History and development of the school
The school was founded by Paul Collins in September 2000 and registered with the Ministry Of Education as a private school. It was an exciting opportunity to create a school using the joint fifty years teaching experience of he and his wife in a way that they believed, and still believe, would provide the best learning environment for students.
Their aim was to establish a school where children feel like they were members of a family where they feel secure and at ease with themselves. In this environment children can develop their individuality and begin to understand how to function in a larger community inside and outside the school. In this wider community it is essential that each child is known and understood by their teachers and the headteacher.
In September 2006 the school was lucky to have Mrs Carsky re-join it as headteacher. Mrs Carsky knows personally all the children in the school and will meet with any parent who has a concern or problem. Mrs Carsky always treats parents with the consideration, respect and in complete confidence.
The aim is to cultivate a community of self-regulating individuals who are confident about who they are and who have gained many of the attributes of international students.
Attributes of international students
| Inquirer – actively enjoys learning |
| Thinker – exercises initiative |
| Communicator – receives and expresses information confidently |
| Risk taker – approaches new situations with confidence and independence |
| Knowledgeable – has acquired a mass of significant knowledge |
| Principled – has integrity, honesty and a sense of fairness |
| Caring – shows sensitivity to the needs and feelings of others |
| Open-minded – seeks and considers a range of points of view |
| Well Balanced – shows physical and mental balance |
| Reflective – considers and analyses their personal strengths and weaknesses in a constructive manner |
Since these attributes are required and expected by our students we decided to mirror this one-to-one approach when addressing the needs or concerns of parents as experience has shown that in a group situation quieter or more reserved parents are not always able to make their views known. It was for this reason that the decision was made that the school should not have a parent teachers association.
This personalised interaction between the school and parents is possible because we have a headteacher who is sympathetic, responsive, approachable and is an excellent communicator.
The Principle of Reciprocity
The school philosophy is based upon the idea that there is one central rule of behaviour from which all other rules stem: Treat others as you wish to be treated yourself. This rule permits students to see the moral imperatives in different situations and helps them to develop their own set of core values. If this reasoning is applied from an early age the children develop an awareness of social situations and understand how and why behaviour must change according to situations and form their own concepts of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.
Conflict is natural between individuals but it is necessary that children learn the reasons for conflict and develop the skills to resolve conflict in a peaceable manner. The philosophy embraces the principle that young children require guidance in learning to make moral, social and intellectual decisions but that there is also a need to develop individual skills, organising ability, initiative and responsibility. This requires a lessening of dependence as the children progress through the school. The school does require a few rules to establish a baseline of school identity, safety, organization and security. These rules are kept to a minimum but are strictly enforced.