Learning with a global vision

Edward Goodwin is a leader and a visionary in the true sense of the word.

When he arrived at St Christopher’s School 12 years ago he says he found a good institution which was stuck in its own ‘inward-looking British bubble’.
“The school had a lot of professional staff working for it but lacked the drive, ambition and a clear vision to be truly excellent,” said the principal.
“The A-level programme had been recently scrapped and many at the school, including the parents, were demoralised. So it was a fertile ground for change,” says the lanky, grey-haired educationalist who has successfully led the school to becoming an island of excellence in the tiny Arabian archipelago.
With a promise of a better school to parents and staff, Mr Goodwin set about making challenging, yet necessary decisions, to keep the sinking ship afloat.
The biggest challenge for the steadfast principal was raising the expectations of his staff in those early years. “Change in itself is a difficult process. So to unfreeze the culture and then provide a compelling vision was a tough goal.”
Most times the policy and the direction of school is a shared vision of the board of governors and principal and in Ed’s case he has enough latitude to make the vision a reality.
He delivered his first shot by setting up a sixth form which breathed a lot of confidence into the senior school.
He was told that the school didn’t have the funds, nor the facility, to cater to the A-level programme but despite all the odds it was up and running within two years of his arrival.
Mr Goodwin, who everyone calls, Ed, channelled his energies towards planning, developing curriculum, changing the school culture and raising expectations.
He set a challenging goal to achieve 90 per cent (the pass percentage at that time was between 70-80 per cent) on all major indicators like the SAT scores, GCSEs and A-levels – and sure enough the school accomplished that target within five years.
Presently it hovers between 95 to a 100 per cent in all results.
“Success breeds success and I strongly believe in the Japanese concept of Kai Zen which is an improvement by a thousand tiny improvements.
“If everyone works for betterment within their own smaller circle, it will have a huge impact on the total improvement,” he says.
“But it was not so much I, as it was ‘we’, who steered the school in the right direction,” Ed is quick to point out.
With a staff of 155 teachers and head teachers, and a deeply involved and supportive board of governors, St Christopher’s has gone from strength to strength with Ed at the helm of its affairs since 1995.
So what is that secret ingredient that keeps an institution such as St Christopher’s at the top?
“Always question success, if you don’t know what’s keeping you at the top then you can’t sustain it,” he explained.
“A restless search for excellence where you are always looking for ways to develop and move forward is the key to success.
“I always look around the world for the best practices and put them in place; not necessarily doing everything British!
“Another major factor is good teachers – they are imperative for a successful school,” comments Ed, who believes in regular reviews and appraisals to keep complacency at bay.
Constantly developing facilities, updating curriculum and planning ahead is the way forward for the tireless educationalist.
Planning for a junior school site in Saar began in 1998 which at that time seemed revolutionary. But after ironing out loan requirements and land availability, the construction of it went ahead and in September 2005 the newly-built site in Saar boasted state-of-the-art facilities and a spacious campus.
“Often people focus on the present and lose sight of the future requirements. For instance, our senior school needs massive development in the near future so I am actually planning now for the next 10 years,” he stated emphatically.
He has at times had to force ideas through – and do a lot of convincing along the way – but says that all of it has been fulfilling after seeing the end results.
Ed Goodwin talks about children as being “citizens of the world” – and the school a truly “international” institution.
His thinking extends beyond the common myopia that more often than not surrounds people when they try and live in their self-structured boxes of beliefs and mindset.
St Christopher’s has introduced the IB (International Baccalaureate) Diploma which will begin in September 2008.
Ed is almost evangelical about the IB programme being an IB teacher himself for seven years previously at the Bahrain School.
Year 2008 will also see the completion and functioning of the new infant wing in Saar.
Ed doesn’t rest on his laurels but believes in constantly striving for higher goals. He is the chairman of BSME (British Schools in the Middle East) for the third consecutive year which has 68 schools in membership in around 13 countries.
From juggling his demanding email to visiting St Christopher’s campuses and keeping abreast of the ever-changing educational needs, Ed’s life presently revolves around the vocation he holds close to his heart.
“I am happiest when I have time in the day to delve into teaching and learning matters. I came into education because I love to see young children flourish but the flipside of going higher in education is that you get withdrawn from students which is a big penalty and I need to manufacture opportunities to be with students and teachers on a daily basis.
“So, the biggest challenge facing me now is to stay in touch with the central rationale of the school … which is the students and teachers.”

First job: Teacher and administrator of science at a school in Durham, North of England.
My philosophy: Leave the world a little better than you entered it.
My approach to life: Hands on and having a tight-loose principle, tight on guiding principles and loose on achievements.
Favourite destination: Barcelona, Spain.
Sport: Tennis.
Most memorable moment: Birth of my daughter, Vicky.
Music of choice: Beethoven Symphony, Piano Concerto.
An alternative profession would have been: Writer.
An advice to parents: Involve yourselves as much as you can in your children’s lives because they will grow up before you know it.
An advice to children: Constantly remind yourselves that you are much more alike to people from different countries than you are different.
Success for me is: Maximising learning potential for children in schools I have worked in.
Excellence for me is: A journey, never a destination.
A genius is: Someone who takes existing resources and puts them together in a unique way that people haven’t recognised.