Three things I learnt opening a new international school

Do you remember your first day in a new role? I do. In 2023, I took on the role of principal at Oxford International College (OIC) Brighton. Not only was this my first experience of opening a new college, it was the only one of its kind to open in the UK in 2023.  

Opening a new school comes with huge challenges. Some expected, such as construction project management, ensuring compliance with the UK’s comprehensive regulatory frameworks and student recruitment. Some…less expected. But, the biggest challenge was building our community from scratch. I knew we needed to foster parents’ trust in our provision and engage our new student cohort, especially as they would be taking their GCSE exams in just 12 months. So, how did we do this?  Below are three things that worked for us.

Building trust

While we are a new college, it is important to note that our teachers and approach to education are not new. Not only do our teachers have years of experience in the classroom, but many of them have industry insight and other valuable knowledge too. For instance, our head of sixth form previously worked in admissions at the University of Cambridge. We also draw on the well-recognised academic approach of Oxford International College. Our staff credentials and curriculum approach helped to build our parents’ confidence in what we can deliver as a college.

Taking time to interact with your team is crucial in those first 12 months.

Working in a college is a challenge at the best of times, but working in a “startup”, as I like to describe a new college, requires a certain level of trust from your staff. Building this trust can only be done by being visible. Modern headteachers are running a complex business and it is a busy and demanding environment. However, taking time to interact with your team inside and outside of the classroom is crucial in those first 12 months. For me personally, I got stuck into practical activities such as putting up posters, moving furniture and overseeing breakfast service.

Creating a community

As the majority of our cohort are international boarders, many of their parents are overseas. However, while this means it is challenging to build a strong, engaged parent community using traditional methods, we created opportunities to spend time together both virtually and in-person. I spent a lot of time abroad to support student recruitment, meeting with families and even hosting a coffee morning in Hong Kong, before welcoming them to our campus a few months later. This is also true of my colleagues, who met with families while travelling or in other contexts.

We know how valuable face-to-face interactions are, but we also established a programme of virtual meetings and webinars. Not only do these online events act as a focus group but they ensure our parents feel involved in our college community.

Opening a new college is a big venture and not for the faint-hearted.

For our students, relationships are hugely important – we give them lots of chances to socialise as a balance to their busy schedule of academic pursuits. In our first few months of being open, we developed a programme of opportunities for them to support one another and celebrate each other’s successes. This culminated in our first annual prize-giving ceremony at the end of the summer term, where all of our winning students were gifted a book, which had been personally chosen based on their interests.

Early on in our planning process, we decided that a common language – English – would be used in our common areas to encourage feelings of community and inclusion for all of our students. This, coupled with extracurricular activities, has helped to strengthen our student community.

Engaging students

We have also cultivated a strong sense of ownership and agency in our students to help them feel engaged with their college experience. Every Wednesday, our students deliver a lecture on a topic of their choice – most recently, a Year 13 student spoke about symbiogenesis –this is a platform for them to develop agency over their academic journey. Our students have helped inform what channels they want to use to share their thoughts and opinions, what our student council looks like, and how its members will be selected – all of which fosters a strong sense of shaping their environment and ensures they feel included. This is especially important as many of our students are living in the UK for the first time when they join us, which can be daunting. 

We have also cultivated a strong sense of ownership and agency in our students.

Opening a new college is a big venture and not for the faint-hearted. However, building a trusting, engaged community of parents, students and teachers is the foundation for success. This is reflected in the success of our first cohort of GCSE students, where nearly 70 per cent achieved grades 7 to 9 in English Language, 64 per cent of students achieved a grade 7, 8 or 9 in computer science and more than half of our IGCSE students achieved a grade A or A* in their examinations.

Importantly, our community has also helped them feel a sense of safety and belonging, with one parent telling me that their son felt well-looked after and part of the community after just a few days at OIC Brighton.