Ian Temple has had a distinguished career of 31 years in Education and brings an impressive wealth of expertise to the role at Nobel. He started by telling The Portugal News “It is very exciting to be here and this is the first time I have visited Portugal. I have been all over the world but for some strange reason, I had never been to Portugal. My first impression is that it is a beautiful country and that the people are what makes Portugal special.”

Ian Temple worked in the UK for 18 years and then went on to work as a headteacher at numerous international schools located in Qatar, Dubai and Malaysia. Most uniquely, his previous international school in Malaysia shared a similar setup to Nobel, with both a national and international school under one campus, which became the key motivator for him to take on this new role.

“When I met the staff, they were so warm and professional that I knew immediately they were the kind of people I wanted to work with. I felt they would join me on my journey because it doesn’t matter how good a school is, there is always room for improvement. I could see that these people were constantly striving to improve and to make the school an even better place.”

Top priorities

Regarding his priorities for the academic year, Ian Temple explained “At Nobel the children are very well looked after and cared for, and we want to continue to keep improving in that area. Teaching and learning will always be a focus; we make sure that our teachers are up to date with 21st century learning methods and with the most recent pedagogies so that our children learn in the best ways, continually supported by the latest technology.”

He added, “Artificial intelligence is just starting to enter education, and it will become a major industry for children, so we are looking at how to prepare them for this as a career prospect. We want to equip both our children and teachers to be ready for this shift. I also always consider the surrounding area, where hospitality is a prominent industry, so that is another area we will focus on. I have already spoken directly with some hotels interested in working with our school to give students a taste for real life experiences while in a safe environment. It is crucial to hear from those already working in these industries and provide children with real-life experiences.’

Regarding academic standards, the new headteacher emphasised “That will always be a priority. As a school we must ensure our students are equipped with the skills and qualifications to achieve the grades required for admissions to their preferred universities.”

New facilities

Nobel School is in the process of doubling its capacity. “We are having a new campus built adjacent to the school. Currently, we have 1,000 students, and the new campus will allow us to grow to 1,900. We would hope to reach that capacity within the next three to four years.

Ian Temple revealed that “The primary school of both the national and international sections are going to be in the new building, while the secondary school will remain in the existing building. Once the new building is complete, we will refurbish the 52 year old existing building. It is a very charming space, but it needs modernising to meet the needs of our older students.

Our pre-school opened on the 1 September, it is working really well and is already full. It is a wonderful, modern facility for pre-school children. Our lower primary will open in January, alongside the new cafeteria, which is part of phase two. Phase three will follow with the upper primary and our STEAM classrooms.”


Message to prospective parents

The new headteacher concluded “To bring out the best in children, they need to be in a kind and supportive environment, which we foster at Nobel to help them achieve the highest academic standards. It is the partnership of pastoral care and a focus on academic excellence that sets us apart and ensures that children receive a well-rounded education. We constantly strive to improve and modernise, and we will never settle for ‘good enough’, we will always encourage our students to do their best.”

For more information and to experience a warm welcome in person please book a visit to Nobel Algarve by visiting https://www.nobelalgarve.com/