Morten Lindholm: Your career in educational leadership has come full circle.
Tom McGrath: In a sense it has. I came to Poland in the late 1990’s as a young teacher and experienced international education for the first time. It was a chance discovery and I have been involved in international education ever since. This adventure has taken me from Poland to the Cayman Islands and Portugal until returning to Poland 8 years ago.
How have you seen international Education develop over the last 25 years?
International education has been around for quite some time; I had the privilege of leading Oporto British School in Portugal, a school that was founded in the late 19th century for the port wine families of the Douro Valley. However, it is in the last 25 years that we have seen a huge expansion of the sector. There has been much research as a specific discipline of education. There has been a greater focus on the role of multilingualism. There are now internationally recognised certificates and qualifications and more recently we observe the growth of groups of schools such as International Schools Part - nership (ISP).
How has BSW changed over the last ten years?
When I meet my wonderful teaching colleagues for our in-service week of training and professional development in late August each year I start by saying we have a new school and there is a truth in this statement. We are faced with a new opportunity and challenge that was not the same as in the previous year.
One of the biggest changes is size. We now have more staff employed in the school than there were pupils when I arrived. A school of less than 100 pupils is a very different environment than one approaching 500 enrolments.
The next is age range. The school was predominantly pupils in the 5-7 age range when I joined while now, we have over 100 teenagers at the upper end. This requires a very different approach.
Finally, there is space. From a very modest starting point the school now enjoys extensive facilities that can accommodate 500+ pupils. This is a huge change in terms of provision and we have come a very long way.
What are your proudest moments over the last 10 years?
There are so many to mention. Seeing the school grow and expand its facilities always gives a sense of satisfaction. Seeing our graduating class achieve so highly in Year 9 Cambridge Checkpoint examinations, scoring significantly higher than the international average, and gaining their high schools of choice is also heartening. Becoming a COBIS accredited school in 2021 was a worthy achievement. But most of all, it is seeing our pupils progress through the school, watching them grow and flourish in this supportive and caring environment that makes this a dream job.
What next for BSW?
We have now been walking the walk of the lion for 10 years and we are very excited about the future. Integrating with the ISP sister schools is a new opportunity for growth and development. We have many possibilities here to deepen the impact of learning for our pupils and to make meaningful connections for them. ISP is an ambitious organisation and wishes to grow its schools in Poland and to expand its offering here. I believe our second decade will be a very positive time for this amazing school.
