Round Square International Conference 2025 (RSIC), Dubai

By D Toland

By the end of this academic year 60% of all Rockport pupils will have travelled with staff on residential school trips. By any school metric this appears to be a high percentage, but this is achieved at Rockport most years.

In 2024 we had a major Arts Tour to New York, RSIC to Colombia, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions and a Model United Nations debate tour. A major Sports Tour to Malta and RSIC to Kenya preceded these in 2023.

During September 2025, RSIC 2025 saw eight Sixth Form pupils travel to Dubai and all of Year 8 and Year 10 experienced a residential team-building session in the Mournes. In October, 30 pupils will tour Belgium and Paris; and more than 50 pupils will ski in France in February 2026.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme continues to go from strength to strength with over 30 pupils participating in Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards last year; and more nights under canvas on practice and qualifying expeditions planned for pupils later this year.

The Upper Juniors teachers ensure that their pupils have an annual opportunity for residential trips, preparing and equipping our youngest students with the necessary independent life skills for future school travel. They'll visit Wales this year.

So why do we do it? What is the point and purpose, and where do school trips like RSIC fit into the business of learning and academic achievement? It is at this point I need to dispel any slight notion or myth that travelling as staff on a school trip is a holiday - it most certainly is not!

The simple answer as to the why we do it - is that as professional educators, the Rockport staff fully embrace and understand the value of experiential education and how it can provide unparalleled opportunities for personal growth and development. Character education at the core of any curriculum, will build resilience and grit, promote problem solving, improve communication skills and encourage inquisitiveness. School tours create valuable lasting memories and promote strong friendships. Travel fosters a spirit of adventure, inner courage and a love of learning about people, places and cultures. School trips and tours provide the opportunity to enhance academic achievement, by providing pupils with real life independence and coping skills.

Time spent on organised school excursions supports character education, which we can verbalise and track through the lens of The Round Square Discovery Framework.

Rockport’s Round Square membership strengthens our school curriculum and provides an underpinning common theme to all lessons and co-curricular activities that we offer, including the provision of school trips and tours.

Based on the six pillars of learning the Round Square ‘IDEALS ‘and supported by the pupil discoveries – The Round Square Discovery Framework illustrates how learning is pupil-centred at Rockport School.

The RSIC is a unique travel and learning experience. Each Rockport student delegate that travels to a Round Square conference has to apply in writing and be interviewed. During this process they identify what they may learn, or a personal attribute that they wish to develop, by being selected to travel. They also have to put their case forward for representing the school by highlighting their active participation in wider school life, outside the classroom. A requirement of successful selection to travel is an agreement that on their return, they present to their peers in Sixth Form and to the other sectors of the school outlining their conference experience.

The structure of every RSIC follows some or all of the IDEALS, encouraging the development of the Round Square Discoveries amongst students. Whilst RSIC is directed at pupils aged 16+, the Rockport staff recognise that all school tours present the same opportunities for learning to different age groups.

At Junior School level, the Round Square Discoveries are introduced and made accessible in Playgroup, Reception and Early Years via the Heroes Characters that parents may have seen around the school and in classrooms. Compassionate Carlos is a firm favourite amongst the pupils. Problem-Solving Papri can make an appearance in Maths and Sustainability Suki at Eco Schools Club. Gradually as pupils progress into Upper Juniors, they are more connected and feel familiar with the Heroes. They have an evolving understanding of tenacity, compassion, problem-solving and communication as wider skills.  Staff will often use the ‘discovery’ language in assemblies and during class. On residential trips, they will be asked to be like Courageous Collete as they travel without their parents for the first time, quite an undertaking for a 7 or 8-year-old.

By Year 8 pupils are familiar with the six pillars of learning and the 12 Discoveries that underpin the academic curriculum at Rockport School. Teamwork and communication are high on the list, with the Mournes residential offered to ensure a smooth transition into senior school.

The IDEALS beginning with ‘I’ for Internationalism, a feature already fully embedded in our international school community, with more than 20 nationalities represented throughout the school. Travel, and in particular the Round Square International Conferences (RSIC), provides exposure to an even more diverse selection of nationalities, providing life skills and learning that cannot be replicated in a classroom.

In Dubai our 8 students and 2 staff had 4 nationalities between the delegation, and arrived in Dubai to mix with 955 other students of 55 differing nationalities. This presents an amazing opportunity for the promotion of face-to-face human connection and true cultural understanding, something that is becoming critically important in a teenage world dominated by chat-bots and algorithm-led social media interactions. RSIC is aimed at pupils aged 16 years and above and provides a pre-university experience with key-note speakers, workshops, discussion groups and practical service-learning and adventure activities.

Each RSIC has common elements but a different personality, depending on the organising school and the host country. This year in Dubai we were treated to an energetic and stimulating opening ceremony with fabulous artistic and cultural offerings from all three organiser schools - The Millennium School, the Indian High School and Gems Modern Academy. With a student-led focus, staff are very much available to the students, but students are encouraged to display teamwork skills, hone their communication skills, and be tenacious, inquisitive and courageous in their networking. Pin-swapping is a competitive challenge, encouraging students to speak and connect with as many international friends as possible.

Days two and three of the conference followed Environment and Service themes for our delegation. On Sunday Climate Fresk were on hand to run collaborative workshops highlighting climate change; and in the afternoon, practical outdoor environmental work at Aventura, when the pupils learned about composting, seed planting and the creation of a natural pesticide.

On Monday, half the delegates visited the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara to understand Service from a Sikh perspective. Students helped serve at the daily 'Langar', a community food kitchen and learned about the principles of 'Sewa', reflecting the Sikh spirit of selfless service and contribution to the community. The other half spent a day planning for, hosting and leading workshops for People of Determination, students and young adults with a range of specialised learning needs.

The final activity day for the Rockport Round Square delegation was adventure day. We began with guest-speaker Sanjeev Krishna who led a session on yoga, mindfulness; and tips for personal wellbeing, self-direction and leadership. Once

the temperature had dropped a little from 38°C to a mere 33°C, we travelled by coach through the striking desert landscape for a steep but stunning hike through the mountainous landscape to look across the Al Rafisah Dam at sunset. Spending time with our final year pupils appreciating the simplicity of sunset in this setting made this day a perfect and gratifying end to our active conference before the closing ceremony.

On the final day of the conference, after a wonderful closing ceremony during which the baton was handed over from the three Dubai host schools to Barker College school in Sydney hosting next year's conference, we had some time to reflect on what a fabulous week we had in Dubai.

New friendships around the world and amongst our pupils have been made, and each travelling Rockport student has returned with renewed self-awareness about their capacity for lifelong learning, and the benefits of travel to broaden horizons.  

Soon this set of students, our next cohort of Old Rockportians, bonded by memories of this conference and the many school trips they have been fortunate to enjoy, will leave Rockport on their next big adventure.  Be it university, apprenticeship, work or gap year, the opportunity to build character through school tours and conference attendance will undoubtedly help prepare them for their post-18 journey.