Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Derry.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was raised in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. I received a degree in Physics from Aston University in Birmingham, England and my teaching degree at a college in Dublin, Ireland. My career began at the International School of Basel in Switzerland with a dual role teaching physics and outdoor education. After starting a family with my wife, Anne-Marie, we moved to Cannes. Asia was the next stop in my international career with a consulting role in Singapore and Bejing where I advised education ministers.
My educational career continued in Liechtenstein, Idaho and Zimbabwe came after Asia, followed by Budapest, Hungary. My time in Budapest was the start of my relationship with Nord Anglia Education as I helped them expand their International School. This experience in building a new school ultimately led me back to the US, and the chance to become principal at Nord Anglia’s flagship British International School in Houston.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Part of moving to Texas and taking on my new role included opening a brand new, state of the art campus and moving the school’s families and staff from our previous home inside the 610 Loop out to Katy. The planning, oversight and coordination this took, was immense, all while continuing to lead the new school as principal.
A continuous challenge of ours is to enrich our students with collaborations, creativity & community to create a well-rounded individual who is prepared for the future but also one who gets great exam results.
Please tell us about British International School of Houston.
We like to call ourselves the International School with a British Heritage. We are a private school with students ranging from our Two’s program all the way through 12th grade. As part of a global family of schools in Nord Anglia Education, we offer unique opportunities for our students, complementing our world-class personalized learning approach, developing lifelong learners, capable of shaping the world around them.
Our school also offers enhanced learning through collaborations with world-leading organizations such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), The Juilliard School, UNICEF and the Texas Medical Center.
What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
We are proud of our academic success our students achieve, enabling them to get into their first choice of University and College courses: We are proud of our academic success our students achieve, enabling them to get into their first choice of University and College courses: Our graduating class of 2017 were offered: Half of our graduates were offered places to study at the world’s top 100 universities.
A quarter of our graduates were offered places to study at the world’s top 25 universities. $1.4million in academic scholarships were awarded to our graduates last year. Our results are a true reflection of our hardworking students, dedicated, passionate and nurturing staff, and supportive parents and the strength of the programme at BISH. Our aim for the future is to continue to build on this success.
These days, good exam results are only the beginning; leadership ability, service learning, creativity and entrepreneurial skills are among the qualities leading universities now expect. This is the level of attainment required to gain admission to the world’s elite universities, such as Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard and Stanford.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bishouston/
- Twitter: @Bishouston
Image Credit:
Nick De La Tore
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