Message From The Principal

Welcome to Hillside High International School. I am honoured and very pleased to be able to tell you about our wonderful school. We have been educating secondary school students for almost 30 years now and have seen well over 1000 students graduate with Cambridge International IGCSEs and A levels during that time and many have progressed into impressive careers. Our alumni include Dr. Nsereko Christopher, Dr Kagoda, Fcca Rudra, among others

Our academic success has been founded on a philosophy that encourages intrinsic motivation from all our learners and an emphasis on skills based learning rather than simple knowledge accumulation and memorisation. With the advent of the internet and social media, access to information and knowledge has never been easier. With a Google search on a phone or computer just a click away, the idea that the teacher is the font of all knowledge is an outdated one. Does this make the teacher redundant? Not at all. For a long time, the view of progressive educationalists has been that teachers are facilitators of learning and not purely a source of facts and information. A teacher should no longer stand at the front of the class and dictate or write on the board information for a child to replicate and remember. The teacher should, in fact, provide opportunities for students to work things out for themselves; to use skills such as analysis, interpretation and communication to understand and then explain to others the concepts, ideas and meaning behind what they have discovered. They should also teach them research skills and the importance of judgment when carrying out research in terms of bias, accuracy and veracity. Fake news is a very real and serious problem in the world today with the mass of unedited and unscrutinised material online and teachers should provide the tools for students to discern what they see and hear so that they can form a balanced interpretation.

At Hillside, with its small class sizes, idyllic setting and caring teachers, students develop confidence to interact with their peers and their teachers in a mature and respectful way. They are also encouraged to be curious, to question and challenge what they see and hear. The school operates a policy of inclusivity and equality and no prejudice is shown regarding nationality, religion, gender or cultural background. Every member of the Hillside community from the ground staff to the directors and from Year 8 to Year 13 is valued equally. Parents are recognised as an integral part of the community. We believe very much in the idea that staff and parents should work as a team to support and guide the students with a common goal to help our young learners to reach their full potential in whatever field they wish to pursue, whether academic or in sports or the performing arts or in whatever other area of interest or talent they may have.

We look forward to welcoming you and your child to the Hillside community very soon!

CLIFF GREEN

Principal