Those things still matter. But as competition intensified, we began to realise that these activities alone were becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate. Every school claimed excellent teaching, strong examination results and a caring environment. Every school invested in communication and promotion.

Rather than asking how we could promote our school more effectively, we began asking a different question:

What would make our school genuinely more valuable?

That shift transformed our strategy. Instead of treating partnerships as enrichment activities sitting alongside the curriculum, we began viewing them as strategic assets capable of strengthening learning, reputation, community engagement and, ultimately, sustainable growth.

Moving beyond occasional collaboration

Many schools already work with universities, charities or local organisations. Often, however, these relationships are isolated. A university visits during careers week. A charity supports one service project. A company sponsors a competition. Each initiative may be worthwhile, but they rarely form part of an integrated organisational strategy.

We decided to think differently. Every proposed partnership had to answer one question:

How does this strengthen the school’s long-term value proposition?

If a partnership benefited only one event, it was unlikely to justify the investment of staff time. If it could improve learning, reputation and community engagement simultaneously, it became strategically valuable.

We organised our partnership strategy around three priorities: improving student learning, increasing organisational credibility and supporting sustainable enrolment growth. This made partnership development more selective, but also more effective.

Bringing higher education into school

One of our earliest priorities was strengthening relationships with universities. Rather than limiting universities to recruitment visits, we explored how they could become active educational partners.

Collaborations with the University of Nairobi, Technical University of Mombasa and Pwani University created opportunities for students to experience university-level learning before graduation. Students participated in engineering projects, career exploration, university immersion activities and enterprise programmes that connected classroom learning with future study and employment pathways.

“Instead of asking how we could promote our school more effectively, we began asking what would make our school genuinely more valuable.”�� – Ildar Iliazov

Our work with the University of Nairobi went further through a business accelerator and entrepreneurship forum. Students developed ideas, tested business concepts, engaged with university expertise and considered entrepreneurship as a practical process rather than an abstract classroom topic.

The benefits extended beyond the students involved. Teachers gained external contacts and access to specialist knowledge, while parents could see tangible evidence of the opportunities available to students beyond examinations.

Learning beyond the classroom

Universities were only one part of the strategy. Professional and community organisations offered something equally valuable: access to authentic settings in which students could apply their learning.

Our partnerships expanded to include the Kenya Red Cross, Rotary Club of Mombasa, Google Developer Groups (GDG) Pwani, the United Nations Youth Association (UNYA) Kenya and Alliance Française (Af) Mombasa. These relationships supported leadership development, technology education, service learning, communication and community engagement.

For example, our “Goldilocks” model for community engagement, developed with the Rotary Club of Mombasa and the Kenya Red Cross, shifted service learning towards medium-scale projects that were meaningful, visible and manageable. Students helped provide computer classrooms, libraries and other learning spaces to under-resourced schools, turning community service into practical project-based learning.

Our termly Online Day, supported by GDG Pwani, prepared students for virtual university study and digital workplaces while strengthening staff confidence in online teaching. Journalism Day, organised with Af Mombasa, gave students practical experience in media literacy, interviewing and responsible storytelling.

The impact can be seen in the sustained growth of student participation. Recorded service-learning hours increased from 1,323 in 2021–22 to 1,632 in 2024–25, demonstrating that these partnerships were helping move service learning away from occasional activities towards sustained engagement.

Reputation through demonstration rather than promotion

Traditional marketing focuses on communicating a school’s strengths. Partnerships helped us create experiences that demonstrated those strengths.

The impact became particularly visible when students themselves began creating stories from these experiences. Two student-produced videos connected to our special days reached more than one million views each; one from Service Learning Day on Instagram and another from Cultural Day on TikTok.

These were not conventional school advertisements. They were authentic examples of students documenting experiences created through the wider school programme, reaching audiences far beyond what we would normally expect from paid school marketing.

“The value of a partnership is not that an organisation’s logo appears alongside the school’s. It is what the relationship makes possible for students.” – ��Ildar Iliazov

External organisations also began giving our students platforms beyond the school itself. Two of our AS/A Level students were featured in Cambridge International video content connected to its AS & A Level promotion, including material shared through Cambridge’s own channels.

Through the President’s Award Kenya, part of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Awards, our students have also achieved 25 Gold Awards and more than 100 Silver and Bronze Awards. Their experiences have subsequently been shared through the organisation’s own public channels.

For me, this represents a particularly valuable form of external validation. Instead of the school simply telling families what our students experience, respected organisations are giving students opportunities to demonstrate and share those experiences themselves.

Partnerships became part of the school’s ecosystem

As the strategy developed, partnerships began creating opportunities that extended beyond individual programmes.

In 2024, we hosted the Rotary Sunshine Rally for the Coast region, bringing together schools, volunteers and community organisations to support children with disabilities. In 2025, this approach extended to the Mombasa Open International Chess Championship, organised in collaboration with Mombasa Chess Club and Chess Kenya and hosted at our school, with visibility through the wider COBIS network.

Students increasingly moved from being participants to helping organise and deliver these events. The school became a platform where students, families, professional organisations and the wider community could come together.

This created another form of value. Hosting major events strengthened our networks and visibility while giving students authentic opportunities to develop leadership, organisation and volunteering skills.

Partnerships changed our decision-making

Perhaps the greatest transformation occurred inside the organisation. Partnership development gradually became part of strategic planning rather than an optional activity.

