I spent last weekend at Harrow in London with Mick Farley interviewing applicants for the remaining positions in School for August. There was a strong field and I believe that we have made some excellent appointments.
London was cold, 9 degrees, murky and damp. For me one attraction of travelling is the opportunity to catch up on reading. One article in The Times caught my eye.

During the recent Songkran holiday I attended the Heads of International Schools conference in Vienna. It was twenty six years ago at the same conference in Vienna that IGCSE was conceived. Memories flooded back on how education has changed in that time in so many ways but not in others.

One of our keynote speakers characterised one such change with regard to a behavioural attribute that went relatively unnoticed twenty six years ago. I refer to what I now understand we incorrectly call Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD.

The speaker, an eminent educational psychiatrist from New York, told us that ADHD is not a disease nor a disorder, but a genetically acquired trait. There is no single diagnostic test for the trait simply a history of behavioural patterns characterised by disorganisation, constant activity and an inability to stay focused on one task. Guess what I went on to discover? I have it as does my wife and not unexpectedly do our two sons.

I approached my return to School for Term 3 with great trepidation. Why? Several issues were confronting me and were cause for personal concern. 

I was acutely aware that I had ten weeks only in which to complete a number of tasks which I believe would leave Harrow Bangkok in better shape than I found it on arrival.

The Head's job is always to unite the students, staff and parents into one cohesive, cooperative body, united in the realisation of the School's vision and mission. I believe that we have made enormous progress towards embedding the latter across the whole School and, somewhat ironically, the flood helped us to realise that goal. "Leadership for a better world" does indeed sit at the heart of Harrow's ethos and philosophy.

The end of another term – a time for reflection

We started the year back on campus with the extended day and thoughts of “catching up” and we are ending the term having more than “caught up” and with a string of student successes. In sport, drama, music and university offers of placements for our students we are excelling. Articles in the Harrovian last week and this week bear testimony to that fact. Staff too, are having their share of success. Four Harrow staff are moving on to Headships and Deputy Headships of excellent schools. Typically, some parents, eager to imagine the worst see the loss of staff as “what is wrong with the School?” Answer, Harrow Bangkok is a great training ground for professional teachers. Harrow needs fresh ideas and renewed vigour. We need a steady stream of young staff and more experienced staff. One function of a Head is to ensure a balance between retention of staff and promotion of staff. This has been a good year in that respect.

What a week at Harrow Bangkok! This week has seen what is for me an unprecedented number of success stories.

Academically, offers of university places for next October have been coming in from all quarters…….

Last Friday we had an outstanding evening of rock music at the Harrow Rocks evening. Thirteen school bands excelled themselves and we were richly entertained by our Sixth Form students between items. The pinnacle of the evening was the appearance of Modern Dog who in their final number invited Napat Wiriyasubpachai (Pat) from Year 13 to join them on trumpet. This was a night of fun, food, and fireworks. Mr Johnson pulled off another outstanding event to showcase the standard of rock music in the School. Thank you. Indeed, how many international schools could put up 13 rock bands of such quality?