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 Open Gates Appoints New School Principal and New Head of Primary
Mr. Peter Morris and Dr. Claus Meyer
Mr. Peter Morris has been appointed as Open Gates’ new Principal,
and he brings a wealth of educational knowledge and experience with
him. He began his career deeply involved in sport. In his early years,
he was accepted to join an English County professional cricket team. At
the same time, he was also playing football as a semi-professional.
However, an injury limited his cricket career, and he therefore
returned to his studies to obtain a specialist teaching certificate and
Bachelor of Education degree from Keele University. Later he went on to
receive his Master Degree from Oxford University.
His first teaching job was at the prestigious 450 year old Shrewsbury
School in England. Here, Mr. Morris taught mathematics and physical
education to 700 boys for seven years. Following that position, he
began teaching at a new state school with a student body count which,
in his time, grew from 240 to over 1,500 students. It was at this
school that he began learning school administration duties as he was
appointed Year Head to 346 boys and girls, and outside school hours he
was an Adult Education Principal.
Mr. Morris was asked to return to Shrewsbury School as a Housemaster,
and it was here that he qualified as an Office for Standards in
Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) Inspector and
Inspector of HMC schools. He was then later promoted to Senior
Tutor.
After his first headship in a small school in West Sussex, England,
where he cut his teeth on the intricacies and anxieties of school
leadership, he went to Nigeria in West Africa to become the Principal
of El Amin International School, Minna. Mr. Morris says, “It was
here that I appreciated the cultural sensitivity and contextual
flexibility required in delivering education programmes in a foreign
country. However, it set me up pretty well for the next career move
which took me to the leadership of a large, purpose built, fully
residential Sixth Form College in Malaysia.” He says the students
at this school were specifically selected to attend there based on
their high academic performance and potential, and that they were also
gifted in areas of music, drama, sport and creativity on a wide front.
After three and a half years, Mr. Morris came to work at Harrow
International School, Don Muang in Bangkok, as Head of Secondary.
He then became commissioned with Cambridge University to travel to
international schools world-wide to inspect them for qualification as
Examination Centres and provide access to The International General
Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and A level portfolio of
examinations.
After completion of the commission, Mr. Morris was asked to go to
Uganda, East Africa, and attempt to put a school back together after it
had suffered a student riot. “The experience was quite a
challenge, but I am happy to say that it turned out terrifically
rewarding, satisfying and successful.” He then went on to do a
brief educational commission in Hyderabad, India before coming to Koh
Samui and taking up the Open Gates challenge.
“It is now my job to steer the school through the next chapters
in the school’s evolution; this includes moving to a brand new,
purpose built campus in January 2009. I believe it is an exciting
prospect for all concerned, and there is much to build on for the
future – not least the foundations laid by a number of very
qualified, dedicated, long-serving and effective staff,” says Mr.
Morris. “Open Gates has already done a tremendous job of
selecting excellent teachers.” He says he is looking forward to
working with such a professional and dedicated team.
Open Gates has three teachers with their Masters in Education and four
teachers have a bachelor degree in education and 2 PGCE qualified teachers. Five other teachers hold
bachelor degrees in various fields of study and will receive the Thai
equivalent of a (Post Graduate Certificate of Education) PGCE
certification this autumn.
Mr. Morris also wants to continue the momentum that Open Gates has
built up and carry it into the next phase of its development. He says
that the immediate future is to pursue the short term Development Plan,
construct a fresh infra-structure and generally establish a
‘new’ Open Gates fitting for its new location and
facilities. The school’s mission ‘To Build Global
Citizens’ can, he believes, only be enhanced by the move to the
new campus.
Dr. Claus Meyer, Open Gates’ Managing Director, says, “Our
aim from the beginning of establishing Open Gates Education Centre was
to become an excellent and first-rate international school. We are
proud to have Mr. Morris here because we need a professional leader,
and his qualifications and experience world-wide gives him the
knowledge to continue what we have already started. With Mr. Morris,
Mr. Harris, Mr. Payne (Head of Secondary School) and the new school, we
will have a much higher level of education.”
“The IGCSE from Cambridge University has already been established
at Open Gates and this provides a platform for the launch of the
reputable Advanced Subsidiary (AS) and A2 examination programmes which
combine to produce an Advanced (A Level) qualification that is
respected and accepted all over the world for university
entrance,” says Mr. Morris.
Mr. Morris likes the school mission, “Building Global
Citizens”. He says it produces aims and objectives much wider
than just academic qualification. The pastoral support, extra and
co-curricular programmes will support the overall personal development
of each student, and will help identify the student’s interests
and potentials, and then foster and develop them. Good schools do not
operate solely within the confines of the bell and timetable.” He
says, “We all hope the Open Gates’ graduate is going to be
a future citizen of whom the school, parents and the student themselves
can feel justly proud.”
Mr. Brendan Harris will be Open Gates’ new Head Teacher of the
primary school. Mr. Harris holds a Bachelor of Primary Education and a
PGCE in Special Educational Needs from Strathclyde University in
Scotland and a certificate in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second or
Other Language) from Trinity College.
Mr. Harris brings years of teaching experience with him to Open Gates.
For two years he taught at Prince of Songkhla University in Pattani
(southern Thailand), teaching a variety of English courses to English
and education majors. When the unrest in the south became more
volatile, he then moved to Songkhla and for two years and taught
English and math at Nawamintharachutit High School in their Mini
English Programme.
In May 2006, Mr. Harris took up a post at the OSI (Open Society
Institute) at their GED (General Education Diploma) school named
Intensive College Foundation Course for Burmese refugees in Chiang Mai.
There he taught English grammar, essay writing and literature for one
year.
In 2007, he took a position as a primary/secondary co-op teacher at
Dara Academy in Chiang Mai where he taught vocabulary and
conversational English.
“I plan to put in place a cohesive primary curriculum with
extensive resources for teachers and pupils and an appropriate system
of assessment,” says Mr. Harris.
Both Mr. Morris and Mr. Harris will begin their tenures at Open Gates
starting mid-August. They invite anyone to come and discuss any issues
or suggestions they may have. Both can be contacted through Open
Gates’ office at 077-427-560. |
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