• When designing new programmes, we routinely asked:
• Which external organisations could strengthen this initiative and contribute expertise?
• Which community partners share our educational values?
• How can students gain authentic experiences rather than simulated ones?
• Could the initiative support learning and reputation at the same time?��

These questions became embedded in curriculum planning, student leadership, professional development and community engagement. Partnerships stopped being isolated projects and became part of the school’s infrastructure.

That shift also changed how we judged success. Enrolment was not the only measure. We looked at student opportunities, participation, institutional reputation, community relationships and organisational learning.

Lessons from our experience

Several lessons have emerged from building this approach.��

• Begin with strategy rather than contacts. Successful partnerships should be built around organisational priorities, not simply around whoever happens to approach the school.
• Seek long-term relationships. The greatest benefits appear when trust develops over several years.
• Create mutual value. Partnerships are more sustainable when both organisations gain something meaningful from the relationship.
• Involve teachers and students. Partnerships become part of school culture when ownership extends beyond senior leadership.
• Measure the wider impact. Look beyond admissions to participation, student outcomes, community engagement, external recognition and organisational learning.��

From partnerships to sustainable growth

International schools operate in an increasingly competitive environment where sustainable growth depends on more than effective promotion. Families are looking for evidence that schools provide meaningful opportunities extending beyond examination results, while schools face growing pressure to ensure that investments deliver multiple forms of value.

Our experience has shown that strategic partnerships can address both challenges. They enrich learning, strengthen professional practice, build institutional credibility and expand community networks while contributing to long-term organisational growth.

“Individual events can be copied; a mature partnership ecosystem built on long-term trust cannot.” – Ildar Iliazov

The real value is not that an organisation’s logo appears alongside the school’s. It is whether the relationship creates opportunities students would not otherwise have had, expands the audience for their work, strengthens participation over time and gives the school credible evidence of what it claims to offer.

We discovered that sustainable growth was not simply about becoming better at marketing the school. It was about creating a school that more people wanted to partner with, talk about and recommend.

By Ildar Iliazov

is Head of Projects and Marketing for in Kenya. He is also a CIS Team Evaluator, COBIS Peer Accreditor, and NEASC Accreditation Visitor. His professional interests include school improvement, social capital, strategic partnerships, international education and organisational development.

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It happens between the big moments.

A fee needs to be paid. A consent form needs to be completed. A school trip needs to be booked. A uniform needs to be ordered. Transport or an extracurricular activity needs to be arranged. Individually, these may seem like administrative details. Collectively, they are part of the experience of being a parent at that school.

The operational layer is becoming part of the school experience

For school leaders, these moments have traditionally been treated as administrative processes. Finance manages fees. Admissions manages enrollment. Operations manages transport. Activities teams manage trips and extracurriculars. Vendors manage uniforms and supplies.

For parents, however, these boundaries don’t exist. They simply experience one school and not as a collection of departments.

That makes every operational interaction a potential touchpoint for trust. When communication is clear, information arrives when it is needed and transactions happen without friction, parents may barely notice. In many ways, that is the ideal outcome. A smooth process quietly reinforces the sense that the school is organised and respects their time.

The opposite is harder to ignore. A payment link that is difficult to find, a registration process that requires repeated follow-up, or information that arrives late can turn a routine task into a source of frustration. Individual moments may seem minor, but repeated friction can influence how families perceive the wider organisation.

This is particularly relevant at the beginning of an academic year, when families encounter a high concentration of administrative touchpoints. The schools that manage this well are not necessarily those with the most resources. They are often the ones that deliberately examine the parent journey and consider whether each interaction is simply functioning or actually building confidence.

“Parents don’t separate logistics from school quality. How a school handles payments quietly shapes how parents feel about everything else.”

From fragmented digitisation to holistic transactions management

Digitisation alone is no longer enough. Schools don’t simply need another payment gateway. They need infrastructure that understands the complete transaction journey around a student and family.

This is where zenda sees an opportunity to move the conversation beyond payments. Its transaction management platform is designed to bring the wider financial and transactional relationship between schools and families into a more connected experience.

Parents can use zenda to manage tuition payments and flexible payment plans, alongside transactions relating to uniforms, transport, activities, trips, supplies and other school-related services. For schools, the platform connects these transactions with the operational and financial processes behind them.

The distinction is important. A payment platform helps a school collect a payment. A transaction management platform considers everything surrounding that payment – the process, the service, the registration, the consent and the eventual transaction.

“Payments should be seamless & invisible. When they are, schools and families can focus entirely on education.”

Why this matters to the business of schools

For school leaders, this has implications beyond parent convenience. Every fragmented process can create additional administrative work. Manual reconciliation consumes finance-team capacity, payment queries require staff attention and disconnected processes can make it harder to maintain visibility across the school’s financial ecosystem.

Connecting these interactions can therefore contribute to operational efficiency as well as a better parent experience. This is where zenda acts as a facilitator & a bridge. Its ambition is to provide schools and families with a single, connected layer for the transactions that make school life work.

For school leaders thinking about growth and sustainability, the question is increasingly not just which processes should be digitised, but whether the experience between those processes feels joined up.

Because when the operational layer works well, parents have one less thing to think about – and schools have more capacity to focus on what matters most.

A moment worth getting right��

As schools across the region continue to modernise, the infrastructure supporting them needs to keep pace. That includes education finance; not as an afterthought, but as a genuine priority.

