Tsukuba International School

School Name:
Date of Completion of theVisiting Team Components:April 27, 2018

The Reporting BookletforTHE CONCLUDING STATEMENTS(FOR COMPLETION BY THE VISITING TEAM ONLY)First Component – THE MAJOR COMMENDATIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
Second Component – THE CONCLUDING STATEMENT
Third Component – THE LIST OF TEAM MEMBERS

8th Edition1Version 8.2 - Sept 2013

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FIRST COMPONENT: THE COMPILED LIST OF MAJOR COMMENDATIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
The team should insert, using the headings below, its compiled list of the major commendations andrecommendations chosen by the whole Visiting Team at its final full meeting.
The points chosen for inclusion here should be taken verbatim (both text and reference number) from theSignificant Commendations / Recommendations in various Sections of the Report and listed under thefollowing headings. The number of Major Commendations / Recommendations under each Section heading
may be one, more than one, or none.

Major Commendations:
SECTION A
Standard A2-a,b,c
TIS for developing a thoughtful and comprehensive definition of international-mindedness which represents
community values.
The TIS community for embracing the notion of international-mindedness and for their commitment andpassion to develop and embed these traits throughout the life of the school.
SECTION B – Horizontal – PYP
Standard B1-a
The PYP staff on their commitment to developing their own Curriculum Overview to cater for the learningneeds of their diverse student body.
Standard B2-a
The TIS students on the confidence with which they can articulate their learning, showing their level ofunderstanding.
Standard B8-c
The teachers for designing meaningful assessment tasks that allow students choice for demonstrating theirlearning in a variety of ways.
SECTION B – Horizontal – MYP
Standard B2-b
The leadership and staff for their efforts in providing a varied range of engaging activities in the curriculum
to meet the social, emotional, and physical needs of its students.
Standard B4-a
The school staff for the extracurricular activities available (given time and facility constraints) to meet theneeds of its diverse student population.
Standard B10-a
The leadership team for introducing and using ManageBac to provide real-time progress and comments toMYP and DP students and their parents.
SECTION B – Vertical
Standard B1-cThe staff for the manner in which Japanese culture is integrated into the student learning about internationalmindedness.
3Standard B9a,b,c
The SLT for creating a school culture where continuing professional learning for teachers is able to drive
curriculum development.

SECTION C
Standard C1-a
The board for the development of a Governance Handbook.
The board for the appointment of a Board Liaison Officer whose role it will be to communicate the board’s
decisions and policies to the wider school community.
Standard C2-b
The Principal and the board for the development and maintenance of a mutually respectful relationship that
benefits the school.
Standard C3-a-f
The Principal for the passion, dedication and commitment she brings to the role of Principal of TIS.
SECTION D
Standard D1-a
The Administrative Team for writing a comprehensive Hiring Policy which outlines the philosophies,
procedures and screening checks that are in place to ensure high quality staff of sound moral character arerecruited to work at TIS.
Standard D1-d
The Administrative Team for improving the documented staff Job Descriptions and Terms of Employment
outlining specific responsibilities thus resulting in greater clarity for staff.
Standard D2-d
The teachers for developing respectful and meaningful working relationships with students, which arealigned with the vision and mission and make students feel supported and nurtured within the learning
environment.
Standard D4-c
The staff of TIS for contributing positively to a culture of mutual respect, with positive morale engenderedamongst colleagues.

SECTION E
Standard E1-b
The teaching staff for their extraordinary effort to assist parents in identifying the best possible support
system for their child’s learning needs.

SECTION F
Standard F1-a
The TIS community for its contribution to creating a safe, inspiring, and compassionate learningenvironment.

Standard F2-a
The TIS staff for being open and approachable in communication with all members of the school community.
Standard F3-a4

The school leadership and staff for successfully creating meaningful links with the local culture through their
Enrichment Programme.

