Teacher with group of students building towers from blocks.

Read our advice to help plan and find activities for the International School Award.

Find an activity plan

Search through and use our classroom resources which house a series of activities and lesson plans that can be used as part of the International School Award. All resources are designed to encourage international awareness and learning.

Foundation and Intermediate level guidance

The activities you undertake should form part of the international education at your school, and must:

  • be part of genuine classroom work that relate to school’s curriculum,
  • happen during the normal lesson time,
  • show awareness of other cultures and countries,
  • be cross-curricular (cover a broad range of curriculum subjects).

We always encourage schools and teachers to involve as many learners as possible to maximise impact.

For the Foundation level, there are no specific requirements for the number of learners that should participate in international activities.

For the Intermediate level, at least 50% of learners should participate.

Accreditation and Reaccreditation level guidance

Activities designed and completed for this level must:

  • be part of genuine classroom work that relate to school’s curriculum,
  • happen during the normal lesson time,
  • be cross-curricular (they cover a broad range of curriculum subjects),
  • encourage language learning and cross-cultural communication skills,
  • be based on collaboration between learners and teachers,
  • work with schools in in other countries,
  • contribute to embedding international learning and global citizenship in the curriculum.

It is expected that the majority of learners will participate in international activities to maximise impact.

By repeating activities or introducing new activities each academic year, this will help to ensure most pupils will be involved in international learning activities as they progress through the school.

In terms of length, the most effective international activities are developed over the course of the school year, as they can be embedded effectively into your school’s curriculum and bring the aspect of sustainability into your international work.

Activity evaluation

As you work towards Accreditation/Reaccreditation levels, you will learn how to observe and evaluate your international work for its impact on learners and teachers.

Sample evaluation forms to record feedback from teachers, pupils, community are available to help you complete your Impact Evaluation.

Find a partner school 

If you’re looking to start a partnership, the British Council can help you in lots of ways. Our ‘Find a partner’ database gives you access to verified, like-minded schools looking to work with their counterparts in the UK. Our library of classroom resources gives you ideas for projects to get you started. And, on top of that, we’ve got lots of tips and guidance if you’ve never set up a partnership before.