In September, St Margaret’s CE High school was awarded the prestigious Full International School Award. This award lasts for three years (2011-14) and is in recognition of all the international work done across school as a whole. The award celebrates St Margaret’s on-going commitment to enriching and embracing the international dimensions of teaching and learning, and to our overall goal of helping our young people to develop into global citizens.
In order to meet the criteria for the award, we were required to submit a portfolio evidencing at least seven activities which embedded an international dimension within the whole school curriculum. What was particularly pleasing was not only the volume but the quality of evidence we were able to submit to the British Council of the international activities taking place across the School, from a wide range of subjects- some of which supported Modern Foreign Languages specifically; others concentrated on other areas of the curriculum, e.g. Religious Education, Geography, History, Art and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, just to name some of the other major contributors.
This award pays dividends not only to the contributing staff, across the range of different subject areas, who are providing students with insightful learning opportunities, but also to students who take part with such interest and enthusiasm.
Over the next three years, it is our vision to expand the International curriculum provision to other subject areas in order to raise this profile within the school. At the present moment in time, we are actively involved in international work in Bolivia, DR Congo and have already formed links with schools in France and Germany. It is one of our priorities to establish links with a Spanish speaking school, either in Spain or South America. Yet the long term aims over the next three years prior to reaccreditation will be to maintain this degree of dynamism; to introduce students to other cultures, broaden horizons and continue to foster a global dimension into the curriculum by raising students’ awareness of the world around them.