Outstanding Schools Asia Agenda 2022

An introduction to the conference and an overview of the two streams taking place on Day 1: Leadership and Workforce and Safeguarding and Wellbeing.

• How has the pandemic impacted student social, emotional and behavioural wellbeing
• How can educators respond to post-pandemic student needs?
• How can educators recognise anxiety through the lens of behavioural observations?
• Which practical strategies help dial down anxiety in the classroom?

Attendees are encouraged to network with fellow delegates and speakers via the chat function on the conference platform.

• As the Asian international school sector trends towards catering to predominantly local, rather than expatriate, families, this inevitably impacts what international schools are, who they serve, and what their purpose is
• What does internationalisation mean in an increasingly localised market?
• How can schools articulate their identities and mission statements in terms that resonate with local families and future recruits?
• How can international schools integrate themselves within their local education community whilst maintaining their international outlook?
• How will the changing global economy continue to impact the Asian international school sector going forward?

Delegates are invited to attend one of the below interactive roundtable discussions in the Leadership and Workforce stream. Please note that these roundtable sessions will take place concurrently and at the same time as the roundtable sessions in the Safeguarding and Wellbeing stream.  

• Learn about the difference between coaching and mentoring, as well as when best to employ one approach over the other.
• Discover how to cultivate authentic mentoring relationships that bring out the best in your teaching staff
• How to build professional capacity in your schools by establishing a culture of mentoring
• The importance of mentoring as a constituent part of succession planning

• This session aims to force a new perception of professional learning in educational institutions, a fundamental reordering of the paradigmatic assumptions that we hold as educators.

• What barriers are in place that prevent people of colour from occupying senior leadership positions, and how can schools dismantle them?
• Are hiring committee members’ unconscious biases precluding people of colour from advancing to positions of authority in international schools?
• The importance of intersectional recruitment practices
• What best practices should schools adopt to avoid job requirements that might be considered discriminatory
• How to create a culture shift that eschews Eurocentric perceptions about what constitutes a leader in an international school and managing parental expectations regarding the experiences required for leadership

Attendees are encouraged to network with fellow delegates and speakers via the chat function on the conference platform.

• Hear the key learnings discovered by senior leaders at Chinese international schools and school groups over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic
• What key takeaways from the pandemic will Chinese international school leaders be taking forward and implementing into their future strategy?
• How have senior leaders successfully supported and empowered educators throughout the pandemic?
• As a school leader, how can you create an effective succession plan in times of crisis?
• How has onboarding new hires been impacted by the ongoing effects of the pandemic?
• What duty of care do senior leaders have towards the wellbeing of their staff and especially new recruits?

• Why is educator wellbeing important to schools?
• What is educator burnout and what causes it? What factors are unique to international schools?
• How can a school maximise the wellbeing of its educators?

An introduction to the conference and an overview of the two streams taking place on Day 1: Leadership and Workforce and Safeguarding and Wellbeing.

• How has the pandemic impacted student social, emotional and behavioural wellbeing
• How can educators respond to post-pandemic student needs?
• How can educators recognise anxiety through the lens of behavioural observations?
• Which practical strategies help dial down anxiety in the classroom?

Attendees are encouraged to network with fellow delegates and speakers via the chat function on the conference platform.

• As the Asian international school sector trends towards catering to predominantly local, rather than expatriate, families, this inevitably impacts what international schools are, who they serve, and what their purpose is
• What does internationalisation mean in an increasingly localised market?
• How can schools articulate their identities and mission statements in terms that resonate with local families and future recruits?
• How can international schools integrate themselves within their local education community whilst maintaining their international outlook?
• How will the changing global economy continue to impact the Asian international school sector going forward?

Delegates are invited to attend one of the below interactive roundtable discussions in the Safeguarding and Wellbeing stream. Please note that these roundtable sessions will take place concurrently and at the same time as the roundtable sessions in the Leadership and Workforce stream.  

• What are best practice initiatives that schools should institute to safeguard the emotional wellbeing and mental health of educators who oversee safeguarding initiatives? 
• What CPD opportunities should your school be prioritising to upskill educators placed in charge of safeguarding initiatives who do not have the training or experience of a social worker? How can this improve both the safeguarding provision offered to vulnerable students, as well as educator wellbeing? 
• Discover the importance of establishing formal support networks for safeguarding staff at international schools to share their experiences and best practice insights 

• What cultural challenges typically impact SEND provision in Asia and how can educators confront the stigma attached to SEND?
• Examining staff mindsets with respect to SEND provision and changing well-established mindsets to promote equity and inclusivity within international schools
• Distinguishing SEN from EAL
• Moving forward from traditional ways of working with SEND
• How Teaching Assistants can be either harmful or helpful when it comes to SEND provision

• How can educators tackle safeguarding and wellbeing cases when local laws are not consistently followed or implemented?
• How can educators help families if safeguarding services are not available outside of the school?
• How can educators keep children safe and how should they work with parents to achieve this end?
• Recognising and addressing the signs of affluent neglect
• Creating and implementing bespoke wellbeing programmes that respond to the needs of the school community
• Challenging cultural perceptions around mental health conditions

Attendees are encouraged to network with fellow delegates and speakers via the chat function on the conference platform.

