PRINCIPAL’S HIGHLIGHTS
SHREWSBURY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
The Council of International Schools found the “You-Time!” provision to be outstanding in their September
accreditation visit, and the width and depth of the co-curricular programme continues to be developed.
This supports the courageous decisions made by those in Year 13 to apply for the very best universities in
the world. At the time of writing, seventeen pupils are attending interviews at Oxford or Cambridge and
the Ivy League placements will come in the New Year. The capacity to push oneself to the very limits is
seen and developed in academic lessons, sport, music and drama. We are all very much looking forward
to High School Musical being delivered in the New Year, as cooperation, courage and a good dose of hu-
mour will be evident. Crucially the self-awareness to find your limits and work within them is also learned
in these processes and we will continue to advise pupils and parents about this as high achieving pupils
reach for these extraordinary destinations.
Shrewsbury Riverside isn’t satisfied with standing still. Pupils are aspirational, parents proud and suppor-
tive and I am delighted to be leading a group of staff who wish us to be the very best learning environ-
ment. In order to do this we must make changes, and those changes will require our sense of humour to
be present at times. Thank you for your support of the new car parking arrangements, these are tempo-
rary as we know, but they only work with your cooperation. The new sports field will provide Mr Rotheram
and his team the space they need to work through the building of an underground car park beneath the
Chatrium Field. This hugely exciting project is just the start of a set of developments that will take Shrews-
bury Riverside to the Next Level.
In January, Mr Holroyd and I will be presenting more detail of the developments to come. As the Principal,
I am absolutely delighted with the investment being made by our Governors. This is a once in a lifetime
opportunity to develop a school with the cooperation and courage of the board in evidence. In addition
we continue to develop the school in addition to the new project. Early Years, Years 1 and 2 will be receiv-
ing more Community Playthings furniture and toys in 2018, and the Library Project has now moved to the
next stage now involving the cooperation of architects.
Earlier in the term, we announced that Mr Allen had been appointed to a Headship in China, and after a
long and thorough recruitment process, Mr Millar, our current Assistant Principal (Academic) has been ap-
pointed to work closely with me as the new Vice Principal (Head of Senior) from August 2018. This ap-
pointment is important as he will develop the school through all the development work to come, but it is
also a significant expression of the quality of the senior colleagues I am blessed to work with. He was sim-
ply the best candidate in a global search and I very much look forward to leading the school forward to-
gether with him.
2018 holds many exciting opportunities. The CIS self-study groups will begin their work in reviewing all
that we do at Riverside. Staff have the option to contribute to discussions across one of eight domains;
Purpose and Direction; Governance, Leadership and Ownership; The Curriculum; Teaching and Assessing
for Learning; The Students’ Learning and Well-being; Staffing; Premises and Physical Accommodation;
Partnerships with Parents, Guardians and Others
These groups will consider recommendations and commendations from the visit we received in September
2017 with the notion that outcomes will be used to better our provision. Pupils and parents will be also
involved in this year long consultation period. Though I am new to this process, I am in no doubt that a
confident and improving school will emerge in 2019 when the CIS team return to evaluate our progress.
2018 will also bring more sport, drama, new music, academic challenge and rigour not to mention all the
fantastic events that we host through Shrewsbury Parents and other bodies. I very much look forward to
the challenge of the New Year, and also meeting many more of you as we move through an exciting period
of renewal and growth. Have a very Happy Christmas, and I wish you all a happy and successful New Year.
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