The schools getting this right aren’t just simplifying administration. They’re strengthening parent relationships, improving financial predictability, and building the kind of operational trust that compounds quietly over time.

Because in schools, how things work is always part of the holistic experience.

zenda is an education payment platform built for schools across the globe.If you’re looking to create a sustainable financial solution for your school, reach out to , a trusted �鶹��ý partner. Alternatively, call +971 55 217 8672 to explore how zenda can help you deliver the next-generation parent experience.

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Western Asia: The fastest growing international schools market����

Western Asia recorded the strongest growth of any region across every major curriculum tracked in the report. Advanced Placement schools in the region have nearly doubled since 2021, up 99%, while UK, US, Cambridge and IB provision all expanded at double-digit rates over the same period.��

This isn’t growth concentrated in a single pathway. It’s broad-based demand across the board, suggesting a market still actively defining which curricula will dominate, and one where early positioning could shape supplier relationships for years to come.��

Africa: An IB growth story��

While Western Asia dominates headlines, Africa recorded the highest growth rate of any region for several IB curriculum programmes, particularly the Middle Years Programme. Cambridge provision across Africa also continues to expand steadily, with the region now home to more Cambridge schools than any other.��

Africa has historically received less commercial attention than markets in Asia or the Gulf. The data suggests that may be a strategic blind spot: demand is building in a region many international school suppliers have deprioritised.��

Southeast Asia: Balanced Cambridge Growth��

Southeast Asia stands out for the breadth of its Cambridge expansion: strong, balanced growth across primary, secondary and advanced programmes alike, rather than concentrated in one phase. The region also posted the fastest AP growth of any market outside Western Asia, up nearly 30% in five years.��

For suppliers building K-12 solutions for the international education market, this balance matters. It points to a market investing in curriculum continuity across the full learner journey, not just at exam-critical stages.��

Latin America: A cautionary tale��

Not every region is following the same trajectory. AP and US curriculum school numbers in Latin America declined over the past five years, while Cambridge and IB growth remained modest. Shifting university destination preferences, driven by tighter visa policies, rising costs, and political uncertainty in traditional study-abroad markets, appear to be reshaping what schools invest in.��

This isn’t necessarily a shrinking opportunity. It’s a market in transition, where schools may be recalibrating toward different pathways and progression routes. Suppliers who assume Latin America’s international schools mirrors historical patterns risk misreading a market that’s actively changing shape.��

Europe: Slower growth in a mature market��

Europe posted the most modest growth of any region across nearly every curriculum, including a 4% decline in AP schools and just 2.4% UK curriculum growth. This isn’t necessarily bad news; it likely reflects a mature, saturated market rather than falling demand. One exception stands out: the US curriculum grew by 15.3% here, and the IB’s Middle Years Programme grew by 39%, suggesting pockets of real momentum even as the broader market cools.��

What Regional Divergence Means for Your Strategy��

The pattern across every region tells the same story: growth is not evenly spread, and the assumptions that guided market entry five years ago may no longer hold.��

• Prioritise where momentum is building, not just where your organisation has historically operated.��

• Treat Africa and Southeast Asia as active opportunities, not secondary markets to revisit later.��

• Reassess Latin America rather than writing it off. The pathways schools want may simply be changing.��

• Use regional data to guide partnerships and product decisions, not just sales targets.��

Getting international school market strategy right increasingly depends on understanding not just which curricula are growing, but where and why. The full regional breakdown, alongside analysis of hybrid curriculum models, AP’s rapid expansion, and K-12 pathway trends, is available in the Curricula Global Overview 2026.��

Access the report here

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This powerful partnership between Fulton Science Academy and��MindSpire��Education was��facilitated��by �鶹��ý, the leading provider of market intelligence and advisory services for the international��schools��market. �鶹��ý helps schools and��investors��structure partnerships and launch ventures��around��the world.

, Executive Director of Strategic Growth and Global Affairs at ��and CEO of ,��praised the process:��“The team at �鶹��ý has been incredibly supportive throughout the entire process, from start to finish. This is the second partnership �鶹��ý has��facilitated��for us, following our successful collaboration in Jeju, South Korea. On both occasions, they played a pivotal role in bringing the right partners together and demonstrated professionalism, dedication, and support at every stage of the journey.”��

Established as a private school in 2012, Fulton Science Academy is a nonprofit educational institution based in Georgia, United States. Accredited by Cognia and certified as a STEM school, FSA is recognized for its inquiry-based STEAM curriculum, strong academic outcomes, and consistent record of preparing students for admission to highly ranked universities worldwide.��ServePremier��Education is a subsidiary of Fulton Science Academy that supports and manages its national and international expansion initiatives based on the Fulton Science Academy educational��model.

For , CFO of , the partnership reflected �鶹��ý’s grasp of both sides’ needs: “�鶹��ý provided exceptional support throughout the partnership process. Their deep understanding of our requirements and ability to��identify��the right partner were instrumental in making this collaboration a reality. Their professionalism, responsiveness, and commitment were evident at every stage.”��

MindSpire Education manages a portfolio of more than twenty schools and twelve pre-schools across the MENA region, and operates in Egypt through the . The group is backed by leading institutional investors, including EFG Hermes.

The new school, Hayah International Academy,��will operate as a purpose-built campus in Riyadh, aligned with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 ambitions for the education sector. It joins a pipeline of new international schools opening across the GCC,��a pipeline that �鶹��ý tracks in detail through its country Market Intelligence Briefs and bespoke research for operators, investors, and M&A teams active in the region.

