Mind the Gap – Outstanding Pastoral Leadership in Secondary Schools

The 43rd COBIS Annual Conference will take place in London, UK on 10-12 May 2025. The COBIS Annual Conference is for Heads, Governors, Proprietors and Senior and Middle Leaders from schools around the world, including COBIS member and non-member schools. Each year, this popular event is attended by senior leaders in international schools worldwide, education businesses and suppliers, as well as regulators, investors, and representatives of global ministries of education.

The COBIS Programme for Middle Leaders is a one-year programme for ambitious middle leaders who wish to develop their personal and professional skills.

The COBIS Conference for Marketing, Development and Admissions Staff is a popular training and networking event for those working in marketing and development, admissions, and external relations in an international school context.

We are pleased to be able to offer schools the opportunity to train new facilitators who will be able to deliver the CPML in their own schools, opening up the possibility for COBIS Schools to run their own programmes or work in collaboration with other schools. Trained facilitators who are Headteachers (or equivalent), with significant leadership experience, may also be able to deliver the CPAH (subject to approval from COBIS).

A tailored training day for Designated Safeguarding Leads, their deputies, and other senior staff working in international schools.

This course is for Heads, Senior Leaders, HR staff and administrative staff looking to develop safer recruitment policies and procedures.

This conference will provide an opportunity for Teachers, Middle Leaders, and Senior Leaders to come together to discuss in which ways STEAM can be successfully delivered to students and schools.

This one day course equips teachers and school leaders of any curriculum with strategies drawn from research and cutting-edge practice for developing great readers.

This one-day course looks at what makes an excellent writer and delves into aspects of writing development.

A tailored one-day training event for anyone working in an international school context, covering the basics of mental health and how to identify different mental health issues.

Delivered by The Safeguarding Alliance, this qualification has been designed to provide the international education community with the necessary knowledge and skills needed to understand their roles and responsibilities in the safeguarding of children and young people in an international setting. This course will take place online on on 27 August 2025, 08:30-14:00 BST (UTC+1), 12 November 08:30-14:00 GMT (UTC), 18 November 15:00-20:30 GMT(UTC) with more dates to be confirmed.

A useful and practical course to increase awareness of the science of wellbeing and introduce the role of positive psychology interventions to increase flourishing. Delivered online over two sessions on 11 November and 18 November (3.5 hrs each) by Mental Health and Wellbeing Training Ltd.

Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) has recently been described by Professor Dylan Wiliam as “… the single most important thing for teachers to know” and is rapidly becoming education’s next ‘Big Thing’. This three-hour, interactive online course is delivered by Dragonfly Training.

This short programme will explore alternative coaching models and approaches to working with colleagues in a coaching context in schools. Interactive online course (4hrs) delivered by Karen Ardley Associates.

This course will help you to quickly improve student progress by using Talk-Less Teaching techniques, which allow learning to go far deeper than it does when it is mostly administered aurally. This interactive online course has a limited number of places, delivered by Veema Education. The course is delivered in 2 x 2hr sessions on 26 November and 2 December 2020.

The course draws on Critical Curriculum Theory to explore the nature of discipline specific areas of the curriculum. The course encourages deeper understanding of the different purposes of curriculum and how this impacts on its design and content. This course is delivered by the University of Sunderland.

Delivered by The Safeguarding Alliance, this online course has been designed for those who want to learn how to recruit safely and mitigate risk in an international school context. This course will take place on 16 October 2025 from 8.30-12.30 BST (UTC+1) and 5 February 2026 from 8.30-12.30 GMT (UTC).

Delivered by The Safeguarding Alliance, this interactive, online course will explore the safeguarding role and responsibility of the Governor or Trustee in an international school setting.

Delivered by Mental Health and Wellbeing Training, this interactive online course will run over two sessions on 12 and 19 January (3.5 hrs each). An interesting and informative workshop, it will increase your knowledge and understanding of the most common mental health conditions.

