Education Schools Profile
because of where we come from and where we are going. If someone applied to one of my companies with Le Rosey on their CV, I’d want to meet them. Te ties are for life.” With fees in the range of 200,000 few parents
can afford Le Rosey or Aiglon College, its nearest competitor also in Switzerland. And as Matthew admits, while the school offers bursaries, “if you come from a family that is not wealthy, the pupils wouldn’t be uncomfortable, but the parents might feel that they don’t fit in.” Te school’s car park must be fairly intimidating, one imagines. But for those parents seeking the benefits of a more
international education there is an ever increasing number of more affordable options. A response perhaps to a rise in demand for schools who offer their pupils language learning, worldwide friends, a genuine breadth of view, access to the International Baccalaureate (IB), or simply the chance to benefit from an organised and high quality English-spoken education while working abroad. Even the notion of an international education is not
as “new” as it may sound. Sevenoaks School in Kent began expanding its own world view 50 years ago, says Arabella Stuart, the school’s Director of Admissions and Marketing. “Under Kim Taylor, our head at the time, a boarding house in the sixth form was designated an international house, designed to attract foreign pupils to the benefits of a British education. Mr Taylor wanted them to return to their homelands where they might well end up in politics (or even as rulers), with enlightened views on world affairs. At the same time, local students were exposed to views they might not have known. Te effect was two way.” Of course, many schools would argue that they
have plenty of international pupils, and always have. Far East Asian rulers such as a King and Prince of Siam and several Rajahs and Maharajahs of Indian
‘If you come from a family that is not wealthy, the pupils wouldn’t be uncomfortable, but the parents might feel that they don’t fit in’
nation states have long attended Eton, for example. But what makes Sevenoaks different is the breadth of nationalities attending (there are 35-40 countries represented at any one point) and the way the school changed itself to benefit them, rather than simply expecting the foreign intake to “be British” for the duration of their education. Te IB was introduced 30 years ago, and language learning stepped up a gear, with native speakers found to teach almost any tongue required,” explains Ms Stuart. Other subjects benefit from the world view too:
literature classes don’t just focus on English classics, but from other cultures; history is taught with a much more global perspective, especially in the Sixth Form. “Our interest filters all the way through the curriculum,” explains Ms Stuart. Nor is Sevenoaks alone in its internationalist
approach. Holy Trinity International School in Kidderminster, Worcs is a co-educational independent school offering an internationally minded education to children from 3 months up to 18 years of age. A member of International Education Systems (IES), it has sister schools in Devon, Lincolnshire, South Africa, Hungary and Florida. It is also a member of the International Schools Association, the Geneva-based organisation which sponsored the development of the IB. Pam Leek Wright, the school’s new head teacher,
explains that the school gets its international flavour from its curriculum and its exchange programme. “For example, some of our students do a term at
Boca Prep in Florida. Or the leavers can do a gap year in Costa Rica through our SEK (the Spanish-speaking equivalent of IES) partners.” Te aim of the school is simple: “We want our pupils
to have a global outlook and awareness but not to the detriment of their British identity.” And with Sixth Form fees coming in at just over £10,000 a year, it also gives the lie to the idea that internationalism in education is only the privilege of the very rich. At Dulwich College, London, pupils benefit from a
different approach to internationalism: the school has expanded outwards setting up partnership schools in three mainland China locations – Shanghai, Beijing, and Suzhou, plus Seoul in South Korea; and is running an A-level programme with a Chinese school in Zhuhai. Having reached the number of schools it is allowed to be involved with, under strict People’s Republic of China legislation, Dulwich is now looking at other countries who are interested in its brand. Deputy Master Ralph Mainard explains: “Tese
schools benefit Dulwich London in lots of ways. Not only do they spread our ethos globally, but at a simple level, they allow people to move their children within the Dulwich family (if a posting at work changed the family location, for example). “But on a more practical level, it creates a direct link
for pupils who are studying Mandarin, so they can use Skype in order to practise their oral skills and take advantage of exchanges.” Te school is also principally a day school, but Mr
Mainard explains that doesn’t limit its global clientele. “Our intake reflects the City of London, and we get many pupils whose parents are from France or Germany but are working here.” He also points out that the Chinese schools provide
their London alma mater with valuable income, which substantially funds the £2million worth of scholarships
24 FirstEleven Autumn 2011
www.firstelevenmagazine.co.uk
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