Click the link to view the full version: WASCZ | Listen first, then build together — Our First PSA Meeting of the New Academic Year
What kind of education can truly ensure that every child is seen?
At WASCZ, education is a journey built through close partnership between home and school. We think not only about what we want children to learn, but also listen carefully to families, seek to understand each child’s experiences and development, and work together with every family to answer a more important question: what kind of educational community do we want to build, where every child can thrive and achieve excellence?
On 18 September, WASCZ held its first PSA meeting of the new academic year, offering a clear response to this question. Under the three themes of Understanding the School, Building the Community and Shaping the Future, the school leadership team engaged in in-depth dialogue with parent representatives from across the school, discussing everything from the school’s development priorities and parents’ experiences and perspectives to future plans for our students, families and wider community.
01
Understanding WASCZ:
Coherent Support Throughout Every Stage of Growth
At WASCZ, education is a coherent and complete journey of growth. At the beginning of the meeting, members of the leadership team from different sections of the school shared their priorities for the year ahead. Ms Helen Benaglia-Wood, Executive Head of Kindergarten, outlined new plans focusing on STEAM, reading and the Forest School programme, helping children explore, practise and learn with confidence. Ms Victoria Hany, Executive Head of Lower School, focused on nurturing children’s enjoyment of learning, building confidence in communicating in English, and maintaining close partnerships with families. Mr David Fosu, Executive Head of Upper School, shared how the Upper School supports students in their academic development and future pathways, helping them identify their direction and set meaningful goals.
We recognise that children at different stages of development have different needs, and that good education means providing the right support for each stage of growth. This is at the heart of WASCZ’s guiding belief: Every Child Can Excel. When sharing the school’ s future plans, Mr Matthew Jamieson, Executive Headmaster, reiterated this core principle. He emphasised that ensuring every student is seen and supported is essential to academic progress and sustained personal growth.
With this principle in mind, the new leadership team is further strengthening our support system. Ms Charlotte Allen, Deputy Head Academic, is focusing on using data to inform teaching planning and provide targeted interventions for students. Mr Paul Wilson, Deputy Head Pastoral, is focusing on the boarding experience, home-school communication, parent engagement and student wellbeing. Mr Matthew Curtis-Dyke, Deputy Head Enrichment, uses a rich programme of co-curricular opportunities to help students develop confidence, creativity, leadership, teamwork, resilience and independence.
Mr Paul Wilson, Deputy Head Pastoral
Ms Charlotte Allen, Deputy Head Academic
Mr Matthew Curtis-Dyke, Deputy Head Enrichment
Academic excellence; high quality pastoral care and boarding provision; a first class environment programme; together with a strong partnership between families and the WAS community, all combine to form a comprehensive network of support for every child, responding to a shared expectation among parents: to know my child, understand their progress, and take timely action when support is needed.
02
Parent Wish Wall:
Hearing Every Family’s Voice
Before discussing the future development of the school, we recognised the importance of first understanding what parents truly hope to see. The Parent Wish Wall was created for this very purpose.
Midway through the meeting, the floor was handed over to the parents. Each parent wrote their thoughts and hopes for their child, the school and the WASCZ community on a card. The wall was soon filled with messages — from hopes that their children would make further academic progress, to wishes that every child would be seen at WASCZ, as well as many specific suggestions for the development of the school.
Through this activity, we had the opportunity to hear directly from our parents:
Mother of Dowson, Grade 8 & Doreen, Grade 10
“Today’s meeting gave me a valuable insight into the school’ s educational plans for the year ahead, including some exciting new visions. As representatives of the Parent-School Association, we serve as an important bridge between families and the school. We hope that every child can grow up happily at WASCZ, and that together, we can patiently watch them flourish.”
Mother of Elsie, Grade 3 & Jaden, Grade 6
“Just as the school’ s guiding belief says, ‘Every Child Can Excel’, I have truly felt that the children here are seen and heard through holistic education. As a result, they develop a greater sense of security in their environment, become more confident and have more courage to express their feelings. Over their nine years at school, the children have grown in both their resilience in the face of setbacks and their ability to find joy. Looking ahead, I hope the school can create an even warmer environment, so that children can develop more fully with the shared support of home and school.”
*Selected Parent Testimonials
03
Building the Community:
Connecting Home and School, Shaping a Future of Excellence
At the end of the meeting, an important question emerged for us all to consider: What kind of WASCZ community do we want to build together?
An ideal educational community should move beyond a one-way model of “the school communicates and parents receive”, towards greater openness, mutual learning, shared support and growing together. As Ms Fanny Fang, Chinese Principal of WASCZ, said, “Families and schools are a community working together to support children’s growth. When schools and families trust one another, build strong connections and maintain open communication, we can create a positive educational environment and help children move towards a brighter future.”
This term, she explained, the school will further introduce three home-school partnership initiatives centred on student development and wellbeing:
Parent Growth Programme
themed workshops for parents focusing on topics such as education in the age of AI, supporting children through adolescence and future pathway planning, creating opportunities to learn, share and explore together;
Student Career Exploration Programme
activities such as Career Exploration Days, helping students experience real-world professional environments and gain a clearer understanding of their future pathways;
Monthly PSA Catch-up
establishing a continuous and open communication mechanism to follow up on issues, respond to questions and ensure that every family’s voice is heard and every concern receives an ongoing response.
Building an interconnected, warm and mutually supportive WASCZ community depends on the continued trust between the school, students and families. At WASCZ, we look forward to working hand in hand with families to create a rich environment where every child can explore, grow and go beyond themselves, with limitless possibilities ahead.
Every Child Can Excel — this is the holistic educational belief that WASCZ has always upheld, and the future we look forward to building together with every family.
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