Strategy Students: Home

Welcome to the resource pages for WAB's Strategy 2022+ development and actions. 

During the school year 2021-22, in the midst of Covid-19 restrictions and as the school came to the conclusion of the previous strategic plan (including FLOW21), we wanted to create a process that was student-led and included the whole community. It was a time to reflect on a rapidly-changing world, take stock of where we are and determine new priorities for learning and development moving forwards. As you explore these resources, you will find the archive of process - 'Portraits of WAB Alumni' - as well as the ongoing development of actions related to Strategy 2022+. 

Timeline of Strategy 2022+

• Spring 2021: The process, 'Portraits of WAB Alumni' was designed. A large group of volunteer students were trained in partnership with Inspire Citizens in developing and delivering workshops to reflect on WAB's Guiding Statements, provoke futures thinking and capture 'Portraits of WAB Alumni' in terms of desirable future attributes. 
• Aug-Sept 2021: Student facilitators and WAB Leadership hosted workshops for all Community Member groups, including Students, Parents, Faculty, Staff, Board and Alumni, resulting in Portraits created by 117 groups. 
• Oct-Nov 2021: Data were collated and analysed, presented as Portraits that represented the views of the school as a whole and of each Community Member group. Students and WAB Leadership led Community Conversations on the findings. 
• Nov'21 - Jan '22: Community Conversations informed the emergent elements that we wished to Affirm (remain committed to), Amplify (develop further) and Create (new areas of focus).
• Spring 2022: WAB Board approved the resulting Strategy 2022+, including: 
  • Affirmation of WAB's Guiding Statements and relationships with agencies and leading organisations around the world. 
  • Amplification of Innovation (including building on the work of FLOW21), Multi-Literacies for high-quality learning, Wellbeing for a healthy community, and eco-leadership for empathy and impact. 
  • Creation of two new areas of focus: 
    • WAB Alumni will be champions of Inclusion through Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism and Social Justice
    • WAB Alumni will be agents of Sustainable and ethical approaches to living and learning. 

The Board-approved Strategy 2022+ included funding and resource support for the new areas of focus, allowing for the creation of Lead Teacher positions in each school section and the formation of inclusive Steering Committees for each area. Strategy 2022+ underpins development at WAB, and you can find ongoing work on Sustainability & I-DEAS on the tabs above. 

See the slides below for an overview of the process, given by WAB Leadership and Students as part of NEASC's Conference in December 2021. 

Strategy 2022+ has no pre-determined end-point, as working towards our goals requires continues development and reflection. 

• Continued commitment to enhancing learner agency across WAB, including in the development of the school's strategic direction and actions. 
• Formation and action of I-DEAS Lead Team, including Faculty & Staff Workshops, student workshops, the development of definitions and resources, membership of the Global Equity Collective, The Diversity Collective, ongoing professional development and the further activation of student action groups. In 2023, a new Lead Staff member position was added to the team to increase representation on non-teaching staff. 
• A grassroots-led focus on Multilingualism and Language Equity, leading to the inclusion of MLL Lead Teachers in the I-DEAS team. 
• Further commitment to Learning Inclusion through the development and implementation of the Student Support Matrix, increased student support services and focus on belonging. 
• Formation and action of Sustainability Lead Team, including Faculty & Staff Workshops, student workshops, engaging Metanoia as a partner in a school-wide, student-involved audit process (Aug '23 - March '24), increased connection with community partners and student-led projects including waste investigation, gardens, rewilding, a pledge for nature and community action.
• WAB joined the UN Global Schools Programme, signing a pledge to the UN's SDG's, which connect the work of I-DEAS, Sustainability and our IB programmes. 
• Renewed commitments and actions towards community wellbeing and innovation in learning and teaching. 
• The ongoing development of The Profile of WAB Alumni, a graduate profile and competency structure including Global Citizenship, in collaboration with the Mastery Transcript Consortium, and engaging with leading agencies such as CIS, NEASC and the IBO. This work will be piloted in the 2023-24 school year. 
• World-first commitment to the most innovative accreditation pathways offered by our partners: 
  • CIS Deep Dive Pathway 2: Global Citizenship & Intercultural Learning, with a focus on developing our work in I-DEAS, Learning Inclusion, Sustainability and the Profile of WAB Alumni. Concludes November 2023. 
  • IB-NEASC Collaborative Learning Protocol (CLP), with a focus on innovation in learning and teaching and wellbeing, and an IB Programme Development Plan (PDP) supporting the work of Learning Communities across the school. Conclused December 2023. 
• Development and implementation of Impact Projects as a focus for team goals and professional learning. A structure to ensure Faculty & Staff are working on areas of importance to themselves and their learners, with a focus on the Impact of our innovations. 

WAB is a well-established school, with a strong Mission, Core Values, Definition of Learning and partnerships with accrediting agencies.

The current strategic plan, 2015-2021, which includes the FLOW21 work, set a strong path for the development of education at WAB. The challenges of 2020 and beyond, including the global pandemic, have tested international schools around the world, and have necessitated reflection and adjustment of how we provide education. 

Understanding all of this, our "Portraits of WAB Alumni" approach will help refine our foci as a school, confirm and evaluate our practices and prioritise our actions so that we can ensure lasting, positive impacts of the WAB experience. 

• What is important now? 
• What is important in the future? 
• What impacts do we really want for our learners? 
• What actions do we need to plan to get there? 
• How will we know we are making progress?