Association with British Council

British Council Continuing Professional Development

The British Council provides continuous professional developments opportunities for teachers and leaders by way of workshops, events and trainings. These are organised both face-to-face and online.

In the development of any teacher professional development programme, it is important to heed research insights as to what makes it effective. The following points are derived from a research by Hennessy et al. 2015:

long-term and structured
promote teacher agency and leadership
focus on classroom implementation
align with teachers’ existing knowledge, practice and contexts
create opportunities for collaboration with colleagues and teacher peer support
encourage and support teachers in obtaining resources
encourage engagement with the local community
recognise the interplay between teacher and head teacher professional development

The structure of British Council Continuing Professional Development of Teachers fulfils almost all of the above points.

The British Council International School Award (ISA)

The British Council International School Award (ISA) is a benchmarking scheme that accredits schools as having an outstanding level of support for:

Nurturing global citizenship in young people
Enriching teaching and learning

ISA was introduced in India in the year 2003 and nearly 2500 schools across the country have joined this exciting journey since then. The range of schools participating in the International School Award varies from the well-resourced private schools to government schools from rural areas and schools for the less advantaged communities. The International School Award now has a presence in 31 countries worldwide.
https://www.britishcouncil.in

Entry point at British Council International School Award

The British Council International School Award has three entry points:

FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE

The FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE is awarded to schools that are preparing to embed international work into their curriculum.
Key activities
Schools wishing to achieve the Foundation Certificate will have completed the following activities:
1. Conducted audit of international activities already taking place in the school.
2. Appointed an international co-coordinator.
3. Registered on British Council Schools Online website
4. Started to look for and be preparing to work with schools in other countries.
5. Completed at least two curriculum activities with international dimension in six months.
6. Planned international activities across the school so that at least 20% of all pupils will participate at some point during their time at the school.

INTERMEDIATE CERTIFICATE

The INTERMEDIATE CERTIFICATE is awarded to schools that are developing their international work.
Key Activities
Schools wishing to achieve the Intermediate Certificate will have completed the following activities:
1. Conducted audit of international activities already taking place in the school.
2. Appointed an international co-coordinator(s) / committee.
3. Written an international policy
4. Started partnership with a school in another country.
5. Completed at least four curriculum activities with international dimension and skills in the last year, at least one of which in collaboration with a partner school in another country. As a whole, the activities should demonstrate the expected outcomes and involve several curriculum subjects in the school.
6. Planned international activities across the school so that 50% of all pupils will participate at some point during their time at the school.

THE BRITISH COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AWARD

The Full ISA or the BRITISH COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AWARD accreditation is given to schools that have embedded international work into their curriculum.
Key Activities
1. Conducted audit of international activities already taking place in the school.
2. Evaluated the impact of international work on young people, educators and the school as a whole.
3. Appointed an international co-coordinator(s) / committee.
4. Revised and developed their international policy as required.
5. Completed at least seven curriculum activities with international dimension and skills in one academic year, at least three of which must be undertaken in collaboration with a partner school in another country. As a whole, the activities should demonstrate the expected outcomes and involve majority of curriculum subjects in the school.
6. Planned international activities across the school so that 80% of all pupils participate at some point during their time at the school.

Key benefits of getting the International School Award

It has a positive impact on not just the students, but also the teachers and school in entirety.
It is a leadership challenge and fosters team building, innovation, and project management.

It is widely accepted that the traditional chalk and talk model of content-oriented teaching cannot adequately prepare young people for the future. We need to shift focus emphasise on value-oriented experiential learning. To counter the challenges that the schools across the world are grappling with, we have an International School Award approach that is holistic and promising.

