Executive Headmaster's News: January 19th, 2023

"Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes, expectations and commitments."

Please excuse two weeks of a written blog; I am full of cold and did not want to subject anyone to the delights of a video of me talking through a blocked nose.

I hope that all the BSB community have found the commitment to keep to their January resolutions and make changes in their lives. This month we have explored many different aspects of commitment, and this week I wish to examine something that I am sure the BSB community knows is close to my heart.

If you have a spare three minutes, do listen to this interview by the BBC World Service - Witness History, The man who first discovered plastic in the ocean. In 1971, Edward Carpenter was completing scientific research into algae in the centre of the Atlantic Ocean when the team discovered an abundance of plastic. This was the first realisation that plastic pollution was not confined to coastal habitats, but that something thrown away on the shoreline can penetrate a habitat many hundreds of miles offshore. What is most shocking from this recording is that over 50 years on, we have not made any progress.

Commitment is the thing that is missing. In the same timeframe, the Kingdom of Bahrain has gained independence, and through a shared commitment to this country's success, we continue to develop a wonderful country to live, work and study in. Imagine what could be done if we collectively applied the same commitment to reducing the pollution of plastic in our seas.

The British School of Bahrain is renowned around the country for its efforts to improve the coastal communities and environments of Bahrain. Our partnership with Evolve Concrete, a Bahraini company that shares our values and ambitions, is award-winning in the Gulf region. In fact, our Big Beach Clean on Saturday 4th, February is already being joined by local children's communities to support the initiatives to remove plastic from our beaches. Personally, every BSB Big Beach Clean is a mix of emotions. At the end of the morning, as I look back on cleared beaches, smiling BSB families and happy children, I am swelled with pride at the positive impact we have collectively made on the beach habitat through our commitment. However, every month, when I arrive at the beach, only 90 minutes early, it is a very different emotion. As I pull up to our chosen beach, I am filled with sorrow as I see the level of pollution that persists on our shores. BSB is not alone in our ambitions; there are some brilliant Bahrain community initiatives, such as the Beach Combers; however, without a commitment to change our society’s culture, the problem will prevail. This is what a shared humanity really looks like.

I hope that in 50 years’, the children who are currently at BSB look back with pride at the commitment that we as a society made now, to reduce, reuse and recycle. If, in 1971, following Edward Carpenter’s discovery, a similar commitment had been made, we would have a much better society, community, environment and world.

This year, BSB is increasing its environmental sustainability education and initiatives. The will be many smaller projects which are designed to have both a positive impact and to gradually change our approach to how we treat our environment.

I look forward to seeing the changes we all make this year. And until such a time that society changes its ways, I look forward to welcoming BSB families to the BSB Big Beach Clean on the first Saturday of every month. In time, I hope that this beach clean becomes redundant.

Have a wonderfully, hopefully, plastic-waste-free weekend.

Executive Headmaster's News: January 12th, 2023

"The past is never dead.

It's not even the past."

William Faulkner

From 'Spare'

There is much discussion in the media throughout the world, and especially within the United Kingdom, about the publication of 'Spare' a memoir of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. The vast majority of this media coverage is, I am sure, the result of PR firms creating attention and storms that are not necessarily the true reality. However, even so, it has undoubtedly raised questions and stimulated discussion.

The story of sibling rivalry is not a new one; you just have to look at Romulus and Remus and the mythical founding of Rome, to see that sibling rivalry and inter-family squabbles are commonplace. Even British history is populated with numerous episodes of feuding princes and perceived indignation from second siblings. The sibling rivalry of brothers in-line to the British throne can be traced back to William the Conqueror's (William I) sons, whose feud ended in a rather unfortunate 'accident' while out hunting. I am confident that the current Royal public relations spat will not end in such a tragic manner, but the fact remains that this is not a new narrative; it is one as old as the British Monarchy itself. What is perhaps different is that this one is played out through the world's media.

It is, of course, much easier to read and reflect on this episode from afar, but it has raised several philosophical questions and discussions in my household. Prince Harry's title of his book, 'Spare', actually was the centre of a recent conversation. A good friend pointed out that we are all 'spare' in life. None of us has a right or a claim to anything, and we can't just sit idly waiting to be assigned a function to our lives. We have to go out into this world and make something of ourselves and shape our own future. Existence, of course, precedes essence, but our purpose is derived from our actions, ambitions and commitments, not just from the mere fact of being.

Sadly, the media has portrayed Prince Harry as deducing his insignificance, or 'spare’-ness because he does not have the character to strive into the world and carve his own place. Whether this is a true portrayal of the circumstances can, I am sure, be debated; the media always conveys a popularist viewpoint. If fact, I hope it is not true, because how we live our lives, our values and our actions, are entirely determined by us, and I hope that this is just a poor chapter of what could and should be a positive and impactful life.

While history may have examples of sparring princes, it is also populated with many examples of younger siblings, or junior members of families and dynasties that have nurtured their own worth through the paths and directions they have set themselves. Existence as a younger member of a family, does not, and should not ,shape the essence of someone's life.

Each of us must have the commitment to create our own individual path through life. There are common elements, of course: good education, strong morals, and the values we place on family and community. However, for each of us, it is imperative to use these as pillars on which to build our futures. Our actions are what ultimately define us, and these actions should be influenced by our character.

As we reflect on this story and on our BSB value of Commitment, I encourage us all to commit to not being 'Spare' in anything we do in life. Commit to carving your own path through life and commit to this in the knowledge that the essence of what you do and how you live your life is more important than your mere existence.

The quote from William Faulkner, which I have stated as a title, is used as the opening quote of 'Spare'. However, I believe, it should really be replaced with this:

"The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power."

Have a wonderful weekend.

Executive Headmaster's News: January 5th, 2023

“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written”

Melody Beattie

Have a wonderful weekend, and possibly I hope to see many of you at the BSB Big Beach Clean on Nurana Island between

0830 – 1030 on Saturday.

Executive Headmaster's News: December 8th, 2022

"Tolerance, acceptance, and love, are things that feed every community."

As the Autumn Term draws to a close, with it is my final blog for 2022. In my house, it has always been a tradition that I write a quiz at this time of year, which friends and family can enjoy or possibly just endure. In the spirit of the BSB family, I have therefore hidden the titles of 12 festive songs (carols/pop songs) in my blog. You are welcome to hunt for all twelve; some are more obvious than others. Answers will be revealed in the End of Term Newsletter, but if you can't wait a week, you are welcome to send your answers to questions@thebsbh.com, and you will receive your score out of 12.

Last weekend's Festive Night Market was a tremendous success, with the BSB campus looking fantastic, and the team had worked hard to deck the halls with lights and festive cheer. The weather was a great help in creating a winter wonderland full of very happy visitors. With 156 local Bahraini businesses present, and thousands of visitors, it was a great community event, made even more special by raising money for the excellent Royal Humanitarian Fund. As the Daily Tribute stated in their media coverage, the highlight was the three hours of fantastic performances from students and staff on the main stage.

The Festive Market is always a treat, but the pinnacle of this term is our Bahrain National Day celebrations. I believe that even more of those Christmas lights are being hung around the campus as we speak. BSB will be rightfully lit up red and white in celebration of Bahrain National Day and our place in our wonderful local community. The schedule for this year's National Day is bigger than ever, and I thank all the BSB Arabic staff for leading these events and uniting the community in celebrating Bahrain.

With 92 different nationalities, the British School of Bahrain is a beautiful mix of religions and cultures living in harmony. Of course, almost 50% of our students are Bahraini nationals, and we are enormously proud of our premier position in Bahrain and our esteemed history. For me, one of the highlights of this term was the visit of our founder, who established the school several decades ago and returned enormously proud of not only how the school had changed, but also that the original ethos and mantra to treat every child as an individual, had remained.

Of course, last Christmas, we were still implementing strict precautions to combat the global pandemic. Students were still restricted in their movements within classrooms, there was still online learning, and the ever-present threat that there would be a surge in COVID-19 cases. How a year has changed things, and now the campus is a buzz with happy children, community spirit and, more recently, December Song as the BSB choirs practice for their many events throughout the country.

The weather at this time of year is a delight, albeit it's cold outside, and I hope families take time to enjoy spending time with each other and their community. The low temperatures could never be described as a bleak midwinter, and there won't be anyone saying, 'do you want to build a snowman', but nevertheless, this time of year provides opportunities that the summers in Bahrain restrict. It was a pleasure this week to have the BSB campus host visitors from the Bahrain Victorious team and the Triathlon Factory. We are enormously grateful to HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who facilitated the Bahrain Victorious athletes coming to Bahrain and visiting our school. The Bahrain Triathlon Factory coaches and Bahrain Victorious athletes created a fun and happy atmosphere, with the children training while still having fun. In many ways, it epitomised the ethos of BSB this term, with children making progress and working hard but prioritising happiness and fun.

