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Newsletter from the Board of Governors and the Director

Number 10, December 2011

This Newsletter is designed to give you an overview of the larger-scale and strategic aspects of the school. We hope it will give you an idea about the issues in which the Board and school management are currently engaged and of progress being made. We do not include the great number and range of events and activities that go on daily at the school as these are covered elsewhere. The newsletter incorporates contributions from the School Director, Paul Wiseman, and Chairman of the Board, Nick Walker.

Thank You
This year has proved to be an extremely satisfying and highly successful one in terms of the school’s progress. We would like to thank everyone – whether parent, school staff, student or friend – for their varied contributions to the school’s success and development. The school’s results continue to improve and in many areas are very impressive. When you visit the school you find a warm, welcoming, orderly and lively atmosphere where the pupils are engaged and learning in a purposeful and focused way.

The Director, Paul Wiseman, leaves us at the end of term after 23 years at the school, eighteen as Head. John Nixon succeeds Paul from January 1st 2012 and the Board is unanimous in its confidence that the school is in a very strong and stable position. Perhaps there could not have been a better moment for the transition of school Directors to be taking place. Both Paul and John are delighted with the professional and personal decisions they have made and they will continue to be in ongoing dialogue over the coming months. We thank them both and wish them well in their new roles.

We pay special tribute to the Board of Governors for their exceptional support of the school’s stability and development. This April, Adam Reid stood down as Chairman of the Board. We were delighted to name the hall in the new Mackenzie Building at Botafogo the “Adam Reid Hall” in recognition of his great contribution to the school. Nick Walker assumed the responsibility of Chair.

We also recognize and thank the ongoing work and contribution of the PTA, which continued to be led this year by Carlos Eduardo Palmier.

We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to our school staff. We all know that the quality of a school depends on the quality of the staff. A school like ours, which is constantly striving for improvement in every area, places heavy demands on our educational and administrative teams. We are reminded daily of the dedication and commitment of the school staff who invariably go well beyond the call of duty in their efforts to achieve the best.

Significant Developments
During this term the school roll grew to 2000 students across all sites reminding us that we are one of the largest international schools in Latin America. By site, the totals are: Urca 429; Botafogo 832; and Barra 739. We have several year groups, across all three sites, that are full and with waiting lists.

A significant number of very important projects and initiatives have been concluded or are nearing completion. In addition, several decisions have been made which establishes important developments into 2012 and beyond.

All these developments are set within carefully considered plans which are led and monitored by the various committees and working parties throughout the school. Every year the Board approves the Ten-Year Strategic Plan and is advised on the various development plans used by the school. In this way, while many initiatives and developments take place, priorities are sustained and all developments work towards the enhancement of the school’s ethos and well being.

Finance and Development
The school continues to manage carefully planned and monitored finances both for the short and long-term and the Board sub-committees for Finance and Development play a major part in the process of monitoring and advice. This August, the school management submitted the Budget 2012 which included staffing and resource needs for 2012 within the context of a 3-Year Budget (2012-14). The Budget included our aim to gradually increase the number of staff with overseas experience, the inclusion of two Counsellors, the support of new curriculum initiatives and a review of school catering.
A major focus this term has been the completion of the new buildings in Barra in time for their use in February 2012. This significant project contains new classrooms and Library for Lower Primary, two Senior Science Labs, an extra Music Room, Drama Room and ICT Lab. Since there is no planned construction for the site for at least the next two years, the Barra Project Team is undertaking a total review of the scope, design and timing of the next and final phases of the Barra project.

The growth at Barra continues to put extra pressure on such practicalities as car parking, arrival and dismissal and lunch arrangements. The Barra Team has proposed a small change to the timing of the school day for the Senior School in 2012 to address these issues.

The Development Committee has completed negotiations for a new sports facility for the Urca Site which we are trusting will be available for use in the new year for Classes 6 to 11 at Urca. We look forward to giving you the details of this new and exciting resource once the necessary facility developments are complete.

