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>>SUE WOODROOFE, PRINCIPAL: The British School of Brussels
is a school for boys and girls from 18 months old to 18 years old.
We are based in a purpose-built, beautiful campus here
on the eastern side of Brussels and we cater to students from 70 different
countries around the world. When we were established in 1970,
the founders really wanted to create a sense of one large
family regardless of age and regardless of nationality
of the people who might be here. To that end, for example,
we all call each other by our first names. Even though I'm the Principal of the School,
all the students call me Sue. And what's lovely is that
we create a large sense of belonging. One of our key phrases is
"learning together, inspiring success". We encourage our teachers to
continually learn and develop, just as much as we want
to get the best out of our students. And together we believe that we can inspire
each other to be the best that we can be. BSB has world class facilities.
Of course, we are helped by the fact that we are a purpose-built School,
so all of our classrooms are equipped with interactive whiteboards, for example.
We have a stunning number of computers, both PCs and Macs, and iPads.
And we also have wonderful central resources that all ages can use.
Our Design Technology facilities are state-of-the-art.
Opened in 2010, after a quarter of a million euro of refurbishment,
we have equipment in there that no other school in the world has got.
Our Drama facilities are superb, as well as the 240-seater theatre
that we are sitting in now. We've got the full lighting box and
all of the equipment that we need to go with it.
We have our own costume department, which is enormous.
We put on several productions every year. Fabulous musical facilities with
numerous instrument rooms to learn lessons in,
as well as the facilities for group teaching. We are also delighted
to have a state-of-the-art recording studio. We've got fully-equipped
Modern Languages areas. Every Year Group in Primary has
its own designated area and that's underpinned by four main libraries spread across the School
for different age groups. We have a fabulous cafeteria on site
with our own staff who prepare fresh food every day,
healthy eating options for our students. We are really proud of the fact that
we are a green school as well, we are very proud of our recycling credentials
and we've already won two state awards in this part of Belgium.
There is a wide curriculum at the School, we broadly follow the British structure
and curriculum, all the way through the School, but of course,
we've got unique additions too, that we've designed and developed ourselves.
We do have an integrated curriculum especially in the younger years,
and that becomes perhaps a bit little more specific
as students go through the Secondary School. We've also got,
at the Secondary School level, subjects that are unique to our School.
So we are the only School within this part of Western Europe
to study Film as one of the IB courses. We have 27 courses available
for A Level and IB students and a full range of (I)GCSE
and GCSE courses as well, including things like Design Technology, Food,
Textiles, as well as the standard ones you would expect.
We are really excited about the language provision here at BSB,
offering as we do bilingual classes, 50% French and English to students
from the age of four upwards. We offer the bilingual IB diploma in both
mother tongue French and Dutch to our post-16 students.
The BSB has a long tradition of charitable work,
where we've operated in partnership with other organisations,
both here in Belgium and beyond. In particular, at the moment,
we are very proud of the connection we have made with the Bogatanga region
in northern Ghana. We sent some members of staff
to that region to particularly focus on four primary schools where
we could set up a partnership and we could be able to offer our help,
as well as learn a lot from them. We encourage all of our students to take part
in a programme called CAS, standing for 'creativity, action and service'.
So that all students can develop parts of their character,
that are not just on the curriculum. To that end, many of our senior students
for example will do volunteer work supporting perhaps the after-school Garderie or the Kindercrib.
We will also have students who will go out, using their French, to work in the local home
for people with Alzheimers. We have a long-standing
tradition of fabulous trips which also support the curriculum
and what goes on in the classroom. So we have teachers here who take students
around the world to make sure that we enrich the curriculum and bring it to life.
BSB believes in developing the whole child. Any good school has to be about the
very best examination results. Every child should be encouraged
and inspired to fulfill their individual potential, and we want that. But we also know that
employers of the future want a wider group of skills.
They want students who are confident, articulate, able and willing to take risks,
work well in teams. And actually we want
to develop all of those wider skills in our students as well,
so that they leave here confident and compassionate human beings,
ready to make a difference in the world. We are very proud of
the higher education achievements of our students as well.
Every year, students at BSB will be made offers from Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Princeton
and the other Ivy League colleges. But actually, what's important is that
every child finds the best and most appropriate higher education institution for them.
I believe BSB is a world class School, and I am so proud to be its Principal.
The students are charming and positive and respectful and
they work as hard as they can. The staff are committed
and professional in all that they do. Always wanting the best for the students.
This is a very special place; it achieves very special things. As a learning community,
as a working place, for students and staff alike.
And we'd love you to come see that ourselves.