For some BSB families, the end of term means a step away from the Autumn Term and step into Christmas, while for others, it is a chance to simply spend time with family and friends. However you spend the next few weeks, whether you celebrate Christmas, or possibly Feliz Navidad, or whether you are jetting off for a Fairytale of New York or staying closer to home and enjoying the delights of Bahrain at this time, I hope that your homes are filled with Wintersong, good cheer, health and happiness. I wish you all a wonderful final week of term, and if I don't see you, a relaxing break and a prosperous New Year.

Executive Headmaster's News: December 1st, 2022

“We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community… Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others”

Cesar Chavez

Have a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to seeing you at the Festive Night Market on Friday and the BSB Big Beach Clean on Saturday.

Executive Headmaster's News: November 17th, 2022

Things that we are thankful for

To all of the BSB Community celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend, I wish you much joy and happiness. It is a pertinent opportunity for us all to reflect on what we are most thankful for. I am grateful to work at such a fantastic school and this week I had the privilege of meeting the founder of the British School of Bahrain, Ms Alexandra Welford, who we are all thankful that she had the courage, ambition and dedicate to set up our school over 26 years ago.

Please click on the link for the Kindness Calendar 2022.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Executive Headmaster's News: November 17th, 2022

“We won’t have a society if we destroy the environment”

Margaret Mead

Scientist

As we draw to the end of our anti-bullying week, it has been a shame that I missed the last two days of school and especially odd socks day on Thursday, celebrating individuality. Eagle-eyed parents will have noticed me not at the gates at drop off and pick up, this is because for the last two days I have been in Dubai attending the GESS Education Exhibition and the highly acclaimed GESS Gala Dinner and Awards ceremony.

While I thoroughly enjoyed hearing from world-renowned speakers at the GESS Conference and exhibition event, the highlight of the weekend was the awards ceremony. For the first time in the British School of Bahrain’s history, we were shortlisted for three international awards in Community Engagement, Ambassador for the environment, and Innovation in education. On arrival at the dinner, with 400 people present in a glamorous event, I was able to see the calibre of the schools that BSB was being judged against. With only ten awards being given out that evening, it was highly competitive with schools having flown in from as far away as Singapore, Hong Kong, Lahore, Poland and across the Middle East.

To my delight the British School of Bahrain won the award for Ambassador for the Environment, beating some amazing projects at some fantastic schools. Of course, I didn’t have a favourite award, and with so many innovations within BSB, there are many projects to be proud about. However, in our month of Kindness, it seems fitting to have won an award for the kindness the BSB community has shown to the local Bahraini environment and especially the ocean habitat.

We will proudly display the trophy on the Reception desk in the Atrium next week, for all to see. Well done to the entire BSB community, not just for this award, but for the innovation and excellence shown every week. We were the only school in Bahrain to be shortlisted for any GESS award, and we are certainly cementing our position within Bahrain and now the wider Gulf Region, as a school of excellence to which others aspire.

For all those students, staff, and parents both past and present, who have turned up and removed the plastic from Bahrain’s beaches and recycled it into furniture for the community, thank you. I know there was a deeper morality that encouraged you to do your bit to improve the environment, however, this award is the icing on a very good cake. Particular thanks must go to Mr Steve Coleman and Bahrain Precast Concrete who recycle plastic and turn it into furniture. The judges had never come across such an innovation and were suitably impressed.

Executive Headmaster's News: November 10th, 2022

“In Flanders fields, the poppies blow…….”

John McCrae

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you, from failing hands, we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Please click on the link for the  Kindness Calendar 2022.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Executive Headmaster's News: November 3rd, 2022

“Goodness is about character – integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage and more than anything else, it is about how we treat other people.”

Dennis Prager

Journalist

Please click on the link for the  Kindness Calendar 2022.

Have a wonderful weekend, and I hope to see many of you at the BSB Beach Clean on Saturday at 08:30.

Have a wonderful weekend and a great week next week.

Yours sincerely

Executive Headmaster's News: October 20th, 2022

“We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.”

Cesar Chavez

Civil rights activist

Have a fantastic half-term and thank you for all your support.

Yours sincerely

Executive Headmaster's News: October 13th, 2022

“Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. But it cannot touch my mind, cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul.”

Jim Valvano

Have a wonderful weekend and a brilliant half term.

Yours sincerely

Executive Headmaster's News: October 6th, 2022

“I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it”

Groucho Marx

As we move into October, our focus on a BSB Value shifts from Respect to Ambition.

Excellence – Ambition, Commitment, Creativity, Resilience

Individuality – Respect, Self-belief, Passion, Independence

Responsibility – Kindness, Community, Integrity. Honesty

I regularly get asked what my ambitions for the school are, which is an open question that could be answered in many ways. My ambitions are numerous, and I could talk at length for what I believe the school has and continues to achieve. With so many outstanding aspects of BSB, there are so many things that could be attributed to our ambition. Perhaps it is to continue to achieve the best academic results in the country, or maybe it is to offer the most innovative Junior School Curriculum in the country, which is the only school offering specialist teaching down to Year 5. Alternatively, someone could identify the Reggio Emilia inspired learning in the Infant school. Of course, last week, BSB was nominated for four different awards as international educational bodies recognised our school’s leading provision in so many areas. However, while all of these make me proud of the school, they are not my primary ambition. If pressed for a more concise response, the answer is relatively simple. For me, something comes ahead of all of these. My primary ambition is for BSB to continue to nurture a happy environment.

I often say, ‘happiness is the soil in which all students grow’. If all students are happy, then everything else falls into place. Academic, sporting, performing, and creative achievements are all made possible by happy students, led by happy staff, supported by happy parents.

This week I was invited to the Outstanding Schools in the Middle East Conference. The British School of Bahrain was the only school from Bahrain in attendance at what proved to be a fantastic two days of lectures, workshops and stimulating discussions with some of the best schools across the region. One of the keynote speakers was Professor John Hattie, who is well known to anyone associated with education over the last 14 years. Professor Hattie discussed his new eagerly awaited meta-analysis research. It was a gripping lecture discussing aspects of teaching and schools and their impact on students’ learning. One aspect of his research stood out from this study, the impact of happiness.

Professor Hattie’s research concludes that happiness equates to a positive effect of +0.55. For anyone unfamiliar with Hattie’s work, this means that a happy child achieves over a year ahead of an unhappy student. While I didn’t need scientific research to confirm what I already knew, I was stunned by how large the effect size was. If we think about how much is achieved in an academic year, and equate this to the effect of happiness, it is staggering. A deeply unhappy student is the same as missing a year of school. To put it into context, the effect of homework on attainment is +0.26. Therefore, happiness is almost twice as impactful as homework in determining the outcomes of students. This is the reason that happiness should be the primary motivation for all schools.

I believe that this is why the BSB Infant School is so successful. Students in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 all make so much more progress than their peers who are not enrolled in education. Their learning is driven by the principle of being happy because happy students make rapid progress.

If you have just one ambition today, have the ambition to be happy.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Executive Headmaster's News: September 29th, 2022

"Respect is a two-way street, if you want to get it, you’ve got to give it."

R.G.Risch

I hope all members of the BSB Community will join me in celebrating the unprecedented news that we have been short-listed for four separate international awards in one week:

1. Outstanding well-being provision

2. Outstanding Community Award for Citizenship

3. Outstanding Innovation in Education

4. Outstanding ambassadors for the environment

Click To View The BSB Excutive Head Mr John Maguire's Message

Executive Headmaster's News: September 22nd, 2022

“I firmly believe that respect is a lot more important, and a lot greater, than popularity.”

Julius Erving

May I begin this blog by wishing all of the BSB Community with links to Saudi Arabia a Happy National Day.

In our penultimate week of September, we are continuing to examine the BSB Value of Respect. This week the School stood momentarily still to pay our own respects to the life of Her Majesty the Late Queen Elizabeth II. It was a memorable day at school, with the entire community standing in silence to collect our own personal thoughts; after two minutes, the sounds of the national anthem of the United Kingdom echoed throughout our halls and corridors, to mark the conclusion of twelve days of mourning. That same afternoon, some of the school community gathered together in classrooms, or the BSB Atrium, and watched the start of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral. Many of us then retired to the privacy of our own homes to watch until the early evening as the funeral progressed to the Royal town of Windsor, and final respects were paid to a Queen who had given so much to the people of the country, the Commonwealth, and the World.

Throughout the period of mourning, and even during HM Queen Elizabeth’s reign, one of the aspects that was regularly discussed, or commentated on, was her ability to step away from politics. Her 15 Prime Ministers all held her in high regard for her ability to respect the democratic authority of the government and the rule of law. At all times, HM Queen Elizabeth avoided being entangled in a political situation. She never gave an opinion or added her preference to a political debate. Whether these debates were domestic or foreign, Her late Majesty remained entirely neutral and respected the unfair influence her position would have. She took the decision to always ‘step away’ from political conflict and disagreement, which at times was incredibly hard to do and even possibly made her less popular in the short term.

