My name is Claire Wijayatilake, and I am delighted to be taking over as Principal of N.I.C.E. from August 2010. I am originally from the U.K. but have been living and working in Sri Lanka for the last 20 years. I have a degree in Modern Languages from King's College, London, a Master of Arts in Education from the Institute of Education, University of London and a Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). I am currently reading for a PhD in teacher development from University of Warwick UK, which I hope to complete in 2012.

I began my career as a teacher in Madrid, Spain and then worked full-time for the British Council for over 16 years, first as a teacher and later as a teacher trainer and line manager. I have also worked as a teacher trainer for several international schools in and around Colombo. For the last few years I have been working as an Educational Consultant for various organizations in Sri Lanka and South Korea.

I am a fervent believer in student-centred education and as Principal, aim to help teachers develop professionally in ways that put the child at the centre of the learning process. Through regular training sessions I hope to pass on the knowledge of teaching that I have developed over the last 20 years. I chose to join N.I.C.E. as it is a small, friendly school which has the capacity to offer individual attention to each child. I hope to assist the teachers in bringing out the talents of each child, helping him or her grow in confidence and self-belief. I believe that in the modern world every child needs to develop the ability to do research and, as he or she grows older, start taking responsibility for his or her own learning. I intend to help each child at N.I.C.E. grow into a motivated and independent student who can actively plan his or her own future.

As Principal I have an open-door policy and welcome suggestions from both parents and students. I am very happy to meet prospective parents at any time.

I wish all our students success for the 201/2012 academic year