It is my pleasure to welcome you to PACE British School, the newest school in the PACE Education Group, and invite you to come and visit us (virtually or in person) and see a growing school that is, above all things, a positive and enjoyable learning community. Our pupils and colleagues hail from all parts of the globe and offer rich and varied experiences to share and learn from.

Throughout my career as an educator, I have placed great emphasis on the importance of pupil self-esteem. The world, especially the electronic world, is heavily skewed towards achieving in its context (wealth, fame, exclusivity) and this can often result in a youth that feels it will never be able to engage or benefit from our amazing world. Focussing on what children can do, what abilities they do have and that it is very necessary to fail to be successful are absolutely key to effective and sustainable learning. Many years ago whilst serving with the Royal Air Force, my Squadron motto, “Quiquid agas agae” which when translated reads “Whatsoever you may do, do” has formed the basis of my personal philosophy since and I have used it as a mantra throughout my subsequent two careers in engineering and in education as well as my post - graduate studies. However, I have altered my interpretation of the meaning slightly in the context of aspirations and achievement to read “Do what needs to be done.”

For PBS, what needs to be done has to be viewed in the context of the varied nature of our pupil cohort which sets us a challenge to provide not only a rigorous and balanced curriculum for our learners but also to ensure that pastorally, pupils are fully and appropriately supported. This way, our aims to ensure positive personal growth in tandem with academic success are clear and achievable.

The world we live in is more dynamic than ever before. This dynamism, hastened by the emergence of ever more complex technologies that give access to ever increasing quantities of information, throws up huge challenges for young people hoping to make their way in what is for them, a largely undefined world. To function in such an environment is the challenge for our pupils and for the Senior School teachers at PBS. We all well aware of the importance of value-added attributes for those pupils applying for university places at institutions where academic excellence is largely a given. In such cases, the keys to success lie in what a candidate can offer in terms of experiences, personal qualities, skills and importantly the ability to use their secondary school academic and pastoral knowledge and apply it practically to real world problems.

Firmly founded on the British curriculum but inclusive of the best an international education has to offer, PBS’s aim is to help equip our young people with the tools to function and excel in our increasingly globalised word at university and beyond. Tools to investigate, learn, cooperate and communicate skills and ideas to others. The need to develop pupils as knowledgeable, globally aware, compassionate and effective individuals is greater than ever and our focus is therefore to ensure that the pupil experience at PBS is geared towards providing such opportunities in all contexts.

Our staff hail from a variety of educational backgrounds in UK schools and from international, UK based, educational contexts. As life-long learners themselves, they are all committed to providing the best possible education for all our pupils. We have a rich, varied and growing curriculum that includes a strong co-curricular component. The continuum of education at PBS is constantly being developed to ensure that all pupils have the fullest range of strengths, both academic and pastoral, when they complete their formal journey with us at the end of Year 13.

My pledge, and that of my staff, is to “do what needs to be done” to ensure our pupils have the best possible learning experiences allowing them to maximise their talents and enable them to ultimately reap the rewards that effort and a quality education brings. My colleagues and I very much look forward to meeting you and to welcoming you to our school.

“Quiquid agas agae.”