The ability to step away from a situation is a crucial skill for all of us. At times there are events that develop which should or do contradict our values. We might discuss our values, morals, and ethos, but it is, in fact, our actions that define us. We should regularly ask ourselves the question as to whether we all really embody the same values that we give lip service to?

For students, these situations could be conversations in a playground or, more commonly, comments on social media, chat apps and online. Comments written on social media, WhatsApp or online, have further complications that the impact of these words cannot be seen. Without seeing the result of our words, these statements can often be hurtful. Far too quickly, these conversations can escalate, and damage can be done to a person and to their own self-respect. Negative conversations, or even simply connotations, can spread like fire. It takes someone with moral conviction to step away from the popular path and end them. The motivation for this can be to preserve our own self-respect or, better still, to protect our respect for others.

Withdrawing ourselves from a conversation or situation may be difficult because it is not always the popular thing to do. But popularity is short-term, and popularity doesn’t necessarily always go hand in hand with our own morals. Doing the right thing, embodying our values, and developing the strength of character to act correctly, not always in the most popular way, will build respect in the longer term. This respect might be for ourselves or for those we see standing up for their beliefs.

Sadly, too often, Heads of Year sit with students who wish that they had just stepped away from a situation. When confronted with the effects of their involvement, they retrospectively wish they had acted differently. Instead, they have sometimes added to the events, and at times even allowed them to escalate. For all of us, we must develop the self-respect needed to honour our values. Through this, we can have the moral courage to step away, or better still, interject that we disagree with something. Standing up for our values and morals is considerably more challenging; it is often the unpopular thing to do, but provided it is done correctly, it is rarely the unwise course of action.

This weekend and over the coming weeks, I hope we all find the inner strength, and moral conviction, to step away from situations that do not match our values. We may never know the effect of our actions to withdraw ourselves, but one thing is guaranteed it will be to the benefit of our own well-being and for those of others. Through this, our popularity may not increase, but the respect we have for ourselves and the respect others have for us will undoubtedly improve.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Executive Headmaster's News: September 15th, 2022

“I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great family to which we all belong”

Queen Elizabeth II

Executive Headmaster's News: September 8th, 2022

Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners

L. Sterne

Irish Novelist

I wish you all a pleasant weekend.

Executive Headmaster's News: September 1st, 2022

A Welcome To All BSB Families From Around The World

Executive Headmaster's News: June 23rd, 2022

You are educated.

Your certification is in your degree.

You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative.

Think of it as your ticket to change the world.

Tom Brokaw

American Journalist

Have a wonderful weekend and a brilliant summer when it comes.

Yours sincerely

Executive Headmaster's News: June 16th, 2022

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Aristotle

This week, as an avid cricket fan, I was enthralled by the climax of the second test match between England and New Zealand at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. The highs and lows of a cricket match were all on show over these five days. A large first innings score by the New Zealanders, matched by some excellent English batting in their first innings. Then a very good second innings score by the New Zealand team led us to the final day. Chasing close to 300 runs, the odds were stacked against England to win the match. I think at one point, it was predicted as a 60% chance of New Zealand winning and only a 10% chance of an England win. Things looked worse when England lost three early wickets for only 56 runs. The loss of this third wicket brought to the crease Mr Jonny Bairstow. His innings started relatively slowly until the Tea interval. After the break for tea, he returned to the square with a different mentality and a different approach. What followed was one of the best batting performances I have had the pleasure to watch in many a year. Jonny Bairstow hit the second-fastest century of any English batsman, scoring 100 in just 77 balls and setting up the win for England.

The performance of Jonny Bairstow naturally won him the Man of the Match award. However, he was the first to point out that his innings alone did not win the match; it was a collective team effort. The victory resulted from the sum of all the players and coaching staff. Every person played their part and together achieved a remarkable result.

This week, among many highlights, has been the Nursery & Reception students’ productions of Around the World. It was a pleasure to sit in the audience and see the pure joy on the students’ faces as they danced and performed for an eager audience. Performances like these rely on each individual playing their part. If individuals don’t perform their lines or don’t learn their moves, then this detracts from the overall show. However, of equal importance is the fact that one fantastic performance from an individual doesn’t make the event; this relies on all individuals performing collectively towards a common goal. All of the parents sitting in the audience this week wanted their child to do well, but we all celebrated in what was overall fantastic performances by all, with all the students coming together to put on a series of great shows.

Events and performances like these are why a holistic education is so important. All of the students who performed this week are below compulsory school age in Bahrain. They could have been sitting at home, but oh, how they would have missed out on this learning experience and the joy of performing on a stage to their parents. Equally, it could be argued that academics can be taught at home, albeit not as interactively or engaging as the BSB lessons I observed this week. But the pursuit of knowledge is quite an individual endeavour. An excellent education is more than just the development of understanding; it is the nurturing of the whole child. The Nursery and Reception aged students will have gained so much from the rehearsals, dedication, and ultimately brilliant performances. This experience will have had a much greater impact on them this week than any other aspect of their learning. When I looked at the smiles on parents’ faces in the audience, they reflected their pride in their child’s performance and the happiness that they had achieved something and grown as an individual.

With more events, performances and activities to come, there are many opportunities for all BSB pupils to shine. Individuality is one of our core values, but it is the sum of these individual performances that creates collective excellence.

Have a great weekend

Executive Headmaster's News: June 9th, 2022

Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and the world better than you found it.

Marian Wright Edelman

This week has been one in which I am proud of the BSB team and their collective brilliance. From orchestrating a superb Best of British Summer Festival to arranging some exciting trips, events and, of course, a brilliant Maths week. So much has happened in this busy week, with different parts of the school collecting experience or achieving something together as a community.

The Best of British Festival was a wonderful opportunity for the BSB community to collect together, watch the talents of so many BSB performers, have fun, support local companies, and raise an impressive sum for a worthy Bahraini charity.

Later this year, or possibly in early 2023, the United Nations forecasts that the world’s population will reach 8 billion people. This is only 11 years after having reached 7 billion in March 2012. The US Population Reference Bureau estimates that approximately 118 billion people have existed on our planet over time. With 7.9 billion people currently living around the world, this means that 7% of all humans who have ever been alive are currently living on our planet. But this figure doesn’t show how this 7% are more connected with each other than any of the generations before them.

The interconnectivity of our planet’s population can be incredibly powerful if focused on a shared goal. The relentless focus of the international scientific community meant that it took humanity only 12 months to find a vaccine for COVID. If you put this in context, it took 20 years to find a vaccine for Polio. Education and global community collaboration allowed a shared goal to be achieved, and it is evident that the importance of interconnectivity will be integral to the success of future generations.

With 92 different nationalities within the BSB community, we are the most diverse school within Bahrain by some margin and even within the broader Gulf Region. Being educated within such a rich tapestry of culture, language, customs, and traditions has both direct and indirect benefits for all students. Awareness of others, tolerance, and understanding is nurtured through the daily conversations and the informal comments about events in different classmates’ lives. This is a much more powerful organic process than a forced and often stifled ‘diversity programme’ that I often witness at other schools. Through living in such a welcoming community as Bahrain, and within this a welcoming and diverse community within BSB, children will develop essential skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. This understanding and interconnectivity will underpin both individual and community success in the future. BSB students will always have a global outlook, no matter where they choose to study, work or live in the future.

Of course, this global mindset is supported by the ever-growing Inspired Group of schools, which provides unique opportunities for BSB students. Only recently, a further eight schools in Brazil joined the group, and I am already excited about the next academic year when we will see more and more Inspired competitions, exchanges, and collaborations come to fruition. Some of these will be online, allowing students to connect with peers on the other side of the world to do all manner of activities, including debating, sharing poetry they have written, or just discussing the cultures that they live in. Increasingly, I am receiving invites for BSB students to visit other Inspired schools on exchanges, take part in Music extravaganzas, play in golf competitions and sail in regattas. The list is endless, as are the possibilities that they provide.

Whatever the future holds, we know that connectivity around the world is the key to unlocking it.

I wish you all an enjoyable weekend.

Yours sincerely

Executive Headmaster's News: June 2nd, 2022

History is filled with tragic examples of wars that result from diplomatic impasses. Whether in our local communities or in international relations, the skilful use of our communicative capacities to negotiate and resolve differences is the first evidence of human wisdom.

Daisaku Ikeda

With 92 different nationalities within the British School of Bahrain, you would understand that every week at the school has an international flavour to it, but this week had even more so. On Monday, the BSB team were honoured to be among the few schools invited by This is Bahrain to the EU-Bahrain conference on the freedom of religion and belief.

