UWC International is delighted to announce that PIA (Phuket International Academy) in Thailand will officially become UWC’s 16th school, under the name of UWC Thailand, effective 1 August 2016.

The UWC International Board granted PIA final approval on 18^th June, marking a very special milestone for the whole UWC community and welcoming the first UWC school in Thailand. The school is founded on the fundamental principle of providing a caring, supportive and joyful environment for all members of the community so that they can grow as individuals. Even before being approved as UWC Thailand, the school was known internationally for its progressive approach of embedding social emotional learning and mindfulness into the curriculum.

Julian Whiteley, previously Head of College at UWC South East Asia in Singapore and incoming Head of School for UWC Thailand, said: "We are delighted that UWC has recognised the quality of education we are providing for the students and I look forward to working with the staff, students and parents to continue to build a unique and truly exceptional school which provides a challenging all round education with an emphasis upon experiential learning, service and outdoor education". Jens Waltermann, Executive Director of UWC International added: “We are delighted to welcome UWC Thailand as the 16^th UWC, expanding our presence in South East Asia. The Thai culture and the mindfulness focus at UWC Thailand will make a strong contribution to the unique model of UWC education.”

Situated in northern Phuket and nestled at the foothills of a national park, UWC Thailand will host host 400 students from 65 nationalities, aged from 18 months to 18 years. Starting August, UWC Thailand will welcome the first 32 scholars from 29 countries, selected through the UWC National Committee system, who will attend their first year of IB Diploma in Phuket representing the large majority of the school’s students in Grade 11.

With an extensive range of service learning activities taking place off campus learning at UWC Thailand will certainly not be confined to the classroom. Students will embark on many excursions and field trips throughout the year and their service activities will be reaching out to the various communities living around the school campus. Supporting experiential learning and involvement in “real life” projects is already an important focus of the school today: Grade 5 spends one day each week out in the community putting their learning into practice. Students in Grades 2-12 also take part in annual WWWOCLs (Week Without Walls Off Campus Learning) with their fellow classmates: camps that focus on adventurous training in order to push the students into experiences outside their comfort zone, an approach very much in line with UWC’s experiential learning approach. The school as also access to the facilities of the neighbouring Thanyapura Health and Lifestyle Centre providing world class sporting facilities - in addition to offering a fully accessible campus. The school is situated close to countless islands, parks and barely-touched landscapes, which also provide fantastic learning environments for the students’ studies of environmental studies, maritime conservation and sustainability questions.

"Our scholars will greatly enrich the experience of all our students", commented Julian Whiteley. "We will be welcoming students from as far afield as Chile, the Dominican Republic, South Sudan and Slovakia. They all have different stories to tell but share two things in common, a love of education in its broadest sense - not just academics - and a burning desire to contribute in a positive way to society".

For more information about the school, please visit www.uwcthailand.net.