Ysgol Esgob Morgan in St Asaph has been awarded the British Council’s prestigious International School Award in recognition of its work to bring the world into the classroom.
The International School Award is a badge of honour for schools 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.
Ysgol Esgob Morgan’s international work includes visiting the London 2012 Olympic Games, a Caribbean exchange for teachers, using Skype and other software to connect with classrooms all over the world and being a part of the British Council Promotional Video.
The British Council’s website for schools – British Council Schools Online – is a supportive ‘one stop shop’ to help schools find international opportunities and teaching resources, including details about the International School Award. Any school can find out how to apply by visiting http://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org.
2012 saw more than 800 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 2013
The Award is now available worldwide in countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Lebanon, Cyprus and Pakistan as part of the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms programme. Around 4000 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
