Restorative Practices: KIS Reignwood Park’s Proactive Approach to Student Well-Being

Edarabia had the opportunity to interview Mr. Barry Sutherland, the Head of KIS International School, Reignwood Park. Mr. Sutherland shared his insights on the school’s plans for 2025, his approach to academic focus, challenges in education, student motivation, inclusivity, student well-being, after-school activities, teacher development, and his definition of success. He also highlighted the importance of visiting KIS Reignwood Park.

1. What are your plans for 2025?

We enter 2025 with optimism and energy after making a dynamic start in August 2024 when the doors of our brand new KIS campus at Reignwood Park opened. As a 3-programme IB continuum school, our main focus academically is to achieve full authorization for IB PYP/MYP/DP in SY 2025-26 and we are on track to meet that goal. We are also pursuing membership for our campus with the Council of International Schools (CIS).

2. How do you decide what to focus on academically each year, and which new ideas are you pursuing?

Throughout the year, our senior leadership team meets with the entire faculty to discuss trends in education. Our teachers are part of a global network of international IB teachers, and the IBO is very active in promoting best practices in education. While collective conversations take a little longer, we find that involving our educators actively in discussions about our future direction increases everyone’s commitment to school improvement.

3. What challenges do you anticipate in the field of education over the next 5 years?

The biggest challenge over the next few years will be to embrace the development of AI tools, minus the current hype about them, to ensure teaching and learning at our school keeps pace. Another challenge is to prioritize student well-being and mental health as the gateway to advanced academic achievement.

4. How do you keep students interested in learning, especially those who struggle or seem unmotivated?

Our greatest successes for educators are seeing students who struggle with learning make incremental progress. You keep them motivated by investing in teachers who love working with students and can meet students where they are by differentiating their instructional methods to keep learning fresh for everyone.

5. How does the school ensure all students feel welcome and have the same chances to succeed?

We have rolling admissions at our school and a comprehensive buddy system pairing existing students with new students. Our goal is for every student to quickly make at least one friend. Once they have friends and feel safe to learn, which involves risk-taking, they all have the same chance to be successful.

6. How proactive is the school in matters of student stress and bullying?

Bullying happens in every school on the planet. Unfortunately, it is part of human nature. As such, we anticipate these learning opportunities when students make poor relationship decisions with other students and ensure that we have a process that is clear with all teachers regarding how we deal with these situations. We use restorative practices throughout the school to achieve accountability from our students. In addition, our counselors work with all our teachers on safeguarding training.

7. How do you help students build the skills they need for life after graduation?

As an IB school, we know that our approaches to learning are critical for healthy student development to be future-proof, as much as that may be possible. To this end, throughout the school, regardless of the subject area, we maintain focus on these skills: critical thinking, self-regulation, social (developing relationships), communication, and research (how do you know a source is valid). This focus on skills development is the best preparation for students for a future we cannot predict.

8. How involved are parents and the community in making the school better?

Our relationship with parents is critical in our school, and it is complicated and enhanced by our boarding program from Gr. 4 to 12. We need to ensure excellent communications with all of our parents, including the boarding parents whom we meet infrequently. We have a thriving parent association that supports the school with events for students throughout the year, highlighting celebrations like Halloween, Christmas, and Lunar New Year in addition to cultural events in Thailand like the Loy Krathong and Songkran festivals.

9. How do you develop a school culture that attracts and keeps great teachers?

We treat our teachers with respect and transparency and deliver on our promise that they will become much better teachers for their time with us at Reginwood Park. As an IB school, we are committed to regular personal and professional development for teachers. Like our students, we want teachers to grow as professionals and take the risk of trying new things in education that keep both teachers and students motivated to learn.

10. Do teachers at your school have growth opportunities for leadership roles?

As a new school campus less than a year old, the answer is ‘’Yes, and…” Currently we have all the leadership roles filled that allowed us to open strongly in August from pre-k to grade 9. As our academic programme grows into the IB Diploma over the next two years along with our enrolment, we will be hiring more teachers and creating more middle leadership positions to support the growth.

11. Which after-school activity would you say has the biggest positive impact on a student’s future?

Everyone of them because they are all selected by student choice, which indicates motivation, and they focus on skills development in different areas. All our activities emphasize relationship-building, self-regulation, communication, and critical thinking, from cooking and K-pop to robotics and golf.

12. As a Principal, what is your definition of success?

In a school, success is defined as a balance of well-being and learning.

13. If you had the opportunity to inspire the world in one sentence, what would that sentence be?

Visit KIS Reignwood Park.