The British Council International School Award provides a platform to schools to integrate international dimension in the curriculum with a view to developing global citizens who appreciate the diversity of cultures and are sensitive to others’ opinions and words. This is the celebration for the schools for all the hard work they have done for the last academic year. ISA is an accreditation scheme. The Award provides a valuable framework for schools to develop their international activities. Schools need to show their international policy, provide a job description for an international co-ordinator to co-ordinate their international work and to highlight a whole school ethos committed to ensuring a broad range of students, teachers and the local community are engaged with their international work. ISA encourages and supports schools to develop an international ethos embedded throughout the school; a majority of pupils within the school are impacted by and involved in international work. The accreditation process has 3 main stages – action planning stage, implementation of agreed activities and compilation of a dossier of evidence. The timetable fits into the school year and takes around 12 months to complete. Successful schools are accredited for three years and receive the ISA logo which can be used on all school publications for a period of three years, a trophy and a certificate presented at a national presentation event. Over 3000 schools in the UK are now involved in the programme with over 1000 having ISA accreditation and we are working closely with the Department for Children, Schools and Families to support every school in the country with getting an overseas link by 2012. India introduced the scheme as a pilot programme in 2003-04 and Sri Lanka followed in 2005. The scheme is also being piloted across countries in the Middle East region and China. Since 2003-04 when the scheme was introduced in India, 41 schools have been accredited so far and another 31 schools across India were presented the awards in August at a glittering ceremony in Kolkata.
For more information, log on to: www.britishcouncil.org/india-education-programmes-bcisa.htm
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