We are delighted to announce that Longdendale High School, as part of Stamford Park Trust, has been successfully re-accredited with the British Council’s prestigious International School Award.

This is a fantastic achievement for our school and rewards us for showing a strong commitment in embedding international awareness and understanding within our students. 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.

Longdendale students develop an increased knowledge, awareness and tolerance about other countries, cultures and languages; this increases their confidence in communicating with people from different backgrounds and has been vital to our success in sustaining exchange activities with our partner schools in Spain and France over the past few years.

During the pandemic, we have introduced virtual sharing of information with our partner schools via jointly planned curriculum-based projects. This has enabled our students to collaborate with peers in other countries on shared themes, promoting discussion and comparative study in a curriculum-based context. We are very much looking forward to recommencing our traditional exchange visits to run alongside our virtual work, opening up opportunities for all students to enhance their international experience.

Headteacher, Andrea Jones, says “holding the International School Award is a fantastic achievement, and reflects the work we do across the school to support our students to develop an appreciation and understanding of other countries and cultures. Our staff are passionate about and committed to providing a wide range of opportunities for our students to be responsible and active global citizens in an ever changing world.”

Scott McDonald, Chief Executive of the British Council, said: ‘The school has earned this prestigious award through its inspirational international work and links with schools abroad.

The International School Award is a chance for schools to be recognised for their important work bringing the world into their classrooms. This is especially commendable when schools have been deeply affected by the global pandemic. The desire to build on their international work shines through and it is with upmost pride that we celebrate their achievements.

By embedding an international dimension in children’s education, Longdendale High School is preparing its students for successful lives in the UK or further afield, empowering them to be global citizens, and are creating vital opportunities in an increasingly global economy.’

The International School Award encourages and supports schools to develop:

• An international ethos embedded throughout the school
• A whole school approach to international work
• Collaborative curriculum-based work with a number of partner schools
• Year-round international activity
• Involvement of the wider community

The school will hold this award until 31^st August 2025 and we look forward to enhancing the scope of our excellent international activities in order to benefit the school community in the years ahead.