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��.

The post Depth Over Dispersion: Leading Coherent Learning in Complex Times appeared first on �鶹��ý.

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.

The innovations have been meaningful and necessary. But they have also been in isolation.

��(GID) is the first large-scale attempt to collaboratively build a new high school diploma for our international schools.��

A Shared Moral Imperative

In May of 2024, we came together as a group of schools for the first time at the Pathways Summit, a hybrid conference held online and in person at the American International School of Budapest. With more than 150 people from around 90 international schools, we all agreed on three urgent needs for our learners that were surfacing across continents, cultures, and schools:

Agency. Meaningful Learning Experiences. Well-being.

Research reinforces this too. Our students need more than content mastery. They need autonomy and drive, they need purpose and opportunities to contribute, and they need resilience in order to lead meaningful lives in an increasingly complex world.

Then we started designing.

Over the two-day summit, we had groups build diploma prototypes around those core needs and then pitch them so that we could get inspiration and look for patterns. Several ideas��emerged��like the need for a leadership course at our schools and more opportunities to engage with authentic problems. But the most important pattern of all that surfaced was this:

Impact.

We wanted our students to strive for more than grades and university acceptances. We wanted them to use their learning to meaningfully contribute to our local and global communities.

Source: Pathways Summit at the American International School of Budapest in May, 2024

This is how the Global Impact Diploma was born. It was not a top-down initiative. It has been a groundswell from educators across the globe who want to co-create rather than compete.

What Makes the GID Different.

As we started co-constructing the Global Impact Diploma, we knew we wanted it to be competency-based so that our learners build the knowledge, skills, and dispositions they will need to thrive and truly have an impact.

With inspiration from the University of Melbourne and their Melbourne Metrics, Global Online Academy’s competencies, and even UNESCO’s seven global competencies, we focused on six core competencies:

Drive, Impact Design, Collaborative Impact, Empathetic Impact, Reflection, and Communication.

From there, we co-created courses, curriculum, and assessments that would empower our learners to practice these competencies repeatedly over time. The��now��fall into three big buckets connected to self-determination theory:��

• Agency for Impact Courses��(Autonomy)
  • GID Internship for Impact
  • GID Impact Project��

• Collaboration for Impact Courses��(Relatedness)
  • GID Entrepreneurship for Impact
  • GID Imperfect Art of Living��

• Specialization for Impact Courses��(Competence)
  • Students complete two courses connected to areas of interest that they want to start mastering. They can be IBDP, AP, GOA, or bespoke courses at our schools.��

Finally, a course that connects all three of these areas, and is at the core of the GID, is our Foundations of Leadership for Impact course. This is a semester-long experience to help students learn how to lead themselves and positively influence others.

Many Innovations in the GID are structural, not just curricular:

1. The GID is co-designed, not imported.��

Dozens of schools continue to contribute to the curriculum and assessments, governance and finance, even our outreach and recognition with universities.

2. The GID is global AND local.

There are aspects of the GID that we all align around like the competencies and core deliverables in each course. These are global elements. But we also encourage schools to innovate and implement the GID in a way that fits their local contexts.

3. The GID prioritizes real-world impact.

Students engage in challenge-based learning, design thinking studios, internships, and authentic impact projects that connect classrooms to communities.

4. The GID builds teacher capacity globally.

Instead of isolated innovators working alone, educators now collaborate across time zones and cultures in communities of practice.

Stories of Impact��

Although we are still in our first year, the early signs of impact have been powerful. 25 schools launched the GID on their campuses this year with more than 600 students, and for 2026-2027 eight more schools have already joined as GID Member Schools.

Source: Global Impact Diploma Schools for 2026-2027 (by region)

GID coordinators and teachers are collaborating several times a semester in communities of practice, and a handful of our students will be doing a joint internship experience with Fashion for Futures in Milan, Italy.

We also have a collaboration with the International Baccalaureate that allows students to earn the Global Impact Diploma and the IB Diploma. This spreads both programs out over three years, and we are piloting it with students at the American International School of Budapest this year.��For 2026-2027, the International School of Luxembourg and the American International School of Bucharest will be joining the pilot as well.

This pathway��honours��the IB’s concept-based rigor while empowering students with the project-based rigor or the GID.

