Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar: Head Of Sixth Form Emma Davidson Talks School, University, And The Future

Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar’s new head of Sixth Form, Emma Davidson, on propelling the school’s Sixth Form forward

The final two years of schooling, the Sixth Form, are more than just a bridge between school and university—they are the pinnacle of the school experience and the gateway to some of the world’s top universities. No other school understands this better than Malaysia’s British-style international boarding school Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar (KTJ).

At the helm of KTJ’s A-Level programme is the new head of Sixth Form, Emma Davidson. She is also the current president of the Oxford & Cambridge Society of Malaysia, which coordinates debates, seminars and workshops.

She tells Tatler what motivates her, what holistic education means to her and the school, and her vision for the Sixth Form.

Above KTJ's waterfront building. (Photo: KTJ)

Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m from Bradford, England and I went to a pretty grim school for my GCSEs. My parents funded me to do my A-Levels at an excellent private boys grammar school which had just started accepting girls. After studying philosophy, politics and economics at Corpus Christi, Oxford, I worked in insurance broking. I married a Malaysian and came here in 1997, worked in loss adjusting before moving into teaching, starting first with the British Council.

In 2011, my daughter started boarding at KTJ, followed by her brothers, and they all absolutely loved it. I joined in 2013 as head of operations when we opened the Primary School. I missed the classroom so I moved back into teaching IELTS and EAL a couple of years later and got more and more involved in the Oxbridge support and enrichment in the Sixth Form.

As someone who has been with KTJ for many years, what keeps you motivated?

The students, for sure. Because we’re boarding and because of all the activities we do, we get to know them really well. The idea of being in loco parentis runs deep in our pastoral and academic DNA. Our students are enthusiastic, bright, and engaging—such a joy to work with. When you know students so well, you can’t help but champion them in the same way you do with your own children. There’s an energy in KTJ, from students and teachers, that’s infectious and inspiring.

Above student law enrichment talk from INTA in October 2019. (Photo: KTJ)

What is holistic education and why is it important to you?

For us, it means engaging in challenging conversations and academic investigation. Students explore the complexities and diversity of the world and begin to navigate their understanding of it by developing their own thinking and interests, especially in areas that are related, even tangentially, to their subject disciplines whether it be law or medicine or engineering or economics. This is crucial not just for university but also beyond.

Our approach to enrichment and the super curriculum goes beyond the A-Level syllabus and means students discover as much about themselves as the world around them.

Which elements do you think are most important to the growth of KTJ’s Sixth Form?

We’re looking for continued growth in the quality, not quantity, of our Sixth Form experience. KTJ is a Trust with charitable status, so numbers are not our priority. We measure success by the powerful changes our students make in their new communities.

A good example is the number of KTJers who go on to lead the Malaysian societies in their universities such as CUMaS (Cambridge), OUMC (Oxford), and SUMC (LSE). That’s also why our Inspiring Futures campaign is so important to us. It demonstrates that our goals are more than just top academic exam results.

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How have you dealt with challenges resulting from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic?

KTJ invested a lot in software packages, databases, and training; and we swap best practices in our digital Teachers’ Toolkit. We moved everything online very quickly to minimise disruption, which is especially important for students in their exam years.

KTJ Sixth Formers were invited to over 40 evening talks during the lockdown—hosted either by our own teachers or in conjunction with the Oxbridge Society. They engaged with fantastic webathons on the 2020 US election and BREXIT as well as attending lectures on politics, history, physics, economics, biomedicine, and theatre to name but a few. KTJ students were also able to pose direct ‘real-time’ questions to international experts like Prof William James, the Oxford-based Covid researcher, along with local luminaries like Khairy, Prof Jomo, Ambiga, and Anwar.

Of course, this exposure is great, but face-to-face engagement is still more impactful. Online does have one big advantage, though—it’s much easier to get speakers if they don’t have to drive out to Mantin!

How would you best describe your vision for KTJ’s Sixth Form?

Happy and healthy students who are achieving their highest goals in a safe, open, but structured environment. We’re there every step of the way to encourage, support, and sometimes console them, but always to champion them. That’s at the core of our extensive two-year programme of university application support.

For me, the best part of my role is seeing how students grow personally and academically whilst they are in our care. My vision is for a legacy of KTJ students who positively impact communities and who add value to all that they do once they leave us.

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How do you build a positive school culture or climate?

I think modelling and leading by example are both fundamental. That curiosity in people and ideas is deeply entrenched in our Sixth Form team. That passion for exploring permeates our Sixth Form and is one of the reasons why KTJ has just been featured in The Telegraph’s Top 20 List of global schools that send students to Oxbridge. We at KTJ have real enthusiasm and joy in what we do here. Our charitable status and the support of the trustees make KTJ a very special place to live and learn.

We’ve a stunningly beautiful campus and recent renovations give it a resort feel. Work on the Sixth Form Centre was postponed in May 2020 because of the pandemic, so ensuring that our Sixth Form Centre becomes as fresh and fun as the rest of the school will be a major goal of mine. Having a diversity of people and interests, especially through engaging with our incredible alumni, parents, and external guests is a large part of my 2021-2022 plan. I really want our students to be set up for success in life.

Book a visit to meet a member of their senior leadership team and take a tour of KTJ’s sprawling 80-acre campus. Learn more at www.ktj.edu.my.

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KTJ Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar Sixth Form Emma Davidson Boarding School International School Education

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Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar: Head Of Sixth Form Emma Davidson Talks School, University, And The Future