Welcome Message from the New Head of the Junior School,

Frances Lond-Caulk

I am thrilled to be joining the Branksome Hall Asia community. I am British and have worked in international schools for the past 26 years. I have held leadership roles in those schools, but none of them have been quite as unique as Branksome Hall Asia. Having lived in Thailand, Mexico and China, I have lots of experience with supporting children who are learning with English as an additional language. Personally I have tried to learn Thai, Spanish and Chinese, so I have empathy for our language learners. Hopefully I will learn some Korean while I am at Branksome Hall Asia. 

To be working in a school with such incredible facilities, on this beautiful island, is a great opportunity for myself and all of our staff, students and you as families. 

In the Junior School our aim is to ensure that children feel part of our  caring and inspiring community, where we develop their confidence, while  also challenging them as learners. I am proud of the team we have in the Junior School. We have an excellent ratio of teachers to students, with additional support from EAL teachers, a learning support teacher, interns and educational assistants, in addition to art, music, PE, swimming, technology, Korean and Chinese teachers. As a team we are determined to give your children an incredible learning journey. 

As you can see when you are on campus, the school was a busy place over the holiday. There have been some wonderful new play areas added to the Junior School playground. Lots of colour was added, what a difference it has made! We have a new riding track and lots of wonderful two and three wheel scooters, bicycles and tricycles. I am sure the younger students will love zooming around on those, a great way to develop their gross motor skills and to teach collaboration. On both sides of the playground, we have new wooden balancing areas. These are made with natural materials and encourage children to be risk takers, as well as providing a place for them to be able to sit and talk. Coming soon will be a fabulous climbing Space Net, we will share photographs over the next month. 

Building relationships is extremely important at the start of the school year. Teachers will be learning about the students and we will be supporting the children as they develop new friendships. Working with parents is key to us. We want children to see that teachers and their parents are working together to support them as learners. As a team we look forward to getting to know the children in grades JKPrep to Grade 5, and also you as parents. Please take the opportunity to introduce yourself and say hello when you have time. Let’s work together to make this a wonderful year for your children!