Emma Seith

2 days 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.

1 week 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).

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.

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.

1 month 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.