The conference was a rewarding and thought-provoking event, with stimulating talks given by delegates from a diverse range of faiths, religions and nationalities. All had collected at the Gulf Convention Centre with the single aim of improving the tolerance and understanding within our global community. Bahrain already has an enviable legacy for leading the region and parts of the world by its example and through its actions when it comes to the freedom of religion and belief. The Kingdom of Bahrain is renowned for its welcoming ethos and its willingness to embrace all nationalities and faiths. This societal culture goes beyond tolerance; it is a genuine interest and welcoming to all. As was said many times during the conference, this stands Bahrain as a beacon of excellence within the international community.

I am pleased to see that the outcomes of the conference are already taking shape and applaud not only the organisers but all delegates for their energy and determination.

Not on a similar scale, but of equal fun, was the Junior School Play, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Wednesday night, where the audience was whisked off to a make-believe land of imagination. The cast and crew created a fantastic performance that was a fitting opening of our newly renovated Multi-Purpose Hall and the first use of our 530 seat bleacher seating. The play stimulated much spontaneous laughter and clapping as the audience was drawn into the story and the events on stage. As with many of Roald Dahl’s novels, the story emphasises the importance of morals and character, and many of the BSB values were on display in so many forms on what was a brilliant night. Well done to the cast and crew.

The Best of British Festival is a perfect opportunity to celebrate both of these aspects of this great school. I am sure that the festival will be a special memory for the entire community to celebrate this remarkable point in global history.

Yours sincerely,

Executive Headmaster's News: May 26th, 2022

A Happiness Shattered.

A chanter cracked from overuse

Cheeks salt-stained from shed tears

Shed for those who lost their lives

Lost well before their years

I wish you all a pleasant weekend.

Executive Headmaster's News: May 19th, 2022

Pride makes us wrong, and humility makes us right

Thomas Merton

This week I had the pleasure of representing the British School of Bahrain at the BSME (British Schools in the Middle East) conference in Dubai. It was a highly rewarding couple of days meeting fellow principals and speaking to leading minds in education. During this conference, there were a lot of lectures about the importance of humility in leadership. Of course, humility is one of the core BSB values and one that we are focusing on during the month of May.

Making mistakes is essential for all of us. Only by challenging ourselves and taking risks are we able to learn about ourselves. At the British School of Bahrain, we regularly encourage students to take risks, make mistakes, and even fail; safe in the knowledge that they are learning in a supportive environment that will enable them to recover and be stronger. In the same way, our staff are encouraged to be innovative and experimental, to try new pedagogical techniques and methods and through these to build our reputation within the region as a thriving and innovative school. However, we must all have humility within our actions and use this to evaluate our decision-making. Humility allows us to learn lessons quicker and to develop faster. Without humility, we are all in danger of repeating our mistakes and not learning from them.

Here is a story to illustrate my point. In a small fishing village in the South of England a car fell off the harbour edge and into the sea. Thankfully no one was hurt. The owners claimed on their car insurance, but the insurance company would not pay out any money until the car had been retrieved from the sea and could be examined. Someone assessed the situation and decided that a crane was needed to lift the car from the harbour waters.

At first, the idea seemed to be a good one. The crane retrieved the car and began to lift it from the water, much to the delight of the overseeing managers. Then disaster struck….

The weight of the car was too much, and the crane was dragged over the harbour's edge and plunged into the waters below, still attached to the car it was attempting to retrieve. A poor decision had now made the situation worse, with a car and a crane in the harbour water. This is the point that those responsible should have had the humility to re-evaluate their decision making and assess the situation. Regrettably, the lack of self-awareness, lack of humility and a determination that their decision to use a crane, could not possibly be wrong, led to them concluding they needed a bigger crane.

Sure enough, a larger, more powerful, crane was sourced and once again, the same plan was put into action. This new, larger crane was successful in retrieving the car from the sea.

Buoyed by this success and perhaps lacking the humility to evaluate their decision-making process, the larger crane was set about the task of lifting the old crane from the water. Surely if it could lift a car, it could lift a crane.

Then the inevitable happened.

The larger crane was dragged into the harbour. What began as a small family car sitting in the harbour, resulted in two large cranes in the harbour, all due to poor decision making and a lack of humility to accept that perhaps the decision making was flawed and that there was an alternative way to resolve the problem.

Taking measured risks and attempting new endeavours is an integral part of the British School of Bahrain. By taking risks and possibly making mistakes, BSB students can learn a huge amount about themselves and their skills. Equally, it is the willingness to take risks and experiment that allows BSB staff, and especially its teachers, to be innovative and renowned within the Middle East for their teaching and learning. However, both students and staff must embody the value of Humility in order to review their own decision making and ensure that they are on the right path to success. Belief in ourselves is essential, but we must all listen to both the voices of others and our own inner voice, which is our humility advising us when we perhaps need to re-evaluate our decisions.

I hope that all BSB families have a pleasant weekend making good decisions.

Yours sincerely,

Executive Headmaster's News: May 12th, 2022

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom

Thomas Jefferson

Executive Headmaster's News: April 28th, 2022

Happiness is a critical factor for work and work is a crucial factor for happiness. Happy people work more hours each week – and they work more in their free time too.

Gretchen Rubin

In an outstanding educational setting such as the British School of Bahrain, you might expect my message to be; work hard, and you will become wise. However, this philosophy isn’t entirely correct; yes, you need to apply effort to your work, but equally, you need to take time to relax. With the Eid holiday very near, I hope that all BSB parents, students and staff can take time off from work and enjoy their free-time.

Free-time and creative time is as important as the work you do on a day-to-day basis. To have wisdom, you need to have time to think, you need to have time to enjoy yourself, and more importantly, you need time to be creative. Some of the largest and most successful companies in the world have embraced this concept. They believe that their employees should clave out free time to be creative, to be innovative, and ignore their day to day work.

their working time for their own use. They want their workforce to be innovative and creative. In order to do this, they need to carve out this time. This ‘creative time’ has led to inventions such as Post-it notes and Scotch tape. Free time and time to be creative are just as important as the daily grind. It is during our holiday time, our weekends and our free-time that we are all released from other burdens and we can begin to think creatively.

I doubt many of the BSB community have heard of Stefan Sagmeister, but he is a great proponent of the concept of free time and how it improves all parts of our lives. Stefan Sagmeister is the founder of an incredibly successful New York advertising and design agency that specialises in artwork for album covers. His clients are numerous and include bands such as The Rolling Stones.

Within his already incredibly successful company Stefan Sagmeister encountered a problem. He found that the employees within his agency were beginning to stagnate over time. They were still generating good ideas, but increasingly they lacked a creative edge. Stefan realised that no amount of motivation or management could fix this problem. This posed a management challenge, and what Stefan came up with was quite revolutionary. He recognised the need to create ‘innovation time’ for his staff and to allow them to be creative. The 15% rule used by companies such as 3M was not enough for the level of the creative outcome he desired.

Thinking about this challenge led Stefan Sagmeister to come up with a principle. He summarised that you are in education for about the first 25 years of your life (Infant School, Junior School, Senior School, and then University). You are then in employment for the next 40 years of your life, and it is only finally, in retirement, that someone’s life is freed up, and if we are lucky, this retirement lasts for about 15 years of your life. Is this the right balance for our lives, and if not, how could this be changed? It would be very difficult to alter the education aspect of every person’s life, and so Stefan turned to the retirement aspect. He wanted to release this time and use it to free up his employees to be creative and innovative. He, therefore, decided to ‘relocate’ the retirement time and inter-disperse it into his employees’ working time.

Stefan Sagmeister came to the conclusion that it was also not good enough to have one person in the company re-invigorated and innovated if someone they work with is creatively stifled. Therefore staggering time off was not an effective solution. Stefan decided to shut his entire company down for an entire year. Every member of staff is given a year’s paid sabbatical. The company would send a note to all of its clients informing them that all staff are not contactable for an entire year. A staggeringly brave decision, and made more so by his decision that this closure would reoccur every seven years.

The concept that Stefan Sagmeister came up with was quite revolutionary in its thinking, and certainly very risky. He actually found that his staff were so much better and so much more innovative in the years they were working that they were able to charge their clients considerably more. The innovative work they did more than paid for the time that the company closed. Equally, Stefan found that the innovative ideas that the employees generated during their time off were fed back into the company for the next six years. The company had a competitive edge over all of its rivals. What was initially thought of as a risky strategy has actually become financially viable.

It is actually the time you take off from the work that allows you to be better at your work. While it wouldn’t be right to close a school, and a child’s education should not be interrupted, time off is crucial to the innovative and creative success of the British School of Bahrain.

I hope that the entire British School of Bahrain Community enjoys the next 10 days off. Rests, relaxes, and spend time with family and friends. It is during these moments that we become creative and innovative.

Eid Mubarak

Executive Headmaster's News: April 6th, 2022

The Holy Month of Ramadan

Ramadan is a month of blessing

Ramadan is a month of forgiving

Ramadan is a month of helping

Those who are in need

Ramadan is a month of sacrifice

Let us all be so wise

Ramadan Kareem to you and your family. I wish all of the BSB Community a blessed Holy Month of Ramadan.

