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Since joining ISA in August 2023, David Manfield has spent a year with us. As the Chief Academic Officer of ISA International Education Group, he has dedicated himself to establishing systems and structures, enhancing management and leadership, and driving excellence across the entire group.

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Looking back on the past year, ISA schools have made significant strides in their pursuit of excellence. Both the students' achievements and the schools' development have seen substantial progress.

ISA students achieved excellent results in the 2024 IB Diploma examination and AP examination. IB: the highest individual score is 44 (out of 45) and 12 students scored 40 and above. AP: 94 students scored full marks in individual subjects and all students achieved perfect scores in six subjects. ISA’s class of 2024 achieved impressive results following in the footsteps of last year’s graduating class. By July 23, they had received a total of 555 offers with an accumulated scholarship totalling 4.97 million US dollars. ISA students achieved remarkable success with outstanding performances in prestigious international competitions like British Biology Olympiad (BBO), BioOlympiad Initiative USA-China (BIO USACN), American Mathematics Competition 8 (AMC8), UK Chemistry Olympiad (UKChO), PhysicsBowl, World Scholar's Cup (WSC) Shenzhen, etc.

ISA schools were featured in the list of the Hurun Education Top International Schools in China 2023. ISA Science City International School was listed among the Top 10 International Schools while ISA Wuhan International School was listed among Top 30. ISA Science City International School and ISA Tianhe International School became Member Schools of CIS (Council of International Schools). ISA Liwan, ISA Wuhan International School and ISA Wenhua Wuhan High School have successfully earned Cognia® Accreditation, marking a remarkable step forward in our commitment to delivering a world-class education.

ISA Liwan has officially received authorization from the College Board to offer AP (Advanced Placement) courses. It has also been awarded accreditation to deliver the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) and IB Diploma Programme (IBDP). Besides, ISA Wenhua Wuhan High School has been successfully accredited by the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and ISA Wuhan International School has officially been authorized as an international IB PYP world school.

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The achievements of ISA schools and their students are undoubtedly the best testament to the schools' growing strength. ISA's outstanding performance in the field of education has garnered widespread international recognition. The authorization of multiple programmes has enriched the academic curricular and provided students with more diverse learning pathways. Adhering to the vision of building a multicultural ecosystem of international education, ISA is committed to nurturing leading talents and pioneers for the future.

As we look back on our year of pursuing excellence together, let's talk with David about his views on education and holistic education, as well as his thoughts on the present and future of ISA.

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David thinks that one of the great things about Dulwich College Beijing and YK Pao School is that they set the bar very high. The students and teachers come in and they commit to high ambitions and aims. And that energy creates a culture of excellence which can help fully unlock people’s potential. And this is just what education should do, “Teaching is not just about giving children the basics. That's what you have to do. You need to make sure they can read and write, that their maths is good, that the basic knowledge foundations are there. That's what any school should be doing. But I think the other thing which a school can do which is absolutely foundational is it can set a high bar, a high standard for students as to what they are capable of achieving.”

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David has been with ISA for nearly one year. He said he really enjoys working here. He’s committed to building systems and structures into the group and trying to set the standards that we expect for teachers and for students. He’s also looking at things like governance and leadership, hoping to creating excellence together with ISA. “The group has lots of ambition. The founders are committed to building great schools and they've invested huge sums of money in building architecturally impressive buildings with good facilities for students. They've grown very quickly and they've grown through a difficult time for China and deep for the globe through the Covid problems. And so now they're at a place where they need to really consolidate and to become the great schools that I know that they can be. “

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ISA's IB holistic education fosters students' all-round development. As an educator with more than 40 years experience in education, David has some insights about holistic education. “In one sense, holistic education is just simply a description of the reality that we have when we educate a child. The word to 'educate' in English comes from a Latin root 'educare' which means to draw out that which is within. So within each individual you have an intellectual ability.” David thinks that a good school will give opportunities for students to learn the basic skills as well as to develop other extracurricular skills. So students’ potential can be fully unlocked.

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David thinks highly of ISA's holistic approach to education, “At ISA we have not only the curriculum and the extended curriculum with the CCAs and then the after school activities, the weekend activities, and we have the Academy that is providing additional chances for students to do things that they wouldn't otherwise have a chance to do. We also enrich those opportunities with things like the Innovation Centers, the Arts Centers, the Music Centers, the Sports Centers, which again open doors for children to do things that will extend them. When they leave at 18, they'll have a whole array of experiences under their belts, academic successes and qualifications but also teams they played in, plays they've been in, musical concerts they played in, all those things that will build up the repertoire who they are as a person and that is holistic education that educates the whole child.”

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David thinks any new school group has a five-ten-year period when it's building its systems and what we call traditions and rituals within the school. As a thriving education group, ISA still has a long way to go. “It's a brilliant group with lots of new schools. Within the schools there are different pathways that are being evolving. We need to make sure that our schools align with what's best for the students that come through our doors, the best qualifications, the best preparation for life, training up new leaders and new head teachers from within. We need to work on the government systems, the reporting systems and making sure that all the things that we want to see children experience in our schools from an academic perspective and from a broad holistic perspective are built into the way that we do business.”

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David said that things like good university placements, great academic results, great sporting team successes don't happen by chance. They happen because there's been a background with good preparation and systems that work behind the scenes to make those things happen. ISA is in the process of creating the excellence that we're aspiring to and we believe we can nurture more and more leading talents and pioneers for the future together with all ISA community members.