Each year our Year 5 and 6 teams travel to Thanyapura in Phuket for the Primary FOBISIA games. This is a multi sport weekend, swimming, athletics, T-Ball and football, it is the most competitive event that most, if not all of these children have entered, and for most – their first time, the pressure can…
Making Learning Visible and Focused on Well-Being: Year 6’s Learning Exhibition
At BSM we schedule 2-3 ‘Learning Exhibitions’ per year. These are based on the model described by Ron Berger in his book ‘The Ethic of Excellence’ and underpinned by Carrol Dweck’s work on developing Growth Mindsets – which also, in this case, provided much of the content of this unit of work. We recognise that…
Building Relationship and Intercultural Understanding Through Exploring Our Personal Narratives
“You can’t get to the content if the relationship and the social-emotional well-being piece is not being attended to first.” UCLA 1997 Study – the influence of relationships in a classroom “It is hard to argue we are teaching the whole child when students leave their culture at the door. “ Cummins 2001 The school…
The feel-good factor of giving (as a school)
Every so often something happens that makes your week and I would like to share one of these moments. It relates to a letter we received a few weeks ago and I think it has touched all who read it and it relates to a Scholarship Programme that is supported by BSM. Service Learning, Community…
Year 6 – Human Rights, MUN and Cinderella!
This year, we have been working on developing our year 6 curriculum so that it more closely aligns with BSM’s vision and mission to develop our students as global citizens. In previous years, year 6 have studied the topic of World War Two. We chose to move the focus from just one historical conflict to…
Primary Service Learning – more than just helping others
School felt quieter last week with our Years 3, 4 and 6 on residential programmes engaging with their Service Partners . What an amazing and mutually beneficial experience it was. Service Learning experiences or volunteer work are shown to develop an increased sense of social responsibility and a global view of society through exposing our children…
Sports – Inclusion and Excellence
Last term our U15 FOBISIA Sports team returned to competing with Division A schools, against the biggest (most 2000 students plus) and strongest British Schools in the region. Our results were impressive. We secured 2nd in the Swimming, 3rd in the Athletics, 5th in the Girls Basketball, 4th in the Boys Basketball, 4th in the…
Flourishing Students
I have just got back from the FOBISIA Leadership Conference and also attended the EARCOS Conference earlier in the month. It has been interesting to experience the common theme that ran through both events – Student (and our) Wellbeing. We are all becoming increasingly aware of how important Wellbeing in schools has now become. At…
Invasion – Colonisation?
Year 4’s usual response to the lunchtime bell ringing is not groaning, it is not “please can we write more” and it is not always deep engagement with the task at hand and yet this is exactly what happened in a recent lesson. What prompted this unusual response? To borrow from one of the student’s…
AfL and Comparative Judgement
Comparative judgement is a relatively new way to assess children’s writing developed after many years of disparity between schools in the moderation of writing levels in the UK. However, it is seemingly designed to be used by teachers and examiners. Which raises the perennial question why is the focus is on applying this tool just…
Oil Spill Scientists – Year 2
This week saw us focus on Global Awareness issues across our campus with the Primary School looking at sustainability issues from taking care of our ocean environments, to recycling materials and making pledges as year groups to have an impact locally. Knowing the theme of the week we were really fortunate to have identified one…
Understanding the Plight of Refugees – The Power of an Authentic Task and Authentic Audience
No food. No shelter. Nothing! Like a flickering candle flame struggling in the darkness, I stood helpless with absolutely nothing. The petrifying lightning struck deafeningly amidst the grey ocean as we continued to move on forwards. I hoped that Livia was still alive. We should be walking in the market, her soft skin wrapped…
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