SECTION G
NoneMajor Recommendations:
SECTION A
REC A1-b
The SLT establishes a system to monitor the level of support for the school’s guiding statements.
REC A1-c
The Principal, through a consultative process, reviews the current vision and mission statements to ensure
they are aspirational, drive decision-making processes and outline clear expectations for student learning
now and in the future.
REC A1-e
The SLT collects and analyses survey data from all stakeholders to help the school assess its success inachieving its aims as laid out in its GS.
SECTION B – Horizontal – PYP
REC B9-c
The teachers and SLT agree on common school philosophy of teaching and learning throughout the PYPyears.
SECTION B – Vertical
REC B2-a,b,e
The curriculum coordinators should consider a focus for school-wide professional development (PD) on
differentiated student learning to support the development of vertically-aligned philosophy and teachingstrategies.
REC B3-a-fCurriculum coordinators facilitate the completion of vertical curriculum documentation across all subjects.
REC B5-e
The Senior Leadership Team should use a more strategic approach to PD that incorporates analysis ofstudent data, review of the school’s goals, and the teacher appraisal process.
REC B6-c
The teachers should decide on common strategies and coordinate support for students with learning
differences, both for those who need additional support and those who need extension.
REC B6-d
The teachers should agree on strategies and vertically align support for students for whom English is anadditional language.
REC B10-a
The SLT to put in place an effective system for recording student achievement in order to track and analyse
student progression.

SECTION C
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REC C1-e
The VT recommends that the board undertake proposed formal orientation and training for board members
as a matter of priority.
REC C1-f
The VT recommends that the board introduce succession planning for the positions of Board Chair andPrincipal.
REC C2-b
The board and the Principal clarify their individual responsibilities using the Governance Handbook as areference.
REC C4-a
The SLT develops and implements a systematic and regular appraisal of the board’s effectiveness.
REC C5-a
The board and SLT should proceed to surface both the PYP and MYP playing fields as a matter of priority.
REC C5-b
The board engages with all stakeholders to finalise, communicate and implement a strategic plan linked
closely to the school’s guiding statements.
REC C5-d
The board ensures that the school’s educational and financial plans are communicated clearly and regularly
to the members of the school community.

SECTION D
REC D1-e
The SLT should implement an effective appraisal/performance management programme that helps to build
teacher capabilities and has direct effect on student learning.
REC D3-c
The board and SLT finalize the staff salary scale, and communicate this information to staff in advance ofemployment or renewal of their contract.
REC D3-e
The board and Principal to monitor and review staff compensation packages to ensure they are adequate
to allow the school to recruit and retain appropriately trained staff.

SECTION E
REC E2-a
The SLT ensures that the teachers who are supporting students with special learning needs, have accessto relevant special education training.
REC E2-b
The SLT to plan for a more effective support system for students with additional learning needs within theschool.
REC E4-a
The SLT seeks to increase the level of counselling services to support students’ well-being and to provide
teachers with guidance when needed.

SECTION F6

REC F1-b
The Senior Leadership Team should listen to ‘Staff Voice’ as a method of improving staff well-being andmorale.

SECTION GREC G2-a
The SLT should finalize and implement a new maintenance plan that will allow for repair and maintenancetasks to be prioritized and efficiently carried out.
REC G4-b
The SLT should develop and practise a Crisis Management Plan as soon as feasibly possible to provide aclear framework for action in the case of an unexpected crisis causing serious injury or death.