A New Diploma for a New Future

The Global Impact Diploma is more than a new credential. It is a new story about what school can be for our international students.

We are no longer just educating global��citizens;��we are becoming a global learning community ourselves��that inspires each of us to find our highest point of contribution.

This��may be our most important innovation of all.

By Corey Topf

��is the��Director of Global Pathways at the����and Global Impact Diploma Steering Team.

The post Co-Designing for Impact: How the Global Impact Diploma is Changing the Story About International Education appeared first on �鶹��ý.

What Is the AI Safety Capsule Framework?

At its core, the AI Safety Capsule creates clarity for everyone: about what AI is for, how it will and��won’t��be used, and what conditions must be in place before it becomes routine. It sets the norms, boundaries, and expectations that allow teachers to experiment safely and leaders to make decisions with purpose rather than fear. It becomes the ground that stays still beneath everyone’s feet while the technology races forward.

Why��International��Schools Need a Foundation for AI Now

The need for such a foundation has become unmistakable. Students already use AI every day: to draft study notes, plan assignments, explore new ideas, and sometimes to take shortcuts. Teachers are using it too – over 90% of teachers in UAE, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia in a recent survey by the OECD – some quietly, some enthusiastically, and most without clear direction even on the basics of what is and isn’t appropriate. Without a shared approach, schools end up with conflicting messages, fragmented practice, and a messy grey zone where innovation and risk coexist without clear supervision. Establishing a Safety Capsule brings order to this complexity and helps schools launch into better conversations and sustainable practices

Without a shared approach, innovation and risk coexist without supervision.

Five Barriers to Implementing AI in Schools

Five particular points of friction complicate this work for school leaders. Each is predictable, but each is also solvable with deliberate structure.

Barrier 1: The Illusion of Time

The first is the absence of urgency. Many staff believe AI is something to “look into later,” even as many global industries, universities, and students move far ahead. A principal may notice that only a few early adopters are experimenting while most teachers see AI as an optional extra. Instead of trying to spark urgency through fear or hype, a better approach is to centre the conversation on sensible responsibility. A one-page AI positioning statement that is simple, public, and values-driven will create��immediate clarity and signals that the school is not waiting for the world to move first. (As I like to say, if you��can’t��create a Canva poster of your message,������’s��not clear enough yet.) It becomes an anchor that everyone can return to, and it gives permission for thoughtful experimentation to begin.

Barrier 2:��Conflicting Leadership Messages

A second friction point is the fragmented or conflicting expectations that creep in when different leaders have different interpretations of what AI should look like. A deputy encourages creative exploration; the ICT manager warns of data security; a faculty head bans use of AI in essays; everyone on staff quietly uses it for planning. Everyone might already be acting sensibly, but in isolation their decisions create confusion. Leaders can often resolve this through a short alignment process: an internal workshop that clarifies key risks, identifies non-negotiable boundaries, and sets expectations for safe experimentation. When the output is turned into a brief, repeatable message delivered consistently across parent meetings, staff gatherings, and student assemblies, coherence starts to take shape. Schools sometimes find this hardest to do internally because alignment requires honest debate, so external facilitation can accelerate clarity and reduce tension.

Barrier 3:��Risk Without Structure

The third friction lies in navigating risk. Leaders carry concerns about data exposure, student privacy, academic integrity, and the unpredictable behaviour of AI tools. A school might trial a new literacy platform only to discover that data consent was incomplete or the hosting location unclear. This undermines trust and slows momentum. The Safety Capsule reframes risk from something to fear into something to map and manage. A quick sweep across teaching, operations, data governance, wellbeing, and parent��communication can surface the school’s top few risks. Each can then be paired with a mitigation that is implementable within the term. What matters is not perfection but transparency. Leaders who put these basics in place become better equipped to handle more complex AI decisions down the track.