Ramadan is a month of blessing

The Holy Month of Ramadan, for us all, is one where we must take the time to be grateful for everything that is good in our lives. During the spring holidays, I hope that all students, staff and parents are able to take much needed time to focus on the things that bring them the most happiness. These might be friends, family (possibly at Iftars), hobbies, interests, sports, reading or even taking time to travel. Whatever it is that brings most happiness is important to focus upon. As the old saying goes, ‘you never see a gravestone that says I wish I had spent more time at work’. Often, we all get caught up in the busy and hectic schedule of life. The routine of school and the associated activities can be all-consuming. A break, time to reflect and especially time to be thankful are essential for us all.

Ramadan is a month of forgiving

All of us make mistakes; perhaps we say things we regret, or maybe how we treat others. This month I hope to be more forgiving of others and the things that they say or do which upset me. In the same way that I would hope they would forgive me of any transgressions. However, I will also be forgiving of myself. I should not always mentally punish myself for not reaching the high standards I set myself. Forgiveness is something we should be willing to do for others and about ourselves.

Taking risks and making mistakes are crucial for future success. At BSB, we want all students to try new things, and often they will make mistakes and fail. These are perfectly acceptable. BSB provides a supportive pastoral ‘net’ into which students can fall back into. The most important aspect is that we pick ourselves up after each of these mistakes and have the resilience to learn from them and move forward. If we can do this, we will enjoy success in the future.

Ramadan is a month of helping

Those who are in need

The response from the BSB community to our annual Migrant Workers Shoebox appeal began slowly. However, as the Holy Month of Ramadan arrived, so did the momentum and drive that is synonymous with BSB. I am delighted that the number of shoeboxes has risen astronomically, and the Senior School Student Charity Committee can now deliver over 750 boxes to migrant workers on Friday 8^th April, when they visit several migrant worker camps. I am confident that each recipient will be enormously grateful for the time, effort and thought put into these boxes just as much as the things that they contain.

For me, the act of giving is essential, but more critical is the development in each student of character-forming values that arise from charity work. It will be these values and morals that shape the future of our local and global communities. Nurturing our BSB values of charity, kindness and integrity are fundamental to a BSB education. Seeing the students recognise the things they have and how fortunate they are compared to others and then acting on this through charity is delightful to observe.

Alongside the BSB Migrant Workers Shoebox project, it was our pleasure to support the Gulf Daily News’ Ramadan initiative to give toys to Bahraini orphans. The BSB Year 2 families were overwhelming in their generosity. So many families donated multiple gifts, which will undoubtedly bring smiles to children throughout the country. The GDN was astonished by the BSB response and had to send an additional truck to collect all of the toys. We could not have asked for a better reflection on what we are trying to achieve as a school community. When I discussed the reasons behind this project with Year 2 students, they all knew not just what was being done but also why. Each Year 2 student I spoke to had a sense of pride in their eyes as they described how another child in Bahrain would enjoy the toy they had donated. For me, this is worth just as much as the donations they gave.

It has been an utter pleasure to lead this wonderful school community this term. I have felt blessed for having this opportunity to work with such talented people, to meet and greet such happy students and to have such supportive parents.

I hope that all families have a blessed Holy Month of Ramadan and a fantastic Spring holiday.

Thank you

Ramadan Mubarak

Executive Headmaster's News: March 31st, 2022

Forever in blue jeans

Last weekend, at the Tribfest extravaganza, superbly hosted by the Bahrain Rugby Club, one of the lunchtime tribute acts played Forever in Blue Jeans, by Neil Diamond, to the delight of the small audience that had got there early. It was a song I hadn’t heard for a while, but it quickly brought a smile along with its rhythmic beat. The song and its famous line “money talks, but it don’t sing and dance, and it don’t walk”, has a message which I think is just as pertinent to this time as when it was written in 1979.

“Money talks, but it don’t sing and dance, and it don’t walk.”

As we approach the Holy Month of Ramadan, I am sure the entire BSB Community will use this time as a period of reflection and a time to be grateful for the things we have and the people around us. I know that many families look forward to their daily Iftar, not just for the sustenance that it contains but for the people with whom they are able to share it. It is these treasured moments that bring us together as families and as a community. Money cannot by this love, devotion or shared experiences. You cannot put a price on the joy that family and friends bring, and you would be ‘poorer’ without them.

“I would much rather forever be in blue jeans”

During the Holy Month of Ramadan, I will take time to reflect on the things I have, the people around me, and the happiness these bring me. Many people around the world are far less fortunate than I. Within the 92 different nationalities of the BSB community, each will approach the Holy Month of Ramadan differently. For me, this is a month of reflection, humility and, most importantly, charity. I find this time of year a welcomed tonic to the excesses of modern life and a timely reminder to appreciate what we have. If fortunes allude to us, and we are therefore can only ever be ‘in blue jeans’, then we are all still enormously rich if we are surrounded by the people we love and who bring us more happiness than money ever can provide.

As is customary at BSB, our Charity Committee has our Charity Shoebox appeal for Migrant Workers. At the moment, we have 192 shoeboxes filled with toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, washing powders, razors, shaving cream, face towels, combs, nail cutters, deodorant, and socks. If you feel able, we would appreciate your family donating a box before the 8^th of April to benefit someone most in need. Alternatively, BSB will continue to be a hub and distribution centre for any donations for charity and migrant workers that parents might wish to make during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

The BSB community is built upon its generosity of spirit, generosity of friendship and generosity for charity. It was this ethos and community feel that attracted so many families from different nations to collect together daily to pursue a BSB education. We might be from different countries, but we have shared beliefs and values. This community ethos was recognised by both the BQA inspectorate and the BSO team when they awarded us as Outstanding. However, other schools, even in Bahrain, have also received the same accolades. What we hope sets BSB apart from others is more than just a badge. I strive to ensure that, over time with can continue to develop our school’s character, ethos and values. While we achieved the best A-Levels in Bahrain last year, academic success must be supported by moral fibre. Character shaping values control our actions and future, much more so than academic success. BSB aspires to be more than just an award or a label. We are already renowned for our inclusivity and happiness, and we are now building upon these with our values of education. Through this, we hope that we can continue to nurture a school community that supports individuals and shares the local and global community.

“And if you’d pardon me, I’d like to say.

We’d do okay, forever in blue jeans.”

I wish the entire community, Ramadan Kareem. I hope that all families have a blessed month.

Forever in Blue Jeans – Neil Diamond: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQLWF_ItzYs

Executive Headmaster's News: March 24th, 2022

"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my mother"

Abraham Lincoln

To all of the BSB community, I wish you a relaxing weekend and a Happy Mothers’ Day.

I hope to see BSB mothers at the PCC’s Mothers’ Day Coffee morning on Sunday 27^th March 2022, sponsored by the InterContinental Bahrain 5* Hotel www.intercontinental.com/manama

Warmest regards

Executive Headmaster's News: March 17th, 2022

“I’m sure everyone has a cool story behind how they got into Formula One...”

Daniel Ricciardo

This weekend I am sure that new passions for motorsport will be ignited in our students as BSB families flock to the Bahrain International Circuit. I know that many of our community will take the opportunity to attend the Bahrain Grand Prix and enjoy the great festivities and events surrounding the inaugural race of the season.

For some children, this will be their first taste of Formula One and what a great venue to experience it in. I still remember attending my first Formula One race. As a young boy in 1989, I was taken to Silverstone to watch the British Grand Prix. We positioned ourselves at what we thought was the first corner, only realising on the warm-up lap that it was, in fact, the final turn before the famous straight section. However, this entirely fortuitous error meant we witnessed most of the racing incidents that day and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and the drama that unfolded. This first race experience sparked an interest in the sport for me, especially watching Nigel Mansell race for Ferrari; although I seem to recall on that day, he was once again plagued by gearbox trouble and threatened to quit. My allegiance to different teams has shifted over the years, and my favourite driver has also switched from Mansell to Hill, to Coulthard, and of course now firmly remaining on Hamilton, who hails from the same town as where I grew up. Today, I still remember the first sparks of passion for the sport being ignited. In fact, this week, I have worn my “Nigel Mansell’ cufflinks most days (Hamilton ones are not available yet), and each time the memory of that first Grand Prix on a sunny day in Silverstone has brought a smile. Now I am looking forward to adding new memories and proudly taking my family (some of whom have flown in from the USA) to one of Bahrain’s annual calendar highlights.

I am sure the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend will be a fantastic experience for the entire family, whether you have a passion for motorsport or not. At the British School of Bahrain, we aim to light the first sparks of passion for something within all students or indeed fan the flames of interests that are already well-formed. These passions might be academic, sporting or in the arts. The beauty of a truly holistic education, such as at BSB, is that all areas of interest are catered for and encouraged. The only requirement is that students are engaged and open to new opportunities. We offer so much variety, with exciting Extra-Curricular Activities that provide all students with a plethora of experiences. There is also the standing mantra that should the school not offer a club or activity; students are most welcome to launch something new. The student magazine, The Monthly, and the student-led Forums are testament to this ethos. So much is on offer; pupils just need parental encouragement to take full advantage of the opportunities presented to them.

