St Andrews International School is set in a luscious,
verdant, rural idyll adjacent to Rayong Green Valley Golf Course, within
reasonably easy driving distance of Pattaya, Jomtien, and Rayong. Visually,
the site is absolutely captivating. An extension to the secondary building
was being finished off – completed in a remarkably short space of time.
The office staff are genuinely friendly. Head of School David Lowder is a
handsome, well groomed 50ish man with an easy, gentle manner, seemingly
unruffled by the start of another school year. I began by asking him what in
his view, constituted an “international school?”
David
Lowder, Head of St Andrews, Rayong. “Children are made to feel important
– because they are.”
DL: Good question. There are several schools that
can have the actual name, “international school” but you might find that
they are not. An international school to me is a school that will embrace in
its student body and faculty a wide selection of nationalities and will have
a curriculum that will incorporate not only a national system but will
certainly plan to accommodate curriculum programs that reflect the region
and the locality where it’s based. An international faculty is important
so that you do feel that you’ve got a good selection of professional views
and teaching approaches.
GB: As one of five St Andrews International
Schools in Thailand, what is particular about the St Andrews group?
DL: We call ourselves a “British Style
International School” because we are still committed to using the English
National Curriculum as a framework for our curriculum program, but we are
developing and we are certainly open-minded – I think people equate a
“British Style” education with something that has certain standards.
GB: A lot of parents look to accreditation as a
rubber stamp of a school’s pedigree. What are your views on this?
DL: I agree. Quality assurance is very important
for parents to feel confident that their children are going to receive a
good education. We’re very conscious of having both internal and external
accreditation. We’re a member of ISAT (International Schools Association
of Thailand), we are preparing for external accreditation through a company
called ‘World Education Services’ (WES) and the Cambridge Examination
Board has authorised us to offer IGCSE courses. All of this is an assurance
that we are serious about what we are involved in and that we want to
maintain a high quality professional level of education.
GB: Your philosophy is not really what one might
expect to find in England, is it? Perhaps more importantly and something our
readers would like an answer to, is “How do you teach your philosophy?”
DL: Well, our philosophy has certainly evolved
over the last eight years. The St Andrews group wants to be “British Style
International Schools” that are not selective in the sense of
excluding children who may be at different levels of academic ability. We
want to work on a small school basis so that we keep a family, community
type atmosphere so that we are dealing with personalities – with people.
People know each other here. We want to ensure that all the children realize
that we live in a global community. Even though we call ourselves “British
Style” we take many international and different cultural celebrations to
enrich the program.
GB: How long have you been Principal and what is
your background?
DL: This is my third year as Principal of this school.
Prior to this I was vice principal of a large primary school in Northern
Ireland and Principal and acting Head of the British International School of
Stockholm. I have nine to ten years of senior administrative experience. I
have a Masters Degree from Bath University in Educational Administration and
I have completed the National Professional Qualification for Headteachers (NPQH)
which is now mandatory in England - if you want to be a Headteacher you must
have this qualification or be registered on the course. Once again, I think
this is a quality assurance process and I am sure will be currency
internationally as well.
GB: What do you think are the most important
characteristics of leadership?
DL: I certainly think you need to be in touch with
the people you’re working with, to have a clear idea of where you’re
aiming the organisation to go and to ensure that you’re prepared to try
different approaches that appeal - certainly in an international setting -
to different culture groups so you don’t make people feel that you’re
exclusive to one group. I think as a leader, you’ve got to be open-minded
and very flexible.
GB: Would you regard yourself as visible and
accessible?
DL: I would and I do. I like to meet all new
parents and children. I never make myself unavailable to parents,
even at short notice. When parents walk in without an appointment, I’ll
meet them and I’m always prepared to listen to points of view and any sort
of constructive criticism that might make the school better or more
efficient or add to the quality of the school.
GB: Why should parents and students choose St
Andrews ahead of other International schools?
DL: Well, in this area we believe that we are
competing against four other international schools. I think the “British
Style” curriculum is embedded here, we are a very friendly small school
and I think parents who come here will feel that they’re getting very
individual attention, from the moment they arrive to the time that they
leave and they’re not one of five or six hundred who are ‘lost’ in the
system. Their children are made to feel very important - because they are.
Personally, I feel that I am lucky to be able to meet the children on a
daily basis and be able to call them by name - I don’t think this occurs
in a larger school. I think children feel very secure and safe here.
We could have carried on talking for hours but dusk was
falling and there was an interview to transcribe. As for my avowed intent of
finding holes in his school, I came away empty handed. Clearly, David Lowder
knows his stuff.
Our final event to raise money for the kids this year
will be the Jesters Pub Night, this Saturday September 18 at Shenanigans.
We will do so through the sale of Grand Raffle tickets for many wonderful
prizes, and the auctioning of valuable sports memorabilia, various pieces
of art and other interesting items.