, CEO of �鶹��ý, said the region is driving the trend: “The Gulf remains the single most active region globally for international school development, and Saudi Arabia is now at the centre of that activity. Partnerships of this kind — pairing a proven regional operator with a recognised international brand — are the model we expect to see more of, and �鶹��ý is positioned at the point where those introductions happen.”

“At �鶹��ý, we are committed to connecting schools with highly reputable and like-minded partners to build successful, long-term collaborations. Fulton Science Academy and MindSpire Education each bring distinctive strengths — academic excellence, innovation, and operational expertise. It has been a privilege to support the creation of what will be a world-class American curriculum school in Riyadh,”��

Bharati Thakore
Head of School Development at �鶹��ý��

��To find out more��about this project or how���鶹��ý can support your development plans,  or��email Bharati��Thakore,��Head of School Development at �鶹��ý.��

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“International development is ultimately about people; relationships matter as much as processes.” – Dave Bates

The Opportunity Facing UK Independent Schools��

Building on the foundations established by UK independent school brands in the international schools market, which are now associated with 136 overseas campuses educating more than 90,000 students worldwide (�鶹��ý, 2026), an increasing number of UK schools are exploring international school development as they respond to changing economic conditions, evolving educational priorities and sustained demand for high-quality English-medium education. Financial diversification is an important consideration. However, as charitable organisations with a mission to advance education, international partnerships also provide opportunities to extend educational reach and support bursary provision.

Importantly, internationalisation also creates opportunities for genuine mutual learning. The strongest partnerships enable students to develop international connections, strengthen their sense of global��citizenship��and deepen cultural understanding. They also allow schools to learn from, and contribute to, educational practice in��different parts��of the world. Successful partnerships are built not on the export of a British model, but on the exchange of ideas,��expertise��and perspectives across cultures and contexts.��

Developing��An��International Strategy��

When developing an international strategy, most UK independent schools��will��expect certain risks to dominate their thinking. Many��will��anticipate��spending much of their time assessing territories, reviewing regulatory environments, evaluating market opportunities, and considering governance structures, organisational��capacity��and risk management processes.��These areas are certainly important and should not be overlooked. Schools need frameworks to assess potential markets, evaluate prospective partners,��identify��and mitigate��risks and understand the level of��investment and support��that any international venture will require.��

However, once international development work begins, schools may be surprised by how��frequently��discussions return to people rather than processes.��While��market conditions, contracts and governance structures undoubtedly matter, the long-term success of an international partnership depends more heavily on trust, shared values, aligned��objectives, effective��communication��and a genuine commitment to working together. In practice, these factors often prove to be the most effective form of risk management.

“A strong market cannot compensate for the wrong partner.” – Dave Bates

So, if relationships are often the most effective form of risk management, where do the greatest risks��actually lie? In my experience,��once a strong market has been��identified,��four areas consistently��emerge��as the most important: partner selection, relationship management, governance and capacity, and local regulatory realities.��

The Risks That Matter Most

Partner Selection��

A strong market cannot compensate for the wrong partner. Beyond financial capacity, schools should assess alignment of values, educational vision, operational��capability��and long-term commitment. Thorough due diligence should work both ways, ensuring both organisations share realistic expectations, clear��responsibilities��and a mutual commitment to building a successful, sustainable partnership.��

Relationship Breakdown��

Many projects��encounter��difficulties not because of weaknesses in the business plan, but because of poor communication, unclear responsibilities, misaligned��expectations��or cultural misunderstandings. Once a partnership reaches the point where parties are repeatedly��referring back��to contractual clauses to resolve disagreements, the underlying relationship��is��already��likely to��be under��great��strain.��

Capacity and Governance��

International development should not be treated as a side project. Schools often underestimate the time,��expertise��and leadership capacity��required��to support overseas partnerships successfully. Clear governance arrangements are essential, combining executive ownership with a governing body��sub-committee��that has sufficient delegated authority to guide the work, provide challenge, oversee��risk��and support effective decision-making.��

Regulatory Reality��

Educational ambition alone cannot overcome regulatory barriers. Planning permissions, licensing��requirements��and land approvals can delay or prevent projects altogether. Experienced local partners who understand the regulatory landscape,��and have secured key permissions where possible,��can significantly reduce risk��and improve the likelihood of a successful school opening.

Relationships Matter More Than Contracts

Contracts are important. They provide clarity, define responsibilities over the long term, and help protect all parties when circumstances change. Governance structures, quality assurance��processes��and intellectual property protections also play��an important role��and should not be overlooked.��

However, none of these mechanisms can directly create trust, shared��purpose��or effective communication.��The strongest international school partnerships are those in which both parties are committed to a common vision, communicate openly and work collaboratively to overcome challenges as they arise. Positive relationships should certainly not be seen as an alternative to robust contracts. However, contracts are most effective when built upon a foundation of trust, shared��purpose��and mutual respect.

“Schools often underestimate the time, expertise and leadership capacity required to support overseas partnerships successfully.” – Dave Bates

International expansion is��ultimately an��exercise in institution-building rather than deal-making. Schools that invest as much��time in understanding their partners as they do their contracts are more likely to build relationships capable of lasting decades.