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SECOND COMPONENT: CONCLUDING COMMENTS
Tsukuba International School (TIS) presents as a school that is justly proud of its short history, its many
achievements and of all who make up the school’s diverse community. The accreditation process has
served the school well and provided an opportunity for meaningful dialogue between the students, staff,administrators, parents and the board. Preparation for the Team Visit and preparation for IB authorizations
has provided the opportunity for the school to look closely at its operations and make detailed plans for
improvement in the future. These processes have also allowed the school to reflect on its many strengths
and to celebrate these with the school community. The Visiting Team (VT) was struck by the strength of thefamily and community feel in the school. This is one of the reasons why many families are choosing toeducate their children at TIS.
The VT members were impressed with the friendly, articulate and enthusiastic students who were activelyengaged in their learning and enjoying positive and respectful relationships with their teachers and theirpeers. The VT also noted the safe and caring learning environment that supported student learning andwell-being at TIS.
The TIS guiding statements are in need of review. They must permeate all school operations if they are tocontinue to have a positive impact on the education of all students and the school’s quest for continuousimprovement. It was obvious to the VT that the school demonstrates a genuine desire to develop a spirit ofinternationalism and interculturalism in its student body.
The VT appreciates and thanks TIS for its commitment to the accreditation process and for engaging in athorough and rigorous self-study. The organisation and presentation of the self-study and the associatedevidence was highly satisfactory. Planning documents, samples of student work, assessment results andreports assisted the VT’s understanding of teaching and learning at TIS. The VT’s impressions of the school
were generally consistent with those expressed in the individual reports. On the whole, the VT agreed withthe accuracy of the ratings in the self-study.
The VT also noted that attempts had been made to address the areas of suggested action made in thePreliminary Report but that others had received little attention. Part Three of the self-study outlined actionplans for a considerable number of initiatives. It is the view of the VT that these plans should be rationalised
into a manageable and synchronised format, so that each is implemented in a thorough and logical manner.
It was very apparent to the VT that the board and the school Principal enjoy a positive working relationship,
and this in turn manifests itself in a well administered school that lives out the spirit of its guiding statements.
There is evidence that the school has a clear vision for the future and plans for school improvement. The
VT also noted that there are grounds to be confident that future plans will come to fruition due to themanagement abilities of board members and the prudent financial skills of the school’s administration, thePrincipal, school and finance managers in particular.
The VT report contains commentary and advice from professional peers reflective of the school’s current
stage of development. There are many signs that TIS has the vision, human resources and ability to act on
the recommendations to be found within this report. There are grounds to be confident also that theadministration, with the support of the board, will continue to develop effective strategies to allow the schoolto achieve its goals.
On behalf of all members of the Visiting Team, I wish to thank all members of the TIS community for theirfrankness and the friendly way in which we were received. Nothing was too much trouble and the Visit ran
very smoothly. We extend our thanks to Shaney Crawford, the TIS Principal, for all her support in arranging
the many details of the Visit. We extend sincere thanks to Joanne Handa, the School Manager for her
excellent administration (and beautiful food), Peter Congreve, the Chair of the Self-Study Committee andthe TIS school community for their warm welcome and their preparedness to speak so honestly about theirschool in the spirit of self-improvement.

8To the VT, I offer my thanks and appreciation for their hard work and the high degree of professionalism
they have demonstrated throughout the week. My special thanks to Brenda Cook, Co-Chair, for the support
she has provided to me and all members of the team. This was an excellent team. There was a good balanceof skill and experience, and the level of support the team members supplied for one another was exceptional.
All members of the team contributed their considerable talents and experience to producing a final reportthat we are confident will assist TIS to make sound educational decisions as it moves forward.
The VT wishes Tsukuba International School every success as it continues its pursuit of excellence andschool improvement.
Richard Bennetts
Team Chair
27 April 2018

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THIRD COMPONENT: LIST OF TEAM MEMBERS
Please do not indicate which members of the team drafted which sections of the overall report. This isbecause the report should be the result of a whole-team effort and a consensus document.

Name, School and Position of Team Member

Agency Represented

Team Chair: Richard Bennetts
Principal (Retired)

CIS

Team Co-Chair: Brenda CookPrincipal
Glenealy School, Hong Kong

CIS

Secretary: Emma Short
PA Head of Teaching & Learning, Heads of School
Was Kormilda College, now Haileybury Rendall School, Darwin,
Australia

CIS

Team member: Stephen Dixon
Middle School Science Teacher
St Mary’s International School, Tokyo, JapanCISTeam member: Lorna Faber
Head of Mathematics
Jakarta Intercultural School, Jakarta, Indonesia

CIS

Team member: Sumita Rakshit
Upper Key Stage Coordinator
The British School, New Delhi, India

CIS

Team member: Marjan Slaats
Senior School Librarian
Dulwich College Shanghai, Pudong, China

CIS10