As Malvern College International works towards the opening of our exciting new school in Switzerland in September 2021, it prompts us to reflect upon our broader developments and response to the current global crisis.
For most people and organisations the last year will be remembered as a time of challenge, change and restriction. However, it is how institutions responded to such challenges and change that have been a mark of strength, flexibility and professionalism at all levels.
With schools located in Qingdao, Chengdu and Hong Kong, MCI witnessed, as early as January last year, the impact the virus was going to have on operations across the Malvern College Family of Schools. The adept way in which online resources and teaching were delivered was hugely successful. This included maintaining educational provision for all students from the very youngest at Malvern College Pre-School Hong Kong through to the Year 13 examination classes at MCC and MCQ. Such adeptness was later seen in the UK and Egypt where the experiences of colleagues in China was useful in helping frame aspects of the work undertaken.
What became evident as the year progressed was the strength of community and the power of being part of a geographically diverse family. Regular meetings of leaders provided a wealth of information and ideas to help support the individual communities.
Each of the schools found age-appropriate strategies to maintain student engagement, from online assemblies and a continuing focus on Malvern Qualities at the pre-school through to online classes and catch-ups for older students. One of the highlights was the ‘We’ll Meet Again’ choral video which integrated singing from all of the Malvern College Schools into a montage video of the famous song.
The sense of positivity, resilience and pro-active thinking that has been generated throughout the crisis has acted to strengthen professional bonds, allowed new ways of thinking and working to flourish and effective-collaboration to take place across the MCI network. As the global vaccination programme gathers pace and prompts the hope that later in 2021 we can, perhaps, look forward to a return to greater in-person connectivity, there are many aspects of our new working practices that will offer opportunities for us to continue to move forward for the benefit of our communities.
Mr Eamonn Mullally
Director of Education
