THE FOBISIAN: JANUARY 2026, TERM 2, ISSUE 49
Q: How have you found your first year as part of the FOBISIA community?
Since joining FOBISIA in 2024, Lanna International School has had an incredibly positive first year of membership. As a long-established international school in Chiang Mai, joining a network of such high-calibre British-international schools has been energising for our staff, students, and leadership team. Our school community has felt genuinely welcomed by the FOBISIA leadership and member schools and we have appreciated the opportunity to share expertise, best practice, and regional perspectives. It has provided LANNA with a sense of professional belonging within Thailand and beyond and it has affirmed our commitment to continual improvement
Q: What motivated Lanna International School to join FOBISIA?
Our decision to join FOBISIA in 2024 was driven by a number of goals. The opportunity to give our students wider avenues to participate in sports, arts, leadership and inter-school enrichment was at the forefront, as well as being able to provide our staff with access to professional learning, collaboration and leadership development. As a school leader, I firmly believe that we are stronger when we work together and to be part of a network that values integrity, high standards and the holistic development of young people is an opportunity not to be missed.
Q: Have your staff or students taken part in any FOBISIA events this year? If so, what has the experience been like for them?
Yes. In our first year, several staff members joined FOBISIA subject networks, online CPD sessions, and leadership webinars. These opportunities have broadened professional horizons, strengthened connections, and helped our teachers see how their work aligns with regional standards of excellence. A highlight of our first year of FOBISIA membership was sending a team of athletes to participate in the Friendly Games. This was such a wonderful experience for our students to meet and compete with students in schools across Asia. Our students grew in confidence and developed their sporting skills in a supportive and fun environment. While we are still early in planning for student involvement, the initial opportunities such as the Friendly Games, have already generated excitement among our student leaders, athletes, and performing arts participants. Our community is enthusiastic about expanding student participation next year. A highlight for me and a number of my colleagues was the opportunity to attend the recent FOBISIA Leadership Conference in Kuala Lumpur. Having joined LANNA in July 2025, this was my first experience of FOBISIA and to receive such a warm welcome and the highest quality of conference both in terms of organisation and content, was absolutely wonderful. The themes of the conference were Innovation, AI and Holistic Leadership and the keynote speakers, workshops and networking opportunities fully embraced this. I very much look forward to staff across our school engaging in similar FOBISIA events in the years to come.
Q: One of your staff members was selected as a FOBISIA fellow for this year’s cohort. what impact has this had (or will have) on your school or staff community?
Yes, Matthew Whitwell, our Secondary Deputy Headteacher, was successful in becoming a FOBISIA Fellow for this year. I have discussed what this means with Matthew and he explained that ‘being selected as a FOBISIA Fellow for 2025/26 is a huge honour for both myself and LANNA, amplifying our efforts in developing a student-centred community that promotes opportunities for student voice and authentic engagement. The purpose of our research is to further develop what we do in promoting student voice, by developing a blueprint for FOBISIA schools to embed a culture of student leadership in schools across the region. By making this a participatory action-research project, with students leading the research themselves, we are staying true to the values we hold dear, and ensuring that “every voice matters.” I am proud to have been awarded a FOBISIA Fellowship for 2025/26, and representing LANNA as a school at the forefront of promoting student-centred learning’.
Q: Are there any particular events or opportunities you are looking forward to in the coming year?
We are especially looking forward to increasing student participation in FOBISIA sports and performing arts. We are planning to engage more deeply in the subject networks and join specialist conferences in leadership, safeguarding, curriculum design etc. It would also be wonderful if we were able to host or co-host FOBISIA workshops or events at our school. Ultimately, we are most excited about building long-term relationships with other schools across the network to support exchanges, shared projects and professional visits.
Q: How do you see your school’s involvement in FOBISIA developing in the future?
Over the next few years, we aim to fully embed and embrace FOBISIA-related opportunities into our annual professional development program. We are driven to become a regular contributor to regional events and position ourselves as an active, forward-thinking school within the network. We very much want to increase the number of students representing LANNA in FOBISIA events and also explore opportunities to host events in Chiang Mai.