International Dimension in Ballyclare High School
This year Ballyclare High School became one of three schools in the U.K. to receive the International School Award for the third time.
This British Council award is in recognition of the commitment to the international dimension shown throughout all aspects of school life. The School has held this award since 1998.
For a school to qualify for this award, activities must be embedded in the curriculum. They must involve a range of year groups and a range of subjects and take place over the course of the year. An essential element is good collaborative work with schools in other countries.
Ballyclare High has a strong international element in both the formal and informal curriculum. Most subjects include the international dimension in their Programme of Study and many other activities throughout the year, such as the European Day of Languages, provide pupils with a relevant experience.
We have long-established links with our partner schools in Germany (Gymnasium Petrinum, Dorsten) and France (Lycée Camille Sée, Colmar), and senior pupils participate in yearly exchange visits. Our Year 8 pupils have the opportunity of a trip to either France or Germany at the end of the year.
As part of the Specialist I.T. School programme, Ballyclare High is to be involved in another British Council scheme – etwinning, in which pupils will be involved in electronic exchanges with schools in other countries.
The School is aware that young people are growing up in a world where national boundaries are less and less important, where jobs are increasingly mobile internationally and where we are all global citizens.
We know that it is vital that we prepare our pupils to live and work in this new international environment, and to become responsible citizens of the world of the 21 st century.
www.globalgateway.org