“Youth is wasted on the young.”

George Bernard Shaw

George Bernard Shaw once said, Youth is wasted on the young. While I do not necessarily agree with this sentiment, I think it is very apt in the context of seizing opportunities. I hope that BSB students take advantage of all that is on offer to them. We encourage all pupils to go to that voluntary lecture, participate in that new activity, or try something different. Only through engaging with these experiences will they nurture new passions.

I wish everyone associated with this wonderful school an enjoyable weekend, seizing opportunities and nurturing passions.

Executive Headmaster's News: March 10th, 2022

“No one is born hating another person. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love. For love comes from much more naturally to the heart than its opposite.”

N. Mandela

To all of the BSB community, I wish you a relaxing weekend

Warmest regards

Executive Headmaster's News: March 3rd, 2022

Passion Is Energy. Feel The Power That Comes From Focusing On What Excites You.

Our exploration of the BSB value of Self-belief during February felt far too fleeting, and I am sure we will touch upon this important BSB value during March when we discuss the values of Passion and Creativity.

While all parents want academic excellence, the most discerning parents also believe that there is more to education than just the development of knowledge. A genuinely holistic education nurtures in every child an interest in sports, art, music and the performing arts, alongside their academic studies. The global pandemic, and the necessary precautions needed to contain it, presented a significant challenge to these creative and sporting pursuits. Inevitably, during a period of lockdown, team sports, orchestras and plays were not possible because students needed to be isolated from their peers. As we now find ourselves emerging from the pandemic and restrictions are thankfully being relaxed, it is the development of students’ passions and their creative talents that will feel the greatest benefit.

The sparks of creativity and sporting passion began to rekindle during this half of term. Last week, we had two students compete in the BSME Golf Competition in Dubai, and we are now arranging more and more team matches. New schools such as the American School of Bahrain have sought fixtures with our teams, who I know will be excited to play more matches. It is a great feeling to have team sport free from the shackles of the pandemic and once again thriving within the British School of Bahrain.

Passion is not limited to the sporting field, and we were delighted that the BSME’s Young Musician of the Gulf competition was held this week. We are incredibly proud of the talented musicians, Donggeun and Ali, who represented BSB so brilliantly. Ali progressed all the way to the semi-finals, where he was up against some incredibly talented musicians. If you have not seen Ali’s entry, please take a moment to watch it here and Donggeun's here.

This performance epitomises many of the BSB values and especially Passion. Of course, many parents will be familiar with both of these performers who are regulars at BSB’s Good Morning Performing on a Thursday at 0745. This morning, it was a pleasure to see the new performers t, with such talents and passion on display: pianists, violinists and even a wonderful trio of singers showing their abilities and creativity.

Of course, this week, we celebrated the passion of reading through our vibrant and stimulating Book Week. Every day students were able to feed their hunger for reading within lessons and at home, having purchased new titles from the BSB Book Fair. It was also a delight for parents to be once again allowed back into classrooms as ‘Mystery readers’ and given an opportunity to share their enthusiasm for different books. I know that these were well received by the students and will have excited them for reading and books. Of course, the week culminated in fantastic parades for both the Junior and Senior School. These events portrayed each student’s passion for certain characters and stories while also displaying the incredible creativity of their parents! Thank you to all parents for making the week so unique.

We all hope that peace will be restored all around the world, and especially in Eastern Europe. Energy currently directed to causing harm would be much better placed developing culture, arts, passion and creativity.

I wish everyone associated with BSB a relaxing and safe weekend, and one where you focus on something that excites you.

Executive Headmaster's News: February 17th, 2022

Results of the BSB COVID Policy Parent Survey (February 2022)

Thank you to the large number of parents who took the time to complete the Parent Survey. We have summarised the results for all parents.

Overall satisfaction

We are pleased that over 91% of our families would recommend the British School of Bahrain to a friend or colleague. In all my time inspecting schools, this is one of the highest responses I have seen; thank you for the vote of confidence. Our parents are our greatest ambassadors, and we are delighted by this overwhelmingly positive endorsement; thank you.

Student wellbeing

Every child's wellbeing and happiness is at the core of a BSB education. We were pleased to see that 88% of parents feel that their family are mentally and physically Excellent or Good, with no parent having concerns.

While education during the pandemic has been incredibly challenging, especially for remote learners. 79% of parents felt that their child was making Excellent or Good progress, and only one parent felt that their child had regressed during the pandemic. This is in stark contrast to reports from other countries, and we should be proud of our collective achievement

Communication

The school has worked hard over the last two years to improve its communication with parents. It is pleasing to see that parents are delighted with the level of communication from BSB. There are still further improvements in the pipeline, including a better Parental Portal, which includes a live calendar of events.

Recovery of students

It is overwhelmingly clear that parents support our policy that no student or member of staff should be knowingly testing positive if at school. Parents clearly do not want their family to come into contact with any dividual who is still testing positive, even if they have completed the necessary days of isolation.

There is also a clear mandate from our parents to maintain our policy that a private PCR test should be received before coming back to the BSB campus for all staff and students who have tested positive. In practice, this has been well supported by parents, and we have found that all students and staff have returned negative test results within two weeks of testing positive, so there is no long term impact.

Contact Tracing

Of course, the regulations around contact tracing are not determined by any individual school; we must all adhere to the Ministry of Health guidelines. At present, we are forced to provide the names of all children, even if they are only 'casual' contacts. The majority (60%) of parents felt that schools should only be treating contacts as 'casual contacts' and not tracing them. Of these parents, most wanted the school to just inform parents and not involve the Ministry of Health. We are in regular communication with other schools, and we will use this data as a discussion point with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health.

Playtime

The question of playtime led to very mixed and balanced answers; however, the majority (65%) of parents wanted more time outside and more playtime. This sentiment is supported by class teachers. We will now review our structures and see what can be safely done to allow more time outside without compromising safety.

Travel

The majority of parents either supported Green shield students returning immediately post-travel or for the school to only insist on 5 days of working remotely post-travel. For Green Shield students, we will listen to the parents' wishes and adjust our policies accordingly. At present, the Ministry of Health is insisting on 7 days of isolation from Yellow and Red Shield holders, which is a policy we must enforce.

Concluding remarks from parents

Thank you to all parents who either made points of praise or offered suggestions. These ranged from the language used to mask-wearing and the importance of keeping the flexibility of online and in-class working open. We will discuss all of these options and review our policies accordingly.

BSB Policies

Based on the feedback from parents and from staff, we will look to review the current policies:

1. Contact tracing – we are bound by the MoH regulations but will keep parents informed

2. Extra-curricular activities – we will look to bring these back starting on Sunday 27^th February 2022

3. Infant School wrap-around care – we will look to reintroduce early drop off and late pick up for the Infant

School.

4. Mask wearing – this will remain for the time being because it is an MoE regulation, but we will continue our

discussions with them

5. Outdoor playtime & outdoor learning – we will look to increase the amount of playtime and outdoor

learning for all students while the weather is pleasant

6. Negative PCR tests post COVID-19 – based on the overwhelming feedback from parents, we will keep the

policy that everyone on campus must have had a negative PCR test if they tested positive for COVID-19

7. Travel – For students that have travelled, we will permit Green Shield students to return to campus following

their negative arrival test. At present non-Green shield holders must isolate for 7 days before returning to school. This is a Ministry of Health regulation.

It was a highly rewarding exercise, and we received incredibly valuable input from parents. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Executive Headmaster's News: February 10th, 2022

Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it. Bruce Lee

I hope that everyone is enjoying the Beijing Olympics as much as I am. This event continues to be an excellent example of what is possible and what can be achieved through commitment, dedication and self-belief. Speaking as someone who gets dizzy at any height, I have been in awe of the Big Air competitions over the last few days. To stand at the top of a slope and have the belief in your own ability to jump 8m into the air and pivot multiple times and then land on icy snow is just truly incredible.

Towards the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics, there was an episode that hit the headlines for the wrong reasons. A tearful 19-year-old Zhu Yi crashed while competing in the Women’s skating short programmed team event. The competitor was devastated by the events on the ice, but online she became vilified by social media users. The torrent of criticism and abuse was relentless, to the point that the social media companies had to curtail comments. Once more, we witness the negative side of social media and online activity.

This week saw the School focus on online safety as part of International Safer Internet Day. Many parents from across the region enjoyed the latest episode of our Parent Webinar series on Tuesday. Two of our very talented teachers delivered an insightful session on how to support your family in being safe online. It was full of practical advice and very up to date. The recording of this webinar will be made available shortly. These webinars are not limited to BSB parents, so please feel free to invite friends, family or colleagues to the next one in March.

