by LYIS
Yesterday, LYIS headed to BoracayEuropean International School in the Philippines to catch up with the school’s Principal, Nicholas Lea.
An ‘intentionally small school’, it sits at the top of a hill in Malay, Aklan, not far from the crystal clear waters and pristine white sandy beaches that are the hallmark of the island.
Nick has been at the school for eight years, and we can get a sense of calm, order and a desire to impact the students’ learning from him. His office is immaculately laid out, with shelves filled with textbooks and students’ work. Nick maintains a strong connection to the classroom and teaches eight lessons per week, which enables him to have a really good awareness and understanding of the students and their progress.
The school is home to the children of a lot of ‘Digital Nomads’ who choose the serenity and lifestyle that Boracay has to offer. Prior to COVID, there was a significant Korean student body, which has slightly been re-calibrated since.
Our discussions touched on several areas, including admissions, curriculum frameworks, resourcing strategically and what it is like to live and work on the island. Nick takes an enormous amount of pride in his school and he is clearly doing something that he loves.
When we ask Nick to describe the students, he tells us, “They have a very good temperament, are confident socially and very approachable”.
We then asked Nick, “What does great leadership look like to you?””It begins with listening and including teachers before making decisions. Being a leader here in this context has to be facilitative and collaborative”. Nick said.
LYIS would like to extend its sincerest thanks to Nicholas Lea and the team at Boracay European International School for making us feel so welcome and sharing more about the school and what it does.
Want LYIS to visit your school? Email andre@leadingyourinternationalschool.com
✅ Our next Professional Development session from LYIS on
‘Curriculum Innovation and Development’ is on the 19th of February, 7-00pm China.
Join our very own LYIS Member and hugely experienced IB teacher and leader Parvana Guliyeva for the first of four sessions throughout the year in our LYIS Education Impact Group.