Lessons for Schools Considering International Growth��

• Choose your partner carefully; no market can compensate for the wrong partner.
• Be clear about responsibilities, governance arrangements,��mandates��and decision-making��processes��from the outset.
• International development is��ultimately about��people; relationships matter as much as processes. Manage relationships as deliberately as you manage due diligence.
• Build sufficient internal capacity to support international work over the long term.
• Adapt educational values to local contexts rather than��attempting��to replicate schools exactly.

By Dave Bates

��is Director of International Education and Enterprise at����in the UK. He leads the school’s international strategy and partnership development, working with schools,��investors��and education organisations on international school projects.��

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We have chosen depth over dispersion.��

Learning must now do three things well: prepare students to thrive in a globally connected world, develop the whole learner, and cultivate a genuine love of learning.

Success can no longer be defined by recall alone. It is reflected in how students think, how they apply knowledge, and how they grow in confidence and character. When learning feels purposeful, students engage more deeply. Curiosity strengthens. Resilience grows. Ownership follows.

Developing the whole learner requires intentional design. Collaboration, critical thinking, and self-management are explicitly taught, practised, and reflected upon so that knowledge becomes usable rather than inert.

None of this happens by chance. Coherence depends on shared language, aligned systems, and disciplined leadership. Middle leaders shape culture by keeping teams focused on what matters most.

“Middle leaders shape culture by keeping teams focused on what matters most.” – Nick Casey

As Head of Primary, my role is to protect that clarity, ensuring change follows rhythm and reflection rather than reaction.

At the Centre: Students Who Make a Difference��

Learning becomes powerful when students see themselves as change-makers.

In our����programme, students build resilience, collaborate across contexts, and reflect on their values and capabilities. As one student reflected after completing the high ropes course:

“At the bottom, I was 100% confident. Halfway up, I was 60%. At the top, I was scared but I still finished.”

Our Walk for Water unit continues this experiential approach. Students explore water systems and life cycles while examining global inequalities in access to clean water. Through inquiry, they develop empathy and reflect on how their actions can raise awareness and make a difference.

Signature programmes such as��STEMpowered��and Functions of the World extend this learning across phases and disciplines. During the launch of��Functions of the World, Year 2 students worked in our high school laboratories alongside senior mentors, investigating through hands-on experimentation. The collaboration was deliberate: younger students experienced authentic scientific environments, while older students developed leadership and communication skills.

“This is learning that connects phases, disciplines, and people. Students do not simply learn about the world; they practise shaping it.” – Nick Casey

As one parent shared on the walk back,��“Seeing older students mentoring Year 2 was so nice to see. It honestly made me feel even more confident in the school and the commitment to community.”

Through structured self-reporting and reflection protocols embedded across these experiences, students��identify��the transferable skills behind moments like these, resilience, empathy, leadership, collaboration, strengthening their ability to articulate growth beyond the classroom.

This is learning that connects phases, disciplines, and people. Students do not simply learn about the world; they practise shaping it.

Who We Are: Our Values and Learning Philosophy��

Our mission,��Live��Worldwise, is operationalised through a shared learning language across all phases.��We are guided by a belief in happy, kind, curious learners. Our curriculum is rigorous, embedded in real-world application and global competencies. We prioritise transferable skills, ethical thinking, and sustainability.

To ensure coherence, we have developed a shared language of learning across phases, clarifying what we mean by surface learning, deep learning, and transfer. These definitions are embedded into planning documents, learning walks, and student reflection tools, creating consistency across classrooms.

How We Lead: Middle Leaders as Culture Carriers

A shift in learning required a structural shift in leadership.��Our middle leaders are not passive implementers; they are active shapers of culture.

Through our Lead with Purpose framework, we focus on:��

• Immersive professional learning��
• Strategic team facilitation��
• Deep understanding of curriculum, data, and team dynamics��

Structurally, we redesigned team meetings so agendas centre on evidence of student learning, engagement, and wellbeing rather than operational updates. Middle leaders now��facilitate��dialogue grounded in three core principles:��

Know your students
Know your data
Know your strategies��

Rather than introducing multiple parallel initiatives, leaders commit to a small number of agreed priorities and revisit them consistently in meetings��and planning cycles. This has reduced initiative overload and strengthened clarity across year groups.

Our weekly KOMODO survey provides further evidence of cultural alignment. This year alone, students have recognised over 150 individual instances of teacher impact, with more than 20 teachers named in a typical week. Students consistently reference kindness, clarity of explanation, and encouragement of independence,��behaviours directly aligned with our leadership priorities.��Student voice is shared publicly in assemblies and across digital displays, reinforcing collective responsibility for culture.

Culture change is not created through one initiative; it is sustained through habits,��shared language, repeated routines, and leaders who notice and name great learning. When staff or cohorts change, those habits provide stability.

The Cycle: Learning That Leads to Leadership That Learns��

Professional learning strengthens leadership. Leadership shapes teams. Teams design powerful learning. Classroom evidence then informs the next cycle of improvement.

“Culture change is not created through one initiative; it is sustained through habits, shared language, repeated routines, and leaders who notice and name great learning.” – Nick Casey

This disciplined approach has helped us move from reactive problem-solving to intentional refinement, ensuring innovation is aligned rather than isolated.��Families are partners throughout this cycle, reinforcing learning and connecting it beyond the classroom. At the centre of it all is the student.

