A Lot of Changes

Brief Introduction of Gordon Espley-Jones,

new principal of REGO International School, Tianjin.

Gordon Espley-Jones moved to Tianjin late April, 2004. He has been teaching in British National Curriculum (BNC) schools for the last 24 years and has a lot of experience of teaching in foreign countries such as South Africa, Malawi, Qatar and Spain. His wife teaches art and Information Technology, and they have three children.

JIN: Mr. Espley-Jones, you have a vast teaching experience - what made you choose REGO International School in Tianjin?

Mr. Espley-Jones: Since I have been working abroad, I always worked in BNC schools, and I was looking for a school which offers the same curriculum. Along with the whole of China, Tianjin is developing quickly and it is a very exciting time to be here. So the REGO International School in Tianjin is a great opportunity to combine these two factors.

JIN: REGO International School has recently moved campuses - why did you move from Zijinshan Lu?

Mr. Espley-Jones: Basically because the other accommodation was too small, we outgrew it.

JIN: What does your new campus offer?

Mr. Espley-Jones: The new campus is a lot bigger and we have new facilities: indoor swimming pool, all-weather soccer pitch, full-sized gymnasium, more IT-labs. We can now satisfy all the needs of the children from ages 3-18.

JIN: REGO International School follows the British National Curriculum (BNC) - could you explain the main differences to other curricula?

Mr. Espley-Jones: The content of the courses are similar to many other international curricula. The main difference is in the methodology, in which there are two main features. Firstly, we try to encourage success. The curriculum and assessment techniques are designed so that the students can succeed. What we are trying to do is to arrange everything so that any child of any ability can achieve to their maximum potential. Most of the IGCSE examinations have large coursework components, which give the students an alternative way to show what they know, and obviously helps students who suffer from exam nerves. In addition the A level examinations are taken in "modules", allowing students to resit part of the course that they want to improve on. Secondly, we try to make the students more responsible for their learning, and research as we believe that they will need these skills for life-long learning in their careers.

JIN: What other assessments do you use?

Mr. Espley-Jones: Other assessments include a placement test to know the level of English so that we can place the students in the most appropriate English group. We also do the SAT tests at various stages to monitor the children阵 progress.

JIN: Is REGO International School offering other creative extra-curricular activities?

Mr. Espley-Jones: Extra-curricular activities include drama, school orchestra, numerous sports, arts and crafts, chess and a student magazine.

JIN: How many students are currently enrolled at REGO International School? What nationalities are they?

Mr. Espley-Jones: We have 155 students, about 80 percent Korean. We also have Japanese, English, Australian and many other nationalities.

JIN: What do you offer to those students with English as second or additional language?

Mr. Espley-Jones: We have a large ESL department. With our programme, children learn very fast, so the lack of English is not a big problem. We can accomodate students with all levels of English.

JIN: When do students learn Chinese at REGO?

Mr. Espley-Jones: Chinese is taught from the very first day children come to school, which is as early as the age of three. It is compulsory up to the age of 14, and then the students can opt to study it further.

JIN: As both a father of three children and a principal of an International School: What do you think makes up a good international school? What do you think parents should look out for when deciding which school their children should go?

Mr. Espley-Jones: First of all parents should visit the school, see the teachers and students in action, how they interact and take a look at the facilities. Does the school provide a stimulating environment? An international school should provide a transferable and well-known curriculum: Many parents leave the area after a few years, so the curriculum must be transferable.

JIN: What are REGO International School's plans for the future?

Mr. Espley-Jones: Increasing the number of students, and to continually expand the courses that we are offering.

JIN: From your point of view: What is the most challenging about being the principal at an international school in China?

Mr. Espley-Jones: My main job here is to raise people's awareness what we are actually doing and make them familiar with the BNC, and explain the advantages to them. I want the people coming in to Tianjin to be absolutely clear about what REGO International School offers to their children, so that they can make an informed decision about which school would be the best for their child.