#177

I am aware that vision, mission and value statements in schools often share similar concepts and can, rather than being a way to distinguish one school from another, appear to be cookie cutter versions.

Since July 2017, I have served as Head of Admissions at Mont’Kiara International School and shortly after joining the team I wrote a philosophy statement for our department. I was determined that this statement would, rather than being a cookie cutter statement, both reflect and drive our practice and is as follows: “In line with our school values, we pride ourselves on providing a personalised service from initial enquiry ​to enrolment. Our ultimate aim is to always place students in a grade whereby after a smooth transition they may settle well and then flourish in all respects. As such, each application is considered on an individual basis”

In reflecting on the last four years and especially so over the last 18 months with the Covid-19 pandemic, we have lived the philosophy each and every day. The notion of a ‘personalized service from initial enquiry to enrolment and beyond’ has been paramount. As shared in previous blog posts we support families in their search for the right school for their family through email communication, phone calls, face to face/virtual meetings and on campus/virtual tours by sharing pertinent information, introducing members of our school community (when on campus) and answering a range of questions. Typical questions include, but are not limited to, ‘How easy is it for students to transition from the British school system to an IB school?’, ‘What supports are in place for a student new to English?’, ‘Which universities do your graduates attend?’, ‘How many World Languages are students able to learn?’, ‘What after school activities do you offer?’, ‘Do you rank students?’, ‘How do you support students transitioning to a new country, a new school, a new learning environment and a new language?’, ‘How many students are in a class?’, ‘Where are your teachers from?’. With the pandemic, many prospective families also ask questions about the practicalities of students learning during these most unusual of times. Typical questions include, 'How do you support students transitioning to a new country, a new school, a new learning environment and a new language during mandated on line learning?’, ‘What are your Covid-19 SOPs?’, ‘What is the process if and when there is a Covid-19 case on campus?’, ‘When on campus learning is in place, is on-line an option for students?’, ‘Do students have to wear masks all the time?’, ‘If and when the government mandates on line learning, how is it structured?’ Despite being in a very competitive market, we had (until the pandemic hit) year on year growth in terms of enrolment numbers. Comments in the surveys sent to newly enrolled families and comments shared with us directly face to face or via email (both before and during the pandemic) most often include appreciation for the personalized attention throughout the process. I believe that our Admissions Department philosophy statement distinguishes us from other schools and both reflects and drives our practice.