Education for a Global Community: Kazakhstan International School Opens in Astana

Interview with Todd Flanagan, Head of Kazakhstan International School Astana

Kazakhstan International School Astana – More than Academics! Welcome Todd. It’s so great to see you. Thank you for your time. It’s always great to have a conversation with the head of a school. And today we’ll talk about Kazakhstan International School Astana.

Can you share with us how KIS Astana originated?

KIS Astana of Kazakhstan International School Astana is the second school of KIS. KIS Almaty was formed nearly 25 years ago and is a leading international school in Almaty. The founder of the school believed the time is right to open a new leading school in the capital of Astana. After a great deal of planning KIS Astana will open on September 2 2024.

What is unique about KIS Astana? There are a number of international schools in Astana, why should a family make a decision to choose KIS?

This is a very good question. Indeed we have a long history of operating a leading international school in Almaty already. In this sense, the school has an established reputation for excellence. We will build on this reputation and our school in many ways will mirror the KIS Almaty school. And as we bring the success of the program from KIS Almaty, we will also innovate for the needs of the Astana community and build on the practice of what we have learned in the development of the Almaty school.

Indeed, it is our vision not to build just a good international school in Astana but to become a leading International Baccalaureate in Central Asia.

Can you share with us what makes a leading international school?

Firstly, I do not believe there is any perfect school. All schools have challenges as they are people oriented organisations and everyone has an opinion what is best for their child. However, over a long history of managing international schools, I have found there are generally three components any school needs to get right if they want to operate effectively. This was shared with me many years ago when I was leading an international school in Shanghai through the international accreditation process. I remember discussing this with the accrediting body from the Council of International Schools and I believe these factors are as relevant today as they were many years ago in China. If a school can offer 1. A recognised program 2. Quality teachers 3. Long term commitment by School Director then a school has the essential components of operating an effective school.

I am very pleased we are strong in each of these components. 

Curriculum – we will be implementing the renowned International Baccalaureate (IB) program. There are over 6000 schools world-wide that offer this program and having worked with this program in other schools throughout the world I believe the IB program offers a leading approach to education of children in the twenty first century. I have worked with many world curriculum including UK, USA, Australian, Singapore, SABIS and of course the IB. I have also had family members attend and graduate from IB schools and I can often see the difference between a child who has attended an IB school.

Secondly, we have put significant effort into the hiring and appointment of our teaching staff. Our foreign class teachers all come from native English speaking countries including Canada, USA, UK, Ireland and Australia. In addition, we have additional specialist teachers coming from the Netherlands, Spain and South Africa.

Then of course we have our local Kazakh teachers who we have recruited from other schools throughout Kazakhstan and Astana. We have found KIS has attracted high quality local teachers who will greatly enrich the program offered at the school and will contribute to a very strong Kazakh language and culture program.

The third aspect of excellent schools is to have stability in the leadership or Head of School. If a Head of School changes regularly, it is hard to define and implement the vision of the school. When I was approached about taking on the leadership of the school, I was asked about the time commitment I was prepared to give to the school. I indicated it was my desire to one day stand on a stage and present our first students we are accepting into the school now with their graduation diplomas. From a career aspect, I view KIS as a long term priority.

Can you tell us a little about your history? What led you to Astana and Kazakhstan?

I feel I have been blessed by having a long career in international education. I have been leading schools both in Australia and internationally for the last twenty years. I am originally from Australia but I have always been interested in foreign cultures. I worked as an international correspondent for different media organizations earlier in my career. I think this laid the foundation of interest in other cultures and this coupled with my formal university studies in education meant that the ideal career path for me was in international education. I have been fortunate to have led international schools in China, Azerbaijan, Vietnam, UAE, Australia and now I find myself in Kazakhstan. 

In particular, I was very interested in KIS Astana due to the vision of the founder who after a thirty year history of developing a successful international business in Kazakhstan, wanted to put something back into the country that had been so rewarding for his family. KIS is a not for profit school. This means any income generated by the school is reinvested back into the school to make the program we offer and school stronger. I identify strongly with this vision after having observed how many schools operate over a long period of time.

What do you think will be unique about KIS Astana?

Our school motto is ‘More Than Academics’ I believe our school reflects this in so many ways.

The school has one of the most unique designs of any international school in the world with state-of-the-art facilities including two swimming pools, gymnasiums, dance studios, purpose built classrooms designed with unique Kazakh features, theatre and much more. Many people will be drawn immediately to the design of the school which when viewed from an aerial perspective is shaped like a Q. My understanding is that Kazakhstan was originally spelt with a Q. This in itself is a very unique feature. But those involved deeply in education know that a unique building alone will not offer a leading education. This comes from what goes on within the unique design. I am pleased to announce that although the language of instruction will be English, we will have a very strong Kazakh language and culture program, perhaps the strongest of any international school in the city where English is the teaching language. Our program is based on research and experience and will be aimed at the level of development of each child entering the school. 

To implement this, we will have a unique co-teaching model where a fully qualified Kazakh teacher will work alongside the foreign teaching staff in the classrooms.

In addition we will offer a First Language Russian and Russian as an Additional language classes.

Our school will also have a strong focus on the teaching of Arts and Music and technology will be a major focus of the school.

Quite often schools spend a great deal of time promoting the subjects that they will offer. This is important but ultimately we want well-adjusted and happy students. Our classrooms and open spaces have been designed with student well-being in mind. I believe the designers and education consultants have done an excellent job in this regard and we hope that families will feel the school is like a second home. 

The Head of School is an important role as the leader of the school community. What is your vision and hopes for KIS?

I am one of a number people who are working to make this the school what it will be. The Board has indicated they would like this school to be a leading International Baccalaureate school in Central Asia. This is a strong vision but I believe imminently achievable. I feel I am fortunate to have a forward thinking, progressive and supportive School Board who own this mandate and provide great support as we continue the KIS journey in Astana. My feeling is we will become renowned in the future. We will build a strong and welcoming community where our guiding principle will be the development of each and every child that enters our school. I look forward to welcoming many new families to our doors as begin the countdown to opening on 2 September 2024.

Finally, how have you found the adjustment to Astana? It must be very different to your hometown in Perth, Australia?

This is a question I get asked a lot. I think Astana people are very curious about how a newcomer adjusts to the extreme winter temperature. The winter temperature is certainly very different to the winter in my home city. And I remember at one point thinking what an interesting contrast our two countries have. I was outside walking in December and it was  -44C. At the same time it was +42C in Perth. That is a serious difference. But I enjoy new experiences and have found with the appropriate clothing there is no need to feel cold and infact have felt less cold in Astana than I have in other cities in the world. Everything is well heated in Astana.

Also, there are some similarities between Australia and Kazakhstan. Like Kazakhstan, Australia is a large country with a relatively small population given the land size. Kazakhstan also has significant oil and gas and mineral reserves like Australia. Both our countries have promising futures and I have found the Kazakh people to be warm and welcoming and very hospitable. This has made my move to live here very smooth and enjoyable. When people ask me about living here, I often reply that out of the different cities around the world I have lived, Astana is fast becoming my favourite city in the world.