Barrier 4:��Professional Development Without a Pathway

The fourth point of friction is the lack of a clear pathway for teacher capability. Most teachers are not resistant to AI; they are simply unsure where to begin. Without a shared sense of what “capability” looks like, professional development becomes disjointed: a big workshop at the start of term, a tool demo halfway through, the occasional enthusiastic email. Meanwhile, leaders have no visibility of actual practice. Establishing a progression of professional growth, beginning with essential skills in “AI��First Aid” and developing into ethical, pedagogical, operational, and adaptive uses gives teachers a map rather than a menu. A simple baseline activity that every staff member can complete in twenty minutes provides an anchor point for growth. When a school adopts a capability ladder, teachers start experimenting more confidently and leaders get the visibility they need to support momentum.

Barrier 5:��Failure to Scale

The��final point��of friction is the difficulty of scaling beyond early adopters. Schools often run promising pilots led by a handful of passionate teachers. Their case studies are shared at a staff meeting, celebrated, and then quietly shelved. Six months later, only those three teachers are still using AI well. Scaling requires rhythm, not fanfare. Setting out a small but deliberate “scale map” or roadmap to visually articulate your strategy. One whole-school initiative, one faculty-specific initiative, and��one student-facing initiative. This creates a manageable structure for term-by-term progress. With light reporting and regular review, early successes can be extended without relying on individual champions. Momentum becomes systemic rather than personal.

The AI Capsule is not a policy exercise but a leadership one.

AI Governance in Schools: A Leadership Responsibility

Taken together, these friction points��demonstrate��why the AI Safety Capsule is not a policy exercise but a leadership one. It equips schools to move safely and strategically, grounded in clarity rather than guesswork. It��establishes��guardrails that protect people, organisational��reputations��and values, while also opening space for genuine innovation. Most importantly, it gives teachers and students the reassurance that AI is part of a purposeful, well-governed strategy rather than a chaotic experiment.

Schools that build this foundation discover that confidence grows quickly. Once the capsule is in place, everything becomes easier: designing expectations for students, engaging parents, selecting tools, supporting teachers, and planning for the future. Leaders gain a language for discussing AI that is neither defensive nor reckless. They learn to make decisions that keep the school human-centred even as new automation and intelligence tools��emerge.

By Matt Esterman

��an��Edruptor of 2024,��has over 20 years working in schools and beyond as a leading voice in the thoughtful adoption of technology. He is a trained History teacher with two��masters��degrees, who has made a significant contribution to professional learning in Australia and overseas. He has been recognised with several awards, most recently as a Commonwealth Bank Teaching Fellow, provided by Australian Schools Plus. Matt has founded��, a consultancy that��seeks��to��leverage��AI and other technologies to help shape a better future. He works with schools,��universities��and other organisations to increase awareness and capability in using AI. He has co-authored a book titled “The Next Word: AI & Teachers” with Dr Nick Jackson, which launched in 2024 and “The Next Word: AI & Learners” with Nick and Amy Wallace, published by Amba Press 2025. His is a regular speaker and workshop facilitator across Australia and internationally with educational and corporate organisations. Matt has been appointed an Adjunct Fellow in the School of Education at Western Sydney University and is a member of the HP Futures 2025: AI & Leadership Council.

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Examining the decisions that shape belonging

In��‘What is your��Wellbeing��Footprint?’����Matthew Savage��challenges��educators to look more closely at the cumulative impact of their decisions.��From assessment design to��behaviour��expectations, communication patterns to leadership choices, schools make countless choices that quietly influence student wellbeing. While it is common to look outward for the causes of declining mental health among young people, Savage��emphasises��that the reality is multifactorial, with long-standing school practices, policies, and protocols playing a significant role in whether students feel safe, supported, and able to flourish.

Matthew urges leaders to consider what their decisions cost, not in metrics that are easily tracked, but in elements that are far more fragile: dignity, hope, belonging. Whose thriving is served, and whose is sacrificed? Who’s silently shrinking themselves to fit the system?

“I offer this not as indictment, but as invitation: to step gently into a new kind of reckoning. One in which wellbeing is not an outcome, but a guiding principle. Not a supplement, but a structure.” – Matthew Savage

The message is clear: wellbeing is shaped not only by programmes or interventions, but by the ethos embedded in the everyday choices that define school life. Schools that intentionally consider their “wellbeing footprint” foster environments where students can truly succeed.

