Kent College - the best of all worlds

 

Bright World's Managing Director gives a detailed account of a wonderful day out and visit to our long term partner school, Kent College.

(picured above left to right: Kristine Bluke; Guardianship Care Manager, Chris Joy; Director of Boarding, Beverley Pocock, Head of Austen House and Maddie Grinfelde; Guardianship Care Manager)

Our Managing Director, Lana Foster has been visiting boarding schools  since the birth of Bright World, 15 years ago this year and without exception has observed that the welcome that you receive, either on the telephone or at the school reception, directly reflects the welcome that students receive when they arrive there.

Earlier this week Lana went back to Kent College to meet with Head of Austen House, Beverley Pocock and Chris Joy, Director of Boarding to re-live her first ever trip and to thank Kent College's staff for their continued support to Bright World. Accompanied by the two newest members of our guardianship team Kristine and Maddie, she hoped that they too would get a lasting first impression of our long standing partner school. Here is her full account of the day:

The best of all worlds... by Lana Foster   

"We were met by a smiling Receptionist who welcomed us warmly and gave     us our ID badges (security is of paramount importance to the school and any     visitor must wear and ID badge). Hosted by Chris Joy, next we were kindly       shown around all the houses. We felt welcome from start to finish and very     comfortable. 

Parents choose the UK and a boarding school education as it is the best opportunity they will ever give their child in life.

They are looking for high academic standards, a very secure and happy living environment and the tradition that you only achieve with a school that has existed for many years.I felt that Kent College offered this combination and the 'best of all worlds'.  

They use the phrases  'A Culture of Care' and 'Proud to Achieve' in their prospectus which describes perfectly their aims for all their students.  

We were also very impressed with their inclusive attitude towards different cultures. Every day they change their school flag (pictured right) to a different country represented at the school.

Today it was Canada.  

Wifi everywhere...

We were very impressed to learn that every pupil is given a Mac Book Air when they enrol on the college and there is full wifi connection throughout the school. I think for most students this level of connectivity and freedom to work anywhere anytime on the schools sophisticated intranet is an absolute winner. 

 

Pictured above; students making good use of their Mac Book Airs in the library...

The rooms are bright, well appointed and have great views across to Canterbury and the fields and countryside.  It must be a real pleasure to live there. 

Caring and hardworking boarding staff..... 

We met with Beverley Pocock, who is the Head of Austen House, one of the girls' houses at the school.  From the moment you enter the door you feel a sense of warmth and security. Comfy sofas in the common rooms with fresh fruit in bowls, TVs and DVDs for group film evenings and a quiet area for those who want some space or to study.

Maddie was so pleased to meet Beverley as she is an important contact for her at the school as she liaises all the time about our guardianship students' arrivals, half terms and exeats and travel arrangements. Beverley took the time to explain the house rules and how she manages to maintain such a great atmosphere in Austen.  She was also very complimentary about Bright World and our efficient communications during holiday times. She says she always knows what our students are doing and our information is very clear. 

Pictured; The cosy boarding house. 

Excellence - here's the proof....

Kent recently went through a rigorous Oftsted inspection and the results speak for themselves;

click here to see the full report, which explains the changes which the college have made to their curriculum and how this really reflects their commitment to the development of individuals. Extending teaching time, introducing another qualification (IB) and the addition of new subjects were among the changes made since their last inspection in 2009.

It's the people who count....

 Sheena Trist, Director of Admissions (pictured left.)

 "We have worked with Jayne Simpson, Registrar at Kent College for more years than we would like to remember and have received consistently high levels of advice and administrational support in terms of us placing students at the college.  They are fast and efficient for us which is what our parents and agents demand."

Lana:

"My lasting impression of the school, has been that it it has a forward thinking attitude, demonstrated by the high tech intranet and IT faciliites and the new modernised faciliites.  It does however, manage to maintain a level of tradition that parents are looking for.