Installation of projectors and interactive whiteboards has gone on apace at the Botafogo Site, with a projector in every main teaching room. The ongoing financial support of the PTA has been decisive in our ability to progress. The Botafogo Site Team has been working with architects on a plan to better drain, resurface and redecorate the playground. This is a development project scheduled for 2013. Their other main immediate targets are the completion of the Art Room and two Drama rooms in the hew Mackenzie Building, how to improve the space and design of the dining facilities and the planned refurbishment of the Cashman Building.

All these facility developments are embedded in the 5-Year Facilities Development Plan which ensures the sustainable, coherent proper distribution and articulation of priorities across the entire school.

Academic Performance
The IB results for Class 11 in 2010 were the best in the school’s history. The average diploma candidate point score was 33 points with a diploma pass rate of 85%. The average Higher Level grade was 5.00. These results are now translating into some great university entrance successes. Of 64 graduates, 35 applied for Brazil only, 16 for both Brazil and overseas and 13 for overseas only. Of the overseas applicants, 21 applied for the UK, 16 for the USA and 2 for other countries.

For Class 9 IGCSE examinations last year our students scored a creditable 85% A*-C performance. The average number of A* - C grades per pupil was a remarkable 10.3 and one pupil gained A* Grades in all 13 subjects. The results of virtually all subjects were well above world averages.

The Brazilian Extension Course for Classes 10 and 11 was further developed and strengthened this year. A team of seventeen Brazilian teachers experienced in Ensino Médio are employed to support our students with their Brazilian university entrance preparation. Feedback from students on university entry within Brazil has been really encouraging. With reference to the ENEM, for the first time INEP divided schools into four groups according to the rate of attendance (2% to 25%; 25% to 50%; 50% to 75%; and more than 75%) and suggested that the only possible comparison should be made inside each of these groups. 28 of our 64 graduates actually took the ENEM (giving an attendance rating of 44%). Taking into account only the schools with a rate of attendance between 25% and 50%, TBS would have been 3rd in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Education matters
The Board Education Committee reviewed the school’s statements of Vision, Mission, Philosophy, Aims and Objectives and recommended some small but important changes. The Committee has been working on a Home-School Agreement designed to clarify for everybody common expectations, values and behaviour. Following further inputs from pupils, staff and parents, the final Agreement will be published next year.

Throughout 2010 and 2011, the Educational Management Team has been undertaking a radical review of the school’s Pastoral System. The Board Education Committee has been overseeing this review and was presented with a Final Report containing 98 recommendations for how we can further improve the following aspects related to the care and well being of the students: Listening Systems; Positive Behaviour Management; Personal and Social Development; Support Systems; and Security and Motivation. One major outcome has been the revision of the Curriculum Model to more clearly incorporate the concept of “meeting the needs of the pupil at the centre”. One major recommendation is the appointment of Counsellors and two are initially being recruited for 2012.

During April the school undertook an LAHC Review of Mathematics and Numeracy which reviewed Maths and Numeracy from Pre-Nursery to Class 11. The Primary and Secondary School Maths teachers have produced reports responding to the recommendations of the Visiting Team. The Education Committee has been kept informed of progress and will be monitoring how well the school is addressing the recommendations during 2012.

The Education Committee also received a presentation from the Educational Management Team which has been carrying out a two-year review of the Primary School Curriculum. Following visits to other schools, a review of curriculum developments in the UK and the attendance at various international conferences on the Primary Curriculum, the EMT has made clear recommendations for the school to incorporate a new British-based international curriculum component into our curriculum. We believe the package has enormous potential for, among other things, increasing pupil motivation, giving major support and training for teachers in their focus on how children learn and the learning process and encourages enquiry-based learning and higher order thinking skills. The Education Team will be seeking Board approval early next year. If approved, the new curriculum will be gradually introduced into the school during 2012 and beyond. We would aim for full implementation by the end of 2014. Mathematics and numeracy, and language and literacy, will continue following the current programme.

The e-learning platform, ‘Fronter’, was purchased for 2011 and is being used at Urca. It enables pupils to work independently, track a sequence of lessons and access resources to follow-up on work. Feedback from pupils has been very positive and its use will now grow throughout the school.

