A ‘Truly’ International School on a Tropical Island !
“We were supposed to be on Koh Samui for a two year contract but extended three more years simply because we loved the school so much!”
When Jeremy Lees (Founder of the International School of Samui) first arrived on Koh Samui, Thailand over 11 years ago, little did he know that this tropical island would capture his heart and change the life for him and his family. For those who are not familiar with Koh Samui, it is an island located some 700km south of Bangkok and about 80km from the eastern coastline of Southern Thailand.
It is the second largest island and the most popular tourist destination only being topped by Phuket. It is no great surprise that Jeremy visited Thailand at some juncture as he has always had a natural affinity with Asia from an early age. He was born in Hong Kong, as his father served in the British Army, and was brought up living in a multitude of Asian countries including Hong Kong, Brunei, Nepal and China whilst during this time was educated at a private boarding school in England.
After school he studied at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, graduating with an Honours Degree in Laser Physics and Optoelectronics. Following on from his academic studies Jeremy was commissioned into the British Army as an Officer with the Army Air Corps and served for seven years as a Combat Helicopter Pilot (Captain) seeing active service in both Northern Ireland and Iraq. On retiring from flying duties, he completed his Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) to become a fully qualified teacher.
He continues to this day with his academic studies and is currently investigating if the mathematical framework developed for Quantum Physics can be applied to assessment in schools. After active service for many years Jeremytogether with his wife Victoria and their 2 year old daughter Arabella planned to take some well-deserved ‘family time’ so they decided to spend a year on the beautiful island of Koh Samui, a place they had never visited before.
During this time, the family simply ‘fell in love’ with the tropical island and all that it is so willing to offer. This long overdue ‘family time’ gave Jeremy and his wife Victoria the perfect opportunity to ‘reflect’ on what was truly important in life and obviously the quality of life and quality of education of their children were paramount.
Therefore, when the unique opportunity to build and develop his own school arose, he saw this as a great opportunity to provide a truly international education for his children, and also, very importantly, other children on the island.Therefore in 2007, Jeremy, at the age of 33, founded the International School of Samui located in Bophut, Koh Samui. Bophut, well renowned for its fabulous beaches and home to, perhaps one of the oldest places on the island, the charming Fisherman’s Village, which takes up the middle section of the beach.
Fisherman’s Village is fast gaining a reputation that stretches way beyond Samui for being the most elegant and well-preserved place on the island. Lined by old wooden Chinese shophouses, interspaced with a few modern buildings that match the tone, it retains a distinctly Mediterranean feel. This has probably got a lot to do with the fact that it was the main French outpost on the island for many years.
‘TRULY INTERNATIONAL’ 82% expatriate students, 100% expatriate British and European teachers
“The school is owned and run by a family that truly cares about the welfare and future of the children.”
Under his leadership the school grew to over 200 students within three years and now operates close to capacity (260) with waiting lists in a number of classes. It is a single form entry school and the premier international school of choice on the island. With five children of his own Jeremy knows the sacrifice parents are willing to make to ensure their children have the very best opportunity to succeed in life. With this in mind he created a ‘Scholarship Fund’, along with his wif e Victoria, which enables children to attend his school who otherwise couldn’t afford the fees.
One of Jeremy’s main objectives was to ensure the school is ‘TRULY INTERNATIONAL’ and the school proudly now has 82% of the students who are expatriate. In addition, the teaching staff, with the exception of the language teachers, are all 100% British and European nationals who are fully qualified and experienced teachers recruited directly from the UK. You can’t get much more international than this.
‘ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE’ is a key priority for the school and undoubtedly it has had considerable success with 91% of its students obtaining Grades A*/A – C in their June IGCSE examinations with 30% obtaining Grades A/A*. They have achieved this through their dedicated and continuous commitment to establishing and adhering to international quality standards and best practices. The school offers parents a QUALITY GUARANTEE whereby the standards of education provided to their children undergoes a strict quality control and rigorous independent assessment and accreditation process, by several international professional bodies, to ensure the school meets the high standards and best practices equivalent to a top school in the UK.
The International School of Samui (ISS) proudly is the first (in 2008), and longest serving international school in Thailand, to obtain quality accreditation by the Council of British International Schools (COBIS). It is one of those few international schools who meet their high ‘quality and best practice’ standards. There are many that are called ‘British Schools’, whereby the vast majority of these schools are not formally recognised by the British government, mainly teach the local curriculum with only some elements of the British system and have no independent monitoring on the quality of education.
Interestingly, out of thousands of so called ‘British Schools’ worldwide, only 106 schools are accredited by COBIS. ISS also is proudly accredited by the Education Development Trust (EDT) which is an internationally recognised authority in the UK and is approved by the Thai Ministry of Education (MOE) to inspect and accredit International Schools in Thailand. The most recent inspection was in May 2018 and the school passed the accreditation with ‘flying colours’.
“From the very first day my son settled in, his first words after his first day where “I love it here” and after 2 years, that never changed neither did the level of support and general friendly welcoming environment”
The school is also a certified Cambridge international Examination Centre. The International School of Samui (ISS) has a clear focus on ‘generating a true love of learning’. They take students beyond the classroom to develop the character, inquisitiveness, creativity, moral standards, integrity, confidence and optimism of every student (and a lot more). Each student is supported by an energised, innovative and inspiring style of teaching and a wide range of extra curriculum activities for the students to choose from.
They also have an unique House System that develops an ethos, spirit and team work as students represent their house in a wide range of events and activities (sporting and nonsporting). Experience at the school clearly shows that academic success will naturally follow those children who are truly motivated, engaged and who simply ‘love learning’.
“QUALITY GUARANTEE High British quality standards 1st School in Thailand with
Quality accreditation of the COBIS (Council for British International Schools)”
“The positive effect on his [ISS student for 11 years] strength of character, outgoing personality and kindness & consideration to others – as well as a firm footing in academia and future university goal – is significantly due to his teachers, staff and the overall environment at the International School of Samui.”
“As parents we were thrilled to find a school that provided an excellent education incorporating a challenging curriculum in a nurturing and supportive environment.”
“There is no better testament than a child who loves to get up in the morning and go to school.”
“Wouldn’t choose any other school than this one on the island. 100% recommended!”
“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all” –Aristotle