Lessons Learned��

• Build a shared language of learning across leadership, teams, and students.��
• Middle leaders are the primary drivers of cultural consistency.��
• Focus on depth over initiative overload.��
• Design real-world learning that builds empathy and agency.��
• Sustainable change follows rhythm, not urgency.��

Who We Are, and What We Carry Forward��

The face of learning is not changing because we say it is. It is changing because our systems, structures, and habits are aligned to make it so.

As students grow into thoughtful, capable, and compassionate contributors, we continue to refine the leadership practices that support them.

We are not responding to change. We are designing it, with clarity of purpose and belief in the transformative power of future-ready learning.��

When leadership is intentional, learning deepens.
When systems are coherent, impact compounds.
When culture is protected, students thrive.��

This is who we are.
This is what we carry forward.����

By Nick Casey

Nick Casey is Head of Primary at����with over 15 years of educational leadership experience in his native Australia and��international��contexts. You can connect with him on��.

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Across the globe, young people are inheriting a world in profound instability. Climate systems are tipping toward irreversible damage. Inequality is widening and conflicts are reshaping borders,��alliances��and human lives. Yet despite this accelerating fragility, most education models continue to look backwards, not��forwards. They��remain��anchored in a paradigm designed for an era of relative stability (at least for some): preparing students for exams, university admissions and career pathways that no longer exist in the form we recognise.

The disconnect is stark and it raises an uncomfortable but necessary question: How can we justify��maintaining��education systems that do not prepare young people for the actual world they are stepping into?

Education – the crisis of relevance

For over half a century, the core architecture of schooling has barely shifted. Students still compartmentalise learning into discrete subjects. Success is still measured primarily through individual performance metrics. The overarching goal continues to be preparation for higher education, yet universities themselves are grappling with their roles in a rapidly changing landscape.

“If education continues to lag while the world accelerates, we risk producing a generation equipped for a past that no longer exists.” – Naheed Bardai

Meanwhile, the world outside is demanding something��very different. Today’s challenges: climate disruption, resource scarcity, technological upheaval, mass��migration��and political polarisation are deeply interconnected. They cannot be solved through isolated��expertise��or rote knowledge. They��require��systems thinkers, collaborative leaders and resilient problem-solvers, citizens��capable not merely of analysis, but of��interventions that recognise the complexity and interconnectedness of our world.��If education continues to lag while the world accelerates, we risk producing a generation equipped for a past that no longer exists.

The call for Systems Transformation

“Our world is changing at a rate that humanity has never known before. And if we were to map the rate of change of education,��we’d��find it to be far slower in its change��than the rate of change in our world today. And that’s why we created the systems transformation pathway to really help address this fundamental challenge and equip our young people to tackle the complexities of not only our time but their time and give them a systems map of the world.” – Naheed Bardai

UWC Atlantic, known for its bold educational initiatives and commitment to peace and sustainability, is taking a decisive step to confront this reality. The new��(STP) developed in partnership with the International��Baccalaureate, is reimagining what secondary education can and must be in an era of global upheaval.

The STP’s curriculum premise is simple but radical:��If the world is being reshaped by complex, interconnected crises, then students must learn to see,��understand��and influence systems.��Not as an abstract academic exercise, but as a collaborative,��transdisciplinary, action-orientated��and intergenerational practice.

Focusing on five key impact areas:�� food, biodiversity, energy, migration and water, the pathway moves beyond traditional subject silos.��Instead,��it teaches students how environmental, economic,��social��and political systems interact, how climate influences migration, how governance affects��resource distribution and how technology��shapes��identity and power. With this comes a deep emphasis on resilience, ethical��leadership��and agency. Students are not treated as passive learners, but as emerging systems transformers capable of engaging with the world’s challenges now, not someday in the future.

Taking the place of two Standard Level IB Diploma courses, the STP is the most substantial piece in a student’s academic programme. The first two STP cohorts have been accepted into universities across the world including Stanford, Princeton, Oxford,��Cambridge��and many other universities around the world.

Students who study UWC Atlantic’s Systems Transformation Pathway learn:��

• Systems��thinking:��how to map problems,��identify��leverage points,��anticipate��unintended��consequences��and recognise the interconnected nature of global challenges.��

• Resilience:��Not resilience as endurance, but resilience as adaptability. Students learn the ability to face uncertainty without paralysis and build systems and solutions through iteration,��collaboration��and creativity.��

• Ethical Leadership:��Leadership models that prioritise justice,��sustainability��and compassion rather than competition and self-interest. Leadership that understands power not as dominance but as responsibility.��

• Active agency:��Above all, students��must learn to act, to see themselves as contributors, not spectators. Traditional education often positions young people as future citizens. The Systems Transformation Pathway insists that they are citizens now.��

The world our young people are stepping into is turbulent, but it is not hopeless. They are already��demonstrating��extraordinary commitment,��bravery��and imagination in movements for climate justice, human rights,��equity��and peace.” – Naheed Bardai

STP learning is not limited to classrooms. It unfolds in forests, workshops, community organisations, diplomatic simulations and field projects where students confront real-world systems challenges directly. Education becomes not preparation for life, but participation in it.

Our moral imperative to change

There is a growing chorus calling for transformative change in global education, yet the system itself��remains��stubbornly resistant. Bureaucratic inertia, outdated assessment��structures��and political polarisation all play a role. But we must be honest: sometimes it is simply easier to��maintain��the familiar than to admit that it no longer serves its purpose.

