Keswick School has been recognised for its work to bring the world into the classroom.
It has been awarded Foundation level of the British Council’s prestigious International School Award.
The International School Award celebrates 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.
Keswick School’s international work includes the following:
- Trips to France, Germany and Austria
- Successful exchanges with schools in France and Germany
- A long-running Languages Festival (singing event)
- German Christmas market and French and German food tasting lessons
- Online workshops with the Goethe Institut incorporating German Hip-hop!
- Educational visits to Manchester, Lancaster, and Newcastle Universities to attend French and German A-Level workshops.
Keswick School is also very proud to have the Northwest Area winner for German for the Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators, a national competition run by the Queen’s College Translation Exchange at the University of Oxford, judged by professional translators and students at the University, and boasting over 22,000 participants from across the UK from which there were over 5,000 entries.
Headteacher Simon Jackson said: “As a state boarding school, we have students who attend Keswick School from across the world.
“This brings an incredible international dimension, richness and diversity that is further enhanced by the exceptional work and dedication of our specialist modern foreign languages department.
“The range of opportunities that they offer reflects the excitement language learning can offer. It is therefore no surprise that our students achieve some of the highest results in the country in languages including 19 grade 9s awarded in GCSE German last year.”
Shannon West, head of UK Schools for the British Council, said: “We are delighted and proud that Keswick 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.”