Another major development has been the use of curriculum mapping through ‘Rubicon Atlas’ which was launched this year. The objective is to completely map the whole school curriculum so that it is eventually accessible to teachers, pupils and parents. The process has started in the Senior School and it is anticipated that it will take approximately three years to complete.

GL Online Assessment tests were carried out for the first time at the end of last year in the Primary sections at Botafogo and Barra. Feedback from the tests is extensive and we have been analyzing this data. The GL Online Tests are just one form of assessment. The main purposes of the Assessment are to track an individual pupil’s progress over a long period of time and also to gain comparative institutional data on the performance of other children of similar age internationally.

We aim to introduce the wide use of laptops for students in the coming years. The broad proposals have been approved in principle and we are planning to trial the use of lap tops in Term 2, 2011 with Classes 10/11 at Urca, Class 5 at Botafogo and Class 5 and Class 8 at Barra.

The ICT Department is also planning to introduce pupil emails into the school. The proposals are currently being considered by the senior management team. Emails would be set up for internal school use only – between pupils and staff – and trials are being considered for Class 10 and Class 9 (Urca) (Class 8 in Barra). Clear regulations for their use are being finalised.

This year we worked on getting accreditation to run the IGCSE and International Baccalaureate for the Barra Site. The site has already been awarded IGCSE Accreditation by Edexcel and Cambridge examination boards and the authorisation for IBO Accreditation will be completed through a visit in 2012.

The Head of ICT Services and his team have reviewed, over several months, some ten different companies and systems that provide Management Information Systems (MIS) to schools worldwide. A company has been invited to set up a trial in August. Should this be successful, the target is for full installation across all sites for (i) education and admin (ii) staff, pupils and parents, by 2013.The school will also be setting up video-conferencing equipment next term for each site.

Latin American Heads Conference (LAHC) Green School Award
A draft strategic plan has been drawn up by the school management team to prepare the school to become a sustainable Green School.

School Publications and Social Media
The School Prospectus is being completely revised and will be published soon. Next term, we begin a revision of the Parent-Pupil Handbook and will launch the new Website. Better use of social media is being considered; we have established a Face book page which is bringing great benefits in linking up with the community beyond the school.

Food and Catering
Following concerns expressed by the PTA in April about aspects of food and catering, the Director and Board reviewed the situation. As a result, the school leadership has been taking specific measures to address standards in all areas of food and catering and the associated educational and behavioural dimensions. Two nutritionists were recruited for Term 2 and significant changes are being made with regard to the professional catering side of operations. In parallel, a comprehensive policy on Healthy Eating in school is being developed with a view to publication during 2012.

Social/Community Projects and Active Citizenship
The school continues to take its community role seriously, there being a growing number of initiatives and the consolidation of existing ones.

The Fund Raising and related activities in support of the Região Serrana has been sustained with a focus on the community of Vale do Cuiaba near Itaipava which was devastated by landslides. Staff and students from Botafogo and Barra have been visiting the community in an effort to establish the best way we can assist. In addition, under their own volition, a group of Class 8 pupils and teachers from Urca have linked up with a community in the area of Teresópolis.

Links with the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Los Angeles are deepening. This July, the third group of young people with artistic talent (including two of our students) visited Los Angeles for the CalArts Summer Community Arts Programme. Plans to host a similar community arts programme here in Rio in July 2012 are underway involving professional artists/educators from the US coming to Rio to share their skills with a hundred talented young artists (music, dance and visual art) from local disadvantaged communities.

Establishing the TBS Association
The establishment of The British School Association (Associação) is almost complete. The TBS Association is designed to support fund raising and monitor, control and direct funds both to charitable causes (social and environmental) and school development. The Association will start its work next term. Indeed, its successful establishment and implementation is the Board Goal for 2012.

We hope you have enjoyed reading about some of the key initiatives and projects that our school has been undertaking in recent months. Some initiatives are already bearing fruit while others await further growth and development next year. Either way, we hope you will agree that our school is a dynamic community, ready to confront mediocrity and take up exciting challenges and opportunities with the sole purpose of benefiting the education and well being of our children. For now, we thank you all for your support and contributions to the life of the school this year and wish you all a very happy holiday.

Yours sincerely,

Nick Walker Paul Wiseman
Chairman Director