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Wilf Stout (B.Sc. M.Ed. M.A. C.Biol. F.I.Biol) Wilf Stout comes from the north-east of England and is a Zoology graduate from the University of Durham. After obtaining a distinction in education from the University of Oxford he began his teaching career at Oundle School. The opportunity to become Head of Biology in one of Surrey’s first In 1982 he moved to the University of Cambridge as Secretary for Biological Sciences and apart from his work on curriculum and examinations internationally he led the introduction and development of the Cambridge O and A curriculum into post-independence Zimbabwe. Whilst working with the UK Government on the development of the new GCSE system, Wilf was requested by Heads of international schools at an ECIS Conference in Vienna in 1985 to persuade Cambridge to develop an examination for international schools. That led to him pioneering and marketing the IGCSE for the University of Cambridge. Wilf was awarded an M.A. by the university in 1986. His growing interest in international education resulted in the university seconding Wilf to South Africa in 1988 to found the International School of South Africa in the days of apartheid. This non-racial boarding school with the Cambridge curriculum was unique in its day. After eight years as Director he moved to Cape Town and founded the four campuses of the International School of Cape Town. After seven years as Director of the ISCT he became Director of Curriculum for GEMS Education in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for almost five years. Last year Wilf served as Head of School at an international school in Qatar. His commitment to international education is unquestionable. His latest written contribution in the field consisted of chapters on adolescence and schools of the future inTaking the MYP Forward, published by John Catt in April 2011. Wilf has been married for 41 years to Barbara who will continue in her role of Director of Music at the Cathedral of St Michael and St George in South Africa. Their eldest son David, having begun his career teaching Biology at Epsom College, studied singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, obtained an M.Mus. and has an increasingly successful international career as an opera singer. Their youngest son Michael is Director of Music at St Albans School in Hertfordshire. A Welcome from the Head Master It is indeed a great privilege for me to have been invited to take over the leadership of Harrow International School at this stage in my career. As my predecessor wrote, “Harrow International School is a remarkable place”. Indeed, first impressions do count and, as I write this Welcome preface for the webpage after being in Bangkok for forty-eight hours, I am excited at the prospects for the future by all I see around me. Today, we received our A, AS and IGCSE results from Cambridge. We have to wait a week for those from Edexcel and AQA, but already the pattern is clear. The academic standards of Harrow Bangkok are outstanding. But, is this really what is important and what is expected of schools? Well actually, yes and no. Too often we tip-toe around the question of examinations and make claims that this is not what schools are all about. True, but tell me of any student or parent who is not disappointed when the result is below expectation. I know, I failed my 11-plus in 1957 and incurred the wrath of my parents. Schools should first and foremost be places of safety and love. Children should come here and know that their teachers are dedicated and committed to their welfare. The responsibility for the nurture and welfare of children is an awesome responsibility. How many parents could cope successfully with 20 children at home for seven hours per day? Education is about learning and our school must be focused on the pedagogic key to the future which is a commitment to lifelong learning to learn. Knowledge is power, but many of your children will live to be over 100 years of age, have at least six major career changes, and live through one of history’s most challenging and probably turbulent periods of change. Mastery of knowledge, concepts and skills will count for little unless it is embedded in a personality based on sound values and attitudes. Representing the best of cutting edge educational philosophy and reflecting the latest scientific research based on how the brain works and how learning takes place we are introducing a curriculum,The Integrated Framework, to support our highly successful academic programme. This will offer all our students a broad- based, values driven educational experience. In the Prep School we are investigating the new International Middle Years Curriculum which supports the philosophy of The Integrated Framework. We are privileged at Harrow Bangkok to be leading the way forward in the implementation of best practice in education. We have, for instance, invested substantial resources and significant staff training into the launch of a Virtual Learning Environment, a tool that opens up home-school communication and puts IT at the centre of your child’s learning experience. Harrow is synonymous with leadership; it has a long and proud tradition of developing outstanding leaders. I worry when I look at many of the present world leaders. Rogue leadership in the 20th century resulted in the genocide of a population greater than all those that predated that century.With both of these thoughts in mind it seems appropriate that our new mission statement is ‘Leadership for a better world’. Under this banner, we shall undoubtedly prepare our students to become, should they desire, captains of industry, men and women of stature, entrepreneurs and great leaders, that is our tradition, but they will, we trust, first and foremost be individuals with high moral integrity. For them the school must provide experiences in love, compassion and empathy. Above all, we need to emphasise the spiritual needs of our students. They need to learn to know themselves – their strengths and their weakness - to know who they are, where they come from and where they are going. The School cannot do this alone. Your child’s education must be a partnership between you as parents, we as teachers, their peers and the community in which they develop. Please visit the School and see for yourselves what we do and how we do it. I think you will be delighted at what you find and see this as the home for your child. Wilf Stout 11th August 2011 |
Sixth Form Colleges in the mid 70’s also led him to become Chief Examiner in A level Biology for the then University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate ( now Cambridge International Examinations). During this time he obtained a Master’s degree in Education from the University of London and embarked on writing textbooks. Wilf Stout has been the contributing author of fourteen books. His A level textbook published by Cambridge University Press is still in print after 30 years and has sold over two million copies. In 1986 he was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Biology.