Key takeaways:

International School Award is a leadership challenge and fosters teambuilding, innovation, and project management.
Working on the Action Plan and the Portfolio encourages collaboration and critical thinking. The staff is motivated to improve teaching standards in their respective schools.
Pupils are taught using a methodology that embeds global themes in the curriculum.
International School Award gives context to practice new skills in Information & Communications Technology (ICT) and pedagogy in a safe and structured manner.
After registering for the International School Award, you can attend briefings and workshops, join an online community that provides a platform to all for exchange of ideas.
Once the school receives the award, the head teacher and the International School Award teams receive certificates that acknowledge their outstanding contribution as educational professionals.

How accreditation has a positive effect on the school, pupils and teachers?

Opens a window to other countries and cultures, giving teachers and pupils a new outlook on the world.
Prepares pupils with skills for life and work in a global economy, opening their eyes to new opportunities.
Gives your school a fresh and attractive identity, and a new globally conscious ethos.

Awards after completes the British Council International School award

A school that completes the British Council International School award meeting the minimum required standards is entitled to the following privileges as part of the award :

International School Award trophy for the school.
Certificates for school, Principal, ISA Coordinator and up to 10 members of the ISA team in school.
Use of the coveted International School Award kite mark on all official stationery and promotional materials for 3 years
Invitation to attend the annual British Council School Awards Ceremony and associated seminars and workshops.

The outstanding schools will have the opportunity to showcase their portfolios at British Council offices, speak at British Council events as resource persons, participate in selected events and workshops and get invited to join the International School Award assessment panel in the future.

We at Podar Kalyan Cambridge International remain committed to be the best and be recognised as raising the traditional standards of educational possibilities and outcomes for students, parents and society and are aspirant of achieving greater academic excellence. British Council's “International Schools Award” (ISA).

Podar International School had enrolled for British Council: International School Award for the year 2018-21. We are proud to announce that we had achieved the award after successful submission of the documentation for the activities conducted in school.

Aim: To enable our students:-

With awareness of countries, cultures and languages other than our own.
To encourage greater involvement in environmental issues.
To enable all pupils to develop appropriate skills concepts, knowledge and understanding of (and responsibilities for) the world they live and will inherit.
Learn and work in collaboration for achieving shared goals.
Confidence in them and respect for others, they can live and work in a changing world.

The activities like ‘All Smiles, its Festive Time’, ‘Healthy Food for a Wealthy Mood (La joie de la bonne nourriture)’ ‘The Earth is heating up’, ‘Let’s recruit candidates’, ‘world of shapes’, ‘Habitat – a home place’, ‘Identification of Business documents’ gave students ample opportunities to explore and connect with the students of partner schools. It was indeed an exuberating and satisfying experience for all.

The feedback received from parents about the learning of the students and it really helped in improving their communication, presentation, team work skills among the students. A remarkable improvement was seen in the staff and students as they worked together on activities and developed their skills as they collaborated with the partner schools. Students who took part in the programme have greatly improved their language skills, research skills, and skill of collaboration which will help them to grow as leaders in the global community. The students learnt to appreciate the cultural diversity of the various countries and saving the natural environment and sensitivity on global issues.

ISA has given us a new platform to work with schools across the globe. Hence, cultural understanding international activities would be a part of our curriculum for this academic year along with the global issues, cultural diversity and conflict solving solutions to think globally in order to produce ‘Good’ and ‘Responsible’ Global Citizens.

Collaborating with other countries for Curriculum Activity Exchange would be a great way to educate children through a comprehensive curriculum which supports the mastery of academics creates critical thinking and develop communication skills. Our objective is not only to excel in education but also to promote sports, culture and creativity among students. The school will organise competitive events to identify, nurture and explore the individual potential.

Principal Mr. Sanjay Nandi said, “A remarkable improvement was seen in the students and staff as they worked together on activities and developed their skills as they collaborated with the partner schools. Students who took part in the programme have greatly improved their language skills, research skills, and skill of collaboration which will help them to grow as leaders in the global community. The students learnt to appreciate the cultural diversity of the various countries and saving the natural environment and sensitivity on global issues.