This weekend, the Council for British International Schools (COBIS) we will be holding its 40th Annual Conference, the first time we have held the event since 2019.
We look forward to celebrating the diversity of our global network and to the vibrancy of our conversations, which know no borders, at our conference in London and online.
The conference will be attended by over 520 in-person and virtual delegates, exhibitors, speakers, and guests from 50 countries, and we are thrilled to be bringing members, associates and the wider British international school community together once again.
We have a diverse and accomplished list of speakers, including Katharine Birbalsingh CBE, headmistress and co-founder of the Michaela Community School and chair of the Social Mobility Commission, who will be speaking on leadership.
“The past two years have been a challenge for all schools around the world.”
Diana Osagie, the founder of Courageous Leadership and The Academy of Women’s Leadership, will be speaking on the importance of connectedness. On Sunday morning we’re hosting a panel discussion called “Where Next for Education?”, chaired by the Rt Hon Lord Jim Knight, and featuring Rachel Sylvester (chair of The Times Education Commission), Joan Deslandes OBE (headteacher, Kingsford Community School), Alex Beard (senior director, Teach for All), and Ndidi Okezie OBE (CEO, UK Youth).
The programme also includes a number of case studies from COBIS schools from around the world: Meadow Hall School in Lagos will be taking us through “Enhancing Student Achievement through Deep Learning” and the British Embassy School Ankara, Turkey, will be hosting a session titled “Reflections on the Impacts of COVID-19 on SEND Pupils in International Schools”.
The British School of Bucharest will share their insights on “A Whole School Culture of Care”. Plus, in keeping with our ongoing commitment to promoting child protection best practice, safeguarding is a key focus in this year’s conference.
Emily Konstantas, CEO of The Safeguarding Alliance will be delivering an essential session on Contextual Safeguarding Mapping and Nina Hartley and Peter Lynch from Rugby School Thailand will be sharing how to set up an effective Early Help Service in international schools.
The past two years have been a challenge for all schools around the world. The annual conference programme will showcase the resilience and creativity in the COBIS network, highlighting their innovation of practice, agility, and ability to harness technology and promote the well-being of both staff and students.
“We hope colleagues leave feeling connected, inspired and ready to change the future of education.”
We will be welcoming many exhibitors and sponsors at the event to share their support and services with the network, and we are grateful for their participation.
This is also a unique opportunity for those new to COBIS to connect and learn more about membership and Patron’s Accreditation and Compliance (which now has over 200 schools who have been through or are registered to go through this quality assurance process since its launch 5 years ago).
We are keenly aware that not all school representatives are able to travel to this year’s event, with restrictions still in place in many parts of the world. We will be looking forward to seeing as many as we can on screen as part of the hybrid element of this event.
We are also mindful of the current global circumstances, the ongoing war in Ukraine and our thoughts are with our colleagues at British School Ukraine (BISU) and others. The COBIS Black Sea Schools Group has set up a Red Cross Fund for BISU colleagues, which can be donated to here.
After a long two years without a face-to-face meeting, we look forward to seeing our members and associates in-person this weekend at Westminster Park Plaza. They will receive a characteristically warm COBIS welcome, and leave feeling connected, inspired, and ready to change the future of education.
Tickets are still available to the COBIS annual conference and can be bought here.