King’s College The British School of Latvia ® Welcome Welcome to King’s College, The British School of Latvia. I am delighted to be able to announce the opening of this school, which forms the eighth school in King’s Group and the first and only British school in Latvia. This is a country that is very attractive and fast growing and the opportunity to expand here was an excellent one, adding a dynamic mix to our already potent school network. A very British education Since 1969 King’s College schools have been providing children and young people with a rigorous and broad British education. Pupils from King’s College continue their studies at some of the most prestigious universities in North America and Europe. A British education gives our alumni the best opportunities to work in challenging and interesting careers all over the world. We believe that the fundamental values that they learn while at King’s College will also help them to have happy and fulfilling family lives. At King’s, everything we do revolves around academic excellence. A Quality British Education is the hallmark of King’s College and we are proud of our native British and British trained teaching staff, who help our pupils to consolidate their knowledge and encourage a love of learning from the very first day at school. Being the first British school in Latvia is an honour and the quality of our curriculum has been recognised by the Latvian Ministry of Education, allowing our students to benefit from exactly the same curriculum as an elite school in Great Britain. I am certain of the ongoing positive effects that this will have on the region here. If you would like your child to benefit from a Quality British Education with limitless potential, I encourage you to come and speak to us and see for yourself what we are doing. I look forward to being able to welcome you and to share with you our learning environment. Sir Roger Fry CBE DLitt Chairman and Founder, King’s Group Concentration and inspiration Foundation and Vision In our classrooms and on our sports pitches our teachers emphasise the importance of teamwork and joint endeavour; these values, combined with our focus on academic excellence, are at the core of a British education. King’s Group is one of the largest and most successful groups of British International Schools in the world, as well as being a leading member of the Council of British International Schools (COBIS). All of our schools are inspected by the International School Inspectorate and our teachers are all highly trained professionals. We depend on a set of well-proven, efficient and well-documented systems and processes, developed over many years to allow us to recruit, train and manage a complex and diverse set of people. We attract and retain staff that are passionate about their work, because ultimately the greatest advantage that our teachers offer, is to instil in your child a true love of learning. That may seem simplistic, but we know that your child’s future depends on learning new skills and constantly improving their understanding, not just at school, but for the rest of their lives. Our teachers are passionate about their subjects and about education. Their expertise is what makes King’s College so successful. 2|3 King’s College, The British School of Latvia My passion is working with pupils and families as they go through the exciting task of finding a school. At King’s College you can breathe in a sense of school pride and feel our happy family environment mixed perfectly with our clear drive for academic excellence in every corner of the school. This is why it is important to come and visit. The most rewarding part of my job is when a family leaves the visit saying “We feel like we already belong here”. Nuria Sanz, Head of Admissions, King’s College School, Madrid A Growing Influence King’s Group opened its first British Curriculum school in Spain’s capital city, Madrid, in 1969. Today the Group’s school network has grown into a large and prestigious educational institution with presence in the UK, Spain (Madrid, Alicante and Murcia) and Panama. Our secondary-age boarding school in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, dates back to 1856. Today, our excellent reputation for providing a first-class, British education in the heart of the English countryside attracts pupils worldwide. Ages 13 - 18 years Ages 20 months - 18 years King’s College Saint Michaels Ages 3 - 18 years King’s College, Soto de Viñuelas Ages 18 months - 18 years King’s College, Panama In September 2012 we opened our seventh school, located in Panama City. Part of our mission is to establish British educational principles and expertise around the world. 4|5 The largest school in the Group was opened in 1978 and is located in a leafy suburb, just 30 minutes from the centre of Madrid. It also offers boarding facilities for those pupils who come to study from around the world. King’s College, The British School of Latvia In 2007, we built a new school in the popular La Moraleja suburb of Madrid. Only 15 minutes from the centre of Madrid, the school now educates over 500 children. King’s Infant School is close to Madrid city centre and caters for approximately 200 children . Here we nurture, support and encourage very young pupils to become independent thinkers, ensuring that each child reaches their full potential. Ages 3 - 13 years Ages 3 - 7 years King’s College School, La Moraleja King’s Infant School, Chamartín Ages 3 - 18 years King’s College, Murcia King’s College Murcia is a purpose-built, state-of-the-art school that currently educates more than 500 children. The school first opened in 2008 as a partnership school, but was integrated fully into the Group in 2014. King’s College, Alicante Located on the Costa Blanca, our school in Alicante provides a British education to a dynamic international community. Some 15% of families at the school are expatriates, all of whom are attracted by King’s reputation to provide a quality British education. King’s Group Academies King’s Group Academies was established in 2014; a “MultiAcademy Trust” with a vision and passion for providing opportunities and success on a global stage for all our students. In 2016, we were delighted to welcome on board