Hiring for culture, not just skill

In��‘Building��School��Culture��Through��Value-Driven��Recruitment’,��Steven W. Edwards shifts the focus to the people who bring a��school’s��ethos to life. At Vega Schools, recruitment is treated as a strategic act of culture-building. The school’s core values��– empathy, innovation, excellence,��collaboration��and integrity��– form the backbone of every hiring and retention decision, ensuring that those who join the community do so with a genuine alignment to its purpose.

“Whilst we know skills can be taught, it is values that define culture; and culture is what underpins staff and student wellbeing.” – Steven W. Edwards

Tools��such as the FIRO-B assessment, alongside scenario-based interviews and lesson delivery, offer a multidimensional picture of each candidate. Skills can be refined, but values��determine��behaviour��under pressure and shape relationships across the school.��When educators share a common ethical foundation, the culture becomes coherent and resilient, and the wellbeing of both staff and students is strengthened.

Steven’s perspective underscores a vital truth: sustaining school culture begins with choosing the right people, those whose instincts and ideals already resonate with the ethos they will help to shape.

Building strength through challenge

Olivia Bugden’s��article,��‘We Can Do Hard Things: Empowering Young People to Face Challenges,’��explores a common misconception in education: that protecting students from difficulty safeguards their wellbeing. Instead, she argues that true resilience grows when young people understand their responses to��challenge��and learn how to move through discomfort with confidence.

At HIF,��resilience��is integrated directly into the curriculum through a blend of the Science of Learning and the Science of Wellbeing. Students explore how their brains function, why stress feels overwhelming,��and what strategies help them regulate their responses. These ideas are then embodied through experiences such as abseiling and rock climbing, and other��activities designed to evoke discomfort in a controlled, supportive environment.

“The journey of teaching young people that they can do hard things involves more than just a one-hour lesson a week; it requires creating an environment where they feel safe to acknowledge their discomfort and empowered to confront it.” – Olivia Bugden

The power of HIF’s approach lies in guided reflection. Students discuss how resilience built on the rock face translates into everyday��school��situations: exams, group work,��and��performances. This is reinforced by a whole-school commitment in which every teacher becomes a wellbeing teacher, weaving consistent language and practices into subject learning.

Prioritising wellbeing for staff and students

Together, these three contributions illuminate a powerful truth: sustaining schools is not a matter of isolated initiatives but of coherent, values-driven ecosystems. From the way young people meet��challenge, to the decisions leaders make, to the ethos that��guides��recruitment, wellbeing and culture endure when they are woven into the fabric of school life.

These insights are echoed in �鶹��ý’s��latest white paper,��‘How International Schools Are��Prioritising��Wellbeing for Staff and Students,’ exploring��how schools are responding to growing wellbeing demands while navigating the unique pressures faced in international��environments.��Download for free today to learn practical approaches from international schools in��Kenya, Germany, Romania, and the UAE.

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Often as educators, our inclination when young people are faced with challenges is to make things easier for them (quite rightly in their parents’ minds!). Especially when observing such behaviours as:

• Disruption
• Shutting down emotionally��
• Nausea or physical discomfort��
• Missing school or avoiding activities��
• Anger or frustration or feelings of anxiety��
• Escalation in numbing activities like excessive phone use or gaming��

In doing so are we truly setting them up for success?

Such reactions highlight the need for effective strategies to teach young people that they can indeed face hard things, not by powering through at the cost of their wellbeing, but by acknowledging their fears and equipping them with the tools to move beyond those feelings of discomfort.

“The students are empowered to work through feelings that they might normally run away from”

The Role of Schools in Wellbeing Education��

Most schools today include some form of a Personal, Social, Health, and Economic (PSHCE) or Wellbeing curriculum. Each institution typically dedicates at least one period a week to this. While these programs cover essential or mandated topics like respectful relationships, diversity, goal setting, purpose, physical and mental health they sometimes fall short with the practical real-life application of some of these topics��

A poignant moment occurred during a goal-setting unit when a student expressed frustration, muttering, “What are we doing this for again? We set goals and set goals, but never do anything with them.” This prompted a reflection on the purpose and impact of such lessons. I offered her a unique opportunity: if she didn’t see the value after two weeks, she wouldn’t have to attend the class anymore.��

At the end of the term, her reflection was striking:��“I am also grateful for the wellbeing program here. I think it helped me become more mindful and in touch with my wellbeing, which I have never really acknowledged or understood before It gave me many tools to become more aware of my emotions and how to manage them.”��

