Rose Hill School has been awarded Foundation level of 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 and work in today’s world. 

Rose Hill School’s international work includes five Focus Days each year when the children dedicate the day to a single subject allowing them to look in-depth at an issue. One of the days held for older pupils is a mock United Nations Forum where they debate a global issue such as water scarcity. This is directly linked to opening the children’s minds to international communities and their needs. A further section of the curriculum is an annual project whereby each year group completes a different project. In Year 6 the pupils’ Philanthropy Project has produced some wonderful results. Every year, they also celebrate the different languages and traditions with ‘European Day of Languages’ where pupils teach others numbers or colours in their language and talk about their traditions. They also have French Day in May where they study and learn about the French speaking countries around the world. Beyond this, the school have a correspondence link with a school in Paris. Internationalism is also found across many subjects across the PrePrep learning journeys.

On hearing the news that Rose Hill School had achieved Foundation level of the award, Nathalie Collett, Head of MFL said: “I am so pleased that as a School we have been recognized for the work we have undertaken. It is a pleasure to work in a school that appreciates the importance of internationalism”.

Shannon West, Head of UK Schools for the British Council, said: ‘Rose Hill School’s international work has earned the school well-deserved recognition with the British Council International School Award – Foundation Certificate.

We are delighted and proud that Rose Hill School is committed to developing a whole school approach to embedding and celebrating international work. The dedication from everyone is enriching education and supporting globally aware young people and the development of key skills.

We thank all involved in this important work; embedding an international ethos across a school can lead to International School Award accreditation, which is the highest level of the award. Schools looking to join this supportive and engaging global network should contact us at the British Council.”

The Award is now available worldwide in countries such as Greece, India and Nigeria. Over 6000 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