Delivered by Dragonfly Training, this three-hour interactive course will address differentiation in the primary classroom, equipping you with strategies to challenge and support all pupils. This course will take place on 9 March at 9.30-12.30 GMT (UK time).

Delivered by Dragonfly Training, this three-hour interactive course will look at how the assessment of pupil progress can be effectively delivered in today’s blended learning classrooms. The course will take place on 20 January, 9.30-12.30 GMT.

Delivered by Karen Ardley Associates, this three-hour interactive course will consider how to provide effective feedback that will most benefit learners. It will take place over two sessions of 1h and 2h respectively, plus additional online self-study. Session 1: 2 February, 8.00-9.00 GMT; Session 2: 11 March, 8.00-10.00 GMT.

Delivered by Karen Ardley Associates, this three-hour interactive course will deepen your understanding of Assessment for Learning, supporting you to devise a strategy for development. It will take place over two sessions of 1h30 and 2h respectively, plus 7-10 hours of additional online self-study. Session 1: 23 February, 8.00-9.30 GMT; Session 2: 30 March, 8.00-10.00 BST (UK time).

Delivered by Creative Education, this interactive course is held over two sessions of two hours and will help you assess your approach to staff wellbeing. It will take place on 24 May and 7 June and will run at two different times to accommodate participants in a range of time zones.

Delivered by Early Excellence, this interactive course run over three sessions of 90 minutes. It will equip you with the knowledge and skills that support a clear and principled approach to Early Years practice. The sessions will take place on 9 February, 2 March, and 24 March, at 9.30-11.00 GMT.

Delivered by nasen, this online interactive course will involve four one-hour sessions over four weeks, and will look at effective teaching techniques for pupils with SEND. The course will take place on 10, 17, 24, 31 March, 10.30-11.30 GMT.

Delivered by School Leaders Training, this three-hour interactive course will give participants an overview of metacognition, including lots of practical classroom activities and examples. The course will take place on 26 May, 9.30-12.30 GMT.

Delivered by Karen Ardley Associates, this interactive course will look at research-based approaches to effective evaluation and the processes of the evaluation cycle. It will take place over two sessions of 1h30 and 2h respectively, plus 5-6 hours of additional online self-study. Session 1: 20 October, 8.30-10.00 BST (UTC+1); Session 2: 24 November, 8.00-10.00 GMT (UTC).

Delivered by Karen Ardley Associates, this six-hour interactive course will explore issues surrounding pastoral care and leadership in secondary schools. It will take place over two sessions of 3h each, plus 3-4hours of additional online self-study. Session 1: 26 May, 8.00-11.00 BST; Session 2: 17 June, 8.00-11.00 BST.

Delivered by Dragonfly Training, this three-hour interactive course will look at how to find gaps in learning and how to fill them. This course will take place on 21 June at 9.00-12.00 BST.

Delivered by Dragonfly Training, this three-hour interactive course will look at maximising pupil independence in EY and KS1. This course will take place on 23 June at 9.00-12.00 BST.

Do you want to establish, embed and sustain a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy in your school? Join the international cohort of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leadership Programme, delivered by Diverse Educators, in partnership with COBIS. This programme will be delivered remotely over 10 sessions between June 2023 and May 2024.

Delivered by Dragonfly Training, this course will equip teachers with a new approach to challenging all pupils. It will be a single-session course running over three hours, on 11 September 2023 in two time zones, 09.00-12:00 BST (UTC+1) or 15.00-18.00 BST (UTC+1).

Delivered by Creative Education, this course will enable school leaders to work together to develop and implement a whole school approach to mental health. It will run over four sessions of 1.5 hours on 9, 16, 24 November and a follow up session on 25 January, 16:00-17:30 GMT (UTC).

Delivered by School Leaders Training, this three-hour interactive course will give participants an overview of unconscious bias, including practical steps to counter it in everyday life. The course will take place on 19 January, 08.30-11.30 GMT.

