Newcastle schools are invited to a FREE in person session with British Council’s International School Awards (ISA) team at 1.00-2.45pm or 3.45-5.30pm on 16th October at Newcastle Civic Centre.
- Click here to register by September 20th to confirm your attendance, selecting which session you would prefer to attend.
Hosted and organised by Newcastle City Council (School Effectiveness) and International Newcastle, this session seeks to provide support and advice to schools seeking to embed internationalism and global citizenship within the curriculum and school community and to enhance international links.
Last academic year, 36 more schools in Newcastle achieved the Foundation level of the ISA for their involvement in the Festival of Languages, bringing the total to 59 schools in the city. Alongside schools new to the ISA we are encouraging all schools who received their Foundation award to attend this session to learn how to get the next accredited level and its accompanying certificate.
About the International School Award
British Council’s International School Award (ISA) provides a framework for schools to develop international activities across the curriculum, including collaborative work with international partner schools and opportunities to involve the wider community. Schools can start at Foundation level and then achieve accreditation as they develop through the levels.
The International Schools Award celebrates and recognises the international work that schools do. The programme encourages schools to open their classrooms and bring the world in, teaching pupils about other countries and cultures.
- No cost for applying, some staff time is needed
- A supportive and motivational framework to guide the school’s international learning activities
- Can be adapted to any curriculum at any level from nursery to 6th form colleges and special schools
- Any school in the UK that is delivering one of the national curricula can apply for the International School Award (3 to 18 years) and there is a lot of flexibility to suit students’ abilities
The International School Award:
- prepares young people for life in a global society by increasing their understanding of other countries, cultures, and global issues
- provides a motivational framework for teachers to develop themselves professionally (Leading on this work in school gives more opportunities for professional development, working with colleagues in other countries and supporting progression)
- recognises a school’s commitment to developing global citizenship in young people, and gives opportunities to raise the school’s profile through local and national media (Media packs are provided to schools to share news with local media)
Further information
- Click here to find out more about the International School Award, guidance on how to apply, criteria and benefits.
- International Newcastle and Newcastle City Council (School Effectiveness) hosted two events with the British Council ISA team and Newcastle schools in November 2023 to explain and explore the International School Award. Download the full report here
Festival Participation and the ISA
British Council has been a partner and contributor to Express Yourself: North East Festival of Languages since its inception in 2021. They offered North East schools participating in any activities during this year’s Festival to immediate qualification for the International School Award (ISA) Foundation Certificate. This meant that schools did not need to go through the usual online application process to achieve this.
Details of schools registering for activities were sent to British Council and certificates have been issued and emailed to the contract provided at the school, if they did not already have an International School Award. You can read more here about their success.
The Foundation Level of the award simply requires schools to do at least 1 International activity linked to the curriculum (with or without an international school partner) and there is no requirement on the number of pupils involved or the duration of the activity. The certificate does not expire.
Progressing with ISA levels and Festival activities
Schools can apply for the ISA Intermediate Level and Accreditation Level, depending on the stage they are at. These do require engagement and activities to be undertaken with an international partner school. The applications for these levels is online through the Submittable portal.
Festival activities can be used these as part of your application. The 2025 Festival will take place from January to March 2025 and details will be shared in November, so schools can prepare.
There are lots of ways to progress through the ISA Levels.
Intermediate level requires a minimum of three activities with international focus and linked to the curriculum. One of those activities must be in collaboration with partner school abroad. Roughly half of the UK pupils should be involved in the activities as a whole. The activities must have taken place in the 12 months prior to the application date. The application can be submitted any time.
Accreditation requires more international engagement and is a two stage process.