Source: Hochalpines Institut Ftan

Building Confidence and Community��

Another student shared how their experience transformed their mindset:“I have been shaped me in ways I never expected. I used to always get into my head, telling myself that I’ll never be able to do this or that I’m not good enough. But here, I’ve learned that ����’s okay to fail, as long as you get back up and try again. I’ve found friendships that feel real, where I don’t have to pretend to be anyone but myself. Stepping outside of your comfort zone can lead to the best experiences.”��

At HIF, wellbeing is at the core of our mission. Our curriculum integrates the Science of Learning and the Science of Wellbeing, ensuring that students understand how their brains work. They learn about crucial topics such as:��

• The impact of sleep on memory and emotions��
• Stress responses and their physical manifestations��
• Optimising our brains to learn how to code and retrieve information and apply to new topics������
• Emotional Literacy����
• The impact of technology and social media on our brains��
• Mindset����

Through our boarding programme, students can apply these lessons in a supportive environment. For instance, during our stress response unit, students engage in activities like abseiling and rock climbing which allows them to recognise a stress response in their body and using strategies they have learnt to address it in the moment.

We have seen that within one week of learning about how this feels and manifests in their bodies they are applying it in real-life situations., With structured reflection time, students can identify not only what happened but how they handled it.����

For some the answer is simple; I tried a breathing technique, and it helped me calm down. For others the breathing technique wasn’t enough on its own but before avoiding the activity entirely, they were able to seek help from the staff to understand how it will work, safety and what happens if they can’t do it.����

The students are empowered to work through feelings that they might normally run away from.�� An important part of the reflection includes what this might look for them in the classroom or sports field or stage moving forward how can what they have learned rock climbing be applied to their final exams.

“W��������𾱲Բ� is treated as a core subject and allows the students time and space to learn about
themselves but also the theory behind some of their behaviours and approaches.”

How do we make this work?����

• We are all wellbeing teachers: Our staff are learning how their subject (Maths, English, Science) can teach some of the elements of wellbeing, so we have more time dedicated to explicit teaching. This in turns allows students to see the connection between what we are learning in wellbeing and their subjects. It also builds a common language around wellbeing, our brains and challenges meaning that we can easily access resources to support our students.����
• Opportunity for Challenge and Failure: Our location lends itself to activities where students might feel discomfort, we are a boarding school, we are on the side of a mountain and even a simple run to the shop can take be an effort! However, we create opportunities in the classroom, in our evening study routines and in our culture and adventure weeks for the students to be challenged.
• Time: We have an allocated 4 hours in Year 9 and 3 Hours in Year 10 dedicated to explicit wellbeing curriculum. It is treated as a core subject and allows the students time and space to learn about themselves but also the theory behind some of their behaviours and approaches. By giving them this curriculum we acknowledge that they are mature enough to apply it and understand it.����
• Staff Development: The curriculum has resources that the staff can access and review before teaching. Our Head of Student Wellbeing and Growth then spends time with the teachers ensuring that they feel confident with the material and tweaking, adding things to it to make the lesson their own. Our Wellbeing teachers are also either an academic teacher or an outdoor learning teacher so this allows for a transfer of knowledge across the subjects meaning that it ��DZ����’t just stay siloed in that one lesson.

“It also builds a common language around wellbeing, our brains and challenges meaning that we can
easily access resources to support our students.”

Source: Hochalpines Institut Ftan

The journey of teaching young people that they can do hard things involves more than just a one-hour lesson a week; it requires creating an environment where they feel safe to acknowledge their discomfort and empowered to confront it or ask for help. By fostering a community centred on wellbeing, we equip our students with the skills they need to navigate hard things confidently. Together, we can help them embrace the notion that they can overcome a difficult or scary or new moment and thriving as result.

By Olivia Bugden

Olivia Bugden began her teaching career in 2005 after graduating from Charles Sturt University, Australia with a double degree in Arts and Education, majoring in Literature and Drama at Moree Secondary College, Australia. In addition to her role as an English Literature and Language Teacher, Olivia has spent the last decade developing and implementing wellbeing curricula in various leadership roles in England, China, Hungary and Australia and now Switzerland where she is Head of International and Boarding.