Delivered by Early Excellence, this interactive course run over three sessions of 90 minutes. It will support teachers to gain an understanding of how we can measure and support children’s well-being as they develop emotionally, using the international recognised Leuven Scales of Well-being as a framework. The sessions will take place on 9, 16 and 23 March 2022, at 08.30-10.00 GMT.

Delivered by Karen Ardley Associates, this six-hour interactive course will explore how coaching can be a powerful mechanism to help people take better care of their health and wellbeing. It will take place over two sessions of 3h each. Session 1: 31 January, 08.00-11.00 GMT; Session 2: 21 February, 08.00-11.00 GMT.

Delivered by nasen, this online interactive course consists of two 2-hour sessions that would be suitable for Early Years Phase Leaders, nursery settings and managers, and leaders of SEND and Inclusion. This course will run 09.00-11.00 GMT on 19 and 26 January 2022.

Delivered by Veema, this online interactive course consists of three 2h sessions and will provide a comprehensive guide to ensuring that every pupil in every lesson is supported and challenged to their full potential. This course will run on 12, 17, and 18 January 2022 at two different times to accommodate participants in a range of time zones.

Delivered by Komodo, this live, interactive course explores the benefits of emotion regulation and distress tolerance, and looks at practical strategies and examples of how to teach these skills to students. It will take place over 2 sessions of 1.5h each: 24 November and 1 December 2022, 07.30-09.00 GMT/UTC.

Delivered by Diverse Educators, this interactive, online course will explore whole school approaches to creating a sustainable DEI strategy and the role of Governors in setting the DEI strategy in international schools. This course will take place on 8 February 2023 from 10.30-12.00 GMT(UTC).

Delivered by The Safeguarding Alliance, this interactive, online course will develop your awareness and understanding of affluent neglect in an international setting, ensuring you are able to identify and respond appropriately where a child or young person may be at risk. This course will take place on 25 March 2025 from 8:30-11:30 GMT (UTC).

A two-day conference, hosted by Marlborough College Malaysia and sponsored by Komodo, exploring how research and reflection can provide the foundation for flourishing schools; including insights from students, school leaders, and prominent figures within education.

Delivered by NACE (the National Association for Able Children in Education), this live, interactive course explores how effective oracy, research behind effective questioning for all learners, and the theory behind developing learner independence helps create cognitively challenging classrooms for all learners. The course will take place over three sessions of three hours each: 28 January, 4 February, 11 February 2025, 09:00-12:00 GMT (UTC).

Delivered by Early Excellence, each 90-minute session places focus on the key aspects of Early Childhood Education pedagogy; equipping you with the knowledge and skills that underpin a clear and principled approach to Early Years practice. It has been designed to support schools using the English Early Years Foundation Stage documentation to guide their practice. This course will run for three sessions: 17 November 2023, 24 November 2023, 1 December 2023 from 09.00-10.30 GMT (UTC)

Delivered by Veema, this online interactive course consists of two 90min sessions and offers a detailed exploration of the power of cognitive science. This course will be run in two time zones: session 1 will be on 16 October 2023, 08.30-10.00 BST (UTC+1) and 13.30-15.00 BST (UTC+1); session 2 will take place on 30 October 08.30-10.00 GMT (UTC) and 13.30-15.00 GMT (UTC).

Delivered by Mind Your Health, this course will discuss the importance of identifying and supporting everyone's mental health. This session will be offered on 27 February 2024 from 09:00-12:30 GMT (UTC).

Delivered by Karen Ardley Associates, this live, interactive course will enable and inspire leaders and team members to support each other to thrive by understanding how to intentionally develop team effectiveness, nurture wellbeing and foster intercultural sensitivity. It will take place over two sessions of 3h each: 5 February and 12 February 2025.

