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100 Days in the Hot Seat
New Regents School principal talks about his move to the Land of Smiles
Checking out what Regents’
kids are capable of.
Alex McInnes
“Excellence in everything we do,” Mr. Iain Blaikie, the new principal of
Regents International School Pattaya exclaims when asked about what he would
like to achieve while he is in the top job.
It’s clearly not a catch phrase. Oozing ambition, Blaikie paints a picture
of the school he has recently clocked 100 days at, as an environment
bursting with potential, a place that is already great, but a place he
intends to make the best international school in Thailand.
After spending 23 years as a principal at three different schools in the
English school system, he looked at international options to keep the
passion burning. “I could have stayed in England, gone grey and still have
felt like I was making a difference, but as a principal you get to do a fair
bit of travelling and after seeing Thailand I thought it stood out as a
place where I could work and be happy. Here I am.”
Another day, another meeting.
Despite his wealth of experience, Blaikie is focused on immersing himself in
a myriad of different meetings, conferences, classroom visits and business
trips; surreptitiously gathering data required to bring forth an action plan
that will see the school become the best it possibly can be. “I would like
to see myself as the pilot of the aircraft. A lot of work went in to get it
airborne, I am not the star of the show, but I am the conduit that will take
us to where we need to go.”
When asked specifically how he intends to take Regents forward, the response
is swift. “Students.”
“Every decision we make relates to the student and their opportunities for
learning. Schools who look past this fact are barking up the wrong tree. To
give students the best possible opportunities we need the best resources and
the most important resource we have at Regents is our teachers. Excellent
teachers make all the difference. You may have all the money in the world
and the best infrastructure but if your teachers are poor, it’s a pointless
exercise. Students are happier when they have good teachers who care about
them. Happy kids, equal smart kids.”
Is this part of his vision of a perfect school then? “Yes and no. Everyone
knows perfection is unattainable but this is my idea of a high achieving,
balanced school where people feel valued and are treated with the utmost
respect at all times. A school that both students and staff can be proud of
and a place where everyone feels they belong. Regents captures this idea
perfectly.”
An occasional pre-misconception regarding Regents is that being the largest
school on the Eastern Seaboard (and the most expensive) is a disadvantage,
as parents look to place offspring in more ‘intimate surroundings’,
erroneously thinking a smaller school will give their kids a more ‘personal’
education. Although Blaikie sees the logic in this, he says the same rules
do not apply at Regents.
“Regardless of size, no one cares more about our students than the staff
currently at Regents and I would challenge anyone to ask a parent or student
here currently who thinks any differently. In fact, I see it as an
advantage. Our size enables more variety, more subjects, better sporting
opportunities and an outdoor education programme that is the envy of our
competition.”
Getting value for money is clearly the most important thing to a parent
considering the prospect of sending their offspring to a specific school.
Providing an education worth paying for is clearly a topic that resonates
with the new Regents’ principal. “The school is growing, all the time. If
people were not getting value for money they would vote with their feet and
I would expect them to. As you mentioned, there are other schools in the
region, but Regents is the number one choice. We won’t sit on our laurels
and say ‘job done’, we intend to evolve as the needs of our students do.”
Some of the biggest ‘evolutions’ undertaken in the last year can be put down
to the massive investment Nord Anglia Education has placed in Regents
International School Pattaya since purchasing the school last year. 80
million baht ($2.4M) in capital investment has been put into projects such
as a 400 meter all-weather running track, new playground areas in Early
Years (Kindergarten) and a massive revamp in the boarding houses.
“The funds currently being injected into different areas around the school
is phenomenal and it really adds substance to a widely held belief in
upper-management that we can become one of, if not the best international
school in Thailand.”
According to Blaikie, the overhaul in the boarding houses is the real ace in
the hole as it adds yet another dimension to what can be offered to parents
showing an interest in the school.
“The boarders at Regents are from all over the place. They’re amazing and
because I live on campus I get to see how much they enrich the school with
culture, different ideas and talents other institutions I have worked for
just don’t have.”
“We really want to grow the boarding school and reach out to as many
prospective parents that we have a really good alternative to conventional
private schooling on offer.”
With such a massive workload already achieved and so much more still on the
table does Blaikie see himself as a permanent fixture for the foreseeable
future at Regents International School Pattaya? “You bet! I am here for the
duration. I don’t see myself as a flash in the pan; I have no regrets
regarding my decision to come to Thailand whatsoever. The days seem to whizz
by, I never feel like a Monday is a Monday. With all that we are
accomplishing, every day has the potential to be a great day.”
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Kids battle for cash prizes at Central Center dance contests
Children were encouraged to be more assertive and
use their spare time productively with two dance contests organized by North
Pattaya’s Central Center.
Jetsada Homklin
Kids were encouraged to be more assertive and use their spare time
productively with two dance contests organized by North Pattaya’s Central
Center.
The Nov. 22 “B-Boy Kids Battle” had kids under 12 compete one-on-one for 22,000
baht in prize money, while teams of children ages 13 and under dueled in the
“Cover Dance Kids” contest Nov. 23, with 38,000 baht in prizes up for grabs.
The B-Boy Kids Battle was judged by actor and B-Boy dancer Roy McCoy Chin Chin
Wuth, a four-time Singha Battle of the Year winner, and Gongza Laorngyod
Wonngngen.
Kritch Khumsawad, 11, topped all 27 contestants in the B-Boy battle, taking home
10,000 baht. Wisuth Khumsawad, 11, won 7,000 baht for second place and Vichean
Phurin, 13, won the 5,000-baht third place.
The Cover Dance Kids contest was judged by Academy Fantasia coach Ching
Srirakhun Chingthong, The Star dance coach Bank Saroj Rojpresertkul, and
choreographer Eay Siriluk Rukprayoon.
Team Double S placed first among the 12 teams competing, taking home 20,000 baht
and the winner’s shield from Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome. Second place went to Team
G Dragons, who earned 10,000 baht, and Team I Dass Kids won 8,000 baht for third
place.
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Early Years Parent Workshops to be offered by Regents International School Pattaya
Alex McInnes
January is always a busy month at Regents and it’s about to get even busier in
Early Years (Kindergarten) as a new initiative to get parents involved in their
children’s schooling gets underway.
Coordinated by head of Early Years and Assistant Principal Karyn Walton, the
workshop aims to give parents an understanding of what the Early Years
curriculum entails in a British school and how it differs from the Primary and
Secondary curriculums.
“Three-way communication between school, parent and child is critical at a young
age. By creating a forum to discuss important issues we can exchange information
much easier than we have been previously,” Mrs. Walton said.
Committed to providing as much assistance to parents as possible, Regents
International School Pattaya will ensure the workshop will be run in three
separate languages - English, Thai and Japanese - the most commonly spoken in
Early Years.
“We have a fluent speaker running each component. Not every parent speaks
English and we want to get maximum participation.”
Parents who don’t have young children at Regents are also welcome to attend. The
first installment will be held on the 8th of January, at the start of term 2.
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