Headmaster's message Friday 21st June 2024

Dear Parents and Guardians,

With one week until the end of the year there is a lot  going on at DBS.

Tonight, we hold our first ever 6th Form Prom, another milestone as our pioneer group get ready to finish their time at DBS. We also have our first ever graduation ceremony on Monday. We are immensely proud of our graduating class and whilst sad to see them leave, we are full of pride about their achievements.

Last night we held our 2nd ever Denla Piano competition with over 240 students from over 100 schools across Thailand entering the competition. The quality of the performances was exceptional and we hope to continue to make this annual event a highlight of our calendar.

In the Prep assembly today, Mr Bridges and Mr Paveley came to launch an exciting new initiative for next year called 'High Performance Pathways'. We will begin by offer this in football and basketball. This year, in response to parent feedback, we launched morning training sessions in key sports. Parents have also fed back that they would like to be able to do some sports all year round. Our High Performance Pathways in Football and Basketball will involve 2 hours of training per week all year round and will incorporate strength and conditioning training as part of these sessions. We have brought in a new football provider  called Lucitanos who will work in conjunction with our in house coaches. Their coaches have played professionally both overseas and in Thailand and they have an excellent reputation. This will be in addition to our in house staff. Not many parents are aware but within our teaching team, we have 3 staff members who have played at a professional level as well as another with a UEFA B coaching qualification. We aim to really develop both Football and Basketball over the coming years as well as expanding our High Performance Pathways to a range of other sports.

As we move into the final week, I would like to reflect on the year that has gone by. I certainly feel that the school feels more vibrant as we have grown and this has opened up so many new opportunities for our students. For some, this growth and change can be difficult, and I know that some families will miss the days of us being 300-400 students where we have enough parking for all, but our students benefit more from being in a larger community. We have worked hard this year to try to maintain a sense of community with events like our pancake run, parent activities, coffee morning and staff/ parent sports competitions. We really hope there is something for everyone in what we offer. 

Our student achievements this year have been exceptional with DBS students competing and dominating in regional competitions, winning many trophies in local sports competitions and qualifying for international rounds, these are all indicators that we have reached maturity. Our academic reults and university offers are excellent. This is the end of the beginning. We are a start-up no more. As headmaster, I can now confidently say that we are one of the best schools in the city. Our achievements match and often exceed the most established schools in the city. I hope that you all share in this pride. Our children achieve exceptional things and will continue to do so as we move always to greater things...

Best wishes,

Jonny Liddell

Headmaster