our first Academy, Lyndhurst Junior School, located in Portsmouth, UK. Building a New School In September 2017 King’s Group will be delighted to welcome on board the latest school in the King’s network. King’s College, the British school of Latvia, will be located in the municipality of Babites, just 20 minutes outside the country’s capital city, Riga. Much more than buildings and grounds, establishing a new school requires experience, understanding and leadership. Pupils The best schools are, without exception, filled with happy children who love going to school. These are the children who will achieve the highest grades and go on to do great things. Teachers The best teachers make sure that every day their pupils discover new things, explore new ways of seeing and love the process of learning itself. At the core of every good school you will find a team of excellent teachers. Passion In 1969, Sir Roger Fry opened the first King’s College in Madrid. He not only has extensive experience delivering the English curriculum outside of the UK, but he understands how to work with local governments and communities, ensuring that all our schools comply with local as well as British standards. Since he established King’s Group, Sir Roger has been recognised as a leader in international education and was awarded a Knighthood for his services in the field by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II. A very British education Since 1969 King’s College has provided children with a rigorous and broad British education. Pupils from our schools go on to study at the best universities in the UK, North America and other countries. Recently we have helped pupils win places at many excellent universities including: Oxford, Cambridge,Yale, Harvard, London School of Economics, Manchester and St. Andrews. All our schools deliver the English National Curriculum with its focus on developing thoughtful and knowledgeable young people. We know from experience that opening a new school depends on recruiting teachers with the skills and experience to turn the curriculum into dynamic lessons that ignite the imagination. This is how we deliver real knowledge and understanding to your child and develop the core skills that will serve them well in the future. Though it may seem a long way off at the moment, one day the finger paintings in nursery school will turn into long nights of revision for A Levels. You want to give your child the best possible start in life. Going to school is a very big step for a small child and you need to feel at ease with your choice. We can say with confidence that we treat every child as an individual and that we will do everything we can to give them the best start possible in a fast changing world. We believe that the child centred, exploratory learning teaches young people how to think, question and explore new ideas. All learning is based upon these core skills; not simply a list of memorised facts, but knowledge and understanding. We cannot promise you that your child will go to one of the world’s top universities, no one can. We can, however, give your son or daughter the best possible chance to reach their full potential, as a thinking, conscientious young person. All of our schools are inspected on a regular basis by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), the UK’s authority for the inspection of independent, or private, schools. The Schools that make up King’s Group are founded upon three key values: Honesty, Faith, Courage. King’s College, The British School of Latvia 8|9 King’s College, The British School of Latvia Ages of learning The British System Below, we have outlined your child’s journey through the British educational system. Our objectives are not simply to ensure that your child is bilingual in English and Latvian. A British education creates open-minded, creative and dynamic individuals.Your child will learn from first-hand experience, not just text books. They will be encouraged to be creative in their thinking and they are expected to work hard every day. Primary King’s College System Pupil’s age at the beginning of school year Infants IGCSE Exams at end of year 11 Secondary Junior A Level Exams at end of year 13 Higher Education Sixth form Nursery Reception 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 University 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18+ GRADE GRADE GRADE GRADE GRADE GRADE GRADE GRADE GRADE GRADE GRADE GRADE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Latvian Education System Play to learn Ages 2 – 5 | Pre-Nursery to Reception Young children learn through exploration. Everything they do, from kicking a ball, building with blocks and painting, to singing in a group, is done in English and it is designed to help them understand their environment. Sometimes it gets messy, but it’s always rewarding and develops them socially, mentally and physically. Exploration and evaluation Ages 5 – 7 | School years 1 – 2 A more structured approach to the day helps children to start learning how to read, write and count in English. We still encourage children to explore and play, but they are able to describe their discoveries in words and numbers. Communicate and articulate Ages 7 – 10 | School years 3 – 5 Children are naturally curious. In Junior school we encourage them to learn about things that interest them while consolidating their numeracy and literacy skills. We teach children how to apply these basic skills to other subject areas – such as Science, Art and History. Interrogate and debate Ages 10 – 16 | School years 6 – 11 As children get older we teach them to think more critically. They learn how to investigate, test and think about things rationally. Classes are more focused on formal “subjectbased” learning. Nine or ten IGCSE exams are taken at the end of this stage in different subjects. 