British Council International School Award success for Broadclyst Community Primary School

Broadclyst Community Primary School (BCPS) has been reaccredited with the British Council’s prestigious International School Award in recognition of its work to bring the world into the classroom.

The International School Award celebrates the achievements of schools that do exceptional work in international education. 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 for life work in today’s world.

BCPS embeds international studies into the curriculum and whole-school ethos; it promotes citizenship, cultural diversity and foreign language learning throughout the school and works very closely with its international partner schools in Ethiopia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland and France.

The Global Enterprise Challenge project, which involves children from both primary and secondary schools in over 20 countries throughout the world, goes from strength to strength.

Headteacher Jonathan Bishop has expressed his pride in this massive achievement: “The high standard of international partnership and activity the school has continued to achieve is a credit to everyone involved, particularly Chloe Farrant, the school’s International Co-ordinator, and all the children who have collaborated so enthusiastically with their peers around the world, as well as the wider community here in Broadclyst. This award continues to inspire us to be a village school with global reach and a truly international approach.”

Sir Ciarán Devane, CEO of 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. Embedding an international dimension in children’s education ensures that they are truly global citizens and helps prepare them for successful lives and careers in an increasingly global economy.”

The award is now available worldwide in countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Lebanon, Cyprus, and Pakistan. Around 5,500 International School Awards have been presented to successful schools in the UK since the scheme began in 1999.

The International School Award encourages and supports schools to develop:

• An international ethos embedded throughout the school
• A whole school approach to international work
• Collaborative curriculum-based work with a number of partner schools
• Year-round international activity
• Involvement of the wider community