Overwhelmingly I was impressed with the welcome we received from every single person we were introduced to and the time they took to show us the school they are all clearly so proud to be part of. 

Thank you to Kent College and here’s to many more years of trusted partnership."

Bright World Local Coordinator Conference 2015

 

This June, Bright World played host to its second Local Coordinator Conference at The Hickstead Hotel in Sussex. 

Paying close attention to the feedback from our first ever conference in 2014, we aimed to strengthen the lines of communication between our head office team and Local Coordinators through one to one meetings and interactive presentations. 

Launching the two-day event, Managing Director, Lana Foster, summarised Bright World’s biggest year to date. With 2015 bringing Bright World outstanding success, we have added a brand new Travel and Accommodation Department to our Head Office team, boosting efficiency to an all time high. With it comes our new Director of Safeguarding and Operations, Claire Taylor. This was a perfect opportunity for all LC’s to address any Safeguarding questions and to flag up any areas where fluidity between teams could be improved. 

Derek Holland Moore from Child-Safe also provided eye-opening Child Protection Training for all of the LC’s and new Head Office staff. Child-Safe’s vision is to see a world free from the abuse of children and young people away from home. Although addressing the possibility of some very difficult situations, Derek’s wealth of knowledge and experience left everyone feeling confident and with a clear plan of action, should a problem arise.  

 

After an insightful day, staff members were invited to attend a Courtyard drinks reception where they were introduced to the King of England himself, Henry VIII. Our very convincing impersonator welcomed new members of staff and announced that our delicious 3 course banquet awaited us in the dining hall! After dinner, staff members were encouraged to chance their luck with Bright World’s one-night-only casino, complete with Roulette and Black Jack. At the end of the night, we surprised our Managing Director and celebrated Bright World's 15th Birthday. Congratulations to Lana and James Foster and here's to many more years!

 

The following morning saw five members of staff from different areas of the company coming together to promote an in depth discussion about the challenges we face at Bright World and how we consistently improve our performance with each year. After the panel, we awarded those members of staff who we felt went above and beyond our expectations of a Local Coordinator. We at Bright World appreciate the fantastic work that all of our Local Coordinators do and strive to make all members of staff happy and comfortable in their work.

 

After a very successful and uplifting conference, we look forward to next year with great anticipation!

“I have come away from this conference renewed, highly motivated and feeling part of a very special company. Thank you to all who has put this together.’ Rebecca Warboys, Bright World Local Coordinator. 

“Wonderful evening, I hope to be here for many more years!” Lorraine McGlone, Bright World Local Coordinator

“I enjoy my role as an LC for Bright World and feel that it’s a great company to work for.” Dee Viana, Bright World Local Coordinator

“I really enjoyed the conference last week and found it very interesting and inspiring and am already looking forward to September.” –Lesley Sutton, Bright World Local Coordinator 

“Thank you for a great conference I really enjoyed the two days and feel more up to date with everything and 'fully charged' for the coming year. Tracie and I really enjoyed the evening meal and entertainment, thank you.” Martyn Pape, Bright World Local Coordinator

“Thank you and the team for making me feel so welcome at the conference. I thoroughly enjoyed the event and it was was really lovely to meet you and spend some time getting to know head office staff. I am so looking forward to being part of your lovely company and am already looking forward to meeting everyone again at the conference next year!” - Eileen Kingsland, Bright World’s new Local Coordinator for Scotland.

AEGIS Spring Conference 2015

Earlier this month we attended the AEGIS (Association for the Education & Guardianship of International Students) Cultural Awareness and Communication conference at Felsted School.  There were many other guardians in attendance too.

Myself and Leanne Poole attended on behalf of Bright World and were treated to a full schedule of interactive presentations and discussions, where we heard from highly informed sources within the UK International Boarding sector.