We cannot afford that comfort any longer. To continue educating young people for a world that is disappearing is a profound failure of responsibility. We are preparing them for stability while handing them instability. We are training them for linear career paths while they are entering nonlinear��realities. We are teaching them to solve problems in isolation while the world demands collaborative, cross-disciplinary and globally minded thinking.

“If we want young people to inherit not just the problems of the future but the power to reshape it, then reimagining education is not optional. It is our obligation.” – Naheed Bardai

The world our young people are stepping into is turbulent, but it is not hopeless. They are already��demonstrating��extraordinary commitment,��bravery��and imagination in movements for climate justice, human rights,��equity��and peace. What they lack is not motivation, but institutions designed to amplify their capacity.

Education can be that institution, but only if we have the courage to transform it.

UWC Atlantic’s STP pathway is one effort among many to rethink what learning can be in a world in crisis. The conversation it sparks about systems transformation, ethical leadership and global responsibility, is one that belongs on every editorial page, in every policymaking forum, in every community.

If we want young people to inherit not just the problems of the future but the power to reshape it, then reimagining education is not optional. It is our obligation.

By Naheed Bardai

Naheed��Bardai��is the��Principal��of����You can connect with him on��.

The post Failing Our Future: Why Education Must Evolve to Prepare Young People for a Collapsing World appeared first on �鶹��ý.

The Double Win: Equipping Future Leaders While Empowering Coachees

This initiative is built on a deceptively simple principle: a parallel process that delivers wonderful benefits across the school. While our younger students gain self-reliance and empowerment through structured, non-directive support, the Sixth Form coaches acquire invaluable, high-level real-world emotional intelligence (EQ) skills.

The backbone of the program is an intensive extracurricular training program (ECA). We don’t just ask them to listen; we equip them with a professional toolkit. Coaches are rigorously trained in essentials like contracting (setting boundaries), true active listening, and the art of non-directive questioning. We explore established models like Gabrielle Oettingen’s WOOP and Whitmore’s GROW, all while embedding essential protocols for safeguarding and confidentiality.

Coachee and coach partnerships are carefully matched to ensure maximum benefit for a series of weekly meetings. Crucially, we have elevated the program’s status by making it a recognized, formal part of the senior school’s pastoral intervention ladder, signalling its vital role in our wider community.

“For the coaches, the reward is career-defining. They are not just giving back; they are��acquiring��the soft skills that define future success.”��

The Strategic Advantage: Easing Staff Load and Building Systemic Inclusion

The Sixth Form Peer Coaching program is a strategic solution to two major challenges in international schools: pastoral overload and the desire to cultivate meaningful student leadership.

Capably handling low-level interventions, these student coaches act as a powerful force multiplier. They relieve the day-to-day administrative load on year leaders, freeing up essential staff time to concentrate on more complex, high-risk issues. Furthermore, students naturally feel less intimidated and more safe speaking to a peer than to a teacher, making support instantly more relatable and accessible.

For the coaches, the reward is career-defining. They are not just giving back; they are acquiring the soft skills that define future success. As Sir John Whitmore declares, “Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them”. We are simply starting this process early, strategically developing a systemic coaching culture that spans our entire school community.

From Anecdote to Data: Tangible Evidence of Student Wellbeing and Safety

The outcomes of our program aren’t just statistics; they are personal transformations shaping our school’s ecosystem.

The most gratifying evidence is the undeniable increased sense of belonging and community across year groups. Our coaches, far from simply delivering a service, feedback a profound personal shift: “I’ve become a better friend,” declared one Sixth Form coach, recognizing the real-world utility of their professional training.

“The outcomes of our program aren’t just statistics; they are personal transformations shaping our school’s ecosystem.”��

For the younger students, the experience is defined by psychological safety. As one Year 8 coachee shared, “It’s been so comfortable: I feel listened to and safe.” This open, peer-to-peer relationship is proving a powerful conduit, allowing us to identify several safeguarding issues that likely would not have been disclosed to an adult authority figure. The program is not just supporting wellbeing; it’s actively enhancing our safety net.

The ripple effect is tangible, from increased voluntary sign up from potential coachees and extending to highly positive feedback from parents regarding their children’s increased self-efficacy and confidence. Ultimately, the coaches’ deep personal pride in their contribution and their certification acts as the final validation: we have created a high-value initiative that truly changes lives.

Future-Proofing Pastoral Care:

Building the program into the fabric of the school ensures that this is not a one-off project. The program is intentionally structured as an ongoing ECA with a rolling program of training. The key to its endurance is its official status, having grown into a formal part of the pastoral program.

The termly recognition of new coaches through certification helps attract ambitious new cohorts, term after term. Crucially, with every successful pairing, the sense of psychological safety for prospective coachees grows, cementing the program as a valued, naturally embedded resource within our school culture.

5 Steps to Launching Your Peer Coaching Programme

Looking to launch your own Peer Coaching program?��Here’s��5 practical recommendations for leaders looking to implement a solutions-oriented initiative like this in your international school:����

• Emphasise the benefits for the coaches:��Frame the training not just as service, but as executive skills development for future leaders.����

• Trust students to shape the programme with you:��Involve the inaugural cohort in designing resources and refining the process; this builds greater buy-in and agency.����

• Invest time and tools for quality training:��Use external resources or internal professional development to ensure the coaching skills are professional and robust.����

• Share the status and value:��Integrate the program into the official pastoral structure and publicly recognise the coaches to signal its schoolwide importance.����

• Constantly evaluate feedback:��Use anonymous feedback from both coaches and��coachees��to refine pairing, training, and processes to ensure the support��remains��effective and non-judgmental.����

By coaching the next generation in the sophisticated tools of true pastoral support, we��haven’t��just created a program;��we’ve��embedded a sustainable leadership culture where every student is empowered to grow, solve problems, and contribute to a safer, more resilient school community.����

By Becky Carville

��is the��Associate Assistant Head (Coaching Development), British School Muscat

The post Coaching the Next Generation: A Student-Led Revolution in Pastoral Support appeared first on �鶹��ý.