Delivered by Veema, this online interactive course consists of two 90-minute sessions and explores abnormal eating habits among young people. This course will run over two sessions, 12 and 14 March, 2024 and will be offered in two time zones, 8.30-10.00 GMT (UTC) or 13.30-15.00 GMT (UTC).

Delivered by University of Sunderland, this online interactive course consists of two 2h sessions and dives into improving everyone's lesson observations experience. This course will be held on 17 January and 24 January 2024.

Delivered by Dragonfly Training, this course wil help you prevent your pupils becoming ‘passengers’ in lessons by giving you the tools to set up lessons to ensure the students work harder than they’ve done before. Your students will leave your lesson as an active learner, motivated to work independently and collaboratively. Join us on 30 April 2024: 09.00-12.00 BST (UTC+1).

Delivered by Dragonfly Training, this course will equip teachers with the skills they need to tackle difficult conversations with parents. It will run over 3 hours, on 11 June 2024, 09.00-12:00 BST (UTC+1).

This short course delivered by University of Sunderland is designed to provide participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to create more inclusive and welcoming learning environments for LGBTQ+ staff and students. The course will cover a range of topics related to LGBTQ+ identities and experiences, including terminology, history, and current issues facing the LGBTQ+ community globally. The sessions will be delivered on 11 and 18 March 2024, from 9:00am GMT (UTC).

Delivered by University College of London, this course aims to delve into the importance of an inclusive practice and collaboration to support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. This course will take place online on 15 and 22 April 2024, from 09.00-11:00 BST (UTC+1).

Join us for this inspirational event Leading Learning: Conference for Early Career Teachers and Mentors hosted by the British School of Bucharest, Romania. The conference will take place on 9-10 February 2024.

This two-hour course, delivered by Darren Coxon, will provide you with ideas and strategies on how to use AI for schemes of work, lesson plans, and other curricular needs.

Delivered by Dragonfly Training, this course will equip you with the knowledge to enable you to teach non-native English speakers the same content, same time and in exactly the same way as the whole class. It will be a single-session course running over three hours, on 19 November 2024 in two time zones, 09:00-12:00 GMT (UTC) or 15:00-18:00 GMT (UTC).

This safeguarding course, delivered by Educate Ventures, is designed for all schools to complement and supplement existing safeguarding guidance and training in order to support teachers in their endeavours to continue to keep children safe in education as the use of AI in schools becomes more widespread.

The Autism Education Trust will deliver a combination of CPD-accredited Making Sense of Autism and Good Autism Practice modules in a set of two sessions, allowing time for reflection and activities between each. The first session from the course will start on 7 November 2024 and the second on 14 November 2024 both at 14:00-16:30 GMT (UTC).

Participants will reimagine education as a collective endeavour that thrives on partnerships, embracing diversity, and prepares school leaders for collaboration in a globally interconnected world. 

This course delivered by Alpha Training International will run over two session on 2 April 2025 and 9 April 2025 from 9:00-11:30am BST (UTC+1).

The COBIS Conference on University and Careers Advising will be an in-person conference at Deira International School, Dubai, UAE on 21-22 January 2025.

This two day, face-to-face event in Bahrain aims to connect students, parents and global educators with thought leaders who are passionate about the future of education.

This AI Strategy Development course, delivered by Educate Ventures, provides leaders with an overview of the core components of understanding AI for education and the importance of establishing a strategic imperative for the use of AI within their school(s).

The Cyber Fundamentals course will provide an overview of the current cyber security landscape, explore the essential components of a comprehensive cyber security plan tailored for schools, and show how to respond to incidents.

This 6-hour course will delve into the psychology and neuroscience behind leadership while reflecting on your own environment. This course will take place over two sessions, 14 January 2025 from 9:00-12:00 GMT (UTC) and 21 January 2025 from 9:00-12:00 GMT (UTC).

This two day, face-to-face event in Bahrain aims to connect students, parents and global educators with thought leaders who are passionate about the future of education.