What's in a name?

Two very lucky 14-year-old students, Nuttiya Siriwat (Nan) and Khanapat Roykornkaew (Pat), presently studying at Bromsgrove International School in Thailand (Bist), have recently won scholarships to its 'sister' school at Bromsgrove School in England.

Nothing very unusual in that, you may think. Except that scholarships are actually quite rare to prestigious UK schools, and even more scarce to schools that bear the same name as the 'host' school.

Bromsgrove originated in the Middle Ages; its official foundation is marked 1553. Over the centuries, it has become one of Britain's most forward-thinking schools.

Bist opened in 2005 and now has over 1300 students, aged between three and 18, attend the school in Thailand. The opening of Bist demonstrates that although Bromsgrove UK may be surrounded by walls; its values and aspirations are not.

To secure their UK scholarships, Nan and Pat had to go through some difficult selection procedures. For example, apart from running the gauntlet of getting appointed by their teachers, they also had the dubious pleasure of being interviewed by the headmaster, chairman and executive director of the school. Pretty gruelling stuff for 14 year olds! Of course, their outstanding academic achievements helped a lot, too.

All three schools mentioned above are established boarding schools. Nan and Pat will live 'cheek-by-jowl' with all the other students in the single-sex UK boarding houses. They will attend all regular classes, although they will have some additional help with English from the English as an Additional Language (EAL) department.

Such schools are well known for their high academic standards and their sports, arts and music strengths. No doubt Nan and Pat will partake of the many English traditions, such as wearing boaters; cricket on the green; tea in the pavilion; and strawberries and cream.

Bromsgrove's senior staff regularly come to visit Bist to conduct inspections to ensure that the same high standards of Bromsgrove UK are maintained. And as headmaster, I visit the Bromsgrove UK school at least once a year to recruit UK teachers for the school, as well as catch up with senior staff on issues important to education. Last time I visited several of the boarding houses to get ideas for our new boarding house, which will open later this year.

Teachers at both schools communicate regularly on the latest educational research and trends. Students in both countries often write to each other as part of ICT projects in Geography, History and English. With so much in common, there is much to share and compare.

The schools follow the same curriculum leading to the General Certificate of Secondary Education. They deliver the AS (Advanced Subsidiary) and A (Advanced) level GCE course leading to university admission in the States, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, as well as countries in Southeast Asia.

Bist is keen on creating children who acquire confidence with humility, ambition with compassion, curiosity with respect and vision with tolerance. We aim to produce happy, moral, creative citizens who live motivated, fulfilled lives while enriching the lives of others. Retaining the core values whilst responding to global change is never going to be easy, but the staff at Bist are united in our drive to achieve it.

So, for the two scholars Nan and Pat, and others like them, it will be an interesting time. We look forward to hearing from them soon about their experiences. "Anyone for tennis?"

Jeffery Topp, MA and BEd, is the headmaster of Bromsgrove International School Thailand - a British curriculum day and boarding school, which is affiliated with Bromsgrove School UK, established in 1553. He was educated and has taught in the UK for over 25 years.