The ongoing education of children about being safe online is crucial to all families. Comments written on social media have a significant impact on the mental health of the recipients. The toxic nature of many comments lies in the fact that they are often anonymous, and therefore the writer does not feel accountable for what they say. The normal checks and balances of everyday life are artificially removed, leaving a vacuum into which negativity can fill. Regrettably, in the world we live in today, people sometimes take on a different persona while online than they would do in real life. Things that would never be acceptable to do in person, for some reason, people believe are acceptable to do online.

The time delay in comments and their responses also causes a dehumanisation of our actions online. In everyday life, we always see or hear the reactions to every statement we make, but online the impact of a comment cannot be seen, and therefore, the human element has been removed. This lack of real-time reactions makes it much easier for comments on social media to become an escalating breeding ground for venting negative emotions and anger. Emotions that in real-life most people can keep in check, yet online, are often far too readily forthcoming.

The impacts of negative social media interactions can vary. Dopamine addiction is common, with individuals enjoying the natural hormone dopamine, which is often triggered by the satisfaction of receiving ‘likes’ on a social media post. Negative comments on social media can lead to anxiety and depression and an overall loss of self-belief, self-esteem and confidence. Very personal comments can also have a detrimental impact on a person’s image of themselves and even their body image.

The solution can be summarised simply, but of course, it is much harder to implement. The long-term solution is strong moral values in every individual, which ensure that they behave online in the same way that they behave in real life. At The British School of Bahrain, with the support of our parents, we aspire to nurture a strong moral code within every student, and through this, encourage them to have belief in themselves and thereby be themselves online and in real life. It is a bold ambition, but one which is necessary if we are to continue to improve our society.

In the short term, we encourage parents to support their families in choosing their social media platforms wisely, avoid reading negative comments, remove themselves from toxic environments and ultimately limit social media screen time.

I wish everyone associated with BSB a relaxing and safe weekend, one perhaps that encourages everyone to have the self-belief to be themselves on social media.

Optional follow-ups

Parents who are interested in social media may wish to watch the 2020 Netflix film called Social Dilemma

Parents may wish to read (not watch) The Circle by Dave Eggers. A book set in the near future where the toxic social media environment propels a company called the Circle to invent ‘TruYou’ where you can only be yourself online.

Executive Headmaster's News: February 3rd, 2022

Olympic spirit is about more than winning gold. Representing your country at the games requires struggle, and not only the self-belief to win but also the ability to do so.

Anon.

To all of the BSB community, I wish you a week of Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher Stronger).

Warmest regards

Executive Headmaster's News: January 27th, 2022

Avoid popularity; it has many snares and no real benefit.

William Penn

Last week I encouraged the BSB community that just because a path is less travelled doesn’t mean it is not worth considering. Within all of our lives, there are moments when we need to make difficult choices about the actions we should take and the paths we should follow. There have certainly been moments when the British School of Bahrain has followed a different path to other schools in the area, and we have found ourselves to be in a more favourable position. These decisions require commitment and frequently are not necessarily the most popular paths. But if one believes in oneself, and has confidence, then being committed to this choice is a good thing, and popularity should not play a part.

Just because something is popular, it doesn’t mean it is right. To illustrate this point, I will give you an example. An art competition was held with a simple requirement to draw a toad. Two of the many entries are shown below.

To even the most untrained artistic eye, it is clear that there is a significant difference in the abilities of the two artists, which has resulted in two very different drawings. In an even contest, we would all, I hope, select the entry on the left (Toad A). This has clearly been drawn by a talented artist, who has committed themselves to innumerate hours of training and practice. This commitment has resulted in the development of artistic talent over time. The same cannot be said, based on the available evidence, about the toad on the right (Toad B). While I highly commend the artist for taking part in the competition, the standard of drawing is not on par with Toad A.

This art competition was, however, hosted on social media. The organisers decided to allow their followers to ‘vote’ on which picture of a toad they preferred. The votes were in the form of ‘likes’. Using this measure to select a winner, the competition placed the Toad B picture in first place.

So, is the number of ‘likes’ on social media a good way to measure talent or ability? Something or some event’s popularity should not be a validation of its worth. For all of us, we must strive to do what is right, not what is popular. We must endeavour to take the path less travelled if it is the way that we feel suits our needs.

Within modern society, the over-reliance and passion for social media, and, often accompanied with this, a person’s popularity on social media, can deviate and distract us. Our commitment should not be for the pursuit of favour but for the pursuit of what we know is right. The forum of social media should not alter our values and beliefs.

Popularity has many snares and no real benefit. In many ways, it is like a steep hill, arduous and slow to climb, but equally very easy and quick to come down from. After all the effort, the descent from popularity can be very quick. Nor does the pursuit of popularity necessarily make the individual happy. Only through a commitment to doing the right thing, and taking the right path, will an individual be satisfied.

At the British School of Bahrain, I am most proud that all students treat each other as equals. New students are welcomed, and new friendships are quickly made. The very low level of bullying within the school hinges on us all to nurture the value of individualism and not to focus on popularity as a measure of worth. I would hope that should the fantastic BSB Art department host a drawing competition, perhaps to draw something more than a toad, the final judgement would be based on the talent of each artist, not on how popular they were.

I wish everyone associated with BSB a relaxing and safe weekend, one perhaps that avoids the snares of social media.

Executive Headmaster's News: January 20th, 2022

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less travelled…

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry, I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far, as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear.

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves, no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference.

I wish everyone a safe, healthy, and relaxing weekend.

Executive Headmaster's News: January 13th, 2022

If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make the change.

In this digital age, our lives are dominated by electronic devices and online providers. If you are anything like me, the end of the year also brings with it reports from various apps and software that you use on a daily basis. These Apps tell me how many miles I have run this year, how many hours spent learning a language etc. My Spotify account (other music providers are available) also generated a list of the songs I had listened to within 2021. One of these songs caught my eye; Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror. I don't remember listening to this specific song in 2021, but I have no reason to doubt that I did. On seeing the song listed within my ‘2021 playlist,' I listened to it again. The lyrics struck me, at this time of year, as a fitting reminder of our need to make changes and improve ourselves if we want to live in a better society.

I'm going to make a change

For once in my life

It's going to feel real good

Going to make a difference

Going to make it right

The arrival of the new year brings with it ambitions and resolutions to make changes to our own lives. One of the School's core values is that of Commitment. As the second week of January passes, our commitment to the changes and resolutions often starts to waiver or be tested. As the winter winds blow in and the temperatures drop, the memories of the excitement of the festive season and the new year begin to fade, and sometimes also our commitment to New Year's resolutions can dwindle.

As I turn up the collar on,

My favourite winter coat,

This wind is blowing my mind,

Of course, at this time, the strength of the community rests entirely with the individual, more than ever, when we continue our fight within the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking personal responsibility to be vaccinated to protect yourself also makes the changes that are needed to make a difference about how protected the entire community is and how prevalent the virus is able to be. If the virus cannot spread, it will disappear.

Even within the British School of Bahrain, we rely on individuals to complete their daily checks, daily rapid antigen tests, and daily monitoring of general wellness. It only takes one individual to impact a larger proportion of the community. Thankfully, BSB has a collegiate and responsible school community. Through individuals making the necessary changes to their lives and taking the right actions, we can keep the school safe, and learning can continue uninterrupted.

I'm starting with the man in the mirror

I'm asking him to change his ways

And no message could have been any clearer

If you want to make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself and then make a change

Change will not come if we wait for the actions of others; it comes from within each of us, as individuals. I wish everyone within the BSB community the resilience and commitment to stick to their New Year's resolutions. Through these personal changes, we will make the world a better place.

Have a very relaxing and restful weekend.

PS.

Some girls within the BSB Junior and Senior Schools might be looking for a new sport as part of their New Year's Resolutions. If so, perhaps you might consider taking up Cricket. Please see the exciting invitation below.

Executive Headmaster's News: January 6th, 2022

The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written.

Melody Beattie

Executive Headmaster's News: December 9th, 2021

Deck the Halls…

This week has seen the School a flurry with activity both within the school campus and around the local community.

Of course, the School has never looked as festive as it did for our first Festive Night Market last Friday, which attracted almost 4000 people from all across the country and in doing so raised a considerable amount of money to support the excellent work of the Royal Humanitarian Foundation.

Deck the halls with boughs of holly…

At present, we aren't exactly decking the halls with 'boughs of holly' but instead preparing the School for the fantastic celebrations of the Bahrain National Day. Our magnificent Arabic department has transformed the School into a fitting tribute for what has been achieved in the past, what we treasure most about the present and what we look forward to in Bahrain's future.

For this Bahrain National Day, the School has planned more celebratory events than any time before, and we are looking forward to being part of the wider community's festivities and all the happiness that accompanies Bahrain National Day. While we are now growing within the international community, supported by the Inspired network of schools, our roots are firmly within Bahrain. We are immensely proud of this country and everyone who lives within it.