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For school leaders, managing change is one of the most critical responsibilities of leaders in international schools as they navigate complex change across diverse, multicultural communities. Effective change management in international schools ensures initiatives deliver measurable results while maintaining staff engagement and positive student outcomes.

Yet, sustaining engagement and measuring the impact of these changes remains a significant challenge for many.

For school leaders in international schools, guiding complex change across diverse, multicultural communities is a critical responsibility. Effective change management ensures initiatives deliver measurable results while keeping staff engaged and supporting positive student outcomes. Yet, sustaining that engagement and accurately measuring impact remains a challenge for many schools.��

The Challenges of Change in International Schools

Every major initiative in an international school presents challenges. For example, implementing a new bilingual programme or transitioning to a new curriculum framework requires extensive planning and professional development. Staff reactions may vary: some embrace innovation, while others prefer familiar practices.

Change also demands time and effort. Teachers need to adapt lesson plans, learn new approaches, and recalibrate assessment strategies. And, as any school leader knows, improvements in student engagement and learning outcomes often take time to appear.

This is where School Surveys play a vital role. They provide real-time insight into how change is experienced by teachers, students, and parents, allowing leaders to make informed decisions.

Learn more about how �鶹��ý and School Surveys are helping school leaders turn feedback into action.��

Monitoring the Impact of Change

Regular surveys allow leaders to track the pace, intensity, and effectiveness of change initiatives. In international schools, surveys can uncover differences in experience across cultural, linguistic, and geographic groups.

For instance, early surveys might reveal that teachers are spending more time preparing lessons under a new curriculum. Over time, repeated surveys can track whether planning becomes more efficient, helping leaders evaluate whether the initiative is achieving its goals.��

Correcting Course Early

School initiatives rarely unfold as planned. Surveys give leaders the ability to identify issues such as miscommunication, inconsistent implementation, or unintended consequences before they escalate.

This is particularly important for multi-campus international schools, where cultural and operational differences can affect how change is adopted. Early survey insights allow leaders to address these challenges promptly, keeping initiatives on track and ensuring consistency across campuses.��

Giving Staff a Voice

Change is not only operational, but also emotional. Even highly motivated staff may experience frustration or stress during transitions. Anonymous surveys give staff a safe space to express concerns, share challenges, and offer suggestions.

In diverse international school environments, where open feedback may be culturally sensitive, surveys help leaders acknowledge concerns, explain the rationale for changes, and maintain transparency, strengthening trust and engagement across the school community.��

Driving Successful Change with Data

By combining School Surveys’ expertise in designing targeted surveys with �鶹��ý’s market intelligence, international school leaders gain a comprehensive view of both internal progress and external benchmarks. Surveys make it possible to track implementation, evaluate impact, and improve staff engagement –�� all essential for effective change management in schools.��

Getting Started with School Surveys and �鶹��ý Insights

Surveys take just minutes to set up, are fully anonymous, and deliver actionable, benchmarked insights. School leaders can quickly interpret results, track change over time, and use global intelligence to understand trends beyond their own school community.

Ready to get started?��

Key Takeaways for International School Leaders��

• Monitor change: Track the progress, pace, and impact of initiatives across diverse school communities.
• Correct course early: Identify implementation or communication challenges before they escalate.
• Engage staff: Provide safe spaces for honest feedback to maintain trust and morale.
• Leverage data: Combine survey results with �鶹��ý insights for evidence-based decision-making and improved student outcomes.��

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A new generation of assessments, (with Advancing Primary Science on the way) from Hachette Learning, empower teachers to adapt and respond to the needs of their leaners. Developed in collaboration with schools around the world, these assessment resources do more than test the curriculum; they reflect modern classrooms in their content, track incremental steps in progress, and provide teachers with actionable insights to drive meaningful improvement.��

The need for better-aligned primary assessments in international schools has been clear for some time. Despite well-established print and digital offerings, English-language assessments have historically failed to reflect the needs of many, delivering real-time insights that allow teachers to respond to gaps when it matters while meeting the demands of classrooms’ linguistic diversity and various cultural contexts.��

