Guidance for the Foundation level ISA - British Council Schools Online

Guidance for the Foundation International School Award
(ISA)
Purpose of the Award
The International School Award (ISA) acknowledges school collaboration internationally and
provides a framework for recognising schools that:
· champion international work and collaboration with partners to build and develop lasting
relationships
· benchmark best practice and share professional development in teaching and learning
· engage young people in both the global economy and global citizenship and develop their
skills for life and work
· support whole-school projects that contribute towards school improvement
· enrich education through international work.
There are three stages on the ISA journey: Foundation, Intermediate and Full.
Foundation level – who is it for
The Foundation level introduces internationalism and partnership working into the school, forming
a foundation for future international collaborative work. This is the level where some schools start
their ISA journey.
· Educators who apply at this level are starting to identify areas of practice that they can
improve on.
· Young people who are involved at this level are forming an idea of what it is to be a global
citizen.
Some schools take advantage of the ISA’s flexibility by taking a stepped approach towards gaining
full accreditation, undertaking a different stage each year, while some schools tackle two or three
stages in one year. If you are interested in the ISA it is worth looking at the criteria for all the
stages to determine which level suits your school best.
Reaching any level of the Award is a real achievement; however schools are only accredited with
the ISA once the Full stage is completed.
The ISA journey
Each stage of the ISA reflects a partnership and collaboration journey for the school. For this stage
of the award this journey is illustrated in the activities table below.
For the complete journey and activity areas for international work download the full ISA journey
table (W ord 75KB).

The ISA journey – FOUNDATION level activities should reflect each of these areas.
Preparing for international work
Global
citizenship
Enriching
education
Young people and educators build an awareness of global themes.
· Schools run activities that introduce global themes to young people
· Young people share information about their local context with partners
· Educators identify a need to introduce global citizenship themes in teaching
Educators build awareness of practices in other schools.
· Educators identify priority areas of practice to improve
· Educators share information about education practice with partners
Schools prepare for International work.
International
school
ethos
· Schools audit international activity and assess understanding among young people and
educators
· Schools appoint an international co-ordinator and write an international policy
· Schools actively seek and prepare to work with international partners
To apply for the Foundation level your school will have:
· conducted an audit of international activity already taking place in school
· appointed an international co-ordinator
· written an international policy
· started to look for, and be preparing to work with, international partner schools
· completed at least one activity with an international focus
· completed at least one activity with another school, either in your home country or a
different country
· completed a set of evaluation forms for parents, young people, educators and school
visitors for one activity and provided reflection on each of the collaborative activities
undertaken.
Complete the relevant documents offline and keep them for your records; they will build into a
portfolio of evidence as you progress through the ISA. Your application, which you must submit
online, will refer to these documents.
Foundation level criteria – in more detail
Activities
Describe the activities your school has completed for the Foundation level. Activities must cover
some of the points listed below (1-6).
Impact evaluation
On the same form It is important to illustrate the impact that the activities have had on the school,
educators, young people and the local or international community, including any relevant learning
outcomes.

Activity requirements
1. Curriculum-based activities
International projects must be part of genuine classroom activity that relates to a National or
local curriculum and should take place during normal lesson time. Projects and clubs carried
out at lunchtime and/ or after school are not usually eligible for consideration, unless they clearly
relate to curriculum-based work.
2. Collaborative work with partner schools
You must complete at least one activity with your partner school, but you can record additional
activities as part of your application. Your partner school can be in the same country as you or in a
different country.
Every activity should have an international focus, its content should complement the National or
local curriculum and it should contribute to improving educational outcomes.
The table below gives further advice on what is acceptable in terms of collaborative work.
Activities such as… are acceptable provided that… are not acceptable when there
is…
visits and trips (non
reciprocal). See note
below.
fundraising and
sponsoring
exchanges and work
experience
(reciprocal)
school-to-school
projects
as part of genuine curriculum work
(see 1) young people have
exchanged cultural information via
emails and letters with their peers
in the partner school before and
after the visit.
young people are in regular
contact with a school abroad and
the content of the information
exchange has an impact on the
curriculum/learning. Fundraising
alone is not a suitable activity.
young people have exchanged
cultural information via emails and
letters with their peers in the
partner school before and after the
exchange as part of curriculum
work.
it illustrates the impact this activity
has had on young people and
educators in understanding the
world as a global citizen, through
improved teaching practices or
improved outcomes for young
no evidence of young people
exchanging information as part of
curriculum work.
no evidence of young people
exchanging information as part of
curriculum work.
no evidence of young people
exchanging information as part of
curriculum work.
no evidence of reflective learning
or a change of behaviour,
knowledge or outcome in these
areas at individual, classroom,
schools or community level.

people.
A note about visits and trips
In-country visits
A trip or visit will not qualify as an activity on its own, but should be included in addition to
curriculum-based projects. (For example, a trip to a place of worship does not count, but as part
of a term-long project on religions of the world, it should certainly be included.)
Overseas visits
Ski trips and other extra-curricular visits, which have no impact on lessons, are not acceptable
as curriculum-based international activities.
3. Global citizenship
Your activities must encourage young people to develop awareness of global themes and explore
the differences between their local community and that of their partner school. Examples of global
themes include:
· conflict and peace
· sustainable living
· rights and responsibilities
· fairness and equality
· identity and belonging.
For more guidance on global citizenship visit Schools Online: Connecting Classrooms.
4. Continuous professional development
As well as building awareness and reflecting critically on emerging relationships with partner
schools, educators should illustrate an awareness of alternative practices in their partner
school. They should also show what changes they have made in their own pedagogy or
classroom management as a result.
5. Majority of curricular subjects involved
A broad range of subjects could be included in international activities. The teaching of a foreign
language is not an international activity when it focuses solely on learning language skills. It
becomes a valid activity when young people learn about the country, its customs, geography or
culture and can compare and contrast it with their own nation.
Reflect the breadth of subjects covered in your application.
6. Majority of young people involved

At least one activity must include involvement by the majority of young people in the school
(above about 75 per cent). Small group visits can only be considered in addition to this first activity.
Whole school activities should illustrate the schools leadership in embedding global citizenship at
the heart of the school.
What does a good partnership look like
Here is our definition of a successful school partnership.
‘A good partnership is sustainable, soundly managed, motivates staff and young people alike, is
supported by senior management, involves the wider school community, is integrated into the
curriculum, strategically planned, addresses global and real issues relevant to local communities,
and contributes to key competence development of educators and young people. All these factors
contribute to the development of critical cultural awareness and intercultural learning and
understanding.’
A partnership will flourish if the international work is integrated with existing curricula and everyday
classroom activity. W ork that tackles global themes does not necessarily require extra effort. A
truly embedded approach will make it easier to engage the whole school, particularly other
educators and the senior management team, which in turn facilitates international activities across
the school.
International School Award team
2012