• How have SEND and neurodiverse children been impacted by the ongoing effects of the pandemic?
• Are pupils’ wellbeing needs being adequately addressed now that there is greater demand for wellbeing support for their neurotypical peers?
• What best practices should schools institute to ensure equity amongst students regardless of their learning needs?
• How can schools create an inclusive community environment that meets the needs of all learners?

A welcome to returning delegates to the conference and an overview of the two streams taking place on Day 2: EdTech and Management and Teaching and Learning.

• What are some of the ways that international schools often propagate elitism?
• What can international schools do to make their schools less elitist?

Attendees are encouraged to network with fellow delegates and speakers via the chat function on the conference platform.

• How can schools empower students to become co-collaborators in determining the focus of their education?
• The benefits of facilitating student leadership and ownership over DEIJ, sustainability, and wellbeing initiatives
• The importance of acknowledging students’ role as key stakeholders and centring students’ voices, ideas, and concerns when developing your long-term school strategy

Delegates are invited to attend one of the below interactive roundtable discussions in the EdTech and Management stream. Please note that these roundtable sessions will take place concurrently and at the same time as the roundtable sessions in the Teaching and Learning stream.  

• How to develop and effectively communicate your school’s brand identity
• How can your school leverage data to inform your marketing initiatives and appeal to different markets within Asia and beyond?

• How has the international schools market in China grown over the last 5 years?
• How can international schools institute a policy of remaining proactively reactive in response to evolving Chinese Educational Reform?
• How will Chinese Educational Reform impact international school communities?
• What is the future of Chinese Educational Reform and how can international schools based in China prepare themselves and their students for it?

• Are schools equipping students with the experience, knowledge and skills needed so that they are well-rounded digital citizens and prepared for the future?
• Is an online campus or a blended form of teaching more viable than face-to-face teaching longer term?
• How can schools ensure that they are providing teachers with the CPD opportunities necessary to maximise the effectiveness of their EdTech? What training should schools be investing in?

• Showcasing how Branksome Hall Asia in South Korea used data analysis to gain vital insights regarding student retention rates
• How this analytical insight led to a revitalisation of their student recruitment and retention strategy, as well as the development of a virtual, student-led school tour on YouTube that has had over 150,000 hits in its first year
• Learn how you can likewise mobilise data effectively to elevate your school’s marketing strategies

Attendees are encouraged to network with fellow delegates and speakers via the chat function on the conference platform.

• How can international schools positively contribute to the global sustainability agenda?
• What steps can school leaders take to ensure equity amongst educators and contingent staff?
• The importance of ethical education for the development of global citizens

• As many countries in Asia grapple with the continuing effects of the pandemic, there is an increasing interest cultivating a community with all key stakeholders
• How can schools go about re-establishing effective home-school partnerships centred upon trust?
• Relationships between educators and caregivers have inevitably changed as a result of intermittent remote learning over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. Should traditional models of educator and caregiver relationships be re-evaluated as schools in Asia trend towards a return to on-campus teaching?
• How can schools go about creating a sense of community within school going forward given the disruption of the last two years?

A welcome to returning delegates to the conference and an overview of the two streams taking place on Day 2: EdTech and Management and Teaching and Learning.

• What are some of the ways that international schools often propagate elitism?
• What can international schools do to make their schools less elitist?

Attendees are encouraged to network with fellow delegates and speakers via the chat function on the conference platform.

• How can schools empower students to become co-collaborators in determining the focus of their education?
• The benefits of facilitating student leadership and ownership over DEIJ, sustainability, and wellbeing initiatives
• The importance of acknowledging students’ role as key stakeholders and centring students’ voices, ideas, and concerns when developing your long-term school strategy

Delegates are invited to attend one of the below interactive roundtable discussions in the Teaching and Learning stream. Please note that these roundtable sessions will take place concurrently and at the same time as the roundtable sessions in the EdTech and Management stream.  

• What are the benefits of bilingual education and how can school leaders establish a culture of bilingualism within their school?
• How can translanguaging benefit student learning experiences and embed them within the local culture in which their school is situated?
• How can senior leaders source, recruit and retain teachers who are capable of teaching in a bilingual environment?

• What additional social and emotional issues might EAL learners face? How can we ensure these needs are being addressed?
• What measures need to be in place to embed a truly collaborative approach to EAL provision across the school?
• How do we assess EAL learners and what, if any, accommodations should be put in place?

• How can schools adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of an increasingly local student population?
• Negotiating the often Western-centric, colonial legacy of international curricula
• Integrating local history and reflecting local identity meaningfully within the curriculum
• How can schools diversify their curricula to foster intercultural learning?

• Hear how Prem Tinsulanonda International School in Chiang Mai, Thailand, created a holistic sustainability strategy
• Discover best practice guidance about how your school can likewise successfully and meaningfully incorporate sustainability within your curriculum and galvanise your whole school community

Attendees are encouraged to network with fellow delegates and speakers via the chat function on the conference platform.

• What is the product of international education? Is high academic attainment in the form of exam results still the aim?
• What is the future of assessment?
• Do current exam-oriented assessment practices fail neurodiverse and SEND students?
• Is exam-based assessment useful for students when it comes to tertiary education?
• How can schools meaningfully assess concept thinking skills?

• How can schools equip students with the autonomy and research-based skills required to thrive in tertiary education?
• How can students stand out from the crowd in terms of their university applications?
• How can schools champion alternate pathways available to children for whom tertiary education is not the best option?
• How can schools ensure that they are building capacity in learners to ensure success beyond the educational environment?