STUDENTS AT THE CENTRE:
Leadership in an international school
Based across four sites in The Hague, the British School in the Netherlands is one of Europe’s largest and most established British international schools. David Porritt, headteacher of its junior school in Leidschenveen, gives his perspective on school leadership and the importance of placing student success at the core of what he does.
I
’ve been leading schools for 18 years, both in the UK and overseas. As a school leader, I’m fundamentally focused on the learning and growth of all the people (little and big!) who come to our campus every day.
International schools are unique environments, creating,
in one locale, two very important reflections of the wider world in which we live.
The first reflection is a rich tapestry of variation and cultural expression among the students themselves. Watching multilingual, multi-aware and multinational students working together with humility, respect and tolerance is truly inspiring. There is always so much to learn from one another. The second reflection is the considerable involvement of the international parent body in the school community. This network provides an incredible resource of intellectual specialisation, professional expertise and knowledge that supports and enhances children’s learning.
This community connection is, as an American principal friend of mine would say, “an awesome thing!”
THE DIVERSITY OF INTERNATIONAL DAY One only has to reflect on the annual International Day we celebrate at our school – the day when everyone comes dressed in national costume – to realise that we have, quite literally, the whole world together in one place, standing shoulder to shoulder.
International Day is an amazing sight and my favourite day of the school year. That’s because it reminds me of one of the biggest challenges we face in the 21st century: working
out how to live together in peace and harmony, to steward the earth’s resources and celebrate the cultural diversity that makes our world so exciting.
TEACHING FOR THE FUTURE In the end, that’s one of the core purposes of international
schools. There is an imperative that students not only learn what they require in the here and now, but also learn to be open to new emergent knowledge – and to be ready for a future that is unknown.
And so, for the most part, as a school leader I spend my time thinking about what we need to do to prepare our young people for that uncertainty. We ask questions like:
• What matters most? • What things should we do – or not do? • Is a traditional understanding of school, with a formal curriculum at the centre, going to work in the future?
• Will we get to where we need to go if we don’t challenge ourselves about how we do things?
At our school, there is a continual conversation with students, staff and parents about what really matters. It’s a reimagining, if you like, of the meaning of great learning – a perspective that places the student at the heart of everything. This approach is not only concerned with gaining knowledge, it is also focused on empowering, enabling and equipping students to learn how to learn, so they can engage with a continually-evolving future.
Right: The British School in the Netherlands 108 |
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