When we spoke to classroom teachers and school leaders around the world, they made it clear what they needed: assessment that is curriculum-relevant, contextualised for multilingual learners, affordable, and accompanied by meaningful professional support.��

Why Assessment Matters in Primary Learning��

The importance of assessment at the primary level cannot be overstated. These early years build strong foundations for future learning, shape ���󾱱�������’s academic confidence and influence their long-term attainment. But assessment in international contexts can carry additional layers of complexity for resources to meet:��

• Curriculum variation: while assessments are tailored to the Cambridge Primary curriculum for Mathematics and English, local adaptation to national curricula is common.��
• Multilingualism: with a growing number of learners speaking two or more languages, many schools can be using English-language resources with early-stage English learners.��
• High mobility: ����’s common for schools to experience high turnover, requiring frequent benchmarking of new joiners.��
• Parent expectations: many parents expect clarity and transparency from schools about their child’s attainment and the progress �ٳ���’r�� making.��

With this range of demands in mind, the solution must offer assessments that are not only accurate and reliable but flexible and accessible.��

“The need for better-aligned primary assessments in international schools has been clear for some time.”��

Developing Solutions: What Teachers Told Us��

Hachette Learning commissioned significant discovery work, including interviews, mapping exercises and local distributor consultations, to understand what primary teachers in international schools value most. Here’s what we found:��

Demand for bilingual-friendly assessments��

Teachers asked for more accessible language, clearer phrasing and cultural neutrality. Many assessment resources fail to separate English-language proficiency from conceptual understanding, especially in mathematics. This often prevents a fair assessment of learners’ true abilities.��

Need for more regular progress tracking��

Schools want to check in on learners at multiple points in the year, not just annually. Teachers emphasised the need for “close monitoring” and stronger visibility on how new joiners progress throughout the year.��

Reporting tools that are easy to use and instantly actionable��

Teachers overwhelmingly favoured individual gap analysis reporting, along with parent-friendly visual reports. They required clear, visual, instantly interpretable insights that reduce workload and accelerate decision-making.��

Delivering Solutions: Assessment Resources��

The Advancing Primary Reading and Mathematics assessment suit is built specifically against the Cambridge Primary curriculum across Stages 1–6, working alongside existing Learner Books, Teacher Guides and Workbooks available from Hachette Learning. This allows schools to confidently test the right content at the right time.��

These assessments have been intentionally developed for modern, international learners. This means reading texts are designed to suit and engage a wide range of children, including a rich and diverse mix of geographical, cultural and social contexts.��

Reviewed by an international panel of classroom teachers and ESL experts to ensure the greatest accessibility for bilingual and multilingual learners, while maintaining the validity of the assessment outcomes. ��

With a choice of printed test papers on interactive online assessments, schools can administer assessments in the best way to suit them. Both options support free and instant reporting in Boost Insights (Hachette Learning’s complementary reporting platform), generating individual learner summary reports and question-level analysis reports for individuals, groups or whole years. This allows teachers to effectively plan their lessons and target their teaching to address gaps in real time, with three assessments each year to track progress.��

“When we listen to teachers and work with subject and language experts, assessment can become a transformative force in teaching and learning.”��

Why This Matters for International Primary Education��

At its core, assessment is a driver of equity. When assessments are not aligned, accessible or culturally relevant, they can generate misleading data, leaving learners behind from their peers, creating barriers to unlocking their full potential, and place unfair workload burden on teachers to find suitable solutions.��

The suite is designed to empower schools through assessment:��

• For teachers, it reduces admin workload, increases clarity and supports responsive teaching.��
• For students, it provides fair, engaging, confidence-building assessment experiences.��
• For schools, it provides cohesion across curriculum and assessment.��
• For parents, it offers transparency and reassurance grounded in curriculum expectations.��

To meet the needs of modern learners and academic expectations, schools need assessments that truly reflect their students, curricula and contexts. When we listen to teachers and work with subject and language experts, assessment can become a transformative force in teaching and learning.����

Visit hachettelearning.com/advancing-primary to learn more about our assessment resources and supporting teaching and revision resources. Speak to your local consultant to discuss how we can meet your needs and tailor solutions to your school. Together, we unlock every learner’s unique potential.����

This is an advertorial from Hachette Learning

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