Emma Seith

Galashiels, Scotland

Senior Reporter at Tes

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Articles

Over 250 new international schools in the pipeline

1 week ago | tes.com | Emma Seith

There are a total of 283 new international schools due to be added to the market - with 167 of them set to open in Asia, according to a “visual white paper” from ISC Research. ISC Research provides data and intelligence on the global international schools market. The paper says that western Asia “dominates the market” with 57 new schools planned for opening; in South East Asia - which is described as “another key area of growth” - 53 new schools are planned.
Getting governing boards right in international schools

2 weeks ago | tes.com | Emma Seith

Becoming a school governor should not be about advancing your own child’s interests or enhancing your CV. Instead, it should be about “taking the school forward”, helping to set the strategic direction and supporting a school’s leadership team to remain true to it, and adhering to the school’s founding principles, values and mission statement.
COBIS 2025: 12 ideas and insights for international school leaders

3 weeks ago | tes.com | Dan Worth |Henry Hepburn |Emma Seith

The annual Council of British International Schools (COBIS) Conference has drawn to a close after three action-packed days in London. Tes was on the ground throughout the main conference, attending talks and chatting to delegates. As ever, there was a raft of interesting discussions, debates, insights and ideas shared - from the small-scale practical ways leaders are tackling issues to thematic concepts shaping future decisions and directions in the sector.
How does teachers’ contact time vary around the world - and why does it matter?

1 month ago | tes.com | Emma Seith

In Switzerland primary teachers spend what, on the face of it, seems like a reasonably palatable 788 hours in front of classes per year, with the figure falling to an arguably even more acceptable 638 hours in upper secondary. To put these stats into context, both are below the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) averages for class-contact time across the sectors (773 hours and 679 hours, respectively).
How international schools are planning for climate change

1 month ago | tes.com | Emma Seith

In Europe, there are snow days - when schools close as thick, icy blankets of white envelop the land - but in Oman, the equivalent might be described, a little less romantically and succinctly, as “thunderously heavy rainfall days”. Different types of precipitation, same headache of school closures - and, typically, same wave of euphoria from pupils given an unexpected day off.
Private school claims UK first as it accepts fees paid in Bitcoin

1 month ago | tes.com | Emma Seith

A Scottish private school has said it will accept Bitcoin as a form of payment for school fees, in a move it claims is a first for the UK independent schools sector. Lomond School, a co-educational, independent day and boarding school in Helensburgh, to the west of Glasgow, says parents will be able to start paying fees using the cryptocurrency from August this year. It also said that staff wages could be paid in the currency in the future as part of a voluntary scheme.
Growing complexity of EAL student profiles challenges international sector

2 months ago | tes.com | Emma Seith

It’s well known that there has been a “major shift” in the student demographics of international schools, as Janelle Torres of ISC Research puts it. A decade ago, international schools mostly served expatriate families with English-speaking backgrounds; now, “a growing proportion of the student body” is made up of local students. “In some markets they account for over 70 per cent of total enrolment,” adds Torres, who is research manager for South East Asia at ISC Research.
International schools group’s bid to make schools ‘vape-free zones’

2 months ago | tes.com | Emma Seith

International schools group GEMS Education is aiming to make its schools “vape-free zones” after launching a zero-tolerance campaign against “the dangerous trend”. GEMS Education, which includes around 50 schools in the Middle East, says it plans to re-educate students on the dangers of vaping and nicotine addiction, at the same time as clamping down on the practice.
Curriculum review: how will it affect international schools?

2 months ago | tes.com | Emma Seith

Changes to curriculum and assessment in England “will ripple across the world”, says Colin Bell, chief executive of the Council of British International Schools (Cobis). This is why he argues that the international schools sector must be given “due consideration” by the current government review that aims to breathe new life into England’s “outdated curriculum and assessment system”.
Budget cuts and geography form ‘barriers’ to council support

2 months ago | tes.com | Emma Seith

There is “notable variability” in the consistency and quality of support provided to schools by local authorities, says Scotland’s interim chief inspector of education in an Education Scotland report. Local authority approaches to supporting school improvementfinds that only “a minority” of local authorities are succeeding in “demonstrably improving attainment and standards in learning, teaching, and assessment in primary schools” and that the situation is worse in secondary schools.