10 | 11 Think and act Ages 16 – 18 | School years 12 – 13 The final two years at school mark the beginning of adulthood. Pupils make choices and work hard during these years that prepare them for university and then the start of their careers. Once pupils have finished their IGCSEs they choose three or four A Level exams – which are accepted by Universities around the world. King’s College, The British School of Latvia University and beyond Age 18+ Nearly all King’s pupils go on to university, mostly in the UK and Europe but also Ivy league universities in the US. Academic success helps guarantee a good career but we also want children who have been to King’s College to become good parents, partners and friends. Academic Excellence 498 Delivering results When we speak to parents they often want to talk to us about our academic results. We are, of course, very proud of our long record of seeing the vast majority of our pupils go on to higher education in the UK, Europe and the United States. But our schools deliver a lot more than an impressive set of statistics and numbers. Parents send their children to King’s College because they want them to be exposed to new ideas, to have their minds stimulated, their intellectual curiosity fostered and their creativity nurtured. We live in a world where the pace of technological, social and professional change is faster and more challenging than ever before. Confident, articulate and out-going young people will leave King’s College at age 18 to go on to study at the world’s best universities. We know that these children will be well equipped to take full advantage of the many opportunities and challenges that will come their way. students from King’s College currently go to university in the UK Exam success comes as a result of the passion that our teachers transmit to our pupils and the particular attention we give to encourage individual achievement. 1 ST 82% of our students are accepted to their first choice of university 23 of the 24 Russell Group* universities have accepted King’s College pupils 42% 98% 40 pass rate for our A-level students (A*-E) ** QS ranking 2015 pupils from King’s College have gone on to study at five of the top ten universities in the world: • Oxford • Cambridge • Stanford King’s College, The British School of Latvia of our pupils, go on to university directly after completing their studies at King’s College * 24 top UK universities of our students currently attend one of the top 200** universities in the world 12 | 13 95% • Imperial College London • University College London It takes a community The College Community Parents are an important part of school life. We operate an open-door policy for parents and want to discuss your child’s academic and social progress on a regular basis.You will also be invited to a range of social events. These include concerts, plays, sports days and coffee mornings. Parents can meet one another, make new friends and speak with teachers. When your child starts at King’s your whole family joins the King’s College community. From Home to a House From the day a child starts at King’s, they are assigned to one of the four Houses. The older House members support the younger or new pupils. There are events and projects that involve friendly competition among the Houses, which builds bonds across the school years. From my very first class at King’s when I was 13, the teachers and the other pupils immediately made me feel welcome and part of the family. When the opportunity of being a mentor was available, I was glad to take part - giving back to the school community that made me feel so welcome. Lourdes, A-Level Pupil, King’s College, Madrid Making a mentor Mentors are older pupils who are available to help younger pupils with new concepts and to help peers who are having difficulty in a particular class or subject. Teaching others helps the mentor to consolidate their learning, while helping the other pupils in their studies. 14 | 15 King’s College, The British School of Latvia Your bridge to the school Application Process King’s College, The British School of Latvia is more than just a British school.Your child’s future success depends on building a strong partnership with shared values between home and school. If you want your child to benefit from a King’s College education then the next step is to come to visit us, have a look at what we are doing and ask us lots of questions. Online application Arrange an interview Visit the school We will launch as a Primary School taking children from Pre-Nursery (two and three year olds) up to Year 5 (ten years old). Over the coming years the school will grow with your child, so that any child starting King’s College will eventually be able to take IGCSEs and A Levels at the school before going to university. We aim to make application and admission to King’s as smooth and as straight forward as possible. If you can, please fill out the enquiry form on our website and arrange a time to come and see us. We want to meet your child and learn about your plans and ambitions for the future. We want to tell you the latest news about the building, our teachers and our learning methodology. If you decide that King’s College is the right place for your child then you should fill out the online application form and send it to the school’s admissions person. determine Your needs inform school Place offered Start Date Arranged The best way to describe what King’s offers its pupils is by telling you our daughter’s story. She started at school without knowing a single word of English and 12 years later, she was invited to an interview at the University of Cambridge, one of the top five universities in the world. Rudolph, Parent of Year 13 Pupil, King’s College, Alicante Since the beginning we were sure we wanted a British education for our children, but the moment we saw the academic results at King’s, tasted the school atmosphere and met the teachers, our choice was obvious: King’s was our school. Now we can say that our dream has come true: our children are happy, they have lovely friends and professional teachers who are challenging yet tender and always available. What more could you ask for? Elena García-Baquero, Parent of Two Pupils, King’s College School, Madrid 16 | 17 King’s College, The British School of Latvia induction & settling in King’s College The British School of Latvia Rupnieku iela 8 Pinki Babites novads LV-2107 Latvia Contact Admissions and General Enquiries Email: latvia@kingscollegeschools.org Telephone: +371 676 305 63 latvia.kingscollegeschools.org © King’s Group 2016 | All rights reserved. All images are used with permission.