01 December 2023
COMMUNITY UPDATE DIRECTOR’S UPDATE Dear Parents, It is difficult to believe that the End of Year Break is just around the corner. This is a busy but wonderful time with many exciting things happening across campus, and I wanted to start off by congratulating our student artists and everyone involved in last week’s High School Play. The immense amount of work that goes into these performances is truly impressive. Special Olympics season has also kicked off, and it is a joy to see our young athletes and their coaches practising together out on the field each week. Being an inclusive school that offers a multitude of unique opportunities for our students to enjoy, it is our responsibility to proactively protect their wellbeing and support their development as individuals. Building and sustaining a safe environment in which every child feels protected, listened to, and encouraged to speak is at the heart of who we are as a school, and all educators at ISB share in this responsibility to identify students in need of protection or help. As well as there being transparent systems in place, including a supportive counselling structure and yearly Child Protection Awareness and Training for all students and employees, we also have a dedicated Child Protection Officer and Safeguarding Lead who ensures that every student receives the appropriate support that they need. Appointed as our new CP Officer this year, Leigh Heglund, Assistant Head of High School for Student Wellbeing, works in collaboration with the school and with Leila Holmyard, CIS Internal Advisor for Safeguarding Needs, to define priorities and align procedures around child protection across ISB. At times, a situation might simply be resolved with a conversation addressing the student’s concerns. The CP Officer keeps a vetted list of therapeutic support services in the community and can connect families to the support that they need. When allegations of serious abuse or neglect are being made, the CP Officer will work with the Heads of School and the ISB Crisis Response Team to gather further information so that, if necessary, a Plan of Action can quickly be implemented to protect the student from further harm. No matter what process is adopted, our first job is to safeguard the student’s wellbeing, and so it is imperative that we retain a high level of confidentiality at all times. We also rely on our open and collaborative partnership with families to work through difficult situations and ensure that all our students at ISB can thrive. You can always reach out to Leigh Heglund for any questions you may have, or simply for a chat to learn more about the above. She is also reachable by telephone on +32 (0) 2 661 42 07. I want to end this letter by thanking Leigh and everyone who works tirelessly to support the learning, wellbeing, and development of all our students here at ISB. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
James Macdonald ISB Director