The fourth of our series on Returning to Normal in COVID times at international schools.

At international school opportunities for international trips is a key component of the experience offered.  Whether class trips, sporting events or other competitions, the opportunity to travel has been a normal, expected and important offering.  COVID-19 has halted this opportunity for students.  Going forward, it is expected these opportunities will resume, however with new challenges.

Our webinar today will interview Ben Cooper of World Travel Protection who will explore implications and share insights that schools can consider as they endeavour to offer international experiences to their students, whether hosting events on campus or sending students abroad.  

📅 Please Register Here for This Webinar

Ben Cooper - International Travel Risk Management Expert - World Travel Protection EMEA

World Travel Protection’s Ben Cooper’s responds when asked what he does for a living is “I work with an amazing company that gets people home when they are ill, injured or unsafe overseas.” 

Ben was drawn to work in travel risk management by his fascination with geopolitics, which plays an important part in assessing travel risks. The majority of Ben’s career has been spent supporting organisations with projects in remote, high risk or logistically challenging environments, from offshore wind farms and oil rigs to onshore remote research projects and mine sites.

As Head of Sales & Commercial across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Ben works closely with clients from the company’s UK base. According to Ben, WTP’s clients come from a diverse range of businesses, including universities, security firms, travel management agencies, business continuity advisors and human resources consultants. 

Working closely with clients means Ben is always managing unusual and exciting projects, often with complex logistical arrangements. Whether a film crew in a COVID-19 environment or university students travelling to high-risk locations; various layers of support and risk mitigation are involved, for travel and at the locations.
 

The second of a 4 webinars addressing Returning Schools to Normal During COVID Times. COVID-19 will impact international schools including its impact on staffing – recruitment, mobility and travel is significant.

It’s hard for students to learn if they don’t feel known and protected. Security is equally about emotional as much as physical safety.

In these days of school insecurity, we need to address the needs of the whole child. This includes balancing the curriculum with both academic and social-emotional learning to teach students to recognize and control their emotions as well as to feel empathy for others.

Introduction

COVID-19 will be with us for the foreseeable future and its impact on international schools will continue. The virus itself is evolving, the science related to the virus, to vaccines, and to testing is also evolving. The evolution of is global, however mitigation needs to be done at a local level. 

A current understanding of the situation with the virus will enable schools to implement up to date mitigation strategies. These strategies should incorporate vaccinations, screening, process and procedures as well as communications. 

See the considerations and insights shared by our panel.

Has COVID-19 caused schools, inadvertently, to take a step away from the structures of yesterday and make a giant leap forward for our future education? Emerging indicative trends for 2021 include:

• Flexibility in school models and online delivery
• Microlearning
• Wellbeing of staff and students
• Bridging the Gap
• Twilight Insets Professional Development

Read our full article (link)