Identifying��learning��gaps��early

One of the challenges in classrooms is catching learning gaps before they widen. Traditional assessments often rely on teachers to piece together evidence from classwork, homework and observation to reveal learners’ progress, needs and challenges faced. Adaptive Learn removes that delay. Through adaptive practice and realtime reporting, teachers see instantly where each learner is secure, where misconceptions are forming, and where additional support is needed.

“Through adaptive practice and real-time reporting, teachers see instantly where each learner is secure, where misconceptions are forming, and where additional support is needed.”��

As a Cambridge partner with a deep understanding of the needs of Cambridge schools worldwide,����has mapped the Adaptive Learn materials to their Learner Books, which have been endorsed for the Cambridge Pathway. This means that you can use these resources alongside physical��books, or��can stand alone as independent practice for learners. Either way,��

Personalising��learning at��scale

Even when teachers know exactly where learners are struggling, creating truly differentiated pathways for every child can be overwhelming. Adaptive Learn removes this workload by automatically adapting to each learner’s responses,��pace��and level of confidence. As pupils work through personalised sequences of questions, the resource adjusts in real time��–providing stretch where learners are secure and support where they need it most.

“Adaptive Learn was highly impactful in enhancing our teaching and learning approaches. This platform has been invaluable in supporting teachers while actively engaging students in their learning.” – Ms��Acera-Ducoyan, Bangkok Bilingual School, Thailand��

When a learner answers a question correctly or incorrectly, the system��determines��whether to provide stretch or��additional��support.��In addition to this, learners are prompted to rate their confidence level (Know it, Think I know it, Not sure, or Don’t know it) – this measures learner metacognition and indicates to the system whether the learner has guessed the answer, has a misconception, or isn’t confident in their answer (despite getting it right). These two inputs (answer and metacognition), plus time taken, are what prompts new questions to be generated according to the learner’s need. Much like a personal tutor, Adaptive Learn tailors content to the individual learner and provides instant feedback. No two students will take the same learning path.

But all of this��isn’t��happening in a vacuum. Teachers can keep up with learners’ homework status in the Reports dashboard. Here, they will also see the learning��objectives��that learners are struggling with most to help plan their lessons. Metacognition data is also available here, so teachers can see on an individual and class level, what proportion of learners were aware that they knew the right answer and what proportion��weren’t.��For more information on metacognition,  b�� Anoara��Mughal, metacognition specialist.

Making evidence-based decisions

partnered with��a number of��schools who��trialed��Adaptive Learn through the early phases of development, giving feedback on what they liked and��didn’t��like, and took time to understand customers and worked closely with educators, learners, academics, awarding bodies and partners to develop Adaptive Learn. It is evidence based, and founded on research with real schools, teachers and learners’ needs and aspirations.

“Our teachers are really happy compared to other resources we’ve used before, because of the Cambridge focus… there’s nothing else like this that focusses as much on our curriculum.”  – Ms Celiberti, St Constantine’s School, Tanzania

Adaptive Learn delivers content as unique as your learners, combining personalised digital practice with actionable insights for educators.

All of��the features and benefits above can now be accessed by schools for our Cambridge Primary courses: Computing, English, Maths and Science courses, and more, stages 1 to 6.

Building a full picture of learners’ wellbeing

Learner wellbeing is essential for academic success, yet it can be difficult to measure meaningfully.��Without clear insights, schools risk implementing generic strategies that��fail to��address the��real issues��learners face.

Adaptive Learn��includes��two types of wellbeing questionnaire, weekly ‘Check-ins’ and termly ‘Snapshots’.��Wellbeing��check-ins��are��for quick ‘temperature’ gauges on whether learners are ready to learn on any given day, and to encourage learners to think about their wellbeing on a regular basis.��Wellbeing��snapshots more detailed surveys which look at all aspects of learner wellbeing (social, academic,��physical��and emotional) on a termly basis, helping schools��identify��patterns over time.

Without clear insights, schools risk implementing generic��[wellbeing]��strategies that fail to address the real issues learners face.”��

Adaptive Learn is built on a secure platform that adheres to strict data protection standards. Learners access it only through their school login, and the environment contains no public chat or unsafe content. 

The resource��is designed for focused, short bursts of learning, not��prolonged screen time, and we��encourage schools to balance digital learning with physical textbooks and manipulatives.����provides��Teacher’s Guides, Learner’s Books and Workbooks��that complement��all of��Adaptive Learn courses.

And��what’s��next?

Adaptive Learn��will be��launching��for Lower Secondary��(stages 7, 8 and 9)��in April 2026,��with��further��features and subject��already in development.

Discover Adaptive Learn visiting��Hachette Learning��.����

By Hamish Baxter

Hamish Baxter is the Senior Lead Product Manager at

The post Identifying Learning Gaps Early: A Data-Informed Approach in Cambridge Schools appeared first on �鶹��ý.