The Royal British International School in New Cairo, Egypt, has recently been awarded the Bronze Global School Award.
How did you introduce international aspects into your school?
Since opening its doors in 2019, The Royal British International School has continued to foster a global dimension and aims to continue to encourage all pupils, staff and parents to celebrate their identity as global citizens in an amazingly diverse world.
From the diverse cultures and nationalities represented in our pupils, families and staff, our celebration of important cross-cultural events to the deliberate provision of a Global Perspectives curriculum we aim to provide experiences which can promote a better understanding of the cultures and societies of our world in which we live. We also clearly embed this through our own Royal School Values where Understanding and Kindness are key.
We have enabled pupils from here in Egypt to connect with pupils from schools in the UK. As the diversity of our pupil population continues to expand, so will our endeavours to provide further opportunities for them to interact with and become immersed in a greater range of global cultural experiences.
How does your school’s international work improve student engagement and motivation?
Pupils at The Royal British International School are encouraged to expand their perspective beyond their immediate familiar community and this is planned and guided through their Global Perspectives Curriculum. They key is to make it interesting for our pupils. Incorporating global topics and perspectives across the curriculum can help students see the relevance and real-world applications of what they are learning.
We have had opportunities to arrange for students to participate in virtual interactions with peers from other countries and look forward to growing many more such opportunities which provide authentic learning.
We have been able to offer clubs and other extracurricular activities focused on international topics, culture and languages. We aim to provide further outlets to explore current events, or global issues which appeal to pupils’ interests.
How has the Global School Alliance benefited you as a teacher and the opportunities for your school?
Our membership in the Global School Alliance is very new and exciting. We are already inspired and newly invigorated to commit to growing the opportunities for our pupils. We feel that the Global School Alliance projects, partnerships and support will enable us to do so with significant impact to pupils’ perspectives.
What impact do you hope your Bronze School Award will have on teacher and student motivation?
Along with this award comes the incentive to become further engaged in projects and partnerships. We hope to start up some projects to share globally too.
How will you use this award as a starting point to increase global awareness?
This is an opportunity to encourage all staff to get on board with our International Policy and commitment to nurturing internationally-minded citizens of the future. We will also announce this award to our parents to demonstrate our commitment to enriching the pupils’ learning.
What are your plans for continuing as an internationally-minded school?
We are planning to really focus on growing connections through partnerships with schools from around the globe and aim to make our Global Perspective a key element of our School Year start up this next academic year. We will next set our sights on progressing to attain a Silver Award and this target will steer us to even deeper and more meaningful global interactions for all our pupils.
The Global School Awards are a supportive and motivational framework that guides and supports schools through their international work. Schools are supported to follow an accessible methodology to encourage the development of links with partner schools around the world, enhance the curriculum and prepare students for life as global citizens. Learn more and get started at: globalschoolalliance.com/global-school-awards/.