The first talk we had was an interactive discussion and quiz on bullying by Ann Muston, Head of International Support at The Leys School, Cambridge.  The aim of the workshop was to discuss what is bullying, how it relates to students and safeguarding.  We got into pairs and small groups and discussed nationalities, bullying and different types of bullying. Bullying happens in lots of places and between girls as well as boys.  It can be related to school work, fashion, ethnicity to name a few.  Sometimes banter can be perceived as bullying when it is not, teaching international students how banter works is a useful tool to avoid conflict.

We then had a talk Our Duty of Care, a Pastoral Partnership from Mrs Frances Walker B.Ed., Housemistress and Teacher of English at Sherborne International.  The discussion was about being a house parent and how Sherborne developed their boarding houses into international ones.  The importance of guardians and Pastoral Care.

In the afternoon we had another interactive discussion on Mind the Gap – Exploring Cultural Differences.  This was taken with Richard Levinge and Linde Melhuish of Ease Training.  We discussed different cultures and how some customs can be mistaken for rudeness or easily misunderstood.

This was not only a great opportunity for us to meet with the AEGIS representatives and communicate with other guardianship organisations but to learn more about how to continually develop our important jobs as guardians.

Simon King, Guardianship Care Manager

Bright World Guardianships.                   

Bright World can place students at over 250 UK Boarding Schools. For further information, or if you are interested in finding out more about placement and uk guardianship, please get in touch via our enquiry form ,  call 01273 835745 or visit our website www.brightworld.co.uk 

Trip to Burgess Hill School for Girls to meet the Head!

Guardianship Care Manager, Jenny Rumble and Director of Sales & Marketing, Charlotte Hamson recently visited our close partners at Burgess Hill School for Girls to hear about the school's latest developments and to promote our new Relax & Revise half term course for international students.

Here we are with the Headmistress, Kathryn Bell (middle left) and the Deputy Head Liz Laybourn (far right).

During our meeting we discussed the safeguarding of international students and how this is equally important for us as guardians and for Burgess Hill as a trusted independent boarding school. 

During our visit we were showed the beautiful boarding houses which house many of our guardianship students. We were also able to view the school facilities. The art room was particularly stunning and contained some outstanding pieces of work. 

Bright World can place students into Burgess Hill School for Girls. For further information, or if you are interested in finding out more about placement and uk guardianship, please get in touch via our enquiry form ,  call 01273 835745 or visit our website www.brightworld.co.uk 

How culturally aware is your child?

Prepare your child to thrive in our cosmopolitan society and you don’t even need to leave your house!

How well are you doing at school? How did that exam go? What mark did you get on your report? These are some of the questions we regularly ask our children after they come in from a long day at school. These are the answers that are going to determine their future...right?

The answer is of course very much yes and whilst the academic success of our children is of upmost importance, without the ability to communicate and build multi-cultural relationships they cannot progress in the ever changing modern workplace.

BBC news recently reported that a staggering 284 thousand people immigrated to the UK for work last year and that employment of non-EU nationals during January, February and March this year was significantly higher than 2014. With these staggering figures in mind, we must continue to teach our children how to appreciate, communicate and cooperate with different cultures, so that they can become the global workers that organisations demand. When our children then become adults, going off to university or into the work place, they can apply the skills they have learnt. They will be able to interpret tricky situations, whilst being compassionate and having cultural sensitivity when it comes to clients and colleagues.

Marcel Proust, the French novelist, observed that "the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new lands but in seeing with new eyes". 

Hosting a foreign student could be the answer to developing cultural awareness in YOUR child.

By opening up your home to a foreign student, you are creating an opportunity, exposing them to a whole new culture and helping them to see the world through new eyes. Living with an international student is of the best ways to learn about other cultures and the skills that are connected with that. It can also provide a valuable extra income for you and your family.

“We hosted Sunny for a year during her short school holidays. My children very much enjoyed meeting a child from a foreign country and Sunny was a great addition to the family. Sunny would draw and sing with my daughter, Georgie. Georgie now studies Art at Vandean College in East Sussex.” Carol Gill, Host Family, Bright World Guardianships

Get YOUR child practising valuable skills such as listening carefully and observing new culture while increasing their confidence to talk to new people. You don’t even need to leave your house!