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la…

I haven't quite heard 'fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la' being sung within the BSB corridors, but the School has once more been treated to multiple musical showcases this week. The Junior School choir sang beautifully at the Asdal Gulf Inn Boutique Hotel's Christmas Tree lighting. It was a delight to see so many parents there and to listen to Mr Roddy Drummond, HM UK Ambassador, praise the children for all of their hard work.

The BSB Infant school has also been full of dancing and singing within the daily performances by each class, and I was pleased to meet so many very happy parents who had come to watch. Within other parts of the School, Arabic lessons have been given over to rehearsing a new song about Bahrain, which was generously written for the British School of Bahrain. The first performance of this song will be within the BSB's Bahrain National Day celebrations.

'Tis the season to be jolly…

The forthcoming celebrations of Bahrain's heritage and its future, combined with the season's festivities, most certainly make this time of year one to be jolly about. There is a sense of excitement within the School, and the end of term feeling is one of joy and happiness. To think a year ago, we were experiencing very different times that we are now enjoying and for the current situation, I am enormously grateful to the Bahraini Government and all the ministries who continue to support us.

Fast away the old year passes…

It is incredible how quickly this term has passed. I look back on what we have achieved with pride. When I think back to August and BSB providing advice to agencies about delivering an outstanding education while maintaining safe protocols. Now, I find myself in December admiring the progress that we have made over such a short time. Most importantly, I am pleased that we have not had a single case of COVID-19 within the School and that we have the confidence to embed all the elements of an outstanding holistic education that the British School is renowned for.

Hail the new year, lads and lasses…

While I would not want to wish away the winter holiday, I am already looking forward to what 2022 will bring. 52 new families are joining the British School of Bahrain, and I know that they will be made to feel incredibly welcome. 2022 also sees the launch of our new Strategic Development Plan, which outlines the ambitious development of BSB over the next five years.

Sing we joyous, all together…

The month of December sees the school focus on community as one of our core values. A lot of our events have sought to safely bring the community together. While several of our events still have to either be outside or online, it is still a pleasure to be able to meet parents once more.

One impact of the prolonged lockdown, caused by the pandemic, is that students' social skills have not developed as they would under normal conditions. Time spent at home and online has not generated the social situations in which children usually develop their skills. While it is great to have students back on campus, I still think we have work to do, with the support of parents, in developing all students to interact better, whether that be online, on social media or in person. We want to encourage all students to be more positive (or joyous) with each other and support each other. This will be a focus of next term and throughout the year to bring the School together.

Heedless of the wind and weather…

I hope that all BSB families enjoy the current Bahraini weather and spend time enjoying this wonderful country. If you are travelling, I wish you safe travels and return to us in 2022 refreshed and eager to continue the development of this fantastic School.

Thank you all for your support this term.

Executive Headmaster's News: December 2nd, 2021

Don’t let the past steal your present. This is the message of the festive season.

Thomas Caldwell

This has been an emotional roller-coaster of a week. Over the last few months, we have all been pleased to see that the excellent efforts of the Bahrain Government have brought cases to an incredibly low level within the country. We all allowed ourselves a chink of hope that perhaps the pandemic was nearing a conclusion. Sadly, as the week has gone on, news from southern Africa and Europe about a new variant of the COVID-19 virus has caused concern. The reaction from society is one built on fear, not just of the virus but of the restrictions (albeit necessary) required to control its spread. Our fear of the past and what impact it might have on our present has once again returned to our lives.

I hope that this weekend, the eagerly anticipated BSB Festive Night Market on Friday 3^rd December, is a glimpse of our future. An event that has been months in the planning and all the hard work by the BSB community is finally coming to fruition. For me, the BSB Festive Night Market is more than just the event itself; it epitomises the excellent ethos of the British School of Bahrain, with our dedicated and hardworking parents, many of whom sit on the school’s Parent Community and Charity committee, our talented BSB staff, and the inspirational BSB students, all coming together to achieve impressive things.

BSB is proud to be part of our local community, as well having our connections to schools and universities around the world. This time of year is also about giving without a thought of getting. Philanthropy and charity are core values of the British School of Bahrain. That is why I am pleased that we are the only Festive Market that is being held in aid of a charity, the Royal Humanitarian Foundation. This is what shared humanity looks like and what the British School of Bahrain continues to achieve through our charities and our involvement in local community initiatives.

I look forward to welcoming members of the BSB community and friends of BSB to what, I am sure, will be a magnificent event.

This time of year is about the spirit of giving without a thought of getting.

It is happiness because we see joy in people.

It about is forgetting oneself and finding time for others.

It is about discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values.

Thomas Monson

I wish everyone associated with the British School of Bahrain a relaxing and enjoyable weekend. Looking forward to the future, not fearful of the past.

Last BSB Beach Clean of 2021 – Friday 3^rd December

We will be conducting our last BSB Beach Clean of 2021 on 3^rd December. Our last beach cleans of this term will have a distinctly festive feel, so if you fancy popping along to collect plastic or even just have a mince pie, please do so.

• Date: Friday 3^rd December

• Location: Nurana Island

• Time: 0800 – 0930 (come for as little or as much of this as you want)

• Equipment – Festive hats and edible treats will be supplied.

• Please bring protective gloves and water. Different coloured bin liners will be provided.

• Please feel free to bring plastic bottles from home if you would like for them to be recycled into furniture for the school.

Executive Headmaster's News: November 25th, 2021

Be thankful for what you have; you will end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never have enough

This month we have been exploring one of BSB’s core values, that of Kindness. It has been an enjoyable tour of what it means to be kind, how we should embody this value to benefit our lives and how our thoughts, actions and words can have a lasting impact.

For me, this week has been pleasantly dominated by times that remind me to be grateful for what we have at BSB. Every day there are always moments that make me thankful for the brilliant teaching and Administration staff, the fun and engaging BSB students, and the supportive and caring parents.

Throughout my life, my musical talents have always been left wanting, yet I take great pleasure in hearing others play, sing and perform. This week I was thankful for all the students who were part of our excellent Junior Choir as they sang at the Dilmun Club. I know that they, and their families, were in turn thankful for Ms Harling and the BSB Music Department for coaching and training them over the last 12 weeks.

Being thankful for what we have in our lives is important in shaping our morals and our values. Positive thoughts will lead to spreading kindness and happiness. However, conversely, jealousy and envy are powerful emotions and can influence the way that we think, speak and act. These two emotions can be the source of unkind thoughts, which, if unchecked, can lead to unkind actions and unkind words. Envy of what others have, or what they have achieved, ultimately will lead to unhappiness and, along that journey, unfriendly actions.

When discussing the traits of the BSB ethos and part of our strategic planning, I was proud to hear people input that BSB students are known to celebrate each other’s successes and not treat these with envy, negativity or suspicion. This crucial part of our school spirit is what makes us such a collegiate community and one where there are no ‘in crowds’, no stereotyping and no exclusive behaviour. Long may this continue.

I wish everyone associated with BSB a warm weekend, celebrating and being thankful for all we have in our lives. For our American BSB families, I especially wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Keep safe and well.

BSB Beach Clean – Friday 26^th November

• Location: Nurana Island once more

• Time: 0800 – 0930 (come for as little or as much of this as you want)

• Equipment – please bring protective gloves and water. Different coloured bin liners will be provided.

• Please feel free to bring plastic bottles from home if you would like for them to be recycled into furniture for the school.

Executive Headmaster's News: November 18th, 2021

Kindness

Peter Burn

The importance of being kind and saying kind things, both in-person and online, is, as always, very important.

Have a great weekend, showing kindness to everyone that you encounter.

N.B:

BSB Beach Clean – 19^th November 2021

It was a great morning last week cleaning up a different beach, but with reports of litter returning to Nurana, we will resume our efforts on Nurana beach. Members of the Bahrain Precast Concrete management have also agreed to join us.

• Date: Friday 19^th November 2021

• Location: Nurana Beach

• Time: 0800 – 0930 (come for as little or as much of this as you want)

• Equipment: Please bring protective gloves and water. Different coloured bin liners will be provided.

• Please feel free to bring plastic bottles from home if you would like for them to be recycled into furniture for the school.

Executive Headmaster's News: November 11th, 2021

Remembrance Day is a timely reminder that, in what may be some of our darkest hours, it is the bravery of millions of ordinary people from all races, religions, and backgrounds that have kept our countries flames burning and stood up for the values we hold dear.

A. Rudd

I like to hope that the British School of Bahrain is a fitting tribute to all those that fought for freedom. Within our beloved school, 92 different nationalities, different religions, and a multitude of different backgrounds all live in peace and respect. It is this harmony that was so hard-fought by people we do not know but whom we remember and give thanks to on this day.

I wish everyone associated with BSB a happy weekend.

Dark clouds are smouldering into red