PUBLISHED 01 August 2024
AKS Prep School has been awarded the British Council’s prestigious International School Award in recognition of our work to bring the world into our classrooms. The Award celebrates the 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 navigating today’s modern world.
A wide range of work took place during the 2023 – 2024 academic year, led by Liz Robinson, Prep School MFL Co-ordinator, who worked with her colleagues to integrate the activities across the curriculum. Examples include:
- Practising international-themed playground games and discussing our breaktime activities with the Michael Ham Memorial College in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Celebrating the European Day of Languages by learning to say ‘hello’ in 17 different languages and showcasing that learning in a video
- Looking at Olympic venues across Paris and talking about our favourite sports with children from the École Alsacienne, located in the heart of this year’s Olympic city
- Making Día de los Muertos skeleton masks and cempasúchiles (marigolds), and reading a story - ‘La Tumba’ – in Spanish, demonstrating the many traditions associated with the day in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries
- A taster lesson in Arabic to celebrate World Arabic Language Day
- Developing understanding of the issues facing refugees and making a whole-school Ostereierbaum in the German tradition, colouring the Easter eggs to hang on the tree in the colours of the flags of countries experiencing war and displacement of their citizens; exchanging Easter eggs with the Cambridge International School in Bratislava, Slovakia and having their students attend and take part our Easter assembly (speaking English, German and Slovak) via Teams link
- Singing ‘Linda Noite de Natal’ in Portuguese at Christmas time
- Discussing natural disasters with student representatives of the Colegio Anglo Colombiano school located in Bogotá, Colombia after reading the story ¡Derrubme/Landslide! in our MFL lessons
- The AKS Eurovision Song Contest showcased the linguistic abilities of our KS2 pupils whose classes each performed a catchy pop song in French, German or Spanish
- Talking about our schools and their location as well as our daily routines with the students of the Woodridge College and Preparatory School in South Africa
- Developing the Young Interpreters scheme in school with a view to supporting students with English as an additional language, including a special assembly and video which showcased the many languages spoken and understood by our students and staff
- Children in the preschool listening to stories with children from the preschool at Woodridge College and Preparatory School in South Africa as well as playing a game of ‘Simon Says’ together
Scott McDonald, Chief Executive of the British Council, commended AKS Lytham on achieving the award, “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. By embedding an international dimension in children’s education, these schools are preparing their 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.”
On hearing we had achieved the International School Award, Amanda Ilhan, Head of AKS Prep School said, “I am very proud of our students who have seized all these opportunities to take part in international activities, and I am looking forward to many more meaningful international projects next year."
Headmaster, David Harrow added, “I have always enjoyed the balance of being a local school on the Fylde coast, but also maintaining an active and exciting international outlook. I very much look forward to deepening our relationship with the Woodridge School in South Africa and, indeed, our many other friends and partners across the world.”