This in from Christ the King College, in their own words. Ed
We are delighted to inform you that Christ the King College has been successful in gaining the International School Award and is accredited for three years from 1 September 2014 to 31 August 2017.
The International School Award is a badge of honour for schools and Colleges that do outstanding work in international education, such as through links with partner schools overseas. Fostering an international dimension in the curriculum is at the heart of the British Council’s work with schools, so that young people gain the cultural understanding and skills they need to live and work as global citizens.
Previous projects
Some examples of Christ the King College’s international work over the last year includes:
- eTwinning projects with schools in France and its overseas territories as part of the Year 7 French curriculum
- Working with a school in Germany as part of an extra-curricular German club
- A Comparison of Fairytales project linking a Year 7 English class with 20 other schools in Europe
- Learning about international number systems in Maths lessons
- Welcoming and hosting a large number of student visitors from Thailand
- A trip to New York and Washington DC and a World Challenge trip to Ethiopia.
Other projects
There are further exciting projects planned including a Connecting Classrooms link with a school in Bangladesh which will enrich the Citizenship curriculum. Christ the King College has recently become a Global Learning Expert Centre and, as such, will offer training on global development education to Isle of Wight Schools during the next academic year.
Below are some of the assessor’s comments on the College Impact Evaluation, part of the process of applying for the award, highlighting where the application was particularly impressive:
“This Impact Evaluation is simply outstanding in every aspect and a real credit to your school. It is refreshing and encouraging to see the level of commitment and passion that you have dedicated to your international education programme. Every activity is completely cross-curricular and they are all appropriately linked with global themes that have resulted in this excellent work. Your ability to embed internationalism into your curriculum in such an apparently effortless manner clearly demonstrates your understanding of the principles and mechanisms of international learning.”
“Your whole cross-curricular approach to your work and the way you have linked your activities to relevant global themes provide scope for stimulating work while ensuring that the quality and details remain consistent with the requirements of the ISA. One of the most striking aspects of your evaluation is the fact that the activities and the global themes you have chosen to explore all merge seamlessly into the fabric of the curriculum as though by design. Your school is a shining example of how to guide your international work through clearly planned and delivered activities across an extensive cross-curricular platform. It is no surprise that you have been recognized and accredited as a Global Learning Programme Expert Centre. Congratulations and well done.
“Your partnerships with your international and local schools are impressive and your collaboration with them over so many interesting projects just adds weight to your Impact Evaluation. In terms of your apppriate use of a foreign language as a vehicle for exploring international themes, you have made excellent use of the languages available to you.”
Personal feedback
Personal feedback was also given to Mrs. Pauline Stirling, the College’s International Coordinator;
“Congratulations on working so hard to co-ordinate such an impressive range of work as the International Co-ordinator. You are a credit to the school and the wider community.”
On hearing the news that Christ the King College had received the Award, Pat Goodhead, Principal of Christ the King College said,
“It is a wonderful award to have achieved and is a credit to the staff and students who have worked so hard throughout the years to be recognised in this way. The feedback received speaks for itself and is a real tribute to our commitment to developing young people who are aware of global and international issues.”
John Rolfe, from the British Council, said:
“The school’s fantastic international work has rightfully earned it this prestigious award. The International School Award is a great chance for schools to demonstrate the important work they’re doing to bring the world into their classrooms. Adding an international dimension to children’s education ensures that they are truly global citizens and helps prepare them for successful future careers in an increasingly global economy.”
2013/14 saw more than 500 schools receive International School Award accreditation.
This includes a wide range of schools from a variety of different backgrounds and areas across the UK. The British Council hopes to build on this success throughout 2014 The Award is now available worldwide in countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Lebanon, Cyprus, Pakistan and Nigeria as part of the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms programme. Around 5000 International School Awards have been presented to successful schools in the UK since the scheme began in 1999.
The ISA encourages and supports schools to develop:
- An international ethos embedded throughout the school
- A majority of pupils within the school impacted by and involved in international work
- Collaborative curriculum-based work with a number of partner schools
- Curriculum-based work across a range of subjects
- Year-round international activity
- Involvement of the wider community