For further information, or if you are interested in learning more about becoming a Host Family, please get in touch with Tammy Lindsay, Host Family Recruitment Manager, lindsay@brightworld.co.uk or complete the enquiry form. 

Super Stars, Hong Kong Overseas Study Centre pay us a visit!

(pictured above left to right - Timmy Wong, Jimmy Wong, Mike Dilworth, Cory Holden, Fiona Walters, Su Warren)

Jimmy Wong of Hong Kong Overseas Study Centre kindly visited our offices recently along with his brother Jimmy who works for our Rising Star Partners at Yellow 88.

Jimmy’s collaboration with Bright World has spanned for over a decade, during which we have assisted him, his colleagues and their clients with UK boarding school placements and child guardianship. Timmy has recently started using our services so we were so pleased and honoured that they took the time to visit Bright World’s head office earlier this month.

During their visit Jimmy (picture above right with Sheena Trist) was kind enough to talk to Bright World staff about the importance of good partnership, fast communications and trusting relationships. This was a fantastic opportunity for some of Bright World’s newest members to hear things from an agent’s perspective and to understand the needs of international students who are coming to the UK to study. Jimmy was also presented with his Super Star certificate to show Bright World's appreciation for his continued support.

Our Director of Sales & Marketing, Charlotte Hamson will be travelling to Hong Kong in the summer to support Jimmy and his team at the 29^th HKOSC Education Fair. This fantastic event provides Hong Kong-Chinese parents and of course their children with the opportunity to meet with experts in study and travel abroad programmes. The Mongkok event will take place on the 8^th Floor, Langham Place Hotel on 15^th& 16^th July .

Thank you again to Jimmy and Timmy for dropping in to see the Bright World team.

Bright World can place students at over 300 UK Boarding Schools. For further information, or if you are interested in finding out more about placement and uk guardianship, please get in touch via our enquiry form ,  call 01273 835745 or visit our website www.brightworld.co.uk 

A student’s life at Alexander’s College

Recently we had the great pleasure in visiting Alexanders College at Bawdsey, Suffolk. We had a tour of the school with Yalcin, who is the School Captain of Alexander’s College.
 We discussed the changes within our guardianship department talked about their updates so that we are fully informed when advising parents and placing students on behalf of our overseas Partners. Sally was especially keen to learn more about our accreditation with TravelSafe and enquire about the stringent regulations we set out for all our Host Families.

Yalcin is studying for his A-levels in maths, physics, chemistry and biology. He was born in Turkey but now lives in Bawdsey on the school’s campus. 

He is the Captain of the Alexander’s basketball team and likes doing sports such as basketball, football, rugby, fitness.

Yalcin has lots of goals for his future. One of his biggest goals is to become a surgeon.

 In order to study medicine in England he will be required to have lots of work experience and AAA in his subjects. Last year Yalcin completed his GCSEs at Alexanders College and he achieved the grades to study the required subjects in A levels for medicine at universities in the UK.

This is his second year at Alexanders. The last two years have helped him understand things such as importance of studying and friendship. Yalcin’s parents couldn't say no when he was asked them to do his A levels with Alexanders.

Alexander’s is a second home to many students. Yalcin has lots of friends who have come to Alexanders to improve their English but have stayed for their GCSE and A levels.

“We do a lot of sports and this makes our friendship stronger, unbreakable. Living, improving and getting along with friends makes Alexander’s special for everybody. We are a family, including staff and students”.

Over the past two years he has changed noticeably in areas such as maturity and responsibility. He is happy that I chose to study at Alexander’s; these years will decide his future and I believe that he is in the right place.

Should you wish to enquire about Alexanders College, Our UK Placement service  or UK Guardianship  please visit our website or complete our online enquiry form