. Founded 10 years ago by an experienced team of committed educationalists, we deliver multiple curricula to an international community of over 65,000 students. We put learners and learning first.

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St George’s unique, holistic approach takes students wherever they are along their academic journey and transforms them into high-achieving, college-ready scholars. St George continues to deliver on the promise to influence lives to create a better world.

We welcome all children, families, and staff of the school to ISP and look forward to getting even better together.

This brings the number of ISP schools to 76 across the globe and to 12 in Spain.

Find out more about the school on their website: https://stgeorgeinternational.es/madrid/en/

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Just three years later, under the leadership of a new headteacher, Alan Taylor, the school has fully embraced ISP’s Learning.First. approach and has achieved the highly impressive ‘Mastering’ status in our continuous learning framework.

The school has recently had that status validated by an independent, international evaluation team, Best Practice Network (BPN), becoming the first of our schools anywhere in the world to do so.

Dr Maggie Wright, Regional Managing Director, Iberia at ISP congratulated Newton College and Headteacher Alan Taylor: ‘I am delighted to congratulate the exemplary work of Newton College and Alan Taylor who, by adopting ISP’s Learning.First. approach, has demonstrated a deep commitment to prioritising the holistic development and growth of every student in his care.

‘His visionary leadership has been instrumental in guiding Newton College on this remarkable journey. Newton College has become the first among our 71 ISP schools worldwide to have this amazing achievement externally validated which reflects the exceptional efforts of our talented educators and showcases the extraordinary potential that lies within each and every one of our students and teachers.’

‘Newton College has emerged as a global leader in education, setting a new standard of excellence that will continue to inspire and influence educational practices worldwide.’

Let’s take a closer look at how Newton College achieved its success.

ISP’S LEARNING METHODOLOGY

At ISP, we put learners and their learning first. Everyone is a learner with the power to take ownership of their learning and support the learning of others.

We give our schools a framework and the tools to reflect on their practices and be confident on the areas for action that will improve both student and professional learning. We call this framework the Learning Improvement Process (LIP).

It consists of nine criteria which research shows have the greatest impact on student learning.  Schools collect evidence against these areas to identify and drive whole school targets and actions. This contributes towards the continuous improvement of our students and schools and helps us be the School of Choice, wherever we are in the world.

HOW DID NEWTON COLLEGE USE THE FRAMEWORK TO IMPROVE?

The external evaluation team, Best Practice Network (BPN), highlighted in their report that ‘Newton College uses ISP’s unique approach of gathering evidence in “real time” to help their students achieve the very best academic outcomes.

BPN noted that ‘The school’s success comes from strategic, specific improvement planning around the systems and evidence required to achieve “Mastering” in each of the nine criteria of the LIP.’

They also commented that ‘their staff, students and parents know what the school means by learning, can identify what type of learner the school is trying to develop, and they work in partnership to understand how to help all students get better.’

WHY DOES THE SCHOOL’S APPROACH STAND OUT?

One of the most impressive things about the school’s approach is how it has engaged with key stakeholders.

‘They set realistic, smart, and achievable targets, which they share with all stakeholders’ said BPN.

Teachers and leaders – teachers and leaders are involved in contributing evidence against the review criteria. BPN noted that this was ‘unprecedented and serves as the gold standard for all other ISP schools.’ In their view, this ‘has resulted in a strong team of reflective teachers and leaders committed to improvement’.

Parents – Newton College was noted for being ‘highly successful in engaging with parents, who are regularly invited to participate in the learning visits to classrooms, and support in interpreting learning data to better support their children’s needs.’ This approach means ‘parents understand the school’s aim in creating independent and confident learners and are able to work in partnership with the school to achieve this.’

Students – BPN noted ‘students (from early years to Grade 12) can describe their learning and know how they are getting better’.

This means that everyone in the school community is working towards the same goal using the same language of learning to continuously get better.

Fiona Lee-Allan, Director of Learning for Iberia at ISP reflected on the whole school community being involved: ‘As a region we could not be prouder of what Newton College has achieved in such a short period of time. Their commitment in keeping a sharp focus on self-evaluation and improvement has been a whole school initiative that the wider community has also embraced. The school is at an exciting stage in their journey and to be recognised as a Mastering school is testament to the whole school community’.

WHAT ELSE WAS HIGHLIGHTED?

BPN highlighted a few areas where Newton College excels and has made the most of being part of the ISP community:

Academics – Newton College has achieved above-average points in the IB Diploma results for the past three years, and is ranked as one of the highest scoring schools for Spain’s University Entrance exams, EvAU.

Extra-curricular activities – ‘Students and parents applaud the range of ILOS (International Learning Opportunities for Students) and the ongoing commitment to ensure students can engage in experiences, where they can practise life skills and connect with other ISP students across the world.’

Professional development – ‘Middle Leaders at Newton College have embraced ISP’s Middle Leadership for Learning programme (MLLP), which has empowered them professionally and resulted in their own action research, enhancing and improving learning and teaching across the school.’

NEXT STEPS

Alan Taylor, Headteacher, Newton College was delighted with the school’s success, and said their work was not finished yet: ‘Our simple but relentless focus upon learning has brought us to this exciting milestone in our development. Our aim has always been to engage our teachers, learners and families. From our initial steps to understand what good struggle looks like to evaluating our impact with evidence.

‘I am delighted on their behalf that this work has been acknowledged through the Mastering School status. Now our work really begins as we consolidate our improvements and extend our philosophy of getting better together into other areas of school life.’

The evaluating team outlined that: ‘Newton College is an ISP Learning beacon school; it is a place where the learner and their learning is the focal point of everything they do… The approach taken by Newton College can be held as a roadmap for all ISP schools in their pursuit of “Mastering” in the nine criteria of the LIP.’

Please join us as we congratulate Newton College on their success. With a number of ISP schools set to have their self-evaluations externally validated soon, we are looking forward to celebrating the next school to have its ‘Mastering’ status confirmed by independent partners.

By Emily Porter, Group Chief Education and Innovation Officer, ISP

ABOUT ISP

The International Schools Partnership is a leading global educational private group with 70+ schools across 19 countries and growing. Founded 10 years ago by an experienced team of committed educationalists, we deliver multiple curricula to an international community of over 61,000 students. We put learners and learning first.

Read more from Newton College’s Headteacher, Alan Taylor, in this ISC Research piece on ‘embracing the right kind of struggle’.

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