International Schools Award
The International School Award (ISA) is an accreditation scheme, open to all schools and free of charge, which recognises curriculum-based international work. The international dimension in education is an increasingly important part of agendas such as Every Child Matters and Community Cohesion; it supports the cultural heritage of teachers, learners and communities leading to positive learning across schools.
The ISA supports schools to develop:
The ISA 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
- Evaluation from a variety of sources allowing you to improve your activities and your international programme.
- A framework within which to form and develop international partnerships and achieve curriculum goals
- Ideas for developing collaborative curriculum-based international work with partner schools
- Recognition for teachers and their schools that instill a global dimension into the learning experience of all children and young people
- Opportunities to raise the school's profile through local and national media coverage
- Support for delivering on the Sustainable School agenda.
Benefits of the award
Whole school ethos
When a school has partner schools in the UK and in other countries, this can have the effect of bringing the school together and increasing its sense of ethos and identity.
Community Cohesion
The ISA has always promoted partnerships both within the UK and with other countries. This can give a real focus to discussions in the school about who we are (and how others see us), what it is to be British (and how other countries see us) and what it means to be a global citizen.
Developing the curriculum
A Global Dimension approach to the curriculum can add relevance and real life to topics and really engage children. It incorporates news items and current affairs – crucially bringing in the different viewpoints and opinions from the people affected. It makes creative and ‘real’ use of ICT. It puts languages into an exciting context, and it opens up global issues through history, geography, and science. It also strongly supports work on rights, sustainability, and the future.
Widening participation
School partnerships can engage students who generally are less willing to participate in classroom activities.
This can be of particular value where students from ethnic minority communities are under-achieving. A link also attracts interest and involvement from parents and the local community, which can in turn lead to better support for students at home, from mentors in the community, cultural or religious centres.
When a school has partner schools in the UK and in other countries, this can have the effect of bringing the school together and increasing its sense of ethos and identity.
Community Cohesion
The ISA has always promoted partnerships both within the UK and with other countries. This can give a real focus to discussions in the school about who we are (and how others see us), what it is to be British (and how other countries see us) and what it means to be a global citizen.
Developing the curriculum
A Global Dimension approach to the curriculum can add relevance and real life to topics and really engage children. It incorporates news items and current affairs – crucially bringing in the different viewpoints and opinions from the people affected. It makes creative and ‘real’ use of ICT. It puts languages into an exciting context, and it opens up global issues through history, geography, and science. It also strongly supports work on rights, sustainability, and the future.
Widening participation
School partnerships can engage students who generally are less willing to participate in classroom activities.
This can be of particular value where students from ethnic minority communities are under-achieving. A link also attracts interest and involvement from parents and the local community, which can in turn lead to better support for students at home, from mentors in the community, cultural or religious centres.
