An oft-shared anecdote from my time as a headteacher in North London involved a cake bake initiative for a local charity.
Upon arriving at school sans gateau, a Year 9 boy attempted to extricate himself from the impending reprimand with a phone plea to his mother, persuading her to buy a cake and deliver it to school. Predictably, receiving a cake in a bakery box did little to appease the event organiser.
This hollow gesture is unlikely to be what Olli-Pekka Heinonen, the director-general of the International Baccalaureate, had in mind when he wrote recently on Tes that “schooling at its best must be anchored in its locality and its community”.
He added too that “students must be of service to the communities around them, volunteering to work with local people, in local charities”.
Local understanding and cultural attachment
Mr Heinonen’s words are pertinent for all schools.
Arguably, though, they carry particular resonance for international schools, the proliferation of which means few communities in the world remain beyond reach.
What’s more, as the numbers of local children entering international schools increase, it is becoming important for international schools to articulate not just their education offerings, but how they provide an experience that fosters local understanding and cultural attachment - much as a national school would.
Consequently, the director-general’s call for schools to “throw open their school gates” is unlikely to meet fierce ideological resistance.
The stumbling block is translating the intention into practice. How can schools ensure that their actions amount to more than arms’-length fundraising?
Acknowledging the distinction between engagement and giving is a necessary starting point.
More international school content on Tes:
Many of these communities and the people that inhabit them are under-resourced, so there is a compelling case for charitable action being at the heart of any engagement strategy.
However, such decisions should not be whimsical. Any commitment should follow a robust analysis of why the charity has been chosen and the specific outcomes that funding will enable.
This avoids charities being chosen due to the passionate advocacy of a single teacher or student, and the subsequent crumbling of commitment when the individual leaves the school.
The right way to engage
Furthermore, where there is a charitable element to a school’s community engagement, if it is to be meaningful and sustainable, it requires perspiration from those involved because individuals only retain interest in that to which they feel connected - a financial contribution will rarely deliver the “helpers high” that is a proven phenomenon of charitable action.
The Christmas gift programme for refugee children organised by my previous school in Zurich illustrated this point.
All students contributed money to the fund, some students wrapped the presents and a handful visited the centre to deliver the presents. The residual student connectivity to the cause was strongly correlated to the level of contribution.
However, charitable action is but one strand of what should be a more holistic approach.
For example, should international schools continue to attend sporting events and participate in tournaments solely with other international schools? For how much longer will flying overseas for a sports tournament be acceptable when similar opportunities exist on the doorstep of the school?
Similarly, Dulwich College Beijing’s Worldwise Academy has received plaudits - and awards - for effectively utilising the local community to provide valuable experience opportunities for its students.
Commendable as this is, it also begs the question of why such a programme remains the exception rather than the norm across the international school community.
Embracing discomfort
Finally, meaningful engagement requires school leaders to embrace a degree of discomfort.
They will likely have to place more trust in local hire staff - a still underutilised resource in many schools - and they may have to convince reticent parents, some of whom see the fees they pay as an exit route from their surroundings.
But these obstacles require only resolute will rather than an additional resource.
When done well, the benefits can be profound.
During a recent trip to Repton Cairo, I was moved to hear Laila, a Year 4 pupil, talk about her experience of the student council’s first visit to a local orphanage.
The following extract from her written account demonstrates the value of engaging with communities on the human level, advocated by Mr Heinonen: “First, I felt scared because I thought they would not like what we had bought as gifts. Once I had gone into their room and come out again, I felt sad because meeting these children made me realise how lucky I am to have parents who provide everything I need.
“When I got home, I told my mum that we needed to donate to the orphanage because I had so many things that I did not need and knew that other people out there would cherish them. My mum called the orphanage and organised a collection of toys. This made me feel emotional, but proud that I was helping others.”
So, let’s heed the call to anchor our international schools in their local communities. And let’s discard the cake sale model for the Laila model of charitable endeavour.
Jonathan Taylor is the director of education for the Repton Family of Schools
