Understanding what makes a school distinctive often comes best from those with wide-ranging experience. For Douglas McPherson, Campus Principal at OneSchool Global (OSG) Nyby in Sweden, that perspective is shaped by decades of leading schools across the country and abroad.
Having worked across upper secondary, primary and specialist education settings, Douglas brings a breadth of experience that few school leaders can match. Since arriving at Nyby, he has been struck by what sets the campus apart.
“I think I’ve been a Principal in most types of schools in Sweden,” he reflects.
“In many schools, a principal’s role is focused on discipline and managing situations,” he says. “That’s very common.”
At OneSchool Global Nyby, the experience is different.
“Here, you feel as if you are here to teach. You’re here to concentrate on the pedagogic side,” he explains. “That’s the real reason I became a principal.”
At Nyby, one of the most noticeable differences is the environment. Set in the Swedish countryside, the campus offers a calm and focused setting where teaching and learning can take priority.
“It’s peaceful, it’s safe, and it’s very calm,” Douglas explains. “It’s great for the students as they can concentrate on what they’re doing in the classroom.”
While OneSchool Global operates as a global network, Douglas is clear that Nyby remains firmly grounded in its national context.
“We are a Swedish school. We follow the curriculum, and we have the framework to work within,” he says. “But we are also a global organisation, and that excites me.”
That dual perspective is something he values highly in his role.
“I can come to work and I can speak with Rome, Paris and London,” he says. “That really engages me. But we know this is a Swedish school.”
Central to the positive campus culture at OSG Nyby is the strength of the relationships within the school community.
“It’s a school where all the teachers support one another,” he says. “They like working with each other. They like working with the students. The students like working with them.”
With just under 90 students and around 20 staff, the scale of the campus plays an important role.
“It’s amazing that after just a few weeks, you know everyone in the school,” he explains. “You can get to know the students, their strengths, their weaknesses and how they learn.”
Douglas recognised from his first visit that OneSchool students were unique in terms of their commitment to, and engagement with their learning. He saw immediately that the students were very proud of their school and described them as “very OneSchool”, a phrase that is difficult to define, but immediately recognisable in practice.
“It’s something you feel when you are here,” he explains. “Students treat our educators with respect, they get respect back, and they really want to make the school the best in the world,” Douglas says.
And, that sense of connection extends beyond the classroom and across the school community.
“The parents here are fantastic,” Douglas adds. “They trust the school, and that’s a big thing. When there’s trust, it allows you to focus on delivering the best possible education.”
Douglas says that what he has found in his time at Nyby, is a return to the core of what makes being a teacher so great.
“For me, the joy of teaching here is being able to focus on what really matters,” he explains. “We get time with the students. We can understand how they learn and see their progress.”
These small moments, and the opportunity to more readily engage with students he says, are what make the difference. It is also shaped by the environment and the culture of the school.
“It’s calm, it’s focused, and you’re part of a team where everyone is working in the same direction,” he says.
For those considering a role at the campus, his advice is simple.
“Come and have a look. Meet the students, meet the staff and get a feel for the environment,” he says. “You’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
About OneSchool Global
OneSchool Global is an independent school network that has more than 8,000 primary and secondary students and 2,000 staff across the globe, in regions including United Kingdom, North America, Europe, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and the Caribbean. Our students come from the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church community; however, OneSchool Global is not a religious